Process-oriented assessment is an assessment that aims to develop pupil learning though change or improvement in their learning environment. The methods associated with this form of assessment are usually pupil-oriented, for example pupil interviews, portfolios, etc.

Professional learning refers to any activity undertaken by education professionals that aims to stimulate their thinking and professional knowledge and to improve their practice, ensuring that it is evidence-informed and up-to-date. Professional learning includes activities that take place throughout an individual’s professional career.

(See also ‘Teacher professional learning’)

A professional learning community refers to collaborations of education stakeholders ‘around clusters of schools involving …. school and community personnel, together with researchers, local area leaders and policy-makers’ (European Agency, 2015e, p. 7).

Professional learning communities may serve two broad purposes:

(1) improving the skills and knowledge of educators through collaborative study, expertise exchange, and professional dialogue, and (2) improving the educational aspirations, achievement, and attainment of students through stronger leadership and teaching. Professional learning communities often function as a form of action research—i.e., as a way to continually question, reevaluate, refine, and improve teaching strategies and knowledge (‘professional learning community’ in the Glossary of Education Reform).

(See also ‘Learning community’)

‘The process of improving or developing, or of getting nearer to achieving or completing something; the process of developing gradually from one stage or state to another’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

To enable learner progress, schools need to:

• understand all learners’ current situations and support them by using information to plan future steps;
• develop the ‘capability to meet learner needs and increase curriculum relevance, helping learners to gain competences’ for future life, studies and employment
• be flexible to ‘adapt pedagogical strategies and provide support’ – to increase ‘access to appropriate learning opportunities’ and develop learners’ knowledge and skills.

‘Schools should be clear about what progress might look like for all learners, particularly when it does not lead to traditional recognition’, e.g. through examinations. Progress may be shown (for example, by learners with more complex support needs) by ‘increased responses, improved communication and social skills, reduced need for support, less reliance on routines, reduction in challenging behaviour, transfer of learning between different situations or increased self-advocacy’ (European Agency, 2015e, pp. 12–13).
 

The term ‘provision’ includes all forms of support that may help the process of participation in education for all learners: curriculum, assessment procedures, forms of pedagogy, organisation and management and resources that contribute to the development of supportive systems that promote inclusive education.

‘Connected with what something is like or how good it is, rather than with how much of it there is’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Qualitative research is an iterative process that aims to improve understanding by getting close to the phenomenon studied. It explores issues of ‘why’ and ‘how’ by analysing information, often in the form of words (e.g. notes from observations/interviews), pictures, videos or objects rather than statistics. This type of research involves interpreting events. It may be more subjective, producing data that is less readily generalised.

‘The practice of managing the way goods are produced or services are provided to make sure they are kept at a high standard’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

Quality assurance refers to the ‘policies, procedures and practices designed to achieve, maintain and enhance quality in inclusive education’. It also involves ‘how educational organisations account for their activities, accept responsibility for them and share information on their results openly and transparently’ (European Agency, 2018e, p. 17).

Quality education:

a. gives access to learning to all pupils and students, particularly those in vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, adapted to their needs as appropriate;

b. provides a secure and non-violent learning environment in which the rights of all are respected;

c. develops each pupil’s and student’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential and encourages them to complete the educational programmes in which they enrol;

d. promotes democracy, respect for human rights and social justice in a learning environment which recognises everyone’s learning and social needs;

e. enables pupils and students to develop appropriate competences, self-confidence and critical thinking to help them become responsible citizens and improve their employability;

f. passes on universal and local cultural values to pupils and students while equipping them also to make their own decisions;

g. certifies outcomes of formal and non-formal learning in a transparent way based on fair assessment enabling acquired knowledge and competences to be recognised for further study, employment and other purposes;

h. relies on qualified teachers who are committed to continuous professional development;

i. is free of corruption (Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, 2012).

‘Connected with the amount or number of something rather than with how good it is’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

As opposed to qualitative research, quantitative research is concerned with analysis of numerical data.

Reasonable adjustments are a way to remove barriers to education. Schools adjust policies and practices in education and associated services for learners with disabilities. The duty applies to all staff and is anticipatory (not compensatory). This means that adjustments are in place before learners with particular requirements are present in school. It recognises each learner’s right to attend and the need to remove barriers to participation and learning.

‘A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector’ (European Agency, 2021a, p. 10).

The regional level:

… is the first territorial unit below the national level in countries that do not have a federal or similar type of governmental structure, and the second territorial unit below the national level in countries with federal or similar … governmental structures. The regional level includes, among others, regional governments, regional education, financial and legislative authorities, and regional auditing services (OECD, 2017b, p. 292).

‘The quality of being likely to be correct or true’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

In research, reliability refers to the consistency of a measure across time, across items and across researchers. A test may be said to be reliable if the same result is obtained repeatedly.

Method of delivery, which involves teaching and learning activities where educators and learners are not physically present in one location at the same time. In this case, learning happens away from the physical site of an educational provider with educators and learners using different means to connect and engage with a programme, course or educational activity. … remote education is used as a broad term which … [comprises], among others, the possibility to organise and deliver teaching and learning activities at distance (e.g. by using radio, TV or electronic resources) or online (e.g. requiring learners to use a connected device) (European Commission, 2020, pp. 97–98).

Resilience is the ability to prepare for, work through, respond to and mitigate unforeseen challenges.

Challenges may damage individuals, institutions and communities, but they also create opportunities to rebuild from a stronger base, and even reach a higher level of operation. Resilience does not just mean survival and recovery; it means thriving in a new reality (Brende and Sternfels, 2022) and operating proactively rather than reactively.

The field of education must be sensitive to individual, community and societal challenges both within and outside the system. Here, resilience refers to the ability to find solutions to these challenges, adapting to new situations by organising, planning and implementing educational processes.