Do you sometimes struggle with the terminology used when communicating with your child or grandchild’s school, or when you want to lend a hand at homework time? Not to worry! To make your life a bit easier, Alloprof has put together a glossary of the most frequently used school-related terms and acronyms.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder): A neurological disorder related to abnormalities in brain development and function. People with ADHD have difficulties with attention and/or impulsivity and hyperactivity that affect different areas of their lives (social, academic, and professional). There is no link between ADHD and a person’s intelligence.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A set of symptoms that notably includes dysfunction in social interactions, communication, behaviours, and activities. These symptoms vary from person to person. They can be present to varying degrees and may even evolve over time. Every person with autism is different. The use of the word spectrum is inclusive of the full range of autism disorders while also reflecting the possibility for an individual to evolve within this spectrum.
Behavioural disorder: An action or set of actions that is deemed problematic because it deviates from social, cultural, or developmental norms. These actions are often harmful to the person or their environment.
A severe behavioural disorder is an action that endangers the individual, other people, or the environment. This often prevents the individual from making social connections.
Dyscalculia: A disorder that results in a poor or limited understanding of numbers. Students with dyscalculia have trouble with numbers and calculations. For example, they may have difficulty memorizing addition and multiplication tables.
Dysgraphia: A disorder affecting the ability to produce handwriting.
Dyslexia: A learning disorder that is in no way related to intelligence. Albert Einstein himself was dyslexic! Dyslexia is characterized by difficulties with word recognition and spelling. It is not a disease but rather a learning disorder that involves difficulty decoding written words. This makes it more challenging to master reading, writing (see dysorthography), spelling, and certain math skills (see dyscalculia).
Dysorthography: A disorder affecting spelling that can occur without any apparent reading disorder. It is characterized by significant difficulty producing written words accurately.
Developmental language disorder: A disorder that affects verbal communication. Also known as dysphasia. Like the other “dys” disorders (dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc.), it has nothing to do with intelligence. Dysphasia, which is caused by a cerebral dysfunction, is characterized by problems with expression and listening comprehension. However, it can also affect other functions that are not directly related to language, such as planning, organization, fine and gross motor skills, and attention.
Developmental coordination disorder: A neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the ability to plan, organize, and automate motor movements to perform an action or activity. It is also known as dyspraxia.Despite their best efforts and intentions, children with dyspraxia have difficulty doing the following:
EHDAA: Élèves handicapés et les élèves en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage. A French abbreviation used to designate students with special needs who may require an alternative educational path.
Giftedness: Having abilities that are considerably above average. This can refer not only to general intellectual abilities, but also to abilities in other spheres, such as in a specific academic field or in relation to creativity, leadership, arts, or sports. Often, giftedness comes with difficulties such as anxiety and loss of motivation. It requires a more elaborate curriculum that is better adapted to the student’s intellectual capacities.
Individualized education plan (IEP): A coordinated action plan to help a student with special needs make optimal progress towards success.
Learning difficulties: Temporary barriers to learning that are related to what a student might be experiencing (difficult socio-emotional conditions, grief or bereavement, anxiety, economic difficulties, etc.).
Learning disorders: Neuropsychological developmental disorders that have a consistent and significant effect on the ability to acquire and use skills in an academic setting. Learning disorders have nothing to do with a lack of intelligence, laziness, or bad teaching. Learners with a learning disorder are more likely to encounter certain challenges:
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD): Children with oppositional defiant disorder tend to:
School adjustment: The process of adjusting instruction, teaching material, or the school environment for students who have particular needs. Also used to designate services offered to students with disabilities or special needs.
Special education class: A grouping of students who, following an evaluation of their abilities and needs, might benefit from specific and adapted educational services. In accordance with their individualized education plan (IEP), these students are placed in a special education class in a regular school or receive specialized services.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD): A person with OCD is overwhelmed by uncontrolled and unwanted repetitive thoughts. They are unable to stop having these thoughts despite knowing, most of the time, that they are irrational. These thoughts then become obsessions. OCD can also cause compulsions, in which case the individual feels compelled to repeat certain actions to get the obsession out of their mind or to reduce their anxiety.
Academic record: A set of documents and administrative and academic data related to a student. Currently, it can be accessed through the Mozaïk parents’ portal.
Annual parent assembly: An official meeting with parents that every school organizes in August or September. The goal is to provide an overview of what the new year has in store for students, as well as to elect parents to participate in various school committees.
Code of conduct: A set of conduct and safety rules that aim to create a school environment based on respect where students can learn, succeed, and grow.
Governing board: A group of parents, school staff and administrative members who meet to share information, have discussions, and make decisions. Where applicable, Secondary IV and V students may also participate. Members are consulted to provide input on major school policy orientations:
Graduation: Formal recognition, by means of a diploma, of a student’s completion of a program of study.
Parents’ committee: A school service center advisory committee made up of various representatives. Its role is to represent the interests of parents within the school service center.
Parent participation organization (PPO): An organization that promotes the participation of parents in the development, implementation, and periodic evaluation of the educational project. The PPO parent volunteers at every school work with the staff on a variety of projects and activities and provide input on how to improve the school. For example, they might organize fundraising campaigns to support the school’s educational project.
School calendar: The calendar of activities for the school year. It should contain 180 days devoted to teaching and indicate pedagogical days, parent-teacher meetings, and holidays. Note that ministry exam dates change every year.
Student accompaniment: The portion of school staff’s activities that consists primarily in providing personal assistance to students, facilitating extracurricular activities, and carrying out supervisory duties. These activities are also intended to support and guide students, not only in their academic progress, but also in their behaviour and their personal and social development.
Classe d’accueil: A class for learners who are new to the French language. These classes are composed of students from different countries who must learn the basics of French (oral, reading, and writing skills) before they can continue their education in a regular class.
Daycare service: A service that looks after preschool and elementary students outside of school hours (i.e., in the morning, at lunchtime, after school, and on pedagogical days).
Extracurricular activities: Activities that are part of school but are not mandatory learning activities. They contribute to students’ perseverance and motivation. These can include sports, science competitions, art activities, etc.
First assessment: Also called a Progress Report, this is an official communication sent by the school to parents of elementary and high school students in mid-October. It is filled out by teachers (or by special education teachers) and provides valuable information about students in the form of feedback on the following:
Mentoring: A form of guidance based on a relationship between an experienced person (the mentor) and a less experienced person. The aim is to develop the latter’s knowledge and skills.
Pedagogical day (ped day): A day reserved for teacher workshops, meetings, or training. Students have ped days off. Under certain circumstances, parents can have their child stay at the school’s daycare on these days.
Report card: A report issued by a school that contains a student’s grades, remarks on their work and behaviour, and, if applicable, an attendance report. Currently, it can be accessed through the Mozaïk parents’ portal.
Resource teacher: A specialist in academic difficulties and learning disabilities. They have a range of responsibilities:
School psychologist: A professional specializing in the assessment, treatment, and prevention of behavioural and mental disorders.
School team: A group of people working together in the same school to support students and their parents. Members include teachers, special educators, resource teachers, administrators, etc.
Speech-language pathologist: A specialist in speech, language, communication, learning, and swallowing issues. They focus on developing, restoring, or maintaining a person’s ability to communicate, speak, write, read, understand, reason, calculate, or swallow.
Tutoring: Assigning students to a teacher for individual help so they can receive educational, personal, or social assistance.
Competencies: Skills and attitudes required to perform a function.
Cross-curricular competencies: Competencies that help a child develop their intellectual, methodological, personal, social, and communication skills. In addition, these competencies enable kids to adapt to a variety of situations, continue their learning outside of school, and better understand the world around them. Currently, Quebec’s education program contains nine cross-curricular competencies:
Cycle: A period of learning during which students acquire a body of disciplinary knowledge and competencies that will enable them to move on to future learning. Primary education is organized into three 2-year cycles. Secondary education is organized into two cycles. Cycle 1 covers the first and second years of high school, while Cycle 2 covers the next three years (Secondary III, IV, and V).
Essential knowledge: Knowledge that students must acquire and be able to use each year.
Formative evaluation: An evaluation that does not influence the grade that appears on a student’s report card. It serves to improve the learning process by detecting a student’s difficulties in order to better assist them.
Literacy: A skill that includes the ability to read, write, and understand text, as well as to create and interpret other media.
Ministry exams: Uniform or compulsory examinations which are held each year, mainly in May and June. Their purpose is to assess students’ learning at a specific point in their academic path. In Cycles 2 and 3 of elementary school and in Cycle 1 of high school, compulsory examinations count for 20% of the final grade in each subject. In Secondary IV and V, uniform examinations count for up to 50% of the final mark.
Numeracy: A skill that consists in recognizing and using math in a variety of contexts.
Secondary school diploma (SSD): A diploma that attests to the successful completion of high school in the Quebec education system. An SSD does not grant students direct entry into university. It is a prerequisite for college education that leads to a Diploma of College Studies (DCS), which does allow for entry into university.
Subject-specific competencies: Specific skills that students must develop in each subject. They require students to use their knowledge and are grouped into the following five subject areas:
Summative evaluation: An evaluation that aims to assess the knowledge acquired at the end of a learning process by comparing it to a previously established target. It influences the grade that appears on a student’s report card.
Digital teaching platform: A set of online tools that facilitate management of the learning process. These platforms support activities related to education and training. Usually, they make it possible to share and manage educational content, as well as manage user accounts. Examples of digital platforms used in education include Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, ClassDojo, Padlet, Jamboard, Kahoot!, and Mozaïk.
Interactive whiteboard (IWB): Used in some schools, IWBs are composed of a computer, a projector, and a whiteboard (which may or may not be touch-sensitive). IWBs make it easy to annotate or manipulate digital content.
Instructional materials: All of the teaching aids and digital applications used to facilitate activities and study programs.
Mnemonic device: A strategy designed to help students memorize new information. It involves linking new information to previous knowledge through the use of visual or audio cues.
Roadmap: A document provided to students that outlines required assignments, extra work, and the other tasks, homework, or lesson review that students must complete at home to learn the week’s material. Some teachers use roadmaps, while others prefer work plans (see Work plan).
WordQ: An assistive technology tool for reading and writing used in some schools. It includes assistive features such as spelling prediction, voice feedback, a lexical and grammatical dictionary, word highlighting, and speech-to-text writing.
Work plan: A document that includes a chart tracking the review projects to be completed by a student for a period of one or more weeks. Adapted to each student, it allows them to plan their activities based on their preferences and to achieve what they need to learn and master by the end of their cycle. They make note of the work they have completed and then evaluate it at the end of the period. The work plan gives students more autonomy than the roadmap. It lets them propose personal projects, choose the order of tasks, and make choices regarding assigned activities (see Roadmap).
Writing : The Alloprof Parents' team