Strengthen evaluation to improve student learning, says OECD | WPN World People News

Education systems around the world are increasingly measuring the performance of teachers and schools as part of their drive to help students do better and improve results. Rising demand for higher education standards and a trend towards greater school autonomy in some countries are among the factors behind this new focus, according to a new OECD report.

Synergies for Better Learning: An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment reveals striking differences across OECD countries in both whether and how schools test performance, and offers advice on how to use evaluation and feedback to help teachers and students.

In primary education, for example, students are not awarded marks in Denmark, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden whereas Hungary, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland and the Slovak Republic rely primarily on numerical marks for formal reporting.

In Australia, Chile, Korea, Portugal and the United Kingdom, teachers undergo formal appraisal processes as part of their performance management while in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, feedback on teacher performance is provided more informally in schools.

Launching the report in Oslo, Norway, Andreas Schleicher, Advisor to the Secretary-General of the OECD on Education Policy and Deputy Director for Education and Skills, said: “At a time when schools need to assume more responsibility for managing their affairs and embrace more diverse student populations, building effective systems for evaluation and assessment has become absolutely critical for helping students learn better, teachers to teach better, and schools to work more effectively.”

Key recommendations of the report, one of the largest international studies of educational evaluation ever conducted, include:

● Take a comprehensive approach: All the components of assessment and evaluation – student assessment, teacher appraisal, school evaluation, school leader appraisal and education system evaluation - should form a coherent whole. This will generate synergies, avoid duplication and prevent inconsistency of objectives.

● Align evaluation and assessment with educational goals: Evaluation and assessment should align with the principles embedded in educational goals.

● Focus on improving classroom practices: To optimise the potential of evaluation and assessment to improve what is at the heart of education – student learning – policy makers should promote the regular use of evaluation and assessment results for improvements in the classroom.

● Build concensus: Ensure that all the stakeholders are involved early and understand the benefits.

● Place students at the centre: Students should be fully engaged with their learning and empowered to assess their own progress. The development of critical thinking and social competencies should also be monitored.

Source: OECD