Texas Adult Education Standards and Benchmarks
for ABE ASE and ESL Learners

Implementation Guide
Version 1.0
June 2007

Section 5: Glossary

The sources of the definitions of the terms in this glossary are either other organizations such as the American Institutes for Research or the Texas Adult Education Standards Project (TAESP) writing team members.  Terms defined by other organizations were copied verbatim.

Glossary Sources

• A Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards, a document prepared jointly by the American Institutes for Research and the U.S. Department of Education, available http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/ReferenceFiles/Guide/Adult_Education_Process_Guide_050907.pdf [PDF Document Adobe® Acrobat® Reader]
• Glossary of ELAA Terms in the document Arizona Adult Education Standards, available http://www.ade.state.az.us/adult-ed/Documents/AEStandards/Adopted/AZAEStandards-2006Rev.pdf. [1.67 MB - PDF Document Adobe® Acrobat® Reader]
• Texas Adult Education Standards Project (TAESP) writing team members and staff.

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Academic (or Basic) Skills-Based Approach

An academic skills-based approach focuses on skill development in reading, writing, mathematics, and English language acquisition. Basic skills curricula usually consist of a sequence of skills that are introduced and practiced at higher levels of complexity as learners advance within the program.

Accountability

Accountability considers the extent to which an individual, group, or institution is held responsible for meeting specified outcome measures. Accountability systems require programs to provide substantiated evidence of student achievement (e.g., educational achievement, entry into employment, receipt of a high school credential) as a condition of funding.

Adjective

A word that describes a noun; often answers the question “What kind of…?” (The big dog.)

Adult Basic Education/Adult Secondary Education (ABE/ASE)

Adult basic education (ABE) and literacy instruction emphasizes basic skills development in reading, writing, mathematics, and problem solving for adults below the eighth grade proficiency level. Adult secondary education (ASE) instruction helps learners prepare to receive a high school credential or for successful entry into employment or postsecondary education and training.

Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse

The Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse is an online repository of adult education content standards documents in English language acquisition, mathematics, and reading. Users can research and retrieve documents by a specific sponsor or author, or they can explore specific content within any given standards. The warehouse is funded by the U.S. Department of Education andcan be accessed at http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/.

Adverb

A word that describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Some types of adverbs are:

1. frequency - always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom, never, . . . .
2. manner - slowly, quickly, carefully, happily, sadly, . . . .
3. time - after, before, when, while, since, until, . . . .

Advisory Committee

An advisory committee often comprises leaders or experts in a content area who represent various stakeholder perspectives and provide overall guidance to a project.

Affirmative Verb Forms

Regular or positive forms. (I eat pizza. He eats tacos.)

Affix

A meaningful form that is attached to a word to make a more complex word (un + kind + ness); a word part that is added to a base word that changes the meaning or the part of speech; both prefixes and suffixes are affixes.

Alignment

Alignment is a documented connection among standards, teaching, learning, and assessment. Alignment is essential to fairness in an accountability system. Only when the components are aligned can programs expect to see higher outcomes and sustainable program improvement.

American Diploma Project (ADP)

The American Diploma Project (ADP) is a joint project launched by Achieve, Inc., the Education Trust, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. The goals are to (1) determine the English and mathematics skills that high school graduates need to be successful in college and the workplace and (2) help states incorporate those skills into standards, assessments, and high school graduation requirements. ADP outlines college and workplace readiness benchmarks in English and mathematics and provides samples of how academic standards are used in the real world. For more information: http://www.achieve.org.

Antonym

A word of opposite meaning; ex. “hot” and “cold” are antonyms.

Article

A function word that specifies whether a noun is definite (the) or indefinite (a, an).

Assessment

Assessment is process for monitoring and evaluating student performance and achievement. Assessment methods include standardized tests and classroom-based measures such as observations, projects, interviews, portfolios, quizzes, etc. Assessments can be conducted at the individual, classroom, school, district, state, and national levels.

Authentic Materials

Printed texts whose intended audience is the general public (i.e. newspapers, magazines, TV guides, college catalogues. These materials are contrasted with specially prepared ESL materials whose intended audience is the ESL student. ESL materials often employ a controlled vocabulary which places limits on the words found in the text. Usually the words used in ESL materials have been previously learned or studied by the student. New vocabulary is introduced systematically.

Autobiography

A biography of a person told or written by him/herself.

Auxiliary Verb

A verb that accompanies another verb and is used to express person, number, mood, or tense (ex: is, were, can, do, doesn’t, should, have). Auxiliary verbs or helping verbs such as will, shall, may, might, can, could, must, ought to, should, would, used to, need are used in conjunction with main verbs to express shades of time and mood.

Basic Features of a Text

The different parts of a book: title page, contents page, glossary, index.

Basic Personal Information

Name, address, city, state, zip, phone number, age, nationality, marital status, social security number . . . .

Basic Survival Situations

Situations that require the use of the language to communicate the wants, needs and desires of the student, such as talking to the landlord, child's teacher, people at the store, the boss, others at work, emergency services, doctors . . .

Benchmarks

Benchmarks describe the set of skills and knowledge learners need to develop and achieve to master a content standard. (See also Indicators.)

Bias

When the content or language of a document reflects a prejudice or stereotype of a particular group, it may be considered “biased.” Potential bias may hinder learning and can be found in references to age, gender, racial/ethnic, cultural, disability, socioeconomic, community (rural, urban, or suburban), and/or linguistic groups in the population of adult learners to be served by the content standards.

Biography

The story of a person’s life as told or written by someone else.

Characters

The actors in a story.

Circumlocution

The use of more words than is necessary to express an idea; finding another way to say something using known vocabulary; to talk around a subject.

Clarity and Intelligibility

Content standards are meaningful to students, teachers, and the general public when they are clearly written. Multiple audiences will use the standards, so they need to send a straightforward message about what students know and are able to do.

Cloze Activities

Fill-in-the-blank activities used to assess reading comprehension. For more information: http://www.learnnc.org/glossary/cloze+activity.

Colloquialisms

An expression not used in formal speech or writing.

Colloquial Speech or Colloquialisms

Used in familiar and/or informal conversation or writing.

Competency-Based/Life Skills Approach

A competency-based approach focuses on the functional use of reading, writing, mathematics, and speaking skills in adult contexts. Competency-based or survival curricula offer a list of competencies in topic areas such as consumerism, health, or employment. Learners identify important competencies and then develop the basic reading, math, and language skills they need to complete a real-life or functional task.

Complex Sentence

A sentence consisting of more than one clause, especially including a dependent clause. The man who is walking down the street is my father.

Complex Text

A job description, a manual explaining how to do a job, an article on parenting, a college catalogue explaining entrance procedures, a newspaper article describing various candidates for political office and their platforms, etc.

Compound Sentence

Two complete sentences joined with a conjunction. Either you will learn it now or you will learn in a year from now.

Concepts of Print

An awareness of the basic characteristics of text such as the fact that text conveys meaning, directionality (left to right, top to bottom), differences between words and letters, capitalization, and punctuation.

Conditionals (If Clauses)

Forms used to state a cause and effect event or situation; state a situation that will cause a particular result.

Present/future real or Conditional 1 is used when the action of the if-clause is probable. If + present, will + root form of the verb. If it rains, I will go home early.

Present/future unreal or Conditional 2 is used when the action of the if-clause is improbable or unlikely. If + past, would(could, should) + root form of the verb. If I had a million dollars, I would quit my job.

Past/unreal or Conditional 3 is used when the action of the if-clause is impossible. If + past perfect, would have + past participle of the verb. If I had grown to 10 feet, I would have had a lucrative NBA contract.

Congruence

Congruence occurs when a content standard coincides exactly with the document(s) with which it must align.

Conjunction

A word used to join thoughts: and, but, or, however.

Connected Text

Any written material involving multiple words that forms coherent thoughts. Phrases, sentences, paragraphs and so on are examples of connected text that can be read with comprehension.

Content Area

A content area is a subject or discipline such as reading, mathematics, science, or English language acquisition.

Content or Context Clues

Information found in the material that helps decide the meaning of a word or phrase.

Content Standards

Content standards describe what learners should know and be able to do within a specific content area.

Contradiction

Contradiction occurs when a content standard is inconsistent with or in opposition to the document(s) with which it must align.

Coordinating Committee

A coordinating committee provides oversight and leadership throughout the standards-based initiative—planning, developing, reviewing, and implementing the standards. The coordinating committee is responsible for making recommendations to the state.

Cultural Allusion

Implied reference to a specific culture; something that is generally known within a culture.

Cultural References

Knowledge of and ability to discuss the history of and major concepts underlying a culture, particularly one’s own and those of one’s peers.

Curriculum

Curricula provide detailed outlines of the knowledge and skills for different instructional levels (e.g., a scope and sequence) and serve as a road map for teachers in planning lessons. Curricula often provide suggestions for teaching techniques, learning activities, textbooks, and materials.

Curriculum Framework

Frameworks are broad outlines of the knowledge and skills that programs use in developing local curricula. Frameworks can guide the development of curriculum but do not specify how to teach.

Dolch Sight Word List

http://gemini.es.brevard.k12.fl.us/sheppard/reading/dolch.html

Decode

Use various strategies (phonics, content or context clues, root word, . . .) to find a meaning or pronunciation for a word. The reader locates cues such as letter-sound correspondences in a word that reveal enough about it to help in pronunciation or attaching meaning to it.

Degrees of Comparison

Used with adjectives and adverbs.

Positive or simple form of the modifier expresses no comparison.

Comparative- the “-er” or “more/less ” form of the word represents an increase or decrease of the positive form; it is used to make a specific comparison between two things. (He is bigger than she. She is more talkative than her friend. He drives more quickly than others.)

Superlative– the “- est” or “most/least ” form of the word indicates the greatest (or least) degree among three or more things. (She is the most talkative student in the class. He drives the fastest of all the racers.)

Demonstrative

A word that indicates a particular thing or things that are near or far; includes demonstrative adjectives (this girl, those apples) or demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those).

Derivation

Formation of a word from a related word base, or the identification of a word’s historic origin.

Descriptive Passage

A brief written account describing something.

Dialogue

Usually a formalized or directed conversation focusing on a specific language form using authentic situations.

Edit

Preparing writing for final draft by checking spelling, punctuation, capitalization, usage, paragraph indentation, neatness, and legibility.

EFF (Equipped for the Future)

EFF is a standards-based reform initiative that collaboratively “mapped out” the roles and critical responsibilities for adults as members of families, communities, and the workforce. The National Institute for Literacy collaborated with hundreds of people in the development of a framework that educators and learners could use in planning learning experiences that meet real-world needs in the 21st century. For more information: http://eff.cls.utk.edu.

ELAA

English Language Acquisition for Adults. The process by which the listening/speaking, reading, writing, functions, grammar and mechanics of the English language are taught to adults who speak languages other than English.

Embedded Questions

Used when questions begin with, “Do you know . . . .” “Could you tell me….” Sentences containing embedded questions will change word order. (Do you know when the movie starts? Could you tell me where the bank is?)

Environmental Scan

An environmental scan is a process for obtaining information, thoughts, and opinions from a wide range of people and programs. It includes literature reviews, formal or informal surveys, focus groups and individual interviews, and reviews of data and documents in the field. Information gathered can help inform decision making and determine project activities.

ESL/ESOL

English as a Second Language or English for Speakers of Other Languages ESOL identifies who our learners are.

L1- language one- the first language of the student, the one they speak at home, the heritage language.

L2- language two- the second language of the student, the one they are learning, the target language.

Expository

To explain or convey information, explanatory; tell how to; tell purpose.

Extemporaneous

Not planned before, impromptu.

Evaluation

Evaluation involves reviewing, comparing, and judging the quality of work based on established criteria. Summative evaluation is usually done at specified “end points” through formal and often standardized measures. In contrast, formative evaluation is an ongoing process that assesses understanding and skills through a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies.

Exemplars

Exemplars are samples of student work that illustrate the type and complexity of performance expected at different instructional levels.

False Start

When a student begins to speak but stops and restarts using a more correct form.

Familiar

Information the student has learned from previous lessons or knows from life experience vs. unfamiliar- new subject or topic for student, no previous teaching or lessons.

Field Test

Field tests are small-scale trials to assess how effectively new products, initiatives, materials, or approaches can be used in a real context. Data collected from the programs that participate in a field test can be used to inform revisions and implementation procedures.

Fluency

How fluid the language is; the natural flow of the language-effortless, smooth and rapid; read and /or speak with ease, expression and automaticity in a manner that supports comprehension.

Focus Groups

Focus groups are structured interviews with 8–12 individuals in which a facilitator guides discussion around a set topic. Focus groups allow the facilitator to ask probing questions to gain an understanding of the participants’ reactions, opinions, and suggestions.

Functional Text

Written material with a special purpose.

GED (General Educational Development [test])

The GED test measures a learner’s knowledge and academic skills in reading, mathematics, science, socials studies, and writing. A certificate is given to learners who attain a passing score on the GED test. A GED is recognized in some states and by some employers as a high school credential.

Gerund

The –ing form of the verb that is used as a noun (sitting, eating, talking). Talking on the phone is a teenager’s main occupation.

Graphic Organizers

Visual representations of knowledge, concepts or ideas.

Group or Pair Work

When students work in pairs or small groups to practice skills, such as a dialogue, describing something, asking for information . . . .

Habitual Past

See TENSES.

Homographs

Words that are spelled alike but are different in meaning and pronunciation (the noun conduct and the verb conduct; or the noun lead and the verb lead).

Homonyms

Words with one spelling, one pronunciation, but two unrelated meanings, such as bank (embankment) and bank (place where money is kept), or just (precisely, exactly) and just (honorable and fair in one's dealings and actions.)

Homophones

Words with two spellings and two meanings but only one pronunciation such as fair/fare and night/knight.

Idiom or Idiomatic Expression

A sequence of words that is a single unit of meaning different from what the words actually say, usually understandable within a particular culture, language or group of people. (kick the bucket = die)

Immediate Needs

Needs related to obtaining basic requirements.

Imperative

See TENSES.

Indicators

Indicators are measurable behaviors that reflect the skills and knowledge learners need to develop and achieve to master a content standard. (See also Benchmarks.)

Infer (Inference)

Guess, surmise, suggest, conclude or derive a conclusion.

Inflection

Change in voice or pitch during speech; a change in the form of a word indicating grammatical features such as number, person or tense.

InformationalText

Written material that gives information to the reader.

International Reading Association (IRA)

The International Reading Association is a professional organization for teachers of reading to learners of all ages. NCTE and IRA developed a set of national reading standards called Standards for the English Language Arts. For more information: http://www.reading.org.

Interpret

Gather the information correctly from the material; explain and understand the material.

Interrogative Verb Forms

Question forms (Are you married? Do you eat pizza?).

Intonation

The contrastive use of pitch in speech.

Intra Act

It is an after reading strategy that engages a group of readers in a reflective discussion. Individual readers reach personal conclusions or decisions based on their reading experience and this follow up discussion. For more information: http://www.justreadnow.com/strategies/intra.htm.

Irregular Formation

Forms that do not align with the rules.

Irregular Sight Words

Sight words that do not follow phonetic rules when pronounced and/or read.

Glossary (Cont'd)