APPENDIX I
World Languages Terminology
ACTFL
is the acronym for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages, a national non-profit organization dedicated to effective
language teaching (www.actfl.org) The MCPS World Languages
Curriculum is premised upon ACTFL’s Performance Descriptors for
Language Learners.
Assessment
is the process of gathering information on the quality of a product,
performance, or demonstration.
Benchmarks
are indicators of progress toward achieving standards.
CCSS
is the acronym for Common Core State Standards, a federal program
launched in 2010 that provides a framework of universal standards for
teaching and learning language. For listed CCSS standards, R refers to
Reading, W –Writing, S&L—Speaking and Listening.
Differentiated instruction
includes a variety of instructional approaches that address the
needs and learning styles of individual students in one-on-one, small
group, and large group settings.
IB
is the acronym for International Baccalaureate which is an international
educational organization that focuses on the student with an emphasis on
intercultural understanding and enrichment
Learning targets
are clear and usable statements of intended learning taught to students
and which students are expected to learn at specific grade levels or in
specific classes and leading to the mastery of benchmarks and standards.
Standards are a set of qualities or measures by which performance, skills,
or other knowledge is judged; in this case, a distillation of what students
should know and be able to do in the communication arts area by the
time they complete high school.