NES flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bloom's taxonomy

A hierarchical classification of cognitive objectives ordered from remembering and understanding through applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating; used to align objectives, activities, and assessment items at matching cognitive demand.

Depth of Knowledge levels

Webb's framework describing cognitive complexity in four levels: recall, skill/concept, strategic thinking, and extended thinking; DOK measures complexity of the task, not difficulty of the content.

Tier 2 academic vocabulary

Cross-disciplinary words such as analyze, compare, and evidence that appear across content areas and carry procedural or conceptual meaning; explicit instruction in these words supports comprehension of expository text and tasks.

Conceptual versus procedural knowledge

Conceptual knowledge is understanding of principles and relationships, such as why an algorithm works; procedural knowledge is the ability to carry out steps fluently. Strong instruction links the two.

Enduring understandings

The big ideas a course should leave students with long after specific facts fade; they anchor unit design, prioritize content, and give criteria for judging what is worth teaching in depth.

Vertical alignment

The deliberate sequencing of content across grade levels so that each year's skills build on prior prerequisites without gaps or unnecessary repetition; checked through scope-and-sequence documents and prerequisite analyses.

Cognitive demand of an item

The type of thinking a task requires, ranging from recall to extended reasoning; items should match the cognitive level named in the standard, not exceed or fall below it.

Disciplinary literacy

The reading, writing, and reasoning practices specific to a field, such as citing evidence in history or modeling in science; distinct from generic reading strategies and taught within the discipline.

Zone of proximal development

Vygotsky's term for the gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with expert or peer assistance; instruction targets this range and uses scaffolds that are gradually removed.

Universal Design for Learning

A framework with three principles: multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression; it plans flexibility into instruction from the start rather than retrofitting accommodations for individual students.

Formative versus summative assessment

Formative assessment is used during learning to adjust instruction and give feedback; summative assessment occurs after instruction to judge achievement against standards for grading or reporting.

Least restrictive environment

IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with supplementary aids and services tried before a more restrictive placement is considered.

Positive behavioral interventions and supports

A tiered schoolwide framework: universal expectations for all students, targeted supports for some, and intensive individualized plans for few, with data used to monitor and adjust each tier.

Scaffolding

Temporary supports such as models, prompts, or graphic organizers that let a learner complete a task beyond independent reach; supports are faded as competence grows so the learner takes over.

Differentiated instruction

Planned variation of content, process, or product in response to readiness, interest, and learning profile, while keeping the same essential learning goals for all students in the class.

Professional learning community

A team of educators who meet regularly to examine student work and data, identify what is not working, and test instructional changes; defined by shared purpose, collective inquiry, and results orientation.

Worked example effect

Novices learn more from studying fully worked solutions than from solving equivalent problems, because it frees working memory for schema building; guidance is faded as expertise grows.

Polya's problem-solving steps

Understand the problem, devise a plan, carry out the plan, and look back to check and generalize; the last step turns a solved problem into transferable strategy knowledge.

Multiple representations

Presenting the same concept as text, diagram, graph, equation, or physical model; translating between representations builds flexible understanding and reveals misconceptions that a single format can hide.

Transfer of learning

Applying knowledge learned in one context to a new, unfamiliar problem; promoted by varied practice, contrasting cases, and explicit comparison rather than massed practice in one format.

Error analysis

Systematically examining incorrect student work to identify the underlying misconception or faulty rule, then targeting instruction at the pattern rather than correcting each mistake individually.

Inquiry cycle

A sequence of asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, analyzing data, constructing explanations, and communicating results; each phase has distinct skills that must be taught explicitly.

Academic language demands

The vocabulary, sentence structures, and discourse patterns a task requires; identifying them before instruction lets teachers supply language supports alongside content supports.

Retrieval practice

Recalling information from memory without cues, such as low-stakes quizzes or free recall; strengthens long-term retention more than rereading and reveals what students can actually produce.

Backward design

Wiggins and McTighe's three stages: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences; assessment is designed before activities so instruction targets the standard.

Item difficulty index

The proportion of examinees answering an item correctly, ranging from 0 to 1; values near 0.90 indicate easy items, near 0.30 hard items, and mid-range values discriminate better.

Item discrimination index

The difference in correct-response rate between high- and low-scoring groups; positive values indicate the item separates stronger from weaker students, while negative values flag a flawed item.

Response to intervention tiers

Three levels of increasingly intensive support: Tier 1 core instruction for all, Tier 2 small-group targeted help, Tier 3 individualized intervention, with progress monitoring deciding movement between tiers.

Disaggregating data

Breaking aggregate results apart by subgroup such as English learners, students with disabilities, or grade level, so that a satisfactory school average does not hide a struggling group.

Progress monitoring

Frequent, brief measurement of a skill using equivalent probes to show whether an intervention is working; graphed trend lines compared to a goal determine whether to continue, adjust, or exit.

Inter-rater reliability

The degree to which two or more scorers assign the same score to the same performance; improved by shared analytic rubrics, anchor papers, and calibration before scoring begins.

Reflective teaching cycle

Planning, acting, observing, and reflecting as a repeating loop; evidence from student work and observation is used to revise the next iteration rather than to justify prior practice.