The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for
Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment
Definition
Clear, specific descriptions of knowledge or skill that can be supported through observations, descriptions and documentations of a child's performance or behavior and by samples of child's work often used as points of reference in connection with more broadly stated content standards.
Related Terms (Not Synonyms)
Content standards; Early learning standards; Indicators; Learner outcomes; Learning expectations; Performance standards; Standards
Explanatory Comments
- Typically, benchmarks link the child's behavior or performance to an age- or grade-appropriate point of reference.
- Benchmarks are performance standards (e.g. data from previous years) against which other performances (e.g. data from the current year) are judged.
- Performance standards and benchmarks are similar to indicators, but different in that indicators typically are used to show either incline or decline in an item under study and are often expressed as a statistic. Performance standards or benchmarks usually express upward growth in a child's knowledge or skill.
Web Sources
Educational Resources Information Center, U.S. Department of Education. (2001). Thesaurus of ERIC descriptors. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.eriche.org/Librarian/thesaurus.html
Illinois State Board of Education. (2002). Illinois Early Learning Standards. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/languagearts.htm
Massachusetts Department of Education System for Adult Basic Education Support. Glossary of useful terms. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.sabes.org/assessment/glossary.htm
National Dialogue on Standards-based Education. Breaking it down: Definitions for dialogue. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.nationaldialogue.org/bkground/break.htm
New Mexico Department of Education. Performance standards and benchmarks for three and four year olds. Retrieved May 19, 2003, from http://www.gisd.k12.nm.us/standards/preK/intro.htm
Other Resources
Kendall, J.S. (2001). A technical guide for revising or developing standards and benchmarks. Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, 2.
Glaser, R., & Linn, R. (1993). Foreword. In L. Shepard, (Ed.), Setting performance standards for student achievement, pp. xiii-xiv. Stanford, CA: National Academy of Education, Stanford University.
Lavender, G. B., & Findlay, Margaret A. (1986). Australian thesaurus of education descriptors: A word-stock for indexing and retrieving Australian educational literature. Hawthorn, Victoria, AU: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Marzano, R.J., & Kendall, J.S. (1996). A comprehensive guide to designing standards-based districts, schools, and classrooms. Aurora, CO: Mid-Continent Regional Educational Laboratory.
Merriam Webster's collegiate dictionary (10th Ed.). (1996). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
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