05-071-127 Me. Code R. § 2

Current through 2024-51, December 18, 2024

Section 071-127-2 - Definitions

The following terms used in this chapter shall have the meanings stated here.

2.01 Accommodations: "Accommodations" means the changes made in an assessment based on the needs of a student as established in the student's Individual Education Plan or Section 504 plan. These changes must not compromise the validity of the assessment.

2.02 Aggregate Up: "Aggregate Up" means a method of determining the degree to which a class, grade level, school and school administrative unit meet a particular content standard based on individual student performance data in the local assessment system.

2.03 Alternate Assessment: "Alternate Assessment" means the assessment of content standards for a student whose exceptionality requires accommodations that are so significant that they compromise the validity of the assessment. Use of an alternate assessment must be identified and described in the student's Individual Education Plan or Section 504 plan.

2.04 Assessment: "Assessment" means an educational instrument or activity designed to determine what a student knows and is able to do.

2.05 Commissioner: "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education or a designee.

2.06 Comprehensive Education Plan: "Comprehensive Education Plan" means a plan that is aligned with the system of Learning Results, focused on the learning of all students, and oriented to continuous improvement, as required of all school administrative units. This plan must address all plans required by the Commissioner.

2.07 Content standard: "Content standard" means a broad description of knowledge and skills in each of the eight content areas of the system of Learning Results. The content standards are set forth in Me. Dept. of Ed. Reg. 131.

2.08 Course: "Course" means a planned unit of instruction in separate or integrated content areas of Maine's system of Learning Results, under the direction of a certified teacher.

2.09 Course of study: "Course of study" means a planned program of learning designed to prepare students to meet the content standards of the system of Learning Results for each of the grade spans, as specified in local school board policy.

2.10 Curriculum: "Curriculum" means the school administrative unit's written document that includes the learning expectations for all students for all content areas of the system of Learning Results, as well as for other content areas specified by the school board. The curriculum shall reflect continuous, sequential and specific instruction aligned with the content areas of the system of Learning Results.

2.11 Department: "Department" means the Maine Department of Education.

2.12 Diploma: "Diploma" means the certificate awarded to a student who has met applicable content standards of the system of Learning Results as determined by the local assessment system and any additional requirements established in school board policy.

2.13 Elementary school: "Elementary school" means that portion of a school that provides instruction in any combination of pre-kindergarten through grade 8.

2.14 Essential Programs and Services: "Essential Programs and Services" means those programs and services, as defined by the State Board of Education or adopted by the Legislature, that a school administrative unit offers for each student to have the opportunity to meet the content standards of the system of Learning Results.

2.15 Fairness: "Fairness" means one aspect of validity of an assessment, including whether students have been taught what is being assessed, whether students have equal access regardless of being a member of a class protected under the Maine Civil Rights Act, and ongoing monitoring of the status of both intended and unintended consequences of the assessment.

2.16 Grade span: "Grade span" means the four groupings of grades in the system of Learning Results, as set forth in Me. Dept. of Ed. Reg. 131: pre K-2, 3-4, 5-8, and 9-12.

2.17 Instructional day: "Instructional day" means a school day during which both students and teachers are present, either in a school or in another setting.

2.18 Instructional time: "Instructional time" means that portion of a school day devoted to the teaching-learning process, but not including extra- curricular activities, lunch time, or recess. Time spent on organized field trips related to school studies may be considered instructional time, but the instructional time counted for extended field trips shall not exceed a normal school day for each day of the field trip.

2.19 Junior High School: "Junior High School" means a school that provides at least one course of study in two or more consecutive grades 6 through 9-. In this rule, "middle school" is used instead of "junior high school."

2.20 Laboratory study: "Laboratory study" means any course in which students are actively involved in the hands-on application of the content standards of the system of Learning Results.

2.21 Local Assessment System: "Local assessment system" means a coordinated collection of assessments administered to students that, as a whole, provides information on individual students, the school, and the school administrative unit with respect to achievement of the content standards of the system of Learning Results.

2.22 Middle School: "Middle School" means a school or portion of a school that provides at least one course of study for two or more consecutive grades 5 through 8. A middle school may be maintained in connection with or as part of an approved elementary or secondary school. In this rule, "middle school" is used instead of "junior high school."

2.23 Multiple Measures: "Multiple measures" means the many different types of assessments for each content area and grade span administered to each student, and does not mean a repetition of the same assessment for an individual student.

2.24 Performance Indicators: "Performance indicators" means the statements in Me. Dept. of Ed. Reg. 131 that define in specific terms the stages of achievement toward meeting a content standard within each grade span.

2.25 Performance Standards: "Performance standards" means the clear demarcations of student achievement for a given assessment, into the same performance levels as used in the Maine Education Assessment.

2.26 Personal Learning Plan: "Personal learning plan" means a plan for an individual student to meet the content standards of the system of Learning Results, developed collaboratively by teacher, parent, student, and other professional staff as specified by the superintendent. While a plan is required for alternative education students, it is also permitted for any student pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

2.27 Reliability: "Reliability" means the degree to which an assessment produces consistent results. That is, when the results of an assessment have high reliability, a student would be expected to receive a similar score whether judged by a different rater, tested on a different occasion, or administered an equivalent form of the assessment.

2.28 School: "School" means an individual attendance center within a school administrative unit including any combination of grades pre-kindergarten through 12. In this rule, an educational program located in or operated by a juvenile correctional facility, an educational program located in the unorganized territories and operated by the Department of Education, the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf shall be considered schools.

2.29 School Administrative Unit: "School administrative unit" means the state-approved unit of school administration and includes a municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation responsible for operating or constructing public schools, except that it does not include an applied technology region.

2.30 School calendar: "School calendar" means the schedule of school days adopted in advance of the school year by the school board.

2.31 School day: "School day" means a day on which school was in operation as an instructional day and/or a teacher in-service day.

2.32 School year: "School year" means the total number of school days in a year as established by the school administrative unit.

2.33 Secondary school: "Secondary school" means that portion of a school that provides at least one course of study in any combination of grades 9 through 12.

2.34 Sequence of courses: "Sequence of courses" means courses in a content area that develop concepts and skills from the simple to the complex.

2.35 Syllabus: "Syllabus" means a description of a course including a statement of educational objectives that are aligned with components of the curriculum the course is designed to address.

2.36 Teacher in-service day: "Teacher in-service day" means a school day during which a majority of teachers and professional staff report for work, but students are not present for instruction. These days may include days devoted to in-service educational programs, administrative meetings, parent-teacher conferences, record-keeping duties, curriculum preparation, and other similar activities related to the operation of school programs, and may take place in a school in the school unit.

2.37 Transitional instruction: "Transitional instruction" means an approved program of instruction for students of limited proficiency in English to enable them to attain a level of English language proficiency so that they may benefit from the total educational program.

2.38 Validity: "Validity" means the degree to which an assessment measures the content standard(s) it is intended to measure, and the degree to which inferences and actions based on student performance are appropriate.

05-071 C.M.R. ch. 127, § 2