| BUP | bachillerato unificado y polivalente | the first three years of the pre-LOGSE four-year integrated upper secondary course for students aged 14+. Full details are in Appendix 1 . |
| CAP | Certificado de Aptitud Pedagógica | Pedagogical Aptitude Certificate. |
| CCP | Curso de Cualificación Pedagógica | Pedagogical Training Course (leads to the CAP which is being gradually replaced by the TED). |
| CIDE | Centro de Investigacion y Documentacion Educativa | Centre for Educational Research and Documentation. |
| CIDEAD | The Centre for the Innovation and Development of Distance Education. | |
| COIE | Centro de Orientación e Información de Empleo | Counselling, Information and Employment Centres. |
| COU | curso de orientacion universitaria | the final year of the pre-LOGSE four-year integrated upper secondary course for students aged 14+. Full details are in Appendix 1. |
| EGB | educación general basica | pre-LOGSE general compulsory education, for students aged 6-14. |
| ESO | educación secundaria obligatoria | post-LOGSE compulsory lower secondary education, for students aged 12-16. |
| FP | formación profesional | vocational training. |
| GDP | gross domestic product. | |
| ICT | information and communication technology. | |
| ILO | International Labour Organisation. | |
|
INCE |
Instituto Nacional de Calidad y Evaluación | National Institute for Quality and Evaluation. Now replaced by INECSE . |
|
INE |
National Statistics Institute. | |
| INECSE |
Instituto Nacional de Evaluación y Calidad del Sistema Educativo |
National Institute for Evaluation and Quality of the Education System (http://www.mecd.es/inecse). |
| INEM | Instituto Nacional de Empleo | National Institute for Employment. |
| LGE | General Act on Education (1970). Mostly replaced by LOGSE. | |
| LOCE | Ley Orgánica de Calidad de Educación | The 2002 Organic Act on the Quality of Education. |
| LODE |
Ley Orgánica del Derecho a la Educación | The 1985 Organic Act on the Right to Education. |
| LOE | Ley Orgánica de Educación | The Organic Education Law, currently progressing through Parliament. |
| LOGSE | Ley Orgánica de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo | The 1990 Organic Act on the General Organisation of the Education System (compulsory education law). |
| LOPEG | Ley Orgánica de la Participación, la Evaluación y el Gobierno de los Centros Docentes | Organic Act on Participation, Evaluation and Administration of Educational Establishments. |
| LOU | 2001 Organic Act on Universities. | |
| LRU | Ley Orgánica de Reforma Universitaria | Organic Act on University Reform. |
| MEC |
Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia | Ministry of Education and Science |
| MECD | Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte | Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (now the MEC) |
| NCVQ |
National Council for Vocational Qualifications (in England) (now QCA). | |
| NFER |
National Foundation for Educational Research (in England and Wales). | |
| PAAU | pruebas de aptitud para el accesso a la universidad (or selectividad) | university entrance examination. |
| PE | physical education. | |
|
PGB |
Prueba General de Bachillerato |
new standarised school leaving examination at the age of 18, proposed by the 2002 LOCE reforms. Introduction of this examination has since been postponed. |
| PP | Popular Party (Conservative). | |
| Ptas | pesetas. | |
| QCA | Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (England), formed on 1 October 1997 from the merger of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ). | |
| RE | religious education. | |
| SCAA | School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (now QCA). | |
| TED |
Título de Especialización Didáctica | Certificate of Pedagogical Specialisation. |
| Spanish term | English term | Definition |
| bachiller | diploma received on successful completion of the bachillerato course. | |
| bachillerato | (post-LOGSE) general post-compulsory upper secondary education for students aged 16-18. Comparable with (post-LOGSE) intermediate level specific vocational training. | |
| catedrático de universidad, catedrático de escuela universitaria, catedráticos de universidad, catedráticos de escuela universitaria | University lecturers who have the status of civil servants. | |
| centros de educación infantil | private sector pre-school establishments which are authorised by the competent education authorities. | |
| centros no concertados | non-subsidised private educational establishments, which are financed wholly through private contributions (families etc.). | |
| centros (privados) concertados | state-subsidised private schools, which have to satisfy certain criteria to receive state funding. | |
| Certificado de Escolaridad | School Attendance Certificate | received by all students leaving the pre-LOGSE EGB, age 14. Further details are in Appendix 1. |
| Comunidades Autónomas | Autonomous Community (plural, Autonomous Communities) | the 17 regional, administrative divisions into which Spain is divided. By late December 1999, all Autonomous Communities had assumed full powers over education in their respective areas, under the coordination of the central Ministry of Education and Culture. |
| Concejalia de Educación | Municipal Education Department, which is usually responsible for the provision and maintenance of school buildings and the management of municipal education-related programmes. | |
| Consejeria (pl. Consejerias) | Regional Education Department. | |
| Consejo Escolar | School Council (plural, School Councils) | this body comprises representatives of a school's teaching staff, parents and students and its responsibilities include electing the headteacher, school discipline, student admission and financial management. The municipal authorities are also represented on individual School Councils. |
| Consejos Escolares Municipales | Municipal School Councils. These are the local social participation bodies, which report on educational matters within their powers to education authorities at central and Autonomous Community level. | |
| Cortes Generales | The (national) Parliament. | |
| diplomado | Title obtained after successfully completing the first cycle of university studies. | |
| educación infantil | pre-compulsory infant education for children aged 3 to 6 years. | |
| educación preescolar | pre-compulsory pre-school education for children aged 0 - 3 years. | |
| educación primaria | compulsory primary education, for children aged 6-12 years. | |
| educación secundaria obligatoria | Compulsory secondary education established by the 1990 Organic Act on the General Organisation of the Education System (LOGSE). It comprises four academic Years, students aged 12 to 16 years, organised into two cycles of two years each. Reference to it is commonly made with the acronym ESO. | |
| enseñanzas de régimen especial | specialist education | the Spanish education system comprises a general and a specialist system. At present the specialist system - the enseñanzas de régimen especial, comprises art and language studies, but the Government is authorised to include other disciplines. |
| enseñanzas minimas | the minimum core curriculum, established by the central administration, which is finalised/refined at local level. | |
| escuelas de educación infantil | infant school (plural, infant schools) | public sector establishments providing pre-compulsory infant education, usually for children aged 3-6 years. They may also cater for children aged 0-3 in the first cycle of pre-compulsory provision. |
| escuela politécnica superior, escuelas politécnicas superiores | University education centre where it is possible to study the first, second and third cycle of technical education (any specialist engineering subject and architecture). | |
| escuela técnica superior, escuelas técnicas superiores | University education centre where it is possible to study the first, second and third cycle of technical education (any specialist engineering subject and architecture) | |
| escuela universitaria, escuelas universitarias | University education centre where only first cycle studies of any branch are taught. | |
| fase de concurso | Part of the competitive examination by which fully qualified teachers are selected for admission to the teaching profession on completion of training. The second phase, fase de concurso, takes account of candidates' academic merits (results obtained during initial training, other qualifications, etc.) and prior experience. The fase de concurso part of the examination is weighted as one third of the overall result. | |
| fase de oposición | Part of the competitive examination by which fully qualified teachers are selected for admission to the teaching profession on completion of training. The first phase, fase de oposición, evaluates knowledge of the curriculum as well as teaching skills. The fase de oposición part of the examination is weighted as two thirds of the overall result. | |
| Formación profesional (específica) | specific vocational training | established under LOGSE. Courses can be taken at either intermediate or advanced level. Intermediate level courses are usually taken immediately following compulsory secondary education (age 16+); advanced level courses are post-bachillerato (18+). |
| Graduado en Educación Secundaria | Certificate of Secondary Education | the certificate awarded to those who have met the objectives of compulsory lower secondary education (lower secondary leaving certificate). It is a prerequisite for access to most post-compulsory upper secondary courses. |
| Graduado Escolar | Basic Education School Graduate Certificate | leaving certificate obtained on successful completion of the pre-LOGSE EGB (the compulsory school for students aged 6-14). Further details are in Appendix 1. |
| guarderias | nursery school (plural, nursery schools) | private pre-school establishments not authorised by the competent education authorities. By 2000, all nursery schools had to comply with the legal requirements to become official establishments (centros de educación infantil). |
| institutos de educación secundaria | secondary school (plural, secondary schools | schools providing compulsory lower secondary education for students aged 12-16. They may also cater for students in the 16-18 age range, by offering bachillerato and intermediate level specific vocational training courses. |
| Institutos Municipales de Educación | Municipal Education Institutes, which usually exercise powers related to the granting of land for the building of public establishments and the repair, maintenance, monitoring and upkeep expenses for pre-compulsory and primary establishments. They oversee compulsory schooling and educational services. | |
| Itinerario(s) | route or area of study (plural, routes or areas of study) | refers to the routes to be selected through lower secondary education (students aged 14+), following implementation of the LOCE reforms. |
| licenciado | Title obtained upon successfully completing the second cycle of university studies. | |
| Maestro (Maestros) | Qualified teachers exercising their role in educación infantil and in primary education. | |
| modalidad(es) | option stream (plural, option streams) | currently refers to the four types of post-LOGSE bachillerato courses available. Students choose one of four option streams/modalidades from arts, natural science and health, humanities and social studies, or technology. From 2004/05, there will be three streams from which to choose: science and technology, humanities and social science, and arts. |
| Oficina de Educación | the Education Office in Autonomous Communities with full educational responsibilities. It is responsible for the functions and services which have not been transferred to the Autonomous Community, as they form part of central state responsibilities. | |
| practicum | Practical professional teaching experience in schools, which all trainee teachers are obliged to undertake during their teacher training course. | |
| programas de iniciación profesional | programmes of initial vocational training | following introduction of the LOCE reforms, students not meeting the requirements for satisfactory completion of compulsory secondary education (at around age 16) will be eligible for two-year programmes of initial vocational training. |
| técnico especialista | Professional title obtained after completing second tier vocational training (FP II) as established under the 1970 General Act on Education. Its main objective is to give a qualification for entry into the labour market but it also allows access to related certain first cycle university studies. | |
| técnico superior | Professional title obtained after completing Advanced Specific Vocational Training established under the 1990 Organic Act on the General Organisation of the Education System (LOGSE). Its main objective is to provide a qualification for entry into the labour market, but it also allows access to certain related first cycle university studies. | |
| título de especialización didáctica | Certificate of pedagogical specialisation (teacher training certificate), gained on successful completion of a teacher training course, including both the academic course and a period of teaching practice. |