GLOSSARY
Approval. A process for assessing and enhancing academic and educational quality through voluntary peer review, to assure the public that a professional education unit and/or program has met institutional, state, and national standards of educational quality; also, a PSC decision rendered when a professional education unit or program meets PSC standards.
ACT. The ACT Assessment® is designed to assess high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.
Action Letter. Official letter from the Executive Secretary of the Professional Standards Commission to the institution or agency communicating the Commission's decision concerning the institution's professional education unit and program approval status.
Advanced Preparation. Programs at post-baccalaureate levels for (1) the continuing education of teachers who have previously completed initial preparation or (2) the preparation of other professional school personnel. Advanced preparation programs commonly award graduate credit and include masters, specialist, and doctoral degree programs as well as non-degree licensure programs offered at the graduate level.
Alternate Route to State Certification. Post-baccalaureate programs designed for individuals who did not prepare as educators during their undergraduate studies. These programs, which usually lead to a professional education unit's recommendation for a state license, accommodate the schedules of adults and recognize their earlier academic preparation and life experiences. In some instances, candidates may be employed as educators while enrolled. An example is the Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program, GA TAPP.
Annual Report. Report to the PSC from all approved professional education units containing data required for Title II reporting and other data used by the Commission to monitor the continuing health of professional education units and programs in Georgia.
Assessment System. A comprehensive and integrated set of evaluation measures that provides information for use in monitoring candidate performance and managing and improving unit operations and programs for the preparation of professional educators.
Benchmark. A description or example of candidate or institutional performance that serves as a standard of comparison for evaluation or judging quality.
Board of Examiners. (BOE) Panel of education professionals from institutions of higher education, Regional Education Service Agencies, and local education agencies who are trained to apply the Georgia 2000 Standards for the Approval of Professional Education Units and Programs in professional education unit and program evaluation.
Board of Examiners Report. The report prepared by the Board of Examiners team that conducts the on-site approval review of a professional education unit or program(s). The report describes how the unit or program(s) meet the Georgia Standards, and cites any areas for improvement in relation to the standards.
Candidate Performance Data. Information derived from assessments of candidate proficiencies, in areas of teaching and effects on student learning, candidate knowledge, and dispositions. Candidate performance data may be derived from a wide variety of sources, such as projects, essays or tests demonstrating subject content mastery; employer evaluations; state licensure tests; and mentoring year "portfolios" including assessments, projects, reflections, clinical observations, and other evidence of pedagogical and professional teaching proficiencies.
Candidates. Individuals admitted to, or enrolled in, programs for the initial or advanced preparation of teachers, teachers continuing their professional development, or other professional school personnel. Candidates are distinguished from "students" in P-12 schools.
Certification. The process by which the Professional Standards Commission grants professional recognition to an individual who has met certain predetermined qualifications specified by the agency or association.
Clinical Faculty. School and higher education faculty responsible for instruction, supervision, and assessment of candidates during field experience and clinical practice.
Clinical Practice. Student teaching or internships that provide candidates with an intensive and extensive culminating activity. Candidates are immersed in the learning community and provided opportunities to develop and demonstrate competence in the professional roles for which they are preparing.
Collaborative Educational Efforts. Projects or programs that are conducted by colleges/universities, regional education service agencies and/or local school systems. They may involve action and/or instruction. Georgia TAPP is an example of such an effort.
Conceptual Framework. An underlying structure in a professional education unit that gives conceptual meanings through an articulated rationale to the unit's operation, and provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, faculty scholarship and service, and professional education unit accountability.
Content. The subject matter or disciplines that teachers are being prepared to teach at the elementary, middle, and/or secondary levels. Content also refers to the professional field of study (e.g., special education, early childhood, school psychology, reading, or school administration.)
Content Review Panel. (CRP) A group of BOE members convened by the PSC for the purpose of applying national and/or state program content standards to educator preparation programs for approval review.
Content Review Panel Report. The written report of the Content Review Panel to the institution and the Board of Examiners that discusses program strengths and concerns with respect to the applicable national and/or state program content standards for program approval review.
Continuing Approval. The approval decision rendered by the PSC following a successful approval review five years after an institution's professional education unit has been approved. Approval is continued for as long as the professional education unit continues to satisfy the PSC's standards and requirements.
Corrective Action. Actions taken by a PSC approved agency including colleges, universities, RESAS, local school systems in response to a problem cited by the Commission with meeting state standards for quality educator preparation.
Cultural Background. The context of one's life experience as shaped by membership in groups based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographic area.
Curriculum. Courses, experiences, and assessments necessary to prepare candidates to teach or work with students at a specific age level and/or to teach a specific subject area.
Developmental Approval. An approval decision rendered by the PSC that indicates that a unit and/or program is ready to begin to admit students, recommend them for certification, and prepare for a continuing unit/program approval review.
Dispositions. The values, commitments, and professional ethics that influence behaviors toward students, families, colleagues, and communities and affect student learning, motivation, and development, as well as the educator's own professional growth. Dispositions are guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice. For example, they might include a belief that all students can learn, a vision of high and challenging standards, or a commitment to a safe and supportive learning environment.
Distance Learning. A formal educational process in which the major portion of the instruction occurs when the learner and the instructor are not in the same place at the same time.
Diversity. Differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area.
Educator Preparation Fields/Programs. Areas of preparation designated by the PSC in which educators are either prepared to teach, provide service or leadership as determined by the state preparation and certification rules and requirements.
Regular Education Preparation Program: A program for candidates to complete the bachelor's degree or higher requirements in the process of completing the educator preparation requirements.
Alternative Education Preparation Requirements Program: A program for candidates who hold a bachelor's degree or higher and are in the process of completing the educator preparation requirements.
Service Field: A program to prepare candidates to provide support services to students, school personnel and school operations. Examples are school counselor, school psychologist, media specialist.
Leadership Field: A program to prepare candidates to administer or supervise a school system, school or school program. These advanced level preparation programs require eligibility for a teaching or service clear renewable certificate.
Elements of Standards. The major components of each standard that are described in the rubrics and explanations that accompany the standards. Board of Examiners teams will look for evidence that the professional education unit and its programs address the elements.
Evaluation Review Panel. (ERP) A sixteen-member panel appointed by the PSC that reviews Board of Examiners Reports for professional education units and programs and makes approval recommendations to the PSC.
Exceptionalities. Physical, mental, or emotional conditions, including gifted/talented abilities, that require individualized instruction and/or other educational support or services.
Faculty:
Full-time Professional Education Faculty: Employees of a higher education institution with full-time assignments within the unit as instructors, professors at different ranks, administrators, or other professional support personnel (e.g. student teaching supervisor or advisor)
Part-time faculty: Employees of a higher education institution who have less than a full-time assignment in the teacher education program. Some part-time faculty are full-time employees of the college or university with a portion of their assignments in the teacher education program. Other part-time faculty are not full-time employees of the institution and are commonly considered adjunct faculty.
Supervising Faculty: Higher education faculty who are assigned by the teacher education program to provide supervision and evaluation of student teachers, and who have an administrative link or relationship to the teacher education program.
Field Experiences. A variety of early and ongoing field-based opportunities in which candidates may observe, assist, tutor, instruct, and/or conduct research. Field experiences occur in off-campus settings such as schools, community centers, or homeless shelters.
General Education Knowledge. Theoretical and practical understanding generally expected of a liberally educated person. General education includes developing knowledge related to the arts, communications, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, sciences, and the social studies, from multicultural and global perspectives.
Global Perspective. An understanding of the interdependency of nations and peoples, and the political, economic, ecological, and social concepts and values that affect lives within and across national boundaries. It allows for the exploration of multiple perspectives on events and issues.
Governance. The system and structure for defining policy, providing leadership, and managing and coordinating the procedures and resources that ensure the quality of all school personnel prepared at the institution.
GPA (Grade Point Average): is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of letter graded (GPA) units attempted in all course work.
Higher Education Faculty. Full-time or part-time employees of an institution of higher education.
Information Technology. Computer hardware and software; voice, date, network, satellite, and other telecommunications technologies; and multimedia and application development tools. These technologies are used for the input, storage, processing, and communication of information.
Initial Educator Preparation. Programs at baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate levels that prepare candidates for the first certification to teach.
Institutional Report. A report that provides the institutional and unit contexts, a description of the unit's conceptual framework, and evidence that the unit is meeting PSC professional education unit standards. The report serves as primary documentation for Board of Examiners teams conducting on-site visits.
Institutional Standards. Candidate knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified by the institution to reflect its mission and the professional education unit's conceptual framework.
Internship. Generally, the post-licensure and/or graduate clinical practice under the supervision of clinical faculty; sometimes refers to the pre-service clinical experience.
INTASC. The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) that has developed model performance-based standards and assessments for the licensure of teachers.
Knowledge Bases. Empirical research, disciplined inquiry, informed theory, and the wisdom of practice.
Licensure. The official recognition by some state governmental agencies that an individual has met certain qualifications specified by the state and is, therefore, approved to practice in an occupation as a professional. (Some state agencies call their licenses certificates or credentials.)
Multicultural Perspective. An understanding of the social, political, economic, academic, and historical constructs of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, the geographical area.
Nationally Recognized Program. A program that has met the standards of a national specialty organization that is a constituent member of NCATE.
NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education). The association governed by the education profession and by others who have a stake in the outcomes of professional teacher education programs. The overriding function of NCATE is to accredit colleges and universities regarding the quality of the teacher education programs and encourage continuous improvement of such units.
Other Professional School Personnel. Educators who provide professional service other than teaching in a school. They include, but are not limited to, principals, reading specialists and supervisors, school library medial specialists, school psychologists, school superintendents, and instructional technology specialists.
Part-time faculty. Employees of a higher education institution who have less than a full-time assignment in the professional education unit. Some part-time faculty are full-time employees of the college or university with a portion of the assignments in the professional education unit. Other part-time faculty are not full-time employees of the institution and are commonly considered adjunct faculty.
Pass Rate. This is the overall percentage of all individuals who received a passing score in the specified Praxis I or Praxis II Assessment area. This percent is determined by dividing the number of Test Passers by the number of Test Takers.
Passing score. The minimum score required by the state to pass a teacher certification or licensure assessment.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge. The interaction of the subject matter and effective teaching strategies to help students learn the subject matter. It requires a thorough understanding of the content to teach it in multiple ways, drawing on the cultural backgrounds and prior knowledge and experiences of students.
Pedagogical Knowledge. The general concepts, theories, and research about effective teaching, regardless of content areas.
Performance Assessment. A comprehensive assessment through which candidates demonstrate their proficiencies in subject, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions, including their abilities to have positive effects on student learning.
Performance-based Program. A professional preparation program that systematically gathers, analyzes, and uses data for self-improvement and candidate advisement, especially data that demonstrate candidate proficiencies, including positive effects on student learning.
Performance-based Approval System. An approval system based on the use of assessment information describing candidate proficiencies or actions of professional education units as evidence for determining whether standards are met, rather on course offerings and program experiences.
Performance Criteria. Descriptions or rubrics that specify qualities or levels of candidate proficiency that are used to evaluate candidate performance.
Performance Data. Information that describes the qualities and levels of proficiency of candidates, especially in application of their knowledge to classroom teaching and other professional situations.
Portfolio. An accumulation of evidence about individual proficiencies, especially in relation to explicit standards and rubrics, used in evaluation of competency as a teacher or in another professional school role.
PRAXIS Series. A series of professional assessments for beginning teachers developed and administered by Education Testing Service (ETS).
Praxis I - an assessment of basic proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics and is
used by some institutions as a teacher education entrance requirement.
Praxis II - an assessment of professional knowledge of teaching and of subject matter
content in the areas in which teaching certificates and licenses are granted.
Preconditions. Eight fundamental requirements that undergird the PSC's standards that must be met before a professional education unit is permitted to schedule an on-site approval review.
Professional Community. Full- and part-time faculty (including clinical faculty) in the professional education unit, faculty in other units of the college/university, P-12 practitioners, candidates, and other involved in professional education.
Professional Development. Opportunities for professional education faculty to develop new knowledge and skills through in-service education, conference attendance, sabbatical leave, summer leave, intra and inter-institutional visitations, fellowships, work in P-12 schools, etc.
Professional Development Schools. Specially structured schools in which the P-12 school and higher education faculty collaborate to (1) provide practicum, student teaching, and internship experiences; (2) support and enable the professional development of school and higher education faculty; (3) support and enable inquiry directed at the improvement of practice; and (4) support and enhance student achievement. PDSs require the institutional commitment of colleges and universities, school districts, and teachers' organizations.
Professional Education Unit. The institution, college, school, department, agency or other administrative body with the responsibility for managing or coordinating all programs offered for the initial and continuing preparation of teachers and other school personnel, regardless of where these programs are administratively housed. Also known as the "unit."
Professional Knowledge. The historical, economic, sociological, philosophical, and psychological understanding of schooling and education. It also includes knowledge about learning, diversity, technology, professional ethics, legal and policy issues, pedagogy, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession of teaching.
Proficiencies. Required knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in the professional, state, or institutional standards.
Program. A planned sequence of courses and experiences for preparing P-12 teachers and other professional school personnel. These courses and experiences sometimes lead to a recommendation for a state certification to work in schools.
Program Approval. Process by which the PSC reviews a preparation program to determine if it meets Georgia's standards for the certification of school personnel.
Program Completers (Georgia's Definition). A person who has completed all university requirements for a state approved teacher preparation program except taking appropriate PRAXIS II exam(s).
Program Completers (USDOE Definition). A person who has met all of the requirements of a state approved teacher education program. Program completers include those who are documented as having met such requirements. Documentation may take the form of a degree, institutional certificate, transcript or other written proof of having met the program's requirements.
Program Report. Report that describes how an educator preparation program meets applicable national and/or state program content standards.
Program Weakness. A statement indicating that the professional education unit and/or programs have not met expected levels of achievement in one or more standards. The weakness must be addressed and corrected in annual reports to the PSC.
Provisional Approval. A decision rendered by the PSC following a continuing approval review that indicates that the unit is approved, but has significant areas for improvement related to one or more standards that must be addressed through the annual reports.
PSC (Professional Standards Commission). The Professional Standards Commission was created by the Georgia General Assembly as of July 1, 1991, to assume full responsibility for the certification, preparation, and conduct of certified, licensed, or permitted personnel employed in the public schools of the State of Georgia. The Commission is also responsible for the development and administration of teacher certification testing. The Commission handles the investigation, advisement, monitoring, and due process of cases associated with educator discipline. In 1999, the Georgia Teaching force Center was placed in the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for administration purposes. The Teaching Force Center is one component of the Georgia P-16 Council's Title II Plan for having a Qualified Teacher in every Classroom in Georgia by 2006.
PSC Staff Consultant. An employee of the Professional Standards Commission who is assigned to provide technical assistance to an institution or agency involved the unit/program approval process. The consultant also serves as a resource to the BOE team during on-site approval reviews, providing clarification of state conditions and policies.
Regional Education Service Agency. (RESA) An education entity providing services to a group of school systems in a particular part of Georgia.
Rejoinder. Response of an institution to the Board of Examiners Report.
Rubric. Written and shared criteria for judging performance that indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated, and that anchor judgements about the degree of success on a candidate assessment.
SAT - Scholastic Assessment Test. The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), is administered by the College Board and is designed to measure verbal and quantitative reasoning skills, developed over many years of education, that are related to academic performance in college. SAT scores are intended primarily to help forecast the college academic performance of individual students
Scholarship. Systematic inquiry into the areas related to teaching, learning, and the education of teachers and other school personnel. Scholarship includes traditional research and publication as well as the rigorous and systematic study of pedagogy and the application of current research findings in new settings. Scholarship further presupposes submission to one's work for professional review and evaluation.
School Faculty. Licensed practitioners in P-12 schools who provide instruction, supervision, and direction for candidates during field-based assignments.
School Partners. P-12 schools that collaborate with the higher education institution in designing, developing, and implementing field experiences, clinical practice, delivery of instruction, and research.
Service. Faculty contributions to college or university activities, schools, communities, and professional associations in ways that are consistent with the institution and the unit's mission.
Skills. The ability to use content, professional, and pedagogical knowledge effectively and readily in diverse teaching settings in a manner that ensures that all students are learning.
Standards. Written expectations for meeting a specified level of performance. Standards exist for the content that P-12 students should know at a certain age or grade level.
State Approval. Process through which the PSC affirms that professional education units and/or programs meet standards of quality so that their graduates will be eligible for state certification (licensure).
State Protocol. Rules and expectations for NCATE, the PSC, and the unit for conducting joint NCATE/PSC on-site unit and program approval reviews.
Student Teaching. Pre-service clinical practice for candidates preparing to teach.
Students. Children and youth attending P-12 schools, as distinguished from teacher candidates.
Supervised Student Teaching. Practice teaching or internship in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Supervised student teaching is required by the state as a condition for completion of a teacher education program.
Teaching Fields. Teaching certificates are issued in fields that prepare an individual to teach the subject matter offered as a part of the school curriculum for either P-12, P-5 for Early Childhood Education, 4-8 for Middle Grades, and 7-12 for all secondary fields.
Technology, Use of. What candidates must know and understand about instructional technology in order to use it in working effectively with students and professional colleagues in the (1) delivery, development, prescription, and assessment of instruction; (2) problem solving; (3) school and classroom administration; (4) educational research; (5) electronic information access and exchange; and (6) personal and professional productivity.
Test Code: The unique identification code assigned to each Praxis I and Praxis II Assessment test.
Test Passers. The total number of all individuals who's test score meet or exceeded the requirements for the specified Praxis I or Praxis II Assessment test.
Test Takers. The total number of all individuals who took the specified Praxis I or Praxis II Assessment test.
Third-year Review. A report prepared by the PSC three years following an approval visit that provides feedback to the professional education unit based on annual reports submitted since the previous visit. This review is intended to help the professional education unit focus on areas of continuing weakness, to indicate weaknesses that appear to have been corrected, and to indicate areas of emerging concern.
Unit/Professional Education Unit. The institution, college, school, department, agency, or other administrative body with the responsibility for managing or coordinating all programs offered for the initial and continuing preparation of teachers and other school personnel, regardless of where these programs are administratively housed. Also known as the "professional education unit."
Unit Head. The individual designated to provide leadership for the unit (e.g. dean, director, or chair), with the authority and responsibility for its overall administration and operation.
Unit Review. Process by which the PSC applies state standards for the preparation of education personnel to the education unit.
Weakness. A statement in a BOE report indicating that a professional education unit has not met expected levels of achievement in one or more elements of a standard. The BOE may cite a weakness or weaknesses and still recommend that the standard is met. Professional education units must report on progress made toward correcting weaknesses in their annual reports to the PSC. NOTE: Now referred to as "Areas for Improvement"
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