| DGhK | Deutsche Gesellschaft für das hochbegabte Kind (German Society for the Gifted and Talented Child) |
| ICT | Information and communications technology |
| IST | In-service training |
| NFER | National Foundation for Educational Research (in England and Wales) |
| QCA | Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (in England) |
| SCAA | School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (now QCA) |
| NB: As Germany is a federal state in which individual Länder (states) have considerable autonomy, it is difficult to make general statements about national provisions. The following glossary descriptions may therefore not apply in every Land in Germany. | |
| Abitur | upper secondary leaving examination and qualification (normally obtained after 13, sometimes 12, years of school education). The Abitur grants holders access to higher education. |
| Ausbildungsordnungen | Training regulations. Legal ordinance governing the in-company training part of vocational training within the dual system. Training regulations also exist in other areas (eg. for careers in the Civil Service). |
| Berufsfachschule (plural, Berufsfachschulen) | full-time vocational school, usually for the upper secondary, 15/16-18+ age range. Courses vary in length (minimum one year) and provide vocational and general education (via a wide range of branches) to prepare students for (specific) employment or further study. |
| Berufsschule (plural, Berufsschulen) | vocational school at upper secondary level, providing part-time instruction in general and vocational subjects to trainees receiving vocational training within the dual system. |
| Bundestag | the Federal German Parliament (parliamentary assembly) representing the people of the Federal Republic of Germany. It comprises around 670 members, elected by secret ballot, for a four-year term, at general elections. Its main functions are to adopt legislation, elect the Federal Chancellor, and monitor and control the activities of the Federal Government. |
| Erprobungsstufe | observation period usually during the first and second years of lower secondary education (usually Years 5 and 6 of compulsory education), during which teachers ensure that students are in the appropriate lower secondary school type. |
| Erste Staatsprüfung(en) | First State Examination. In teacher training, this is awarded on completion of the first part of the teacher training course - in the institute of higher education.(See Staatsprüfung also). |
| Fachoberschule (plural, Fachoberschulen) | vocational school at upper secondary level providing two-year courses in various subject areas for students generally aged 15/16+. The first year consists of both practical training in the workplace and lessons, whilst the second year covers general and subject-specific lessons. |
| Fachschule (plural, Fachschulen) | vocational school offering courses of between one and three years, which build on initial vocational training and subsequent employment to lead to a further vocational qualification. |
| Förderklassen | see Vorklassen. |
| Förderschule
(plural Förderschulen) |
see Sonderschule. |
| Gesamtschule (plural, Gesamtschulen) | non-selective lower secondary school for students aged 10 or 12 to 15/16 (dependent on the Land). The Gesamtschule normally brings together a number of different courses of education leading to different qualifications. It either takes the form of a cooperative Gesamtschule or an integrated Gesamtschule. In the former type, students are taught in classes grouped according to the different qualifications available, whilst in the latter type, students are set in classes grouped according to level of proficiency for a number of central subjects, but taught together as a year group for all other subjects. |
| Grundschule (plural,Grundschulen) | compulsory level four-or six-year primary school, for students aged 6-10 or 6-12, dependent on the Land. |
| Gymnasium (plural, Gymnasien) | compulsory level lower secondary school which provides general, academic full-time education for students aged 10 or 12 to 15/16 (age range depends on the Land). |
| Hauptschule (plural, Hauptschulen) | compulsory level lower secondary school providing full-time basic general education for students aged 10 or 12 to 15/16 (age range depends on the Land). See section 3.2.3 of the full Germany Archive. |
| Kindergarten (plural, Kindergärten) | the traditional form of institutionalised pre-compulsory pre-school education for children aged between 3 and 6. Kindergärten do not belong to the school system, but fall instead under the category of child and youth welfare services and may be either publicly or privately maintained. Attendance is voluntary. |
| Land (plural, Länder) | the 16 administrative states/regions into which Germany is divided. Each Land has its own constitution and government ("Landesregierung"). (Five of the 16 are the Länder of the former German Democratic Republic.) |
| Oberschulämter | Land senior education offices responsible for supervising Gymnasien and Realschulen. |
| Orientierungsstufe | see Erprobungsstufe. |
| Prüfungsordnungen | Examination regulations. Legal regulations of different types (in school and higher education) governing examination prerequisites, content and procedures. Depending on the type of examination, the regulations are issued by the Ministries responsible (for State Examinations) or, in the case of higher education examinations (i.e. academic degrees), they are issued by the higher education institutions and, as a rule, approved by the Ministry of Education/Science of the Land concerned. |
| Realschule (plural, Realschulen) | compulsory level lower secondary school which provides a general full-time education for students aged 10 or 12 to 15/16 (age range depends on the Land). Originally conceived as a 'practical' alternative to the more academic Gymnasium. Full details are provided in 3.2.3 of the full Germany Archive. |
| Regelstudienzeit(en) | Standard period of study. The length of time, at a higher education institution, in which it is possible to obtain a first qualification for entry into a profession. Regelstudienzeiten are defined in examination regulations and, at institutions of higher education, should not normally exceed eight-ten semesters (four-five years). On average, however, students take one or two years longer than the standard period of study to attain the leaving certificate. The Regelstudienzeit for Bachelor's courses of study is three-four years; for Masters courses it is one-two years. |
| Schulämter | Land education offices responsible for supervising Grundschulen, Hauptschulen and Sonderschulen. |
| Schulaufsichtsbehörden | Land authorities responsible for school inspection, which are also responsible for vocational schools. |
| Schulkindergarten (plural, Schulkindergärten) | see Vorklassen. |
| Sonderschule (plural, Sonderschulen) | special school – a school establishment at all levels for students whose development cannot be adequately assisted at general/mainstream schools. Sometimes also known as Förderschule. |
| Staatsprüfung(en) | State examination concluding a course of study in certain subjects (eg. medical subjects, teaching, law). Also refers to the examination taken by law students and teaching students at the end of their preparatory service (known as the Second State Examination). The examinations are administered by examination committees staffed not only by professors from the institutions of higher education but also by representatives of the state examination offices (or boards) of the Lander. |
| Studienordnungen | Study regulations- regulations on the content and structure of a course of study, based on the examination regulations. |
| Vorbereitungsdienst | Preparatory service/final 'on-the-job' qualifying phase - the practical training phase completed after the First State Examination and concluded by the Second State Examination. Particularly for teaching careers but also for other civil service careers. |
| Vorbereitungsklassen | see Vorklassen. |
| Vorklassen | preparatory classes for children aged 5, whose parents wish to provide them with special assistance and preparation for primary school. Attendance is usually voluntary. However, in some Länder, children who have reached the age of 6, but are not yet judged ready to attend Grundschule must attend such preparatory classes (also called Schulkindergärten, Vorschulklassen, Vorbereitungsklassen and Förderklassen – depending on the Land). |
| Vorschulklassen | see Vorklassen. |
| Werkstufe | the final of the four three-year stages of education in the special school for the mentally handicapped. This practical stage, for students aged 15+, is a type of vocational school within the school for the mentally handicapped, which prepares students for occupational activity. (This takes place almost without exception in a workshop for the disabled.) |