Definitions

Glossary of Key Terms

This page provides plain-language definitions for key concepts used across the cohortED reporting package. These definitions support consistency, clarity, and accessibility in automated report narratives.

You can include any of these definitions in your own custom reports — each one is stored as part of the definitions object in cohortED, and is ready to be reused anywhere Quarto or R Markdown text is rendered.

While this page shows the bullet_text version (pre-formatted for markdown), each definition list also includes a structured items field containing named key-value pairs for programmatic access.

Definitions

Mobility

A student has a mobility status of:

  • Leave: Enrolled last year but not enrolled this year.
  • Stay: Enrolled in both last year and this year.
  • Join: Enrolled this year but not last year.
  • Repeat: In the same grade two years in a row.
  • Advance: Skipped one or more grades between years.
Achievement Levels

Achievement levels are categorized as follows: - Unsatisfactory: The student did not meet grade-level expectations. Achievement levels are categorized as follows: - Partially_Proficient: The student demonstrated partial understanding. Achievement levels are categorized as follows: - Proficient: The student met grade-level expectations. Achievement levels are categorized as follows: - Advanced: The student exceeded grade-level expectations.

Trajectory

In cohortED, a trajectory is defined as:

  • Trajectory: A student’s observed sequence of grade-level placements across academic years, starting from their first appearance in the dataset. In cohortED, trajectories assume linear grade progression (one grade per year). Students who skip or repeat a grade are treated as exiting the cohort at the point of deviation, unless handled by specialized functions.
Transitions

Enrollment and grade transitions are classified as follows:

  • Enrolled: Student appears in consecutive academic years or for the first time.
  • Return: Student reappears in the dataset after missing one or more years.
  • Stay: Advanced one grade level over one year (typical progression). Synonymous with the definition of “Stay” for Cohorts.
  • Repeat: Remained in the same grade across two consecutive years.
  • Skip: Advanced more than one grade level in a single year.
  • Drop_Back: Moved backward in grade level or regressed after a gap.