50 terms defined

School & EdTech Glossary

A plain-English A–Z of the terms Indian school administrators, teachers and parents run into every day — from compliance acronyms like UDISE+ and RTE, to assessment terms like CGPA and CCE, to software categories like SIS, ERP and LMS. Each term links to a full definition.

A B C D E F G H I

L M N

R S T U

A

Academic Year (Session)

The yearly cycle of instruction, usually April to March in India, over which a class is taught and assessed.

Admission Number

The unique number assigned to a student at admission that identifies them for their entire enrolment.

Admission Register

The master register recording every student admitted, with admission number, dates and personal details.

Affiliation Bye-Laws

The rulebook a board like CBSE issues that sets the conditions a school must meet to gain and keep affiliation.

B

Biometric Attendance

Attendance captured through fingerprint, face or RFID devices instead of manual roll-calling.

Board Examination

The external, board-conducted exams (typically Class 10 and 12) whose results are certified by the education board.

Bonafide Certificate

A letter confirming a student is genuinely enrolled at the school, used for visas, passports and concessions.

C

CBSE Affiliation

Formal recognition granted by CBSE that allows a school to follow its curriculum and enter students for board exams.

CCE (Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation)

An evaluation system assessing students continuously across scholastic and co-scholastic areas, not just in final exams.

CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average)

The average of grade points across main subjects; CBSE converts it to a percentage by multiplying by 9.5.

Character Certificate

A statement from the school attesting to a student’s conduct and behaviour during their time there.

Circular / Notice

An official communication a school sends to parents or staff about events, holidays or announcements.

Class Teacher

The teacher responsible for a specific class-section — its attendance, discipline, records and parent liaison.

Cloud vs On-Premise

Cloud software runs on the vendor’s servers over the internet; on-premise runs on the school’s own hardware.

Cumulative Record Card (CRC)

A running, year-by-year record of a student’s academic, attendance, health and co-curricular history.

D

Data Migration

The process of transferring existing school data from old records or software into a new system.

E

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

Integrated software connecting all school operations — admissions, fees, HR, payroll, inventory — in one system.

F

Fee Concession / Waiver

A reduction or exemption in fees granted to a student, such as staff wards, siblings or EWS cases.

Fee Defaulter

A student whose fees remain unpaid past the due date, contributing to a school’s outstanding dues.

Fee Receipt

The official proof of payment issued to a parent when fees are paid, listing amount, heads and date.

Fee Structure

The defined breakdown of all fees a school charges by class, term and head (tuition, transport, etc.).

Formative Assessment (FA)

Ongoing, low-stakes assessment during teaching — quizzes, projects, class work — used to guide learning.

G

Grace Marks

A small number of marks a board adds under defined rules to help a student narrowly clear a subject.

Grading System (A1–E)

CBSE’s nine-point absolute grading scale from A1 (91–100%) down to E, replacing raw marks with grade bands.

H

House System

Dividing students into named houses that compete in sports and activities to build teamwork and spirit.

I

Installment / Term

A scheduled portion of annual fees due at set points in the year, such as quarterly or per term.

Internal Assessment

School-conducted marks — periodic tests, notebook, subject enrichment — that feed into the final board result.

L

LMS (Learning Management System)

Software for delivering and tracking learning — courses, content, assignments, online tests and grades.

M

Migration Certificate

A board-issued document allowing a student to move from one board or university to another after Class 12.

Minimum Attendance Rule (75%)

The requirement, typically 75% attendance, a student must meet to be eligible to sit for board examinations.

Multi-Tenant

An architecture where many schools share one software instance while their data stays isolated and private.

N

NEP 2020 (National Education Policy)

India’s 2020 education policy introducing the 5+3+3+4 structure and a shift toward competency-based learning.

P

Parent Portal / App

The online portal or mobile app where parents view attendance, marks, fees, circulars and pay online.

Payment Gateway

The service that securely processes online fee payments via UPI, cards and net banking.

Percentile

A student’s rank position — the percentage of candidates who scored at or below their score.

Practical Marks

Marks awarded for laboratory work, experiments and viva in subjects with a practical component.

R

Report Card

The official document summarising a student’s marks, grades, attendance and remarks for a term or year.

Roll Number

A class-and-section serial number assigned each year for attendance, seating and exam identification.

RTE Act (Right to Education)

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, guaranteeing free schooling for ages 6–14.

S

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Software delivered over the internet on a subscription, with no local install and automatic updates.

Scholastic vs Co-Scholastic

Scholastic covers academic subjects; co-scholastic covers arts, sports, health and life-skill areas.

School Leaving Certificate (SLC)

A certificate confirming a student has left the school, often used interchangeably with the Transfer Certificate.

Section

A subdivision of a class (e.g. Class 6-A, 6-B) that keeps class sizes manageable.

SIMS (School Information Management System)

A broad system managing a school’s information across students, staff, academics and administration.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

A login method letting users access multiple applications with one set of credentials.

SIS (Student Information System)

Software that stores and manages student records — admissions, demographics, attendance, grades and documents.

Summative Assessment (SA)

The end-of-term or year examination that formally measures and grades what a student has learned.

T

Timetable

The scheduled grid of periods, subjects, teachers and rooms across the school week.

Transfer Certificate (TC)

The official certificate a school issues when a student leaves, required to admit them to another school.

U

UDISE+ (UDISE Code)

UDISE+ is the Government of India database that assigns every recognised school a unique 11-digit UDISE code.

Run your whole school on Edutris

Simple tiers from ₹2,999/month — admissions, attendance, fees, report cards and a parent app, no per-student add-ons.

Book a Demo