Assessment

Multiple methods used to obtain information designed to determine what a student knows and is able to do.

Benchmark

A benchmark, or anchor paper, is a specific stage of knowledge and skill development in a student’s progression towards meeting standards.

Certification of Achievement

The system for ensuring that students have met standards for advancement through the system and graduation.

Content Area Standard

The broad descriptions of the knowledge and skills that students should acquire, as defined in the eight Learning Results content areas.

Cross cutting assessments

These assessments assess student performance in more than one content area.

Essential Programs and Services

Programs and services, as defined and adopted by the Maine state legislature, that should be offered for all students can meet the content standards on the Learning Results.

Grade spans

The four groupings of grades in the system on the Learning Results-

Pre K, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.

Guiding Principle

Adopted by the Maine Legislature in Maine’s Learning Results, these six principles describe the characteristics of a well-educated person.

Local Assessment System

A coordinated collection of assessments administered to students that provide information on individuals, the school, and the entire district in respect to achievement of the Learning Results content standards.

Performance Indicator

These help to define in more specific terms the stages of achievement toward meeting the content standard within each of four grade spans K-2, 3-4, 5-8, 9-12.

Reliability

The degree to which an assessment produces consistent results between scorers and over time. A source of evidence of reliability is the degree of interrater consistency.

Standards-based system

A system of curriculum, instruction, and assessment based on the content standards in the Learning Results.

Validity

The degree to which an assessment measures the standard it is intended to measure, and the degree to which inferences and actions based on student performance are appropriate.