In AS 14.20.010 - 14.20.215,

(1) “continuous employment” means employment that is without interruption except for temporary absences approved by the employer or its designee, or except for the interval between consecutive school terms if the teacher is employed only for the months of the school term;

(2) “dismissal” means termination by the employer of the contract services of the teacher during the time a teacher's contract is in force, and termination of the right to the balance of the compensation due the teacher under the contract;

(3) “district performance standards” means evaluation criteria for the district's teachers and administrators that are adopted by a school district under AS 14.20.149 and that are based on the professional performance standards adopted by the department;

(4) “employer” means the school board or superintendent that appoints the teacher;

(5) “nonretention” means the election by an employer not to reemploy a teacher for the school year or school term immediately following the expiration of the teacher's current contract;

(6) “school year” includes “school term” if the teacher is employed only for the period of the school term;

(7) “teacher” means an individual who, for compensation, has primary responsibility to plan, instruct, and evaluate learning of elementary or secondary school students in the classroom or an equivalent setting and also includes individuals holding other positions as determined by the department by regulation.