Summative assessment is a ‘one-off’ used to get a snapshot of a pupil’s level of achievement in relation to a programme of study. Usually, summative assessment is carried out at the end of a period of time, or the end of a programme of study. It is frequently quantitative and is often associated with a mark or grade that provides a comparison of the pupil’s achievement in relation to other pupils. The term ‘product-oriented’ assessment is often linked to summative assessment.

Ability to keep going/maintain. Projects are more likely to be sustainable if they have: clear goals, shared with all participants; sound financial arrangements; effective marketing strategies; plans for changes in personnel; planned links with existing work.

‘That can continue or be continued for a long time’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries).

The financial, human and material resources used in education, e.g. the characteristics of learners, educators, curricula, textbooks, facilities, equipment and financial resources.

The ultimate or eventual effects of education, e.g. increased earnings, employment, contribution to productivity, improved health and other non-monetary outcomes.

A systemic approach to school development incorporates the concept of schools as learning organisations (Kinsella and Senior, 2008). This approach aims to identify and overcome institutional barriers at all levels that might cause school failure. It ‘focuses on developing an inclusive system where all learners receive a high-quality education (including those at risk of failure and most vulnerable to exclusion)’.

This approach ‘leads to raised achievement and successful completion of compulsory education. It also goes beyond school organisation, aiming to address inequity to ensure wider community participation and transition to stable adulthood’ (European Agency, 2019c, p. 14).

‘Systems of support’ refers to systems that build the capacity of mainstream schools, rather than to the process of distributing additional resources. They help to make mainstream schools more accessible and capable of meeting the requirements of all learners.

Process which embeds information about the reading order, flow and organisational structure within an electronic document.

‘Having a natural ability to do something well’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). This is usually in a specific field such as athletic, creative or aesthetic areas.

(See also ‘Highly able / gifted’)

Refers to clear objectives and a shared understanding of professional learning for inclusion. It does not just list what teachers should know, be or do. Rather, it reflects a holistic and dynamic view of the capability, readiness, engagement, responsibility, effectiveness and skill of individual teachers and teacher teams to meet the demands of diverse classrooms and schools.

Teacher professional learning (TPL) covers initial teacher education and continuing professional development, including induction and in-school learning opportunities.

TPL for inclusion involves reflective practice and personal competence development of all teachers, specialists and support staff involved in inclusive education, in the areas of valuing learner difference, learner support and working with others, in line with the Agency’s Profile of Inclusive Teachers (European Agency, 2012c).

Technology is ‘often used as another word for ICT, although strictly speaking “technology” can mean almost any type of tool or applied knowledge. For example, pencil and paper, slates, blackboards and whiteboards are all types of writing technology’ (UNESCO and Microsoft, 2011, p. 92).

The terms of reference is ‘the document that details the assignment and spells out the requirements and expectations of those commissioning or managing the evaluation’ (World Bank Group, 2015, p. 20).

This refers to ‘variations in the way schools operate within a country’. In implementing inclusive education, ‘there is a need to reduce inequalities between regions (e.g. between urban and rural areas) and to increase consistency among schools, municipalities and regions’ (European Agency, 2019b, p. 37).

Carrying out an assessment exercise designed to measure the learner’s acquired knowledge and skills. Tests may be set and marked by the teacher or by an external agency. (Adapted from UNESCO-IBE, Glossary of Curriculum Terminology).

(See also ‘Summative assessment’; ‘Standardised assessment’)