Qualitative assessment of school education

KEY POINTS

• Although the quality of a school system cannot be defined in absolute terms, it is still possible to set objectives and analyse the ways to achieve them.
• The objectives still involve tackling early school-leaving and combating social exclusion in general, and the recommendation distinguishes between 2 forms of qualitative assessment:
  • external assessment; and
  • self-assessment.
• The recommendation encourages all those involved in the school system (teachers, pupils, parents and specialists) to take part in the processes of self-assessment and external assessment. It states that the aim of external assessment is to provide both methodological support for school self-evaluation and an objective view of the school.
• One of the most important features of the European education system is its diversity. As a result, it is not possible to devise standard assessment methods that could be applied to all EU countries. Any qualitative assessment at EU level must take into consideration the socio-cultural, historical and political factors specific to each EU country.
• The recommendation highlights the fact that the sharing of information constitutes the majority of EU added value. Information exchange should be focused in particular on methodological developments and examples of good practice, especially:
  • through the use of new technologies;
  • by organising conferences, seminars and data collection;
  • and by developing tools and publishing results.
• The European Parliament and the Council call on the European Commission to:
  • create an Internet database for the dissemination of tools, examples of good practice, and effective tools for assessing the quality of educational establishments;
  • make an inventory of the instruments and strategies for quality assessment in primary and secondary education already in use in various EU countries;
  • incorporate the results obtained into existing programmes and develop the existing networks;
  • report every 3 years to the Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Committee of the Regions;
  • make proposals on the basis of this report.

2014 Council conclusions

• In their May 2014 conclusions, EU countries’ education ministers emphasised the important role played by quality assurance mechanisms in helping schools and policy-makers to provide quality education and training. Quality education and training are vital for employability, social inclusion and economic development.
• The ministers stressed the importance of approaches to quality assurance being based on principles that go beyond a ‘checklist’ approach and the need to develop a culture that strives to constantly improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Studies

2015 saw the publication of 2 studies in the area:

• a report by Eurydice reviews how 32 European countries assess the quality of their schools, comparing approaches, structures and roles played by school evaluation systems;
• a European Commission comparative study on quality assurance in EU school education systems. This covers quality assurance policies, procedures, activities and practices in primary, lower-secondary and upper-secondary levels. It considers how EU actions in the field could help add value to what is happening at the national level.