Word or acronym Meaning

Abstract Ideas that are not tangible or concrete

Access (to a curriculum) A way into experiencing the curriculum
Accountability Schools, their staff members and governors/owners/proprietors being responsible for
the quality of school performance and the resulting outcomes for students
Achievement The success that students gain in any area of learning or life, for example, academic,
sporting, artistic and creative
Accreditation A system by which the quality of a school's performance is assessed against written
standards and officially recognized by an external organisation
Age-appropriate Curricula or outcomes that match the developmental stages of the children and students
concerned
Analysis A higher order thinking skill involving detailed scrutiny i.e. breaking something down
into smaller pieces of meaning so that origins and connections can be understood
AP Advanced Placement Grade 12 courses and examinations provided by schools offering a
US curriculum
Application The use of a concept or skill in a new context, within or outside the school setting
Assessment A process of finding out what students already know, what they have learned, how they
have learned it and how they apply it
Assessment -external Evaluative tests given by an independent organisation other than the school, intended to
measure students’ achievement and to externally validate their performance levels
Assessment - formative Regular oral or written evaluation of students’ learning, including oral or written
feedback on how to improve
Assessment - internal Formative and summative assessment tasks and tools created by the school and its
teachers
Assessment -summative A formal process at the end of a unit of work, term or school year, often taking the form
of examinations or internal tests, after which a number, letter or adjective is used to
designate how well students have achieved the curriculum expectations
Assessment - self/ peer A process whereby students evaluate the quality of their own and others’ work
Assessment information Information about the knowledge, skills and understandings that students have acquired
over a lesson, unit of work, term or school year
Attainment The curriculum standards that students have reached, usually described by using
numbers, letters or adjectives
Authorised (and Licensed) The curriculum that the school has decided or been given the authority to deliver as a
curriculum condition for it to operate within the UAE

Basic skills Skills a student needs to access the curriculum – includes literacy, numeracy, and
learning technologies.
Benchmarking Comparing students' levels of attainment with those of other students insimilar
circumstances or following the same curriculum
Benchmarking - Comparing students' levels of attainment with those of other students outside the UAE
international
Best practice Current and commonly accepted ways of doing things most effectively
Bilingual Able to work in two languages – a bilingual classroom is one where the medium of
instruction (the teaching language) is in two languages
Brevet The French tests of students' attainment given after nine years of schooling, during
Troisieme. (Also the name of the diploma)
Capacity The power, faculty, talent, character or will to do something
CAT4 Cognitive Abilities Test (UK) of reasoning ability, not curriculum content. Also Canadian
Achievement Test of curriculum content
CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education, an Indian authority that provides curricula and
examinations. Also CBSE-I (international)
Challenge (verb) To set a demanding or difficult task (noun) A demanding or difficult task
Child protection Policies and procedures to prevent and/or respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation or
violence affecting children
Collaboration Activities which involve school leaders, teachers, parents or students working together
in order to achieve a common objective
Competence Sufficiency of means or ability to know or do something – mastery of a skill, ability or
area of knowledge by a student
Compliance Action in accordance with a recommendation, regulation or law
CPD Continuing professional development, usually of staff to enhance their knowledge and
skills at work
Creative thinking A way of thinking which uses one's imagination to create new ideas or things
Continuity With respect to curriculum provision, the characteristic of uninterrupted and increasing
challenges to students as they grow older
Corporal punishment Punishment of a child by physical means to inflict bodily pain – forbidden
in all UAE schools and must not be condoned or tolerated under any circumstances
Criteria (plural of criterion) standards or principles by which a person or thing is judged
Critical thinking The ability to examine information and question its validity – reasoned thinking involving
critique, analysis, evaluation, judgement and improvement strategies
Curriculum Everything a school deliberately organises for students to experience
Cyber safety Protection against the possible negative or detrimental influences of the internet,
including bullying and inappropriate content
Data Factual evidence a school has as evidence of its performance – often numerical or
statistical (attendance or assessment information) – measurements used to make
reasoned calculations/conclusions about school effectiveness
Data monitoring Regular collection and systematic analysing of data that enables tracking/ monitoring of
student and school performance
Didactic A manner of teacher-directed instruction
Differentiate To plan, teach and assess, taking account of differences amongst students, e.g.
cognitive, linguistic, cultural, learning styles
Disability A long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which may hinder a
student’s participation in the curriculum
Early years education The education provided to children who are in school but younger than the statutory
school age
Elaboration A part of creative thinking – the skill of taking a starting point and building on it to
develop something different, more refined or complex
Elective Something a student can choose to do from several options
Engagement The action of being attentive or participative
Enquiry (Inquiry) The process of investigating, involving questioning, formulating hypotheses,
gathering information, drawing conclusions and presenting findings
Enrichment Further challenge and/or variety of experiences in the curriculum that
stimulate and motivate students, during lessons or outside of them
Enterprise A readiness to undertake new ventures, especially those involving initiative, complexity.
For example, a new business
Entitlement The sum total of the legal, cultural and moral expectations which a parent or student
generally has the right to expect from a school and the education system
Entrepreneurial An entrepreneur is an individual who organises, operates and assumes the risk for a
business venture. Entrepreneurial skills are developed in students when they are given
opportunities to use their imagination and initiative, and to undertake new projects
Ethos The characteristic beliefs and spirit of a school community
Extension Describes the setting of more difficult work within a topic or subject area – often used
with enrichment to consolidate knowledge - an extended curriculum offers learning
options greater than the minimum required
Faculty A division/department within a school which usually includes one or more subjects
Flexible (learning) Part of creative thinking – ability to use knowledge and understanding in
unconventional/ unusual ways – flexible learning pathways allow and encourage
students to make cross-curricular links
Foundation Stage In the English system this term applies to education provided for children before Key
Stage 1, i.e., children younger than five years
Gifted & Talented Students who have demonstrated uncommonly high potential knowledge and/or skills in
one or more academic or non-academic endeavours. (see Section 4.1)
Governors / Owners/ Those who have overall authority and responsibility for the operation and quality of a
Proprietors school
Graduate (verb) To complete a planned curriculum, usually at the end of secondary schooling.
(noun) A student who has graduated
Groups Significant categories of students, for example those with SEN, girls, boys, high attainers,
gifted and talented, additional language learners – group work involves learning
activities carried out by a number of students working together
Healthy living Making informed choices which ensures a student’s safety and a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease/infirmity
Higher order thinking Taking acquired knowledge and understanding and using this actively to help make
skills decisions, draw conclusions, see connections and form judgements – includes the ability
to analyse information, apply knowledge to solve problems and to synthesise and
evaluate findings
IB International Baccalaureate - curriculum programmes, including the Primary Years
Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Career-related Programme (CP) and
Diploma Programme (DP). Schools may offer one or more of these programmes
IBT International Benchmark Test - tests of English, mathematics and science for students in
Years 3 to 10. The organisation responsible for IBT is based in Australia
IGCSE International General Certificate of Secondary Education, a qualification usually earned
after Year 11 examinations of the National Curriculum in England
Improvement planning The process of planning to make a school better, involving all who have an interest in
the school – parents, students, teachers, leaders and governors/ owners
Inclusion Access, support for learning and equal opportunities for all students, regardless of age,
gender, ethnicity, ability or background
Independent (learning) Able to operate without assistance or reliance on others
Individualised (learning) Curriculum, teaching or assessment that is tailored to the needs of a particular student.
Innovation Innovation is the generation of new and creative ideas and the use of new or improved
approaches
Interactive (learning) Where there is active connection, communication and contact between two or more
people or things – interactive learning is the opposite of passive learning and students
are actively involved in their learning through investigation, problem solving, role play,
collaborative tasks
Key Stage (KS) Year groupings in the National Curriculum for England, as follows: KS1 (Years 1-2);
KS2 (Years 3-6); KS3 (Years 7-9); KS4 (Years 10-11)
Leadership The ability to pursue clear objectives and convince others to join you in those pursuits
Learning The process of gaining skills, experience, knowledge and understanding through study
and exposure to good teaching. May also be applied to the collective skills, experience,
knowledge and understanding gained from good teaching
Learning skills A set of skills that enable students to gain knowledge, skills and understanding – may
include a preference for learning in an auditory, visual or kinaesthetic way and include a
spirit of enquiry, research, working independent of the teacher, alone or with others
Learning Technologies Electronic devices and resources which are accessible and used by students and teachers
to support day-to-day teaching, learning and development
Literacy The skills required to read and write and to become literate
Logic (logical thinking) The ability to arrive at reliable answers from available evidence – logical thinking usually
results in a logical answer that can be demonstrated to be true/convincing by drawing
on given facts
Management The practical business of running a school, department or aspect of the school’s work in
an efficient and organised way
Mentor (Mentoring) A tutor/coach to an individual – a personal adviser and guide – involves linking students
with suitable adults or older students to advise onacademic, pastoral or career related
issues
Monitoring Watching closely, to keep track of or to check – ways in which teaching staff at all levels
can check on the quality of learning in a classroom, subject area or school
MAP Measures of Academic Progress, a standardised testing programme from the USA
National Agenda targets The targets set for each school in the UAE in TIMSS and PISA assessments
National identity A feeling of attachment to and pride in one’s country
NAP National Assessment Programme (UAE), tests of Arabic, English,
mathematics and science in grades 3, 5, 7 and 9
Numeracy The mathematical equivalent of literacy – the basic skills needed for
quantitative thought and to access the wider curriculum - to be numerate is to be able
to use number for basic calculations
Off-site facility Any place, outside the school, that is used to further students’ learning
Open-ended A task or question that does not have one correct answer or outcome but invites a range
of different responses from students of all abilities
Originality A thought, object or creation that has a new or independent quality, one that is not
typically seen or expected – involves innovation and is an important aspect of creative
thinking
Outcomes The results of students’ experiences in schools, relating both to academic and personal
development
Partnerships The planned process through which student learning is enhanced by collaborative
engagement between the school, the parents, other schools and the community, both
local and global
Peer One person among a number of his or her equals – peers/a peer group refers to those of
similar age/stage of education
Personalised (learning) Learning that is tailored for an individual, allowing students to follow individualised
pathways through the curriculum with differentiation that seeks to identify and use each
student’s learning styles and preferences
PIRLS Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, a test of knowledge and skills for
students in Grade 4
PISA Programme for International Student Assessment, a test of knowledge and skills for 15
year-old students in reading, mathematics and science
Principal A generic term to describe the specific leader(s) of a school – includes all other names of
school leaders, including headteacher, superintendent, proviseur, director
Problem solving Involves discovering, analysing and solving problems – to overcome obstacles and find a
solution that best resolves the issue – requires enquiry skills, creativity and higher-order
thinking and is important in introducing differentiation and challenge into the curriculum
Professional development Used to describe all of the training and in-school/on-the-job learning and improvement
which teachers/non-teaching staff experience - normally has a direct link to the school
improvement plan and any personal targets set arising from performance management
Profile An overall assessment of a student to provide a full picture of his or her learning
capabilities so that needs can be understood and acted upon
Programme of study Sets out in broad terms the main content headings and learning objectives of a
curriculum area or unit
Progress Changes in students’ knowledge, skills and understanding, measured against a starting
point and/or against a learning objective, and sustained over a period of time (such as a
 lesson, unit of work, term, year of phase of schooling)
Qualitative assessment Relates to a judgement of quality
Quantitative assessment Relates to a measurement of quantity / amount
Reliability The extent to which a test gives consistent results if administered by different people
and under different circumstances. See also validity below
Rote (learning) Learning that depends only on the use of memory, often in a very mechanical/repetitive
way that does not engage or stimulate students’ imagination/interest and that restricts
the development of creativity and higher order thinking skills
Safeguarding Protecting the health, safety, well-being and entitlements of students related to child
protection, but a more inclusive term as it focuses on the need for everyone, adults
included, to look after themselves and each other as well as protecting children
SAT A curriculum-neutral, standardised test of reading, writing and mathematics for students
in Grades 11 or 12 in US curriculum schools
Scheme of work A medium-term curriculum planning document which sets out the learningintentions of
a particular topic or teaching unit – usually an interpretation of a programme of study or
examination syllabus and can be shared with students to provide an overview of the
course
School community All those who work for and in partnership with the school to improve learning, including
students, leaders, teachers, parents, governors/owners, non-teaching staff and
community members
Self-evaluation A process undertaken by the staff to identify a school’s strengths and weaknesses in
both provision and outcomes
Skill A developed or learned ability to do something competently – the abilityto use
knowledge effectively. 21st Century skills include critical thinking,creative thinking and
effective communication. Social skills are important, including collaborative skills which
are considered an important outcome ofan effective education and a feature of student
entitlement
SMART An acronym standing for Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic and Time-bound.
Describes good practice when setting school improvement targets in a school
improvement plan – intelligent targets which suit the needs of the school
Special educational needs Educational needs that are different from those of the majority of students.Students
(SEN) with SEN require additional support or challenge in order to make good progress. (The
most common categories of SEN are explained in Section 4.4)
Specialist support Expert advice or support provided by a professional to meet a student’s needs, e.g.,
psychological, therapeutic, medical
Staff The adults who work in a school, including leaders, teachers, assistants, managers,
counsellors
Stakeholders Those who have an interest in a school, including the staff, students, parents, governors,
owners / proprietors and community members
Standards The knowledge and skills that students should attain at a particular point in time, as
explicitly stated in curriculum documents
Standardised In testing, using the same measures to ascertain what students in different times and
locations have learned Statutory Anything required by law
Student-centred learning Learning that places the student as the centre of the learning process where they are
active participants in their learning. Their learning needs are identified and met.
Learning targets are shared with and understood by students. They learn at their own
pace and develop their own strategies
Study skills Skills a student needs to study independently. Teachers need to help students to
develop their study skills as an important part of becoming independent learners
Subject leader Part of the middle leadership in a school. Subject leaders have management and
leadership responsibilities for an academic subject
Synthesis A higher-order thinking skill describing the reasoning and creativity that makes the
 connections between different parts that can be brought together to make a whole
Teaching All activities undertaken by the teacher aimed at enhancing students’ learning, including
imparting information, developing students’ understanding, skills, attitudes and
behaviour
Thinking skills Students' abilities at age-appropriate levels to: recall and understand new concepts;
make observations and predictions; analyse information; use logic and reasoning to
solve problems; generate original ideas; apply knowledge to new contexts; and evaluate
their own and others' thinking
TIMSS Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, a test for students in Grades 4 and 8 every
four years
Transition The movement of a student from one phase of schooling to the next; for example, from
elementary to middle or out of the school
Twenty-first Century skills Flexible skills that need to be taught and students develop and acquire as an entitlement
to equip them well for the challenges and opportunities of the fast-moving technological
world of the present/future. This will include creative, innovative, original and higher-
order/critical thinkers, capable of working collaboratively
Underachievement A student who consistently, over time, fails to perform to their ability or potential is
underachieving. There is a mismatch between potential and performance. Not to be
confused with under-attainment where a student fails to do as well as they should in a
single test/assessment
Validity The extent to which a test measures what it claims to or is intended to measure (see
also reliability above)
Voice The expression of opinion and the right to express that opinion. Systems and strategies
that enable school leaders and governors/owners/proprietors to capture, respond to
and take account of student and parent voice are important parts of a school’s self-
evaluation process
Work ethic Students’ attitude to work - the valuing of hard work and diligence to produce
something worthwhile
Work scrutiny The systematic review of student work samples from a particular subject / grade /year
group over a set period so that judgements can be made about attainment and progress