Glossary of Terms

- A -

ACT - is a national college admission examination that consists of subject area tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science. On the web: The ACT Test.

- N -

NCLB - See No Child Left Behind.

No Child Left Behind - is federal legislation that has specific mandates for states and their public school districts. Those mandates are or are related to (1) stronger accountability for results; (2) more freedom for states and communities; (3) proven education methods; and (4) more choices for parents. On the web:U.S. Department of Education .

-S-

SAT - is a national college admission examination that consists of subject area tests in writing, math, and critical reading. On the web: The SAT Test.

Six Traits of Writing - A learning model that helps students understand what is working well and what needs to be improved in their writing. The traits give teachers a focus for their writing instruction. The traits give all a common language for talking about and celebrating writing. The Six Trait model breaks down writing performance into a manageable group of teachable and assessable skills. On the web: NW Regional Education Laboratory. The six traits of writing are

Content / Ideas - the heart of the paper - what the writer has to say.
Organization - the road map which directs the reader through the paper.
Voice - the personality of the writer coming through on the page.
Word Choice - what gives an exactness to details and helps the writer paint memorable pictures in the reader¹s mind.
Sentence Fluency - In any piece of writing, there are many possible ways to write any sentence correctly, but usually, of those correct versions, one or two will sound better than others. A writer who can pick out those versions and can use them frequently will have a strong sense of sentence fluency.
Conventions - the rules of a language.