OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Denmark

Claire Shewbridge3 May 2011, Copenhagen

Major points from the OECD review Full report and ‘policy pointers’ available at:www.oecd.org/edu/evaluationpolicy

OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Denmark

• Denmark is one of 10 countries being reviewed (inc. SWE and NOR)– 14 other systems providing analytical reports (inc. FIN and ICE)– Presenting evidence and including stakeholder views

• Focus of international review is on how to best use evaluation and assessment to improve school outcomes– Designing a coherent framework for student assessment, teacher

appraisal, school evaluation and system evaluation– Paying attention to use of results, evaluation capacity, procedures and

implementation

• 6 days of review, including interviews of all major stakeholders and visits to Copenhagen, Odense, Hedensted and Glostrup– Seeking a broad cross-section of information and opinions on

evaluation and assessment policies and how to improve these

• OECD review team = Claire Shewbridge and Paulo Santiago (OECD), Eunice Jang (Korea/Canada) and Peter Matthews (UK)

School evaluation

Internal and external

System evaluation

National and municipal

Student assessment

National and local

Evaluation and assessment in Denmark: The first steps in building a framework

Criteria/standardsCriteria/standardsInstrumentsInstruments

Student assessment

National Common Objectives

Legal requirement for ‘continuous assessment’

School evaluation

Common indicators for municipal quality reports

Legal requirement for municipalities to specify

learning targets and frameworks

Student assessment

Final examinations in Form 9

National tests in selected subjects and form levels

Individual Student Plans

’School evaluation

Municipal quality reports

School self-evaluation tools (central and municipal)

System evaluation

International student assessments

Official evaluations

National tests and final examinations

National evaluation bodiesDanish Evaluation Institute

Quality and Supervision Agency

National evaluation bodiesDanish Evaluation Institute

Quality and Supervision Agency

System evaluation

International benchmarks

‘National profile’ of student performance in national tests

OECD review: overall assessment of ‘first steps’

• “Denmark holds high ambitions to improve student outcomes and deserves credit for gaining broad agreement from all major stakeholders in efforts to stimulate an assessment and evaluation culture in compulsory education. Over a short period of time, Denmark has introduced:– new national bodies to monitor and evaluate quality in

compulsory education, – new national measures on student outcomes in compulsory

education and – requirements for municipalities to produce annual quality

reports on their school systems.However, the suite of compulsory measures does not yet form

a coherent framework for evaluation and assessment”

OECD review: assessment of specific measures

Criteria/standardsCriteria/standards InstrumentsInstruments

Student assessment

National Common Objectives

Legal requirement for ‘continuous assessment’

School evaluation

Common indicators for municipal quality reports

Legal requirement for municipalities to specify

learning targets and frameworks

Student assessment

Final examinations in Form 9

National tests in selected subjects and form levels

Individual Student Plans

’School evaluation

Municipal quality reports

School self-evaluation tools (central and municipal)

System evaluation

International student assessments

Official evaluations

National tests and final examinations

Common basis for student assessment

Translation into curriculum and assessment plans

Common basis for student assessment

Translation into curriculum and assessment plans

Rapid feedback to teachers in discrete areas of Common Objectives

Not all teachers effectively use results

Standardised with moderation practices; Criticised as ‘outdated’

Good basis for formative assessment

Common basis for school evaluation

Do not sufficiently address the quality of teaching

and learning

Increased focus on school evaluationInadequate follow up on results

No longer solely reliant on International measures ; first possibility to measure progress against Common Objectives

Exclusion of private sector; Narrow focus

Useful resources for schoolsUsage depends on school/

municipal ethosLocal targets most pertinent to specific development needs

No systematic overview Robust evaluation of implementation of national initiatives

Stimulated feedback to parents and documentation of student progress

OECD review: policy pointers

• “In developing a strategic plan to complete the evaluation and assessment framework, the evaluation of teaching and learning quality should be at the core.”

• Suggested next steps are:– Refine key elements in the framework and clarify their

purposes– Integrate teacher and school principal appraisal in the

framework– Invest in evaluation and assessment capacity

development at all levels– Promote and support the optimal use of evaluation and

assessment results

School evaluation

Internal and external

System evaluation

National and municipal

Student assessment

National and local

Next steps: Refine key elements in the framework and clarify their purposes

Further develop the Common Objectives

-Develop a set of performance standards

against these

Further develop the Common Objectives

-Develop a set of performance standards

against these

Clarify the monitoring role of the national tests

Clarify the monitoring role of the national tests

Develop a set of formal research-based criteria for

school quality-Revise core indicators in municipal quality reports

accordingly

Develop a set of formal research-based criteria for

school quality-Revise core indicators in municipal quality reports

accordingly Develop a strategy to complement

national outcome data

-Quality of teaching and learning

Develop a strategy to complement

national outcome data

-Quality of teaching and learning

Review the final examinations

-Purpose-Procedures-- Content

Review the final examinations

-Purpose-Procedures-- Content

Teacher appraisal

School evaluation

Internal and external

System evaluation

National and municipal

Schoolprincipal appraisal

Student assessment

National and local

Next steps: Integrate teacher and school principal appraisal in the framework

Develop a framework of teaching standards

-Basis for career structure

e.g. competent teacher, established teacher, expert teacher with distinct roles

and responsibilities-Basis for formal teacher

appraisale.g. access to each key stage

determined by formal appraisal with certification

e.g. mandatory probationary period for new

teachers

- Basis for developmental

appraisal

Develop a framework of teaching standards

-Basis for career structure

e.g. competent teacher, established teacher, expert teacher with distinct roles

and responsibilities-Basis for formal teacher

appraisale.g. access to each key stage

determined by formal appraisal with certification

e.g. mandatory probationary period for new

teachers

- Basis for developmental

appraisal

Hold school principals accountable for teacher appraisale.g. ensure effective appraisal procedures, incl. classroom observation, professional feedback, coaching

Hold school principals accountable for teacher appraisale.g. ensure effective appraisal procedures, incl. classroom observation, professional feedback, coaching

Strengthen developmental

appraisal-Internal school process

e.g. school principal and mgmt team, line managers,

senior peers-Based on standards and

specific school objectives

-Linked with professional development and school

improvement

Strengthen developmental

appraisal-Internal school process

e.g. school principal and mgmt team, line managers,

senior peers-Based on standards and

specific school objectives

-Linked with professional development and school

improvement

Teacher appraisal

School evaluation

Internal and external

System evaluation

National and municipal

Schoolprincipal appraisal

Student assessment

National and local

Next steps: Invest in evaluation and assessment capacity development at all levels

Build teacher assessment

competencies- Initial teacher education

-Professional development--Use evaluation advisors

Build teacher assessment

competencies- Initial teacher education

-Professional development--Use evaluation advisors

Develop competency profiles

- School principals-Municipal education

directors

Develop competency profiles

- School principals-Municipal education

directors

Train school leaders and senior staff for

evaluation-Observation of teaching-Feedback and objective

setting

Train school leaders and senior staff for

evaluation-Observation of teaching-Feedback and objective

settingPromote municipal

capacity development-Central expertise

-Municipal partnerships

Promote municipal capacity

development-Central expertise

-Municipal partnerships

Engage students in self-assessment

-Develop scoring rubrics

Engage students in self-assessment

-Develop scoring rubrics

Teacher appraisal

School evaluation

Internal and external

System evaluation

National and municipal

Schoolprincipal appraisal

Student assessment

National and local

Next steps: Promote and support the optimal use of evaluation and assessment results

Teacher use of national test results-Diagnosis and adjustment

of teaching strategies-Possibility to re-administer

tests and follow up on student progress

Teacher use of national test results-Diagnosis and adjustment

of teaching strategies-Possibility to re-administer

tests and follow up on student progress

Municipal monitoring systems

-Follow up on quality reports

-Setting clear objectives

Municipal monitoring systems

-Follow up on quality reports

-Setting clear objectives

School leader use and follow up of

school self-evaluation

-Use of national and local outcome data-Setting school

development goals

School leader use and follow up of

school self-evaluation

-Use of national and local outcome data-Setting school

development goals

Design national feedback system to

municipalities-Core indicators

-Improvement in national tests

Design national feedback system to

municipalities-Core indicators

-Improvement in national tests

Teacher communication with

parents-Report on classroom and

national test results-Individual Student Plans

Teacher communication with

parents-Report on classroom and

national test results-Individual Student Plans

To conclude: Completing the evaluation and assessment framework

• Include missing components (teacher and school principal appraisal)

• Achieve better articulation among the different components– e.g. school evaluation/teacher appraisal

• Ensure different elements within each component are sufficiently linked– e.g. teacher appraisal/professional development, ISPs &

national tests/formative assessment, internal/external school evaluation

• Ensure processes are in place to guarantee consistent application of procedures– e.g. monitor consistency among municipal quality assurance

systems, moderation of final grades

• And… build capacity to effectively use the results!