Iowa Admin. Code r. 281-12.2
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
"Age-appropriate," with the exception of the human growth and development, means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group. "Age-appropriate" does not include any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act. A reference or mention of a sex act in a way that does not describe or visually depict a sex act as defined in these rules is not included in the previous sentence. For purposes of human growth and development instruction required by Iowa Code section 279.50, "age-appropriate" means topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group.
"Annual improvement goals" means the desired one-year rate of improvement for students. Data from multiple measures may be used to determine the rate of improvement.
"Baseline data" means information gathered at a selected point in time and used thereafter as a basis from which to monitor change.
"Benchmarks" means specific knowledge and skills anchored to content standards that a student needs to accomplish by a specific grade or grade span.
"Board" means the board of directors in charge of a public school district or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school.
"Competency-based education" means that learners advance through content or earn credit based on demonstration of proficiency of competencies. Proficiency for this context is the demonstrated skill or knowledge required to advance to and be successful in higher levels of learning in that content area. Some students may advance through more content or earn more credit than in a traditional school year while others might take more than a traditional school year to advance through the same content and to earn credit. A student must meet the requirements of subrule 12.5(13) to be awarded credit in a competency-based system of education.
"Curriculum" means a plan that outlines what students shall be taught. Curriculum refers to all the courses offered, or all the courses offered in a particular area of study.
"Department" means the department of education.
"Districtwide" means all attendance centers within a school district or accredited nonpublic school.
"Districtwide assessments" means large-scale achievement or performance measures. At least one districtwide assessment shall allow for the following: the comparison of the same group of students over time as they progress through the grades or the cross-sectional comparison of students at the same grades over multiple years.
"Districtwide progress" means the quantifiable change in school or school district student achievement and performance.
"Dropout" means a school-age student who is served by a public school district and enrolled in any of grades 7 through 12 and who does not attend school or withdraws from school for a reason other than death or transfer to another approved school or school district or has been expelled with no option to return.
"Educational program." The educational program adopted by the board is the entire offering of the school, including out-of-class activities and the sequence of curriculum areas and activities. The educational program will provide articulated, developmental learning experiences from the date of student entrance until high school graduation.
"Enrolled student" means a person who has officially registered with the school or school district and is taking part in the educational program.
"Indicators" provide information about the general status, quality, or performance of an educational system.
"Library program" means an articulated sequential kindergarten through grade 12 library or media program that enhances student achievement and is integral to the school district's curricula and instructional program. The library program is planned and implemented by a qualified teacher librarian working collaboratively with the district's administration and instructional staff. The library program services provided to students and staff will include the following:
"Long-range goals" means desired targets to be reached over an extended period of time.
"Multiple assessment measures," for reporting to the local community or the state, means more than one valid and reliable instrument that quantifies districtwide student learning, including specific grade-level data.
"Performance levels." The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that at least three levels of performance be established to assist in determining which students have or have not achieved a satisfactory or proficient level of performance. At least two of those three levels will describe what all students ought to know or be able to do if their achievement or performance is deemed proficient or advanced. The third level will describe students who are not yet performing at the proficient level. A school or school district may establish more than three performance levels that include all students for districtwide or other assessments.
"Prekindergarten program" includes a school district's implementation of the preschool program pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 256C.
"Proficient," as it relates to content standards, characterizes student performance at a level that is acceptable by the school or school district.
"School" means an accredited nonpublic school.
"School counseling program" means an articulated sequential kindergarten through grade 12 program that is comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, developmental in nature, driven by data, and integral to the school district's curricula and instructional program. The program is implemented by at least one school counselor, appropriately licensed by the board of educational examiners, who works collaboratively with the district's administration and instructional staff. The program standards are described in subrule 12.3(11). The program's delivery system components will include the following:
"School district" means a public school district.
"School improvement advisory committee" means a committee, as defined in Iowa Code section 280.12, that is appointed by the board. Committee membership will include students, parents, teachers, administrators, and representatives from the local community that may include business, industry, labor, community agencies, higher education, or other community constituents. To the extent possible, committee membership is to have balanced representation of the following: race, gender, national origin, and disability. The school improvement advisory committee as defined by Iowa Code section 280.12 and the board are also part of, but not inclusive of, the local community.
"Sex act" means any sexual contact between two or more persons by any of the following:
"Student learning goals" means general statements of expectations for all graduates.
"Students with disabilities" means students who have individualized education programs regardless of the disability.
"Subgroups" means a subset of the student population that has a common characteristic. Subgroups include, but are not limited to, gender, race, students with disabilities, and socioeconomic status.
Iowa Admin. Code r. 281-12.2