Code of Maine Rules › 05 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 071 - EDUCATION - GENERAL › Chapter 127 - INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM, ASSESSMENT, AND DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS › Section 071-127-2 - Definitions

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
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.