Alignment: The process of adjusting components of a system so that they are in an appropriate, relative position. For example, the curriculum should be aligned to state standards, and assessments should be aligned to the curriculum.

Bias: An inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment. In the case of statistics, a sampling or testing error caused by systematically favoring some outcomes over others. In this case, eliminating certain students from the attendance set may not reflect the whole picture of school attendance.

CIMP: CIMP is the acronym for the Continuous Improvement Monitoring Process. The CIMP is designed to assess the impact and effectiveness of State and local efforts in providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, and a free appropriate public education to children and youth with disabilities.

Collaboration: To work together, especially in an intellectual effort.

Competency: The condition of being competent, well qualified, capable. In the case of this lesson, the perceived belief in one´s own ability to change their behavior. Believing one has the abilities and skills necessary to change their behavior.

Confidentiality: Information entrusted with the confidence of another, what is confided is kept guarded.

Consensus: An opinion held by all or most of a group, general agreement of opinion. For example, all staff agree, a consensus has been established with regards to which strategies to utilize and staff support each other in implementing these strategies.

Continuous improvement: The ongoing improvement of products, services or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements. Often represented by the PDSA cycle.

Credentials: Qualifications to do certain types of work, which can include but are not limited to: college degrees, certification, licensure, background, training, work experiences, knowledge base, etc.

CSRP: CSRP is the acronym for Consolidated School Reform Plan. The Consolidated School Reform Plan is intended to serve as a document to exhibit a school¡¯s method to achieve school reform.

Data Retreat: An opportunity for educators to collaboratively analyze school data and develop / revise data-based goals and implementation plans. The focus of a data retreat varies based on the school¡¦s needs. Data retreats contribute to systemic change by: using a variety of data sources that relate to school functioning, involving multiple stakeholders, and creating the opportunity for ample, informed, and goal-oriented communication.

Data retreat preparation checklist: Checklist used to ensure all steps to prepare for the data retreat have been completed.

Decision support systems: A system that supports the reaching of a conclusion or decision. The term is often used to refer to electronic tools, such as computer software, that efficiently analyze data for users. In other cases, it may reference a network of professionals available for practical or moral support, information, and advice on shared problems.

Disaggregate: To divide into parts, to separate. In this context, disaggregate is referring to separating attendance data results to allow a better understanding of student attendance. Separate attendance analysis means looking at data for students who are enrolled for the entire academic year as well as looking at data for those who enrolled late and those that have moved into the school from another school. All data would be analyzed, separately or disaggregated.

Electronic databases: A collection of data, or factual information organized for analysis, that is stored electronically.

Equilibrium: Evenly balanced, a state of balance or equality between opposing forces.

Explicit: Clearly stated and leaving nothing implied, distinctly expressed, definite, saying what is meant without reservation or disguise.

Facilitators: The person or persons who lead the data retreat. The role of the data retreat facilitator is to ease the data retreat process for participants from the beginning stages of preparation to the closing moments of the retreat.

"First-order" change: Change that is limited or only affects an isolated part of a system, rather than the whole system.

Force: An energy or strength that compels or restrains. In a school system, examples of forces might be: State Department of Education, Federal Department of Education, school administration, school staff, school grounds, attitudes, beliefs, working philosophies, community needs, board members, etc.

Force Field Analysis: An activity that organizes the driving and preventing forces for change within a system so that they are more easily analyzed.

Formative assessments: A type of assessment that gives form or shape in assisting to develop instruction. For example, one-minute timings completed daily or student portfolios updated continuously. These items provide immediate feedback that has the potential to direct, influence, or "form" instruction.

General trend: The general direction in which something tends to move, a general tendency or inclination, an overall pattern.

Implicit: Suggested or to be understood though not plainly expressed, implied. Necessary or naturally involved though not plainly apparent or expressed, but inherent and understood by those involved.

Motivation: To have a motive, inner drive or intention. In this lesson motivation refers to the understanding of the positives and negatives of behavior and of the reasons for changing behavior. A person who is highly motivated often can handle the difficulties of change because they have the inner drive and recognition that their effort will be worth it in the end.

NCLB: Acronym for No Child Left Behind. The NCLB Act of 2001 was signed into effect in January 2002. The Act aims to help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. It is based on four basic principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.

Norm-referenced assessments: A standardized assessment in which all students perform under the same conditions. This type of assessment compares a student or group of students with a specified reference, or "norm" group. Usually, the norm group consists of other students of the same grade level and age.

Normal curve equivalent score: NCE scores are specifically intended for program evaluation. NCE¡¯s are represented on a scale of 1-99. This scale coincides with a percentile rank scale at 1, 50, and 99. Unlike percentile rank scores, the interval between scores is equal. This means that you can average NCE scores to compare groups of students or schools. Normal curve equivalents are also useful for comparisons between different tests.

Outcomes: The result or consequence. Student outcomes refer directly to student results, the product of what they have been taught, what their knowledge base is and what their level of competence or mastery is as a result of being taught.

Percentile rank: Numbers ranging from 1 to 99 that reflect how a given child, class, school, or district performed in relation to others. A percentile rank of 50 denotes average performance for the grade. An individual¡¯s percentile rank indicates the percentage of students in same grade that obtained a score equal to or less than theirs.

Processes: A particular method of doing something, generally involving a number of steps or operations. Teaching processes refer to those specific methods, strategies, or steps specific to teaching.

Qualitative: Qualitative data are not measured. Their values vary in kind but not degree. Qualitative data relate to the characteristics of our students, teachers, and even the instructional processes we have in place, but they do not represent measurements.

Qualities: An inherent or natural characteristic or trait, a characteristic that isn¡¯t learned but rather is intrinsic to a person.

Quantitative: Quantitative data can be counted or measured. To quantify educational phenomena, there must be an instrument to measure or a standard used to count learning behavior.

Rapport: A relationship with another person or group of people, especially one of mutual trust and respect.

Readiness: A state of being prepared or ready. In regards to this lesson, readiness is the point at which everyone involved has the information and knowledge needed to move forward and make change a reality.

Repertoire: The stock of special skills, devices, techniques, etc. of a particular person or particular field. In this lesson a school´s repertoire, or skills and techniques, is increased with the integration of new knowledge and skills through the process of practice and integration.

School improvement teams: Typically a multidisciplinary group of school professionals who represent all staff in key decision-making. For example, a team attending an academic data retreat from a K-8 School might include: Principal, Academic Head, Counselor, Lower Elementary Teacher, Middle Elementary Teacher and Upper Elementary Teacher.

School Liaison: A member of the school staff who serves to communicate between the facilitators of a data retreat and the school staff or participants of a data retreat. This person maintains a close relationship and connection to both the facilitators and the participants. This link ensures that someone consistent is working through the preparation steps with the facilitators and that there is accountability for actions that need to take place at the school. Often, the school liaison holds a leadership position within the school, such as principal, academic head, or school reform specialist.

"Second-order" change: A profound and lasting type of change that requires a system to make a cultural shift by going deeper into the how their systems are structured and the ways in which people work together. It touches everyone who participates in the organization by modifying the patterns in which people think, perceive, behave, relate to each other, and collaborate. It affects the whole system, rather than an isolated part of a system.

Skills: A talent or ability that is acquired or developed through training or experience.

Stakeholders: Anyone who has a vested interest, something at stake that they can gain or loose in a system. Stakeholders of a school system might include but are not limited to: community members, teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitors, dorm supervisors, students, parents, administrators, government agencies, politicians, business leaders, etc.

Summative assessments: A type of assessment that summarizes what students have learned or what they have been taught. For example, standardized tests (Terra Nova, SAT 9, ITBS, etc.) completed once a year.

Supporting materials: Documents or tools that provide support for the work that is being done, such as information, background data, policy, or advice. In the context of this lesson, supporting materials include: Teacher´s guides to the standardized assessments, a copy of the school´s attendance policy, and a copy of the CSRP/CIMP.

Systems: Any organized assembly of resources and procedures that are united and regulated by interaction or interdependence to accomplish a set of specific functions. A collection of personnel, equipment, and methods organized to accomplish a set of specific functions. Examples of systems: Families, Organizations, Communities, Teams.

Validity: The ability to produce the desired results. An assessment that has validity, is effective in measuring what it was intended to measure. If the validity of something is in question, then it is questionable if what was intended to be measured is actually being measured.