Resources / Glossary
Schooling Glossary for Parents
Short, plain-English definitions of every term you'll meet during school admissions and your child's years in school. Bookmark this page — it grows as we publish.
A
Abacus Method
A structured programme that teaches arithmetic using a physical abacus, then transitions children to performing the same calculations mentally by visualising the bead movements.
Activity-Based Learning
Teaching where the child does (manipulates, experiments, plays, builds) rather than only listens, especially in the early years.
Admission Documents
The standard set of papers a school requests for new admission — birth certificate, Aadhaar, TC (if transferring), photographs, parent ID and address proof.
Art-Integrated Learning (AIL)
A pedagogy promoted by NCERT and NEP 2020 where students learn academic concepts (Math, Science, Social Studies) through art forms — music, dance, theatre, visual art, craft.
B
Backward Design
A curriculum planning approach where teachers first decide what students should be able to do at the end of a unit, then design assessments, and only then plan lessons — the reverse of traditional planning.
Blended Learning
A deliberate mix of in-person classroom teaching with online or digital learning — so that each mode does what it does best, rather than replacing one with the other.
Bloom's Revised Taxonomy
A six-level hierarchy of thinking skills used to plan lessons and assessments — remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate, create — revised by Anderson and Krathwohl in 2001.
Bloom's Taxonomy
A framework, first proposed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956 and revised in 2001, that classifies learning into six levels — Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate, Create — from simplest recall to most complex thinking.
C
Cambridge IGCSE
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education — a Class 10 equivalent qualification offered by Cambridge Assessment International Education, recognised by universities and schools worldwide.
CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education)
India's central school examination board, established in 1962, that affiliates schools across India and abroad and conducts the Class 10 and Class 12 board exams.
CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation)
A school-based evaluation system that measures both scholastic and co-scholastic development through small, regular assessments instead of one-shot exams.
Co-Curricular Activities (CCA)
Activities that run alongside the academic curriculum — music, drama, debate, sports, art, robotics — and are integral (not optional) to a child's school experience.
Competency-Based Education
An approach where progress is measured by what a student can do — competencies and learning outcomes — rather than how much time they spent in class.
Concept-Based Curriculum
A curriculum designed around enduring concepts (change, systems, identity, balance) rather than discrete facts, so children build transferable understanding that lasts beyond the next test.
Counselling in School
Confidential, professional support for students dealing with academic, social or emotional challenges — provided by an in-house counsellor or visiting psychologist.
D
Differentiated Instruction
An approach in which the teacher plans different tasks, materials or supports for different learners in the same classroom — so each child works at the right level of challenge.
DPE / Physical Education
Daily Physical Education — a structured period of sports, games, yoga and movement that is now mandatory in every CBSE school from Class 1 to Class 12.
E
EdTech
Education technology — apps, learning platforms, smart boards, AI tutors — used in or around the classroom.
Environmental Education (EVS)
A mandatory subject in primary classes (often called EVS — Environmental Studies) that integrates science, social studies and sustainability around the child's immediate surroundings.
F
Flipped Classroom
A teaching model where students first encounter new content at home — through videos, reading or apps — and use classroom time for discussion, practice and problem-solving with the teacher.
Formative Assessment
Low-stakes, ongoing checks for understanding (think exit tickets, short quizzes, oral questions) used by teachers to adjust their next lesson.
Formative vs Summative Assessment
Formative assessment is in-progress feedback to improve learning; summative assessment is end-of-unit judgement to measure learning. Both are necessary; the balance matters.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN)
A mission introduced under NEP 2020 to ensure every child in India can read with comprehension and perform basic arithmetic by the end of Class 3.
G
Growth Mindset
A learning psychology, developed by Stanford researcher Carol Dweck, that holds intelligence and ability are not fixed — they grow with effort, strategy and feedback. The opposite is a 'fixed mindset'.
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
Carol Dweck's distinction between believing abilities are improvable through effort (growth) versus believing they are fixed traits (fixed) — a difference that shapes how children approach challenge.
H
I
IB (International Baccalaureate)
A Geneva-based education foundation that offers four globally recognised programmes — PYP (primary), MYP (middle), DP (Class 11-12) and CP — known for inquiry-based learning and a strong research project.
IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme — a transdisciplinary, inquiry-based curriculum framework for children aged 3 to 12, organised around six globally significant themes.
ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education)
An English-medium examination certificate awarded by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) at the end of Class 10.
Inquiry-Based Learning
A pedagogy where the lesson starts with a question or problem and students investigate, hypothesise and arrive at understanding — rather than receiving information first.
Integrated Curriculum
An approach to teaching where multiple subjects are connected around a common theme or question, so children see how ideas link rather than learning each subject in isolation.
Interleaved Practice
Mixing different problem types or topics within the same practice session — counter-intuitively producing stronger learning than practising one type at a time.
ISC (Indian School Certificate)
The Class 12 examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the natural progression for students who completed ICSE in Class 10.
L
Life Skills Education
A WHO-defined set of ten psycho-social skills — self-awareness, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, interpersonal skills, communication, stress management and emotion management — taught explicitly in school.
LKG vs UKG
LKG (Lower Kindergarten) is the first formal year of school after Pre-KG, typically at age 4. UKG (Upper Kindergarten) is the second year, at age 5 — known as Sr KG at Yajur.
M
Medium of Instruction
The primary language in which subjects are taught and textbooks are written in a school — most commonly English, Telugu, Hindi or Urdu in Telangana.
Mental Math
The ability to perform calculations in the head — without paper, calculator or abacus — using flexible strategies like rounding, breaking apart numbers and using known facts.
Metacognition
Thinking about one's own thinking — being aware of how you learn, monitoring whether you understand, and adjusting your approach. One of the strongest predictors of academic success.
Mindfulness in School
Short structured practices — breath awareness, body scans, quiet observation — that help children build attention, reduce reactivity and develop emotional regulation.
Model United Nations (MUN)
A simulation of UN committees where students take on the role of country delegates — researching positions, debating issues and drafting resolutions on global problems.
Montessori Method
An educational approach developed by Maria Montessori where children choose their own activities from prepared materials, working in mixed-age groups with self-correcting tools.
Moral Science
A regular school period devoted to discussing ethics, character and right conduct — typically through stories, real-life dilemmas and group discussion, without tying the lesson to a specific religion.
Mother Tongue Instruction (per NEP 2020)
NEP 2020's recommendation that the medium of instruction in the foundational and preparatory stages (up to Class 5, preferably Class 8) should be the child's mother tongue, home language or local language — with English taught alongside as a strong second language.
Multidisciplinary Curriculum
A curriculum design where students study across boundaries — combining subjects like Science, Math, Languages, Arts and Humanities around a theme or project — rather than learning each subject in a separate silo.
N
NCC and NSS in Schools
Two voluntary, government-supported programmes — the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Service Scheme (NSS) — that develop discipline, leadership and community service through structured activity from senior school onwards.
NCERT
The National Council of Educational Research and Training — the government body that publishes the standard Indian textbooks used by CBSE and many state boards.
NCF 2023 (National Curriculum Framework)
The implementation document for NEP 2020 — it specifies what each grade should teach, how, and how assessment should work, including the new 5+3+3+4 structure.
NEP 2020 (National Education Policy)
India's most recent national policy for education, released in 2020, that introduces a 5+3+3+4 schooling structure, mother-tongue instruction in early years, foundational literacy and numeracy targets and competency-based assessment.
Number Sense
A child's intuitive grasp of how numbers work — their size, relationships, what happens when you combine or split them — built well before formal arithmetic begins.
O
Olympiad Exams
Subject-specific competitive exams (Math, Science, English, Computer, GK and more) held at school, state, national and international levels — used to identify and stretch high-potential students.
Oxford International Curriculum
A globally benchmarked academic framework published by Oxford University Press, used by international and progressive schools to teach English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Wellbeing from early years to upper-primary.
P
Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM)
A scheduled meeting between class teachers and parents to discuss a child's academic progress, behaviour and any concerns from either side.
Peer Assessment
Students give each other structured feedback on work, using clear criteria — building communication, critical thinking and the ability to give and receive feedback gracefully.
Peer Learning
A structured approach where students learn from and with each other — through pair work, group projects, peer tutoring and discussion — rather than only from the teacher.
Phonics
A method of teaching reading that explicitly links letters and letter combinations to their sounds — so a child can decode an unfamiliar word like 'cat' as /k/ /a/ /t/ rather than memorising the whole word.
Play-Way Method
An early-childhood pedagogy in which structured and free play is the primary medium for learning literacy, numeracy and social skills.
Portfolio Assessment
An approach where a child's progress is judged through a curated collection of their work over time — drafts, finished pieces, reflections — rather than a single test score.
Project-Based Learning (PBL)
An approach where students learn by working over an extended period on a project that answers a complex question or solves a real problem.
R
Retrieval Practice
The act of recalling information from memory — through quizzes, flashcards or open questions — which strengthens learning far more than rereading or highlighting.
Right Age for School in India
Telangana state guidelines and most CBSE schools admit children to Pre-KG at age 3+, LKG at age 4+, UKG at age 5+ and Class 1 at age 6+ (completed years on 1 June of the academic year).
RTE Act (Right to Education)
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 — guarantees free education to every child aged 6 to 14 in India and reserves 25% seats in private schools for disadvantaged groups in Class 1.
Rubric Assessment
A grid that lays out what 'beginning', 'developing', 'proficient' and 'excellent' look like for each criterion — turning subjective judgement into transparent, consistent evaluation.
S
Scaffolding
Temporary support that helps a learner do something they cannot yet do alone — gradually removed as the learner becomes independent.
School Bag Weight Norms
The Government of India's School Bag Policy (2020) caps bag weight at 1.6-2.2 kg for Classes 1-2, up to 3 kg for Classes 3-5, up to 4 kg for Classes 6-7 — roughly 10% of body weight.
School Board vs Curriculum
A 'board' (like CBSE or ICSE) is the examination authority that certifies your child's Class 10 or 12. A 'curriculum' (like the Oxford International Curriculum or NCERT framework) is the day-to-day teaching framework. The two are related but not the same.
School Uniform Guidelines
The CBSE and most Indian schools recommend cotton-blend uniforms, age-appropriate cut and rotational sets — typically two regular uniforms and one PE/games kit per child.
Self-Assessment
A structured practice where students evaluate their own work against agreed criteria — strengthening metacognition, ownership of learning and self-direction.
Smart Classroom
A classroom equipped with interactive digital boards, projectors, audio and curated digital content — designed to make abstract concepts visual and interactive.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
The structured teaching of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making — alongside academic content.
Socratic Method
A teaching technique based on rigorous questioning — the teacher asks open, probing questions rather than supplying answers, leading students to examine their own assumptions and reach understanding by reasoning.
Spaced Repetition
A learning technique where material is reviewed at increasing intervals over time — proven by decades of research to dramatically improve long-term retention compared to cramming.
Spelling Bee
An inter-class or inter-school competition where students spell English words orally — building vocabulary, pronunciation and confidence on stage.
STEM Education
An interdisciplinary approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — often extended to STEAM with Arts.
Student Wellbeing
A child's overall physical, emotional, social and mental health — increasingly tracked and supported as a curriculum strand in modern schools.
Summative Assessment
A high-stakes evaluation administered at the end of a learning period — term exam, annual exam, board exam — to certify what a student has learned.
SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work)
A curriculum strand that engages students in hands-on tasks — gardening, cooking, basic carpentry, tailoring, community service — to develop dignity of labour and practical life skills.
T
Telangana SSC (State Board)
The Board of Secondary Education, Telangana, conducts the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Class 10 public examination in Telugu and English media for affiliated state-syllabus schools.
Transfer Certificate (TC)
An official document issued by a school when a student leaves, certifying their academic year, conduct and dues clearance. It is required to admit the child into a new school.