João Costa, Secretary of State Assistant and of Education

Portugal

ON THE ROAD TO FULL INCLUSION IN PORTUGAL: SUPPORTING TEACHERS TO SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS

1. The challenges for Portugal.

2. The ongoing measures.

3. The process: stakeholders, monitoring and tensions.

FROM RETENTION TO THRIVING

40 years of democratic school – 40 years of progress

PORTUGAL 1974-2018

1961 2016

Preschool attendance 0,9% 88,4%

Transition to ISCED 2 7,5% 87,2%

High-school enrollment 1,3% 75,2%

Iliteracy 25,7% 5,2%

A 30 YEAR OLD PROCESS

- 60s – From exclusion to segregation.

- Late 90s – From segregation to integration

- 2008 – Integration with resources

- 2018 – From integration to full inclusion

1. Retention and early drop out are still very high.

2. Almost 1/3 of the students do not conclude high school in expected

time.

Problem of justice and equity

Poverty is the main predictor of retention

MAJOR CHALLENGE

1. Great experience in Portugal: the number 97,5!

2. Meaning of ALL

3. From clinical to educational model.

BACKGROUND FOR INCLUSION

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

National Program for Promoting

School Success (PNPSE)

Strategicaction plans

and municipal educational

plans In-service training

Students’ Profile

EducationStrategy for Citizenship

Inclusive education

(New law for inclusion)

Autonomy and Curriculum Flexibility

Qualifica

Program

Curricular guidelines

Pre-school

(Investment in Pre-school)

EvaluationModel

(Changes in assessments)

Essential

Curriculum

What is a successful student?

Areas of competence:

Language and Texts

Information and Communication

Reasoning and Problem-solving

Autonomy and Personal Development

Critical and Creative Thinking

Scientific and Technological Knowledge

Interpersonal Relationship

Individual and Collective Well-Being and Health

Aesthetic and Artistic Sensitivity

Body Awareness and Domain

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

Students’ Profile

Students’ Profile implies diversification of

assessment instruments.

- Focus on formative assessment.

- Introduction of performative assessment

- Qualitative feedback on national

assessment

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

Evaluation

Model

Curriculum overload problem

Work developed with professional societies.

Same structure for every subject.

Horizontalization of curriculum.

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

Essential curriculum

Local solutions

Project-based learning

Focus on interdisciplinarity

Technology , Arts and Citizenship as new or reinforced domains

25% flexibility in organization

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

Autonomy and

Curriculum Flexibility

From integration to inclusion

Departure from clinical model.

Multilevel approach.

Personalized responses.

Multidiscplinary approach.

STRUCTURED RESPONSE

Inclusive education

1. Schools being required to develop a documented framework for the creation of

an inclusive school culture that values diversity.

2. School multi-disciplinary teams being responsible for raising awareness of the need

for school cultural and process transformation at a whole-of-school level, while

discharging their main function of identifying, evaluating and adjusting specific

measures and strategies to support the learning of every student and overcoming

barriers (including environmental) to every students’ individualised learning.

PRINCIPLES

3. Emphasis on autonomy and responsibility for inclusion at the individual

school level – with external specialised support when required.

4. The principle of “customization” – student-centered differentiated

educational planning so that measures are decided on a case-by-case basis

according to their specific needs, potential, interests and preferences,

through a multi-level graduated approach.

PRINCIPLES

4. Parents as well as teachers, have the right to initiate a multi-disciplinary team

assessment of whether a student should be receiving additional support through

selective or additional measures.

5. A general and strong emphasis on greater parental involvement as partners – with

parents and guardians having the right to participation and information regarding all

aspects of their child’s educational process – including participation in all multi-

disciplinary team meetings, preparation and evaluation of individual education plans

and access to their child’s school files and records.

PRINCIPLES

6. All students with individualised education plans are also to

have individualised transition plans in place 3 years before the end of

secondary schooling to promote transition to post-school life, including in

employment and community.

PRINCIPLES

1. National survey on curriculum.

2. Working group for inclusive education.

3. National conferences with professional societies.

4. Consultation with parent associations.

5. Student Voice.

6. Core curriculum developed with teachers and academia.

7. Pilot year with volunteering schools.

THE PROCESS – STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

1. Investment in proximity follow-up: regular meetings with school principals, visits to schools, technical back-up.

2. Regular collection of schools’ curricular options.

3. Practise sharing: videos, regional teams, school networks, panels with students.

4. Teacher training: seminars, MOOC, leadership training.

5. Publications.

6. National conferences.

7. Internal evaluation of the pilot by University of Oporto.

8. External review by OECD, European Commission – European Agency.

THE PROCESS – MONITORING

1. New framework for School Quality Assessment

2. Inclusive approach to inclusion (ALL)

3. Student Voice and Human Rights Education

THE PROCESS – 3 IMPORTANT ASPECTS

THE PROCESS – COPING WITH TENSIONS AND DIFFICULTIES

Tensions/Dillemas Response

Assessment (internal and

external/international)

Training on formative assessment

Indepth evaluation of results of exams

Public perception of purpose of school Good media coverage – lightouse schools

Access to University ___

Disciplinary tradition Examples from citizenship, arts, local

heritage

Ageing teaching body ___

Curriculum overload Monitoring every two years / focus on

mathematics

Bureaucracy Evaluation / Good practise guide

Work in Progress

Teacher training

Constant follow-up – Evaluation of the law

Production of indicators.

Networking and collaboration