A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

German Glossary

Abitur:

School-leaving examination and certification from the upper level Gymnasium and the upper level Gesamtschule. Entitles the holder to general admission to all forms of higher education, including the university. Designates the specific test through which the status of allgemeine Hochschulreife is attained.

Allgemeine Hochschulreife:

Upper level secondary school-leaving certification which entitles the student to admission to any institution of higher education, including the university.

Ausschüsse für berufliche Bildung:

State-level committees regulating the dual system of vocational education.

Aussiedler:

Descendants of German "settlers" who moved to eastern states as part of a special program about 100 years ago; considered German as long as they can prove a direct line of descent.

Berufsbildungsausschüsse:

Committees for vocational education maintained by local chambers of commerce. Representatives of employers, employees, and vocational school teachers work together in these committees to formulate policy and administer the dual system of vocational education.

Bildungsgesamtplan:

Comprehensive plan for education developed in the 1970s by the Federal-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Advancement of Research.

Bund-Länder-Kommission für Bildungsplanung or BLK:

The Federal-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Advancement of Research. Standing forum for all issues in education and the promotion of research that jointly affect the Länder and the federal government.

Bundesanstalt für Arbeit:

Federal agency responsible for work and work life in Germany.

Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung:

Federal Institute for Vocational Education. The federal body responsible for regulating and formulating policy for the dual system of vocational education.

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Wissenschaft or BMBW:

Federal Ministry of Education and Science. The federal agency that oversees federal involvement in education.

Dienstordnung:

Formal description of authority and duties tied to organizational roles.

Duale Berufsausbildung:

Dual system of vocational training in which part-time vocational schooling is combined with practical work experience.

Elternkonferenz:

Parents council. Local organization of parents within each school class and within each school at the elementary and secondary levels.

Fachhochschule:

Polytechnic school. An institution of higher education which emphasises applied problems and issues.

Fachhochschulreife:

Upper level secondary school-leaving certification which entitles the student to admission to any polytechnic school, but not to the university.

Förderunterricht:

Advancement instruction, most often meaning remedial courses.

Freie Waldorfschule:

A common form of nondenominational private education, similar to the American Steiner school.

Gesamtschule (pl. Gesamtschulen):

Comprehensive school at the secondary level that caters to students of all ability levels. The comprehensive school aims to enhance equality of educational opportunity and is considered an alternative to the traditional German system of tracking. There are both cooperative and integrated comprehensive schools. Cooperative Gesamtschulen place all three traditional tracks under one roof, while integrated Gesamtschulen attempt to combine different ability levels in one school.

GEW or Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft:

Union of Education and Science (a teachers' union).

Grundgesetz:

The Basic Law, or federal constitution of Germany.

Grundschule (pl. Grundschulen):

Elementary school encompassing the first 4 years of mandatory general education. In order to ensure the equality of educational opportunity, there is no differentiation of schooling at this level.

Gymnasiale Oberstufe:

The upper level of the Gymnasium (grades 11?13), and the primary path to university studies.

Gymnasium (pl. Gymnasien):

Liberal secondary school emphasizing theoretical knowledge and geared to scholastically talented students; college-track school enrolling grades 5 through 13.

Hauptschulabschluss:

The school-leaving certificate gained upon graduaton from the Hauptschule.

Hauptschule (pl. Hauptschulen):

Practical secondary school emphasizing skill-based knowledge and geared to the scholastically less talented students; vocational-track school enrolling grades 5 through 9 or 10.

Hochschule:

Literally, "high school." A general term referring to universities, polytechnics, and other forms of higher education.

Horte:

An organization of the governmental office of Youth Assistance that provides services and activities for children.

Industrie- und Handelskammer:

Chamber of commerce. The local organization representing the interests of private industry.

Integrierte Gesamtschule:

Integrated Gesamtschule. Comprehensive school in which children of mixed ability levels are instructed within the same class, as opposed to a co-operative Gesamtschule.

Kindergarten:

The traditional form of German preschool catering to children between the ages of 3 and 6.

Klassensprecher:

The class speaker. The student selected from among his or her classmates to represent the class as a whole in interactions with official bodies within the school.

Kolleg:

Sixth-level college (Br.). A residential, full-time school which represents an alternative path to an Abitur certificate and university studies.

Kooperative Gesamtschule:

Cooperative Gesamtschule. Comprehensive school in which traditional tracking is retained but tracks are incorprated into a single school organization.

Kultusminister:

State-level minister of culture. The governmental official at the head of the respective state ministry of culture and education.

Kultusministerkonferenz, or KMK:

Short form for das ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder, or the Standing Conference of Culture Ministers from the regional German states.

Land (pl. Länder):

Regional state within the federal structure of German government. There are currently 16 regional states in Germany.

Lehrerkonferenz:

Teachers council. The autonomous organization of teachers within the school in which teachers address issues which jointly affect their work.

Ministerien für Kultur und Bildung:

Ministries of culture and education. State-level governmental agencies responsible for most questions of educational policy and administration within the respective states.

Mittelschule:

Form of combined Hauptschule and Realschule found in Saxony, formerly a part of East Germany.

Mittlere Hochschulreife:

see Realschulabschluss.

Mitwirkungsgremium:

General term referring to a forum for collaboration.

Numerus Clausus (NC):

Latin term used to indicate a subject at the university that has limited enrollment. Admission to NC subjects depends on Abitur grades as well as other tests for some disciplines. see ZVS.

Oberstufe:

Upper level secondary education. The last 3 years of secondary education, grades 11 through 13. Traditionally taken at the Gymnasium but can also be taken in the Gesamtschule.

Orientierungsstufe:

The initial 2 years of secondary education, in which the student is observed and the appropriateness of the assigned school track is assessed; usually grades five and six.

Planungsausschluss für den Hochschulbau:

Planning Committee for University Construction. Federal-level agency concerned with the long-range planning of university construction.

Realschulabschluss:

The school-leaving certificate gained upon graduating from the Realschule.

Realschule (pl. Realschulen):

Lower level secondary school emphasizing a mix of theoretical and practical instruction. Represents a compromise between the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule and caters to students of moderate scholastic ability.; vocational-track school enrolling grades 5 through 10.

Regelschule:

Form of combined Hauptschule and Realschule found in the regional state of Thüringen, formerly a part of East Germany.

Rektorenkonferenz:

Council of top university administrators.

Restschule:

An ironic term usually applied to the Hauptschule, literally "school for leftovers," or a school for students who do not fit into other school forms.

Sachkunde:

An introductory course in science generally held in elementary school, which includes basic material from chemistry, physics, biology, and ecology.

Schulamt (pl. Schulämter):

Local governmental office of schools. Oversees elementary and Hauptschule education on the local level.

Schulgemeinde:

see Schulkonferenz.

Schulkindergarten:

Instruction for children who have reached the age of mandatory schooling but who lack the maturity to begin elementary school. The school kindergarten is usually organizationally and physically attached to the elementary school.

Schulkonferenz:

School council. The school-level policymaking and governance body consisting of teacher, student, and parents.

Schullaufbahnentscheidung:

The school tracking decision. The decision about which school form a student should attend.

Schulleiter:

School director or headmaster. An appointed position of formal leadership within the school. Is not equivalent to the American principal due to limited authority and responsibility. A supervisory position.

Sekundarschule:

Form of combined Hauptschule and Realschule found in Saarland in the West and in Saxony-Anhalt, formerly a part of East Germany.

Sonderkindergarten:

Preschool for children with special needs.

Sonderschule:

School for children with special needs differentiated by type of disability: blindness, visual impairment, deafness, hearing impairment, speech impairment, and the physical, mental, and behavioral handicap.

Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder (KMK):

Standing Council of the Regional Ministers of Culture. Federal-level entity that coordinates the independent educational policies of the 16 German states.

Universtität:

The public university. The highest institution of education in Germany.

Unterstufe:

Lower level secondary education. Includes the first 4 to 5 years of secondary education (grades 5?10).

VBE, or Verband Bildung und Erziehung:

Union of Training and Education (a teachers' union).

Volksschule:

A Bavarian school form that organizationally and physically combines the Grundschule and the Hauptschule.

Vorklassen:

A form of preschool offered in some Länder to 5-year-olds prior to their entry into elementary school at the age of 6.

Wissenschaftsrat:

The Science Council. Federal-level institution providing advice on educational policy, particularly as pertains to universities.

ZVS, or Zentralstelle für die Vergabe von Studienplätzen:

Central office for the allocation of places of study.

Zweiter Bildungsweg:

Literally, the "second path" to higher education and university studies. Designates various alternatives to the Gymnasium for qualification for admission to institutions of higher education.

[Teacher Preparation and Teachers' Lives in Germany - References]

[German Bibliography]