Glossary of Terms
Demystifying Standards, Metadata, and EdTech Lingo
New to education standards? Trying to decode metadata terminology? Our glossary breaks down the key terms you need to understand the alignment and tagging ecosystem—clearly and concisely.
Includes definitions for:
- Learning standards
- Correlation vs. alignment
- Metadata, tagging, and taxonomies
- Concept Index, DirectAlign, and more
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Learning Standards | A set of clear, measurable expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. |
| Academic Standards | Synonymous with learning standards; defines curriculum goals published by education agencies. |
| Standards Alignment | The process of matching educational content to the expectations defined in learning standards. |
| Standards Correlation | Often used interchangeably with alignment, though it may imply a looser connection to standards. |
| Metadata | Data describing other data, such as subject, grade level, and alignment details for educational content. |
| Tagging | The act of assigning metadata labels to educational content to support organization and discoverability. |
| Taxonomy | A classification framework used to organize concepts, standards, and cognitive skills in education. |
| Concept Index | EdGate’s proprietary taxonomy that connects educational concepts across subjects and grade levels. |
| DirectAlign™ | EdGate’s automated service that aligns digital content to academic standards using AI and tagging systems. |
| Gap Analysis | The process of identifying content that does not meet or fully cover educational standards. |
| Standards Repository | A centralized database for storing and managing academic standards, such as EdGate’s extensive repository. |
| Standards Mapping | A visual or data-based method showing how content aligns with academic standards. |
| State-Level Adoption | The approval process for instructional materials by state education departments based on alignment and compliance. |
| Compliance Review | A review to ensure content meets educational, accessibility, and legal requirements. |
| Crosswalking Standards | The process of linking different standards (e.g., Common Core to state-specific standards). |
| EdGate | An EdTech company offering services such as standards tagging, alignment, and a standards repository. |
| Standards Licensing | Acquiring legal rights to use and integrate educational standards data within products and platforms. |
| Machine Learning Alignment | AI-driven automation of content alignment to standards using pattern recognition and metadata analysis. |
| Instructional Resource | Any material used to support teaching and learning, including textbooks, assessments, and multimedia. |
| Discoverability | The ease with which users can find educational content, aided by tagging, alignment, and metadata. |