Education Glossary
Clear, jargon-free definitions of the education terms teachers encounter every day — from IEPs to Bloom's Taxonomy to MTSS and beyond.
A
Accommodations
Changes to how a student accesses or demonstrates learning without altering the content or expectations. The standard stays the same; the path changes.
Anchor Chart
A visual reference tool created during instruction that captures key concepts, strategies, or procedures and remains displayed in the classroom for student reference.
B
Bloom's Taxonomy
A hierarchical framework of six cognitive levels — Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create — used to classify learning objectives and assessments.
BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan)
A plan that outlines specific strategies and supports to address a student's challenging behavior, based on the findings of a Functional Behavior Assessment.
Backward Design
A curriculum planning approach that starts with desired learning outcomes and assessments, then designs instruction to achieve those outcomes.
Benchmark Assessment
A periodic assessment given at set intervals during the school year to measure student progress toward meeting grade-level standards.
C
Cooperative Learning
A structured teaching strategy where students work together in small groups toward a shared learning goal, with individual accountability for each member.
Curriculum Mapping
The process of aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment across a school year to ensure standards coverage, pacing, and vertical alignment between grade levels.
Close Reading
An instructional strategy where students read a complex text multiple times with increasing depth, focusing on meaning, structure, and author's craft.
D
DOK (Depth of Knowledge)
Webb's Depth of Knowledge framework classifies tasks into four levels of cognitive complexity: Recall, Skill/Concept, Strategic Thinking, and Extended Thinking.
Differentiated Instruction
An approach to teaching that adapts content, process, product, or learning environment based on individual student needs, readiness, interests, and learning profiles.
E
ELL/ESL (English Language Learner)
A student whose first language is not English and who is in the process of developing English language proficiency.
Exit Ticket
A brief formative assessment given at the end of a lesson where students respond to a question or prompt to demonstrate understanding before leaving class.
F
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
A federal law that protects the privacy of student education records and gives parents rights regarding their children's records.
Formative Assessment
Ongoing, low-stakes assessments used during instruction to monitor student learning and adjust teaching in real time.
FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment)
A process for identifying the underlying function or purpose of a student's challenging behavior to develop effective interventions.
G
I
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
A legally binding document that outlines specialized instruction, goals, and services for a student with a disability under IDEA.
Inquiry-Based Learning
An approach to teaching where students learn through exploring questions, investigating problems, and constructing understanding rather than receiving direct instruction.
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
The federal law that ensures students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) through special education and related services.
L
M
MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)
A comprehensive framework that integrates academic instruction, behavioral supports, and social-emotional learning across multiple tiers of intensity.
Modifications
Changes to what a student is expected to learn or demonstrate — altering the content, standard, or level of the curriculum itself.
P
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
A school-wide framework for preventing behavioral problems through clear expectations, positive reinforcement, and tiered supports.
PBL (Project-Based Learning)
A teaching method where students learn by actively investigating and responding to authentic, complex questions or challenges over an extended period.
R
RTI (Response to Intervention)
A multi-tiered approach to early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs through increasingly intensive interventions.
Rubric
A scoring guide that defines criteria and quality levels for evaluating student work, making expectations transparent and grading consistent.
S
Summative Assessment
Assessments given at the end of an instructional period to evaluate student mastery against standards or learning objectives.
Scaffolding
Temporary instructional supports that help students accomplish tasks they cannot yet do independently, gradually removed as competence increases.
SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)
The process through which students develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
STEM
An interdisciplinary approach to education that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through real-world problem-solving.
Standards-Based Grading
A grading system that measures student mastery of specific learning standards rather than averaging points from assignments, tests, and participation.
Scope and Sequence
A document that outlines the breadth (scope) of content to be covered and the order (sequence) in which topics will be taught across a course or grade level.