Glossary of Terms

Action Research—Action Research is a deliberate, solution-oriented investigation that is group or personally owned and conducted. It is characterized by spiraling cycles of problem identification, systematic data collection, reflection, analysis, data-driven action taken, and, finally, problem redefinition.

Cohort—A cohort typically consists of five or more interns in a single school engaged in the extensive internship as part of a single or multiple-site PDS.

Components—The components of the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools include Teacher Preparation (Extensive Internship), Continuing Professional Development, Action Research/Inquiry and Performance Assessment, and Student Achievement (K-12 Priorities). These reflect elements of the Redesign of Teacher Education that are directly related to PDS.

Coordinating Council—The Coordinating Council is the collaborative governance vehicle that serves as the organizing body for the development and implementation of all aspects of the PDS. The Coordinating Council is co-chaired by school/school system and IHE personnel. Membership includes representatives of PDS stakeholder groups. The Coordinating Council meets at least four times per year.

Day—In referring to the 100-day extensive internship, a day is defined as a full school day or two half-days, not including travel time to and from a site.

Developmental Guidelines—The Draft Developmental Guidelines for Maryland Professional Development Schools are intended to further elucidate the indicators found within the cells of the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools. The Guidelines provide a developmental continuum to aid PDS implementation and self-assessment. The Draft Developmental Guidelines for Maryland Professional Development Schools are available under separate cover.

Diverse Learners—Diverse learners are learners who differ from one another in the areas of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, language, exceptionalities, religion, region, age, and/or sexual orientation.

EDoT—The Essential Dimensions of Teaching are Maryland's standards used to measure intern effectiveness and to guide program development for teacher preparation programs.

Education that is Multicultural—Education that is multicultural is a continuous, integrated, multiethnic, multidisciplinary process for educating all students about diversity and commonality. Education that is multicultural promotes academic achievement and student success through addressing diverse learning styles and presenting curriculum and instruction that incorporate multiple perspectives.

Equity—Equity refers to the quality of being bias-free or impartial. Unlike equality, equity allows for the fact that some individuals may require instructional modifications in order to have an equal opportunity for success. In the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools, equity refers to opportunities that provide accommodation and access for PreK-12 students, interns, school faculty, and IHE faculty.

Extensive Internship—An extensive internship is a minimum of 100 days over two consecutive semesters in which interns are engaged in learning to teach in the PDS school community.

IHE—The Institution of Higher Education is the two-, four-, or five- year college or university involved in the PDS partnership.

IHE Faculty—IHE faculty include adjunct, assistant, associate, and full professors and other faculty members in IHEs who are involved in the teacher preparation program. Arts and sciences faculty as well as teacher education faculty are included.

IHE Liaison—The IHE liaison is the point person for the IHE in the PDS partnership. Working collaboratively with the site coordinator, the IHE liaison provides leadership to the PDS.

IHE Supervisor—The IHE supervisor is the IHE representative who is responsible for collaborating with the pre-service mentor to provide individualized support and guidance to the PDS intern. The IHE supervisor and pre-service mentor work together to provide formative and summative assessment to the intern.

Indicators—In the Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools, the indicators are the statements that appear in the cells of the table. These indicators are examples of how the standard might be met for each component. The indicators are in no way meant to be an exhaustive list of ways the standards may be met. There may be other indicators that equally convey the achievement of or progress toward the standards.

INTASC—The Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium is 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. Maryland IHEs may use either the INTASC standards or EDoTs in their teacher preparation programs.

Inquiry—Inquiry is the process whereby PDS partners collaboratively examine and assess their practices and the outcomes achieved. Inquiry groups raise specific questions related to teaching and learning, seek to systematically answer these questions, use their findings to inform practice, and relate their findings to others. PDS inquiry supports change at the individual, the classroom, and the institutional level.
Intern. An intern is a student in a teacher preparation program who participates as part of a cohort in an extensive internship in a PDS.

Intern—An intern is a student in a teacher preparation program who participates as part of a cohort in an extensive internship in a PDS.

MSPAP—The Maryland School Performance Assessment Program consists of criterion-referenced performance tests in reading, math, writing, language usage, science, and social studies for students in grades 3, 5, and 8. The purpose of MSPAP is to provide information that can be used to improve instruction in schools.

PDS—A Professional Development School is a collaboratively planned and implemented partnership for the academic and clinical preparation of interns and the continuous professional development of both school system and IHE faculty. The focus of the PDS partnership is improved student performance through research-based teaching and learning. A PDS may involve a single or multiple schools, school systems and IHEs and may take many forms to reflect specific partnership activities and approaches to improving both teacher education and PreK-12 schools.

PDS Partners—PDS Partners include the IHE and school faculty and staff and the interns participating in the extensive internship.

PDS Stakeholders—PDS Stakeholders include the IHE and school faculty, staff, and support staff; the interns participating in the extensive internship; central office staff from the local school system; parents; community members; business partners; and PreK-12 students. PDS Stakeholders may also include representatives from the local teacher's association.

Performance Assessment—Performance assessment is a method of evaluation in which the learner is placed in an authentic situation and asked to demonstrate specific knowledge and skills.

Portfolio—A portfolio is a collection of artifacts designed to demonstrate mastery of a set of professionally accepted standards for teaching. Intern portfolios are most often organized around EDoT or INTASC standards and are assessed by a team of IHE and school faculty using a standards-based rubric or scoring tool. An ePortolfio is a computer-based electronic version of the portfolio.

Pre-Service Mentor—A pre-service mentor, also known as a cooperating or supervising teacher, is a tenured, professionally certified teacher in the PDS who is responsible for collaborating with the IHE supervisor to provide individualized support to a PDS intern. Pre-service mentors receive specific training in guiding, supporting and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of interns.

Provisionally Certified Teachers—Provisionally certified teachers are those hired within the state of Maryland who have been issued a provisional certificate because they have not yet satisfied all requirements for a Maryland professional certificate.

Redesign of Teacher Education—Authored by the Teacher Education Task Force and formally endorsed by the Maryland State Board of Education and by the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 1995, this report is the guiding document for reform efforts in teacher preparation throughout the state of Maryland.

School Improvement Plan—The School Improvement Plan is the data-driven document that provides the plan for staff development and other interventions to increase student achievement at the school site.

School Improvement Team—The School Improvement Team is the group of PDS stakeholders who collaborate to analyze student achievement data and craft the School Improvement Plan.

Site Coordinator—The site coordinator serves as the empowered representative of the school in the PDS partnership. Working collaboratively with the IHE liaison, the site coordinator provides leadership to the PDS.

Special Needs Students—Special needs students include those who have been identified in compliance with regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Standards—The Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools are statements of expected performance in the areas of Learning Community; Collaboration; Accountability; Organization, Roles and Resources; and Equity.

Teacher Education Program—A teacher education program is any program during which interns receive the coursework and experiences necessary for initial teacher certification.

Teacher Preparation Program—See Teacher Education Program.

TPIP—The Teacher Preparation Improvement Plan is the plan developed annually by all Maryland IHEs that have teacher preparation programs to document implementation of the Redesign of Teacher Education and to provide an action plan for the future.