Education terms: E

77 terms starting with E, with where each one is used. Choose a term for related terms.

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E-rate United States: A federal programme that gives schools and libraries discounts on internet access and telecommunications.
EAL (English as an additional language) All four UK nations (details may differ): Pupils whose first language is not English. The US equivalent terms are ELL, EL or multilingual learner.
Early action (EA) United States: A non-binding early application plan that gives an earlier decision.
Early Career Framework (ECF) England: The DfE framework setting out what early career teachers in England should learn about during their two-year induction; combined with the CCF into the ITTECF.
Early career teacher (ECT) England: A newly qualified teacher in England in their two-year statutory induction period, supported by a mentor and the Early Career Framework. Formerly NQT.
Early college high school United States: A high school where students can earn an associate degree or up to two years of college credit alongside their diploma.
Early decision (ED) United States: A binding US college application plan in which a student applies early to one college and must attend if admitted.
Early help England: Support given as soon as a problem emerges for a child or family, at any point in childhood, to stop it getting worse.
Early learning goals (ELGs) England: The 17 goals in the EYFS framework that describe the level of development children are expected to reach by the end of Reception.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) England: The statutory framework in England that sets standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5, covering nurseries, childminders and Reception classes.
Early years practitioner All four UK nations (details may differ): A person who works with young children in a nursery or other early years setting.
EBacc (English Baccalaureate) England: A school performance measure in England showing the share of pupils who take GCSEs in English, maths, science, a language and history or geography.
ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) International: The European credit system, in which one academic year is 60 ECTS credits; two UK credits roughly equal one ECTS credit.
EdD (Doctor of Education) All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A professional doctorate for experienced educators that combines taught study with research on practice.
EdReports United States: A nonprofit that publishes free reviews of K-12 instructional materials.
edTPA United States: A performance-based assessment of student teachers, using lesson plans, video and reflection, required in some states.
Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) Northern Ireland: The inspectorate for schools, colleges and other education and training providers in Northern Ireland.
Education Authority (EA) Northern Ireland: The single body in Northern Ireland responsible for funding and supporting schools, school admissions, special educational needs and youth services.
Education Scotland Scotland: The Scottish Government agency that supports quality and improvement in education and carries out school inspections in Scotland.
Education welfare officer (EWO) All four UK nations (details may differ): A local authority worker who supports families and schools to improve pupils' attendance.
Educational psychologist (EP) All four UK nations (details may differ): A psychologist who assesses children's learning and emotional needs and advises schools and families, and contributes to EHC needs assessments.
Educational visits coordinator (EVC) All four UK nations (details may differ): The member of staff who oversees the planning and risk assessment of school trips.
Eduqas England: The brand name used by WJEC for its Ofqual-regulated GCSEs and A levels offered in England.
EEF (Education Endowment Foundation) England: An independent charity in England that funds and evaluates research on what works in teaching and publishes the Teaching and Learning Toolkit.
Effect size All four UK nations (details may differ) United States International: A statistic showing how big the difference made by an intervention is, used to compare research findings.
EHC needs assessment England: The statutory assessment a local authority carries out to decide whether a child or young person needs an EHCP.
EHCP (Education, health and care plan) England: A legal document in England, issued by the local authority, describing a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs and the support they must receive, for those aged up to 25.
Eighth grade United States: The last year of most US middle schools, for students aged about 13 to 14, one of the NAEP grades; equivalent in age to Year 9.
EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland) Scotland: The largest teaching union in Scotland.
ELA (English language arts) United States: The US school subject covering reading, writing, speaking, listening and language. UK: English.
Elaboration All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Explaining and describing ideas in detail and connecting them to what is already known, to deepen understanding.
ELC (Scotland) (Early learning and childcare) Scotland: Scotland's funded early education for 3- and 4-year-olds and eligible 2-year-olds, currently up to 1,140 hours a year.
Elective United States: An optional course a student chooses, as opposed to a required course. UK nearest: an option subject.
Elective home education (EHE) All four UK nations (details may differ): When parents choose to educate their child at home rather than send them to school.
Elementary school United States: A US school for the early grades, usually kindergarten to grade 5 (sometimes to grade 6 or 8). Also called grade school or primary school.
Eleven-plus (11+) England Northern Ireland: An entrance test taken by some children around age 10 to 11 to gain a place at a grammar or other selective school. In England it is set by individual schools or areas; in Northern Ireland transfer tests are run by independent test providers.
Eleventh grade United States: The third year of US high school (junior year), for students aged about 16 to 17, when many take the SAT or ACT; equivalent in age to Year 12.
ELL (English language learner) United States: A student learning English in addition to their home language. UK: EAL.
EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) Scotland Wales Northern Ireland: A weekly payment for students aged 16 to 19 from lower-income households who stay in education in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Abolished in England.
Emotion coaching All four UK nations (details may differ): An approach in which adults recognise and label a child's emotions, show empathy and then guide them towards better ways of responding.
End-of-year report All four UK nations (details may differ): The main annual written report to parents in UK schools.
End-point assessment (EPA) England: The independent assessment at the end of an apprenticeship that checks the apprentice can do the job set out in the apprenticeship standard.
English learner (EL) United States: The federal term for a student whose English proficiency is not yet sufficient to access instruction fully; also called ELL or multilingual learner.
Enrichment All four UK nations (details may differ): Activities beyond the standard curriculum, such as clubs, trips and volunteering, that broaden pupils' experiences.
Entitlement Framework Northern Ireland: The policy in Northern Ireland that post-primary pupils should have access to a minimum number of courses at Key Stage 4 and post-16, with a set share of general and applied courses.
Entry level England Wales Northern Ireland: The lowest band of the qualification frameworks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, split into entry levels 1, 2 and 3, for basic knowledge and skills.
Entry level certificate (ELC) All four UK nations (details may differ): A qualification below GCSE level 1, used for learners who are not yet ready for GCSE.
EQF (European Qualifications Framework) International: An eight-level European reference framework used to compare qualifications between countries.
Equality Act 2010 England Wales Scotland: The law in Great Britain that protects people from discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics, including in schools.
ESA (education savings account) United States: A state programme that puts public funds into an account parents can use for approved education expenses such as private school tuition or tutoring.
ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) United States: The 1965 federal law that is the foundation of federal K-12 funding; NCLB and ESSA are later versions of it.
ESL (English as a second language) United States: Instruction in English for non-native speakers; also called ESOL in some states.
ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) All four UK nations (details may differ): English language courses and qualifications for adults whose first language is not English.
ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) United States: The main federal law for K-12 education, passed in 2015 to replace No Child Left Behind, requiring annual testing in some grades and state-designed accountability systems.
Essential skills Wales Northern Ireland: Qualifications in Wales (Essential Skills Wales) and Northern Ireland in communication, application of number and digital literacy.
Estyn Wales: The education and training inspectorate for Wales, covering schools, colleges, early years and other providers.
ETS (Educational Testing Service) United States International: A nonprofit testing organisation that runs tests such as the GRE, TOEFL and Praxis.
Evaluation (special education) United States: The assessment process used to decide whether a student has a disability and needs special education under IDEA.
Ever 6 England: Pupils recorded as eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years, who attract pupil premium funding.
Evidence-informed practice All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Teaching choices guided by the best available research evidence combined with professional judgement.
EWC (Education Workforce Council) Wales: The regulator in Wales for teachers and other education practitioners, who must be registered.
Exam board All four UK nations (details may differ): An organisation that writes specifications, sets and marks exams and awards qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels, for example AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas and CCEA.
Exam series All four UK nations (details may differ): A set exam period, such as the summer (May to June) or November series.
Examiner report All four UK nations (details may differ): A report written after an exam series by the principal examiner explaining how candidates performed and common mistakes.
Exams officer All four UK nations (details may differ): The member of staff who organises entries, timetables and the running of external exams in line with JCQ rules.
Executive headteacher England: A headteacher who leads more than one school, or who leads a school with a head of school under them.
Exit ticket All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: A quick task, often a question or two, that pupils complete at the end of a lesson so the teacher can check understanding.
Expected standard England: The level of attainment pupils in England are expected to reach by the end of a key stage, for example a scaled score of at least 100 in the KS2 tests.
Experiences and outcomes (Es and Os) Scotland: The statements in Curriculum for Excellence describing the learning children should experience and achieve at each curriculum level.
Explicit instruction All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: Clear, structured teaching in which the teacher explains, models and guides practice before independent work. Sometimes called direct instruction.
Expulsion United States Scotland: The US (and Scottish) term for permanently removing a student from a school; in Scotland the formal term is exclusion and removal from the register.
Extended essay (EE) International: An independent research essay of up to 4,000 words that forms part of the IB Diploma core.
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) England Wales Northern Ireland: A level 3 qualification in which students research and produce an extended project of their choice, worth half an A level in UCAS tariff points.
Extended response All four UK nations (details may differ): A longer exam answer, such as a 6-mark question, assessed on the quality of reasoning and structure.
Extra time All four UK nations (details may differ) United States: An access arrangement allowing a candidate additional time in an exam, commonly 25%.
Extracurricular activities United States All four UK nations (details may differ): Clubs, sports and activities outside the regular curriculum.
EYFS profile England: The statutory end-of-Reception assessment in England in which teachers judge whether each child is meeting the expected level for each early learning goal.

Being checked against official sources. Definitions are written in our own words; always check the official guidance for your country.

Education glossary A–Z

Definitions are written by Classfern in our own words for teachers in the UK and the US. They are short explanations, not legal or official definitions: always check the official guidance for your country, nation or state. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government department, inspectorate or exam board named here.

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