The Andalusian Education System

(Spain)

Study Visit Improving skills, Brussels 19-23 May 2008

SPAIN AND ITS AUTONOMOUS REGIONS

The Andalusian Ministry of Education

Deputy MinisterOffices in each of the 8 Andalusian provinces Secretary General

School planning

Human Resources

Teacher training

Infrastructure and equipment

Occupational and Adult Education

Participation and Solidarity in Education

Almería

Cádiz

Córdoba

Granada

Huelva

Jaén

Málaga

Sevilla

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Minister

Andalusian Education SystemUniversity

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Baccalaureate

Compulsory SecondaryEducation

Initial Vocational Training(+16, -21)

Primary Education

Preschool Education

University Entrance ExamUniversity Entrance Exam

Middle Grade Vocational Professional Training

Superior Grade Vocational Professional Training

Com

pu

lsoryed

ucation

PRE-SCHOOL/INFANT EDUCATION:1st cycle: 0-3 years 2nd cycle: 3-6 years (free)

COMPULSORY EDUCATION: (free) If you have to take a course again, you can only do it once per cycle. If you have already done so, you will be automatically promoted to the next educational level.

The Andalusian Educational System has specialised Spanish language and culture teachers and an welcome programme for immigrant pupils and a programme for the conservation of their native language and culture, with which it aims to provide normal schooling for foreign pupils, respecting their culture of origin.

A few notes on the education system

Andalusian Education System

COMPULSORY EDUCATION

PRIMARY EDUCATION: 1st cycle: 6-8 years 2nd cycle: 8-10 years 3rd cycle: 10-12 years

COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION:

COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE

1st cycle (12-14 years)

2nd cycle (14-16 years): CURRICULAR DIVERSIFICATION PROGRAMME: For those students who are in the 2nd cycle and can´t get the educational objectives because of different reasons but they have a good learning attitude and try hard. Students can do the whole 2nd cycle within this programme, and some other students will join it in the last year of the cycle, depending on each individual case. They share common subjects with other students who have a coomom curricula but they go to another class just for them in Linguistics and Communication, Mathematics and World knowledge.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION (Continuation)

COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION

Those students who didn´t manage to obtain their Compulsoray Secondary Education Certificate and they are over 16 and under 21 can enrol in a programme that mixes basic skills in mathematics, reading and writing, general knowledge and vocational training. This programme is undergoing revision and it is about to disappear as another programme called INITIAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING will shortly start.

At the end they will be able to get the CERTIFICATE.

ASSESSMENT IN SECONDARY EDUCATION.

You have to take the year again if you fail more than two subjects but if you fail Spanish language and literature and Mathematics you cannot pass to the next academic level.

Some Notes on Compulsory Education

• Important: attendance is compulsory till 16.

• Textbooks are free in primary school and secondary school: the school buys them with the money the government gives for it. Students cannot write on them, so students have to buy the workbooks. Some parents prefer their children to underline while studying and they refuse to be part of the programme for free textbooks.

• Financial issues: schools receive different amount of money depending on: number of students but especially depending on the different projects they school is enrolled in: if it is an ICT school, if it has a Vocational Training Cycle, etc.

AREAS 1ST CYCLE

2ND CYCLE

3RD CYCLE

Environmental, social and cultural knowledge

175/5 175/5 140/4

Artistic Education 105/3 105/3 105/3

Physical Education 105/3 105/3 105/3

Spanish language and literature

315/9 280/8 280/8

Foreign Language 105/3 140/4 140/4

Maths 175/5 210/6 175/5

Religion 105/3 105/3 105/3

Citizenship and Human Rights Education

- - 50/1,4

TOTAL 1.085/31 1.120/32 1.100/31,4

PRIMARY EDUCATION

SECONDARY EDUCATION

  

3**---PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY

3**---COMPUTERS

3**---TECHNOLOGY

  12UP TO THE SCHOOL (2)

30303030TOTAL

1111TUTORIALS

4444SPANISH LANGUAGE

3**---BIOLOGY AND GEOLOGY

3**---LATIN

-33-TECNOLOGY

3**-4*4*MUSIC

3**---2ND FOREIGN LANGUAGE

3**-4*4*VISUAL ARTS

-222OPTIONAL (1)

2222PHYSICAL EDUCATION

1211 CATHOLIC RELIGION

2---CIVICS

3333SOCIAL SCIENCES

-1--CITIZENSHIP

-433NATURAL SCIENCES

4434MATHS

4434ENGLISH

FOURTHTHIRDSECONDFIRST

POST COMPULSORY EDUCATION (continuation)

When you are 16 and you get your Certificate, you have two options depending on what you want to do in the future:

For those that aim at going at university, there is the BACCALAUREATE (Arts, Science, etc) (2 years). When they get their Baccalaureate Certificate and they wnat to go to University:

They have to take a UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM.* It is the same exam for the whole of Andalusia. * They are tested on the compulsory subjects of their

Baccalaureate (English, Spanish language, History, and the subjects of their field of specialization).

* GRADE: 60% marks from the Baccalaureate + 40% marks from the exam.

POST COMPULSORY EDUCATION (continuation)

They can go to a MEDIUM GRADE TRAINING CYCLE for (2 years). They get a certificate as Technician, and then:

they go to work. or they continue their studies in a SUPERIOR GRADE TRAINING CYCLE (2 years).

When students have a SUPERIOR GRADE TRAINING CYCLE, they can have access to University without having to take the UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM.

ADULT EDUCATIONAdult Education is regulated by law: objectives, contents, etc. In a new law foradult education that was passed last year. Its structure is the following:

• LEVEL I (10 hours per group max)• LEVEL II (15 hours per group max)• 3 fields of study:

1) Science and Technology, 2) Communication, 3) Social studies

• 3 modalities: – a) Normal course– 2) Semi online– 3) Online

• From LEVEL I to LEVEL II: you need to have passed 2 of the 3 fields of study.At the end you get the COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION

CERTIFICATE• To get the Compulsory Secondary Education Certificate you must

have passed all the fields of study in both levels.

A sample of Adult Education Curricula

LEVEL ICOMMUNICATION

Module I: We express our ideas We are different, we speak in a different way. We tell our experiences We communicate by putting into practice our citizenship Tales, Fables, legends and idioms.

Module II: Free time Travelling

........................................ etc

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGYModule I: ICT Society.Module II: Materials, from paper to plastic.

We are what we eat. People and Health................................................ etc

SOCIETYModule I: Population and resources in the world.Module II: History stages……………………………………………… etc

ADULT EDUCATIONThere are PERMANENT EDUCATION CENTRES in many townsin Andalusia providing basic training for adults, concentrating basically on reading and writing skills, ICT, general knowledge,some basic ideas about English, etc.There are people who at 60 or even later managed to get their Compulsory Secondary Education Diploma, which is in our system the lowest academic level you can have.

Townhalls and the unemployment services also organise and offer courses for unemployed people who are interested inlearning any of the contents above for a future job, or for thesake of learning.

BASIC COMPETENCES/SKILLS IN EDUCATION

• The current Spanish educational legal framework is called LOE (Organisational Education Law), it was passed in May 2006. In that national law the eight different basic competence domains for lifelong learning of the European Reference Framework for education are set out.

• The PISA report showed a couple of years ago that Spanish students were not doing very well in some basic skills related linguistic and mathematics skills. Following the advice of the European Union for all its countries as regards lifelong learning and the eight competences all the educational systems in Europe should deal with, Spain incorporated the idea of competences to the system and regulated it by law.

• In Spain the BASIC COMPETENCES are regulated within a legal framework just for Compulsory Education in all the national territory: PRIMARY and SECONDARY Education.

• For the other levels like PRE-SCHOOL or POSTSECONDARY LEVEL there is no legal framework that regulates basic competences.

BASIC COMPETENCES/SKILLS IN EDUCATION

• In Spain, regional governments adapted that law to their needs and created their own Regional Educational Laws as regards competences, although these can never contradict the national law (LOE).

• Andalusia (the southern region of Spain) also has its own regional government and in December 2007 passed its new educational law called LEA (Andalusian Educational Law) although the part dealing with the basic competences is the same as the national one.

These are the competence equivalence between the European Guidelines and the Spanish competences set out in the Educational Decrees

1. Linguistic communication competence

2. Mathematics competence3. Knowledge and interaction

with the physical world competence

4. Information treatment and digital competence

5. Social and citizenship competence

6. Cultural and artistic competence

7. Learning to learn competence8. Personal and iniciative

autonomy

1. Communication in the mother tongue

2. Communication in a foreign language

3. Mathematical literacy and basic competences in science and technology

4. Digital competence

5. Learning to learn

6. Interpersonal and civic competences

7. Entrepeneurship

8. Cultural expression

Spanish Competences European guidelines

HOW COMPETENCES ARE BEING DEALT WITH IN THE SPANISH EDUCATIONAL

SYSTEM• Competences have been made part of the Curriculum of Primary and

Secondary educational levels and they are perfectly integrated. They have started this academic year in the 1st/2nd year of Primary Education and 1st and 3rd year of Secondary Education.

• Their implementation will take place progressively (next academic year 3rd and

4th year of Primary Education, and 2nd and 4th year of Secondary Education). So the results of this new teaching according to competences is still to be seen.

• Every area of Knowledge in primary and secondary education deals with each of the eight competences. They are regulated by law and how the competences are enhanced in each area is set out by law.

• Special emphasis on developing LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE: Reading, writing and oral production. Weekly Reading time established in all the schools both primary and secondary.

• Let´s have a look at the following chart and the relation between competences and primary school subjects.

X X

X

X X X

X

X

XX

X

X

Arts Education

XXXXXX XXEntrepreneurship

XXX XX XXXXXLearning to learn

XXXXCultural expression

XX XX X X X XX X XXXXInterpersonal and civic competences

XX XXXDigital Competence

X XX X XX X XScience and Technology

lireracy

X X XX XMaths literacy

XXX X XX X XXXXX XXXXXLingusitic communication

MATHSForeign language

Spanish Language

Citizenship Human

rights

Physical Educatio

n

Environmental,

social... Knowledge

MEANS TO DEVELOP COMPETENCES

In the classroom

In the centre

Methodology

Objectives, Contents and Assessment criteria in the curricula

Extra curricular activities

Educational Resources

Tutorials

Working rules

MEANS TO DEVELOP COMPETENCES. HOW EDUCATIONAL AUTHORITIES TRY TO DEVELOP KEY COMPETENCES IN SCHOOLS?

Through the teaching of the different subjects in the curricula. Through a number of Educational Programmes schools can apply for and laws:

Bilingual Programme developing linguistic competence (mother language and foreign language competence).

Reading and School Library Programme developing mother language competence.

Reading time compulsory en every subject. Increase in the school budget to create a good library. Projects that are financed to develop reading skills but

group of teachers in schools. ICT School Programme to develop digital competence.

Improvement Programmes in which schools design a plan to follow to improve their learning results throughout a period of time.

Education Diversity Attention Actions

Almost brand-new law that develops the idea that the diversity

of the pupils has to be addressed so that they can reach the general competences.

Curricular diversification programme for 3rd and 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education.

Occasional Curricula adaptations at classroom level.

MEANS TO DEVELOP COMPETENCES. HOW EDUCATIONAL AUTHORITIES TRY TO DEVELOP KEY COMPETENCES IN SCHOOLS?

CURRICULACURRICULAOBJETIVESOBJETIVES

CONTENTSCONTENTS

METHODOLOGICAL METHODOLOGICAL ORIENTATIONORIENTATION

ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT

COMPETENCESCOMPETENCES

LAB

OU

R M

AR

KET

LAB

OU

R M

AR

KET

EU

RO

PEA

N

EU

RO

PEA

N

SPA

CE

SPA

CE

COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT

• EXTERNALEXTERNAL: Diagnosis tests every year at the end of the 2nd cycle of primary school and the 1st cycle of secondary education. The tests are meant to check the linguistic and math competence´s grades but they do not count fo the students.

• INTERNAL:Exams by teachers. These exams will be part of the student´s final grade.

Any Questions?

Hope to see you in Spain!!!