GACE Educational Leadership-Tier I (334) key terms

A concise, aspirational description of what a school wants to become for its students and community, used to guide long-range planning and decision making rather than day-to-day operations.

A short declaration of a school's core purpose, who it serves, and what it does daily to move toward its vision. It is more concrete and present-focused than a vision statement.

A written, data-driven plan that identifies priority needs, sets measurable goals, names strategies and timelines, assigns responsibilities, and specifies how progress will be monitored and evaluated.

A systematic process of gathering and analyzing data on student performance, programs, staff capacity, and stakeholder perceptions to determine which gaps and priorities a school should address first.

A goal-writing framework requiring objectives to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, so that progress can be tracked and results can be judged objectively.

A repeating sequence of planning, implementing, monitoring, and adjusting based on evidence, often described as plan-do-study-act, used to refine instruction and school processes over time.

The practice of using student achievement, attendance, discipline, survey, and observation data to identify needs, select interventions, and evaluate whether those interventions are working.

A small group of teachers and leaders who meet regularly to examine common assessment results, diagnose student misunderstandings, and adjust instruction collaboratively rather than in isolation.

A collaborative structure in which educators meet regularly to focus on learning, share practice, and hold one another accountable for results through collective inquiry and reflection.

Job-embedded professional support in which a coach observes, models, and gives feedback to teachers to improve specific instructional practices, typically through cycles of goal setting and reflection.

Principles describing how adults learn best, including relevance to their work, active problem solving, respect for prior experience, and immediate application of new knowledge to real challenges.

An individualized document outlining a teacher's or leader's growth goals, the learning activities that will support them, and the evidence that will show progress toward those goals.

A governance approach in which administrators, teachers, families, and sometimes students participate in decisions that affect them, with roles and authority clearly defined in advance.

A decentralized arrangement in which individual schools hold authority over budgets, staffing, or programs, paired with accountability for results to the district and community.

An advisory or governing body of parents, teachers, staff, and community members that reviews school plans and budgets and advises leadership on priorities and improvement efforts.

Deliberate outreach that informs families and community members about school decisions and gathers their input, using accessible formats, multiple languages, and varied meeting times.

Structured collaboration between schools and families or community organizations to support student learning, attendance, and well-being, built on mutual respect and two-way communication.

The practice of recognizing students' cultural backgrounds and adjusting curriculum, communication, and expectations so that all learners see themselves reflected and are held to high standards.

A structured review of policies, course access, discipline patterns, and resource allocation to find disparities among student groups and to plan corrective actions.

Differences in access to quality instruction, advanced courses, technology, and enrichment that arise from school structures and resources rather than from student ability.

A persistent difference in academic outcomes between groups of students, often measured by test scores, graduation rates, or course completion, and used to target improvement efforts.

A leadership approach that motivates staff through a compelling vision, individualized support, intellectual stimulation, and modeling of high expectations and ethical conduct.

Leadership focused directly on teaching and learning: setting learning goals, observing instruction, providing feedback, and aligning resources and professional learning to improve classroom practice.

The deliberate sharing of leadership responsibility across teachers, teams, and staff, with clear roles and support, so that improvement work does not depend on one person.

Formal or informal roles in which teachers lead peers through mentoring, curriculum work, team facilitation, or action research while continuing classroom responsibilities.

A cycle of pre-observation conference, classroom observation, and post-observation feedback aimed at improving instruction through reflection and agreed next steps.

Ongoing checks of student understanding during instruction, used to adjust teaching in real time and to give learners specific feedback rather than to assign final grades.

An assessment given by multiple teachers of the same course, built from shared standards and scoring guides, so results can be compared and instruction can be adjusted collaboratively.

A layered framework of increasingly intensive academic and behavioral supports, with universal instruction for all students and targeted or individualized interventions for those who need more.

A prevention model that screens all students, provides research-based instruction at increasing levels of intensity, and monitors progress frequently to decide whether supports are working.

A schoolwide system that teaches expected behaviors, reinforces them consistently, and uses behavioral data to adjust supports, with intensive help for students who need it.

Frequent, brief measurement of a student's skill growth, used to judge whether an intervention is effective and to decide when to continue, change, or end it.

Approaches to discipline that focus on repairing harm, restoring relationships, and involving affected people in dialogue, often used as an alternative to exclusionary punishment.

Removal of students from the classroom or school through suspension or expulsion, often examined for disproportionate impact on particular student groups and for links to lost instruction.

A written document describing prevention, response, and recovery procedures for emergencies, including roles, communication, drills, and coordination with public safety agencies.

A designated group trained to carry out the school's emergency procedures, communicate with families and agencies, and support students and staff after a traumatic event.

A federal program that provides funds to schools with high concentrations of low-income students to support academic achievement, with requirements for planning, parent involvement, and accountability.

Federal law guaranteeing students with disabilities a free appropriate public education, procedural safeguards, individualized education programs, and education in the least restrictive environment.

A legally required written plan for a student with a disability that sets present levels, measurable annual goals, services, accommodations, and placement, reviewed at least annually.

The requirement that students with disabilities be educated alongside peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when supports cannot make inclusion successful.

A plan under a federal civil rights law that provides accommodations and services so a student with a disability can access the general curriculum and school activities.

Services that develop English proficiency and grade-level content knowledge for multilingual students, including language instruction, accommodations, and monitoring of progress after exit.

The procedural protections owed to students, families, and employees before a school takes action affecting their rights, including notice, a chance to respond, and an impartial review.

The legal rights that protect families during special education decisions, such as notice, access to records, independent evaluations, mediation, and complaint or hearing procedures.

Choosing among options by weighing legal requirements, professional standards, fairness, and the welfare of students, and by documenting the reasoning behind the choice.

A professional body's written standards of conduct covering integrity, confidentiality, fairness, and conflicts of interest that educators are expected to follow and model.

The obligation to protect student and staff records and share them only with those who have a legitimate educational need, consistent with privacy law and district policy.

Federal law giving parents and eligible students rights to inspect education records, request corrections, and limit disclosure of personally identifiable information without consent.

A financial plan allocating projected revenues to staffing, instruction, operations, and other priorities, aligned to improvement goals and monitored throughout the year.

The process of distributing money, staff time, and materials among programs and student groups, ideally guided by evidence about which uses most improve learning.

Recruiting, hiring, assigning, evaluating, developing, and retaining staff, with attention to certification, fairness, and matching personnel strengths to school needs.

A structured system combining classroom observation, student growth measures, and professional standards to judge performance and inform coaching, feedback, and personnel decisions.

The planned process of introducing and sustaining new practices by building readiness, addressing resistance, providing support, and celebrating early evidence of progress.

An intentional schedule and set of channels for sharing information with staff, families, and the community, specifying audiences, messages, timing, and who is responsible.