Professional Preparation Glossary Terms

Accreditation Process—The Michigan Revised School Code requires the Michigan State Board of Education to set standards for the accreditation of public schools in Michigan. The State Board of Education has set Education YES! as the system to accredit Michigan schools. Some schools are also accredited through the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, which is one of six regional school accreditation authorities recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Source: Michigan Department of Education Glossary of Terms.

ACT—The ACT is a college admissions test taken by a significant number of college-bound students across the country. ACT previously stood for American College Testing, but the organization that develops and administers the test now uses the acronym as its official name. Source: The Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth.

Administrator—The person responsible for the management of an organization where teachers work, who usually is in charge of the evaluation of teachers, and who is accountable for the quality of teaching and for ensuring that teachers have, to the extent possible, the resources needed to perform their duties and professional responsibilities. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Alternate Assessment—An assessment used to measure the learning progress and performance of students with disabilities who do not participate in general education assessments (i.e., the MEAP) as determined by their Individualized Education Program Teams. Source: 2006 MI-Access handbooks.

Alignment—The process of strengthening the linkage between job responsibilities and teacher evaluation systems or between curriculum/instruction and assessment. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Certification/Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC)—1) Official recognition of advanced status, outstanding performance, or a high level of expertise in the profession, usually granted to incumbent teachers who have several years of teaching experience. 2) Sometimes certification is used as a synonym for credential or license. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Curriculum—Curriculum is defined as the courses offered by an educational institution or a set of courses constituting an area of specialization. Educators often extend this definition to include what is taught in those courses and how it is taught. Source: Governor's Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth.

Effective Teaching—Teaching practices that lead to desirable results such as student learning as measured by standardized tests. Often such practices are identified based on correlational research that does not indicate a cause-and-effect link between certain teaching practices and student learning.
Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Highly Qualified Teacher—In accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools must provide a highly qualified teaching staff. States must develop plans that will ensure that all teachers of core academic subjects (English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography) are Highly Qualified. This means that teachers must have state certification, hold a bachelor’s degree, and have demonstrated subject area competency. According to a Michigan Department of Education publication, Michigan law requires that a person employed in an elementary or secondary school with instructional responsibilities hold a certificate, permit, or vocational authorization valid for the position to which he or she is assigned. In Michigan, the traditional process for obtaining a license to teach is through completion of a college or university teacher education program. Sources: No Child Left Behind: A Desktop Reference (2002), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and The Michigan Definition for Identifying Highly Qualified Teachers (April 2003), Michigan Department of Education.

Induction—Induction is a coherent, comprehensive process that provides teachers in their first three years of teaching the support they need to become effective teachers. During those first three years, beginning teachers have serious learning needs. According to Feiman-Nemser (2001) beginning teachers need to: (a) gain local knowledge of students, curriculumm and the school context; (b) design responsive curriculum and instruction; (c) enact and build their teaching repertoire in purposeful ways; (d) create a classroom learning community; (e) develop a professional identity; and (f) learn in and from practice. While mentoring is central to induction, induction is more than mentoring. The best induction programs include a full set of planned, purposeful efforts that district administrators, principals, and teachers engage in to support beginning teachers’ development of effective instructional skills and strong commitments to their students’ learning. Creating such programs requires that principals and teachers work together in their schools and with their districts to establish and sustain school cultures that support both their own and their students’ learning. Source: ASSIST Web site, http://assist.educ.msu.edu/ASSIST/index.php?tab=4.

Local Education Agency—A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a state for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state. Source: Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments.

Mentor Teacher/Mentoring—An experienced, often specially trained, teacher who works with new teachers, interns, or regular teachers in a professional improvement program. Mentors serve as resources, coaches, advisors, and confidants to other teachers and may be involved in formative evaluation activities as well as in the development and implementation of the plan of assistance. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Model/Modeling—A model in the professional development context is an example of a coherent method, approach, procedure, or strategy of teaching or of a teacher evaluation, as defined by its key or unique assumptions, propositions, attributes, supportive theory, research, practical precedent, or foundation, and which implicitly defines accomplished or good teaching. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Pedagogy—The art and science of teaching. Some pedagogical skills apply across teaching in different settings or contexts. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Probationary Teacher—A non-tenured teacher who is usually a relatively inexperienced teacher (three years or less of teaching experience). Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Professional Development—A process designed to improve specific professional competencies and the overall competence of a teacher. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Standard—The level of performance on the criterion being assessed that is considered satisfactory in terms of the purpose of the evaluation. There are three major categories of standards, related to various purposes. 1) Developmental standards specify improvement levels to be attained and may be used for professional evelopment and self assessment. 2) Minimum standards designate the level below which performance is not acceptable and are used for such purposes as licensure and job assignments. 3) Desired performance standards reflect what is regarded as accomplished or effective teaching and typically are used for such purposes as promotions, awards, and certification. Source: Western Michigan University’s Teacher Evaluation Kit.

Teacher Consultant Approval—Approval granted to a teacher with a valid Michigan teaching certificate and full endorsement in one of the following areas: learning disability, emotional impairment, mental impairment, visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical impairment, other health impairments, or autism. Source: Full Approval for Teacher Consultant Policy & Criteria, Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services (OSE/EIS).

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