Glossary
Talk about the network in plain words.
Every term we use, defined in a sentence or two. Linkable per term — send /glossary#pathway straight to a definition.
- Talent School Network (TSN)
- A Cognia K–12 learning network combining a flexible academic core with personalized pathways, member schools, and curated pathway partners.
- The Talent School
- Shorthand for the Talent School Network. Used in conversation, never as a separate brand.
- Pathway
- The personalized learning plan we design around each learner. Combines the academic core, projects, mentors, real-world experiences with pathway partners, and the learner's own goals. Reviewed every cycle.
- The Fold
- TSN's family learning portal. Where the pathway lives — weekly plan, portfolio, progress, and guide communications. Built for pathway-based learning, not retrofitted from a generic LMS.
- Cycle
- A 6–8 week block of focused pathway work that ends in a showcase. The school year is organized into cycles instead of semesters so progress is visible and pathways can flex.
- Showcase
- End-of-cycle event where learners present finished work to the cohort, family, or community.
- Cognia
- The accrediting body. TSN is a Cognia Accreditation member school — credits and transcripts are recognized for college admissions.
- Guide
- The faculty member who knows a learner well, runs weekly check-ins, and owns the arc of their pathway — week to week and year to year. Guides set the bar, write guide notes inside The Fold, and walk families through pathway design, transcripts, and college planning.
- Network school (member school)
- An existing school that joins TSN to share accreditation, The Fold, guide support, and the national pathway partner network — while keeping its own name, culture, enrollment, and community.
- Pathway partner
- Mentors, coaches, makerspaces, microschools, curriculum vendors, enrichment providers, field-trip hosts, and creative organizations whose offerings plug into student pathways. Curated, not open-marketplace.
- TalentSpark
- TSN's showcase program for student projects — fellowship and gallery format. Where the best pathway work lives publicly.
- Co-enrollment
- Keeping primary registration with a homeschool, private, public, or charter school while layering TSN's pathway on top. A tuition tier on its own.
- Full-flex
- A pathway that runs fully remote from anywhere — core, weekly guide time, and pathway partner experiences scheduled around the family's life.
- Hybrid
- A pathway that combines remote academic work with in-person campus or partner days. Most TSN students are hybrid.
- Campus
- A physical location that offers in-person TSN learning days. NC campuses are TSN-operated; partner schools across the country add their own local campuses.
- Cohort
- A small group of learners on similar pathways or in similar age bands. Cohorts meet for shared projects, partner days, and showcases.
- Portfolio
- The body of finished work a learner builds inside The Fold across cycles. Travels with the learner; used for transcripts, applications, and storytelling.
- Transcript
- The Cognia academic record. Shows credits earned in TSN's core plus credits awarded for pathway partner work and certifications.
- KPI (Key Pathway Indicator)
- A measurable goal a learner sets per cycle — concrete enough to know when it's hit. Different from grades; tied to the learner's pathway.
- Guide note
- A short message from the guide to the learner inside an assignment in The Fold. The feedback loop that makes the pathway feel personal.
- Assignment
- A project unit inside a pathway, with a driving question, objectives, steps, materials, deliverable, and a guide note.
- Fellowship
- The TalentSpark fellowship — a competitive cohort-based program for pathway students working on a public-facing project.
- Drop
- When a student or the network releases a finished body of work — a tee drop, a zine, a gallery opening, a film cut.
- Origami pathway
- TSN's visual metaphor: one foundation, many folds. Each learner's pathway folds differently from the same paper.
- Ambassadors
- Students and families who help tell the TSN story publicly — at events, on social, and in school-partner conversations.
- Pathway cycle
- A full loop of the pathway design process: cycle goal → weekly plan → guide check-ins → showcase → reflection → next cycle.
Missing a term? Let us know.