Modelo por competencias

As mentioned, there is a large gap between the school leaders’ ideas of what is being done with the results, and what the teachers actually do. This might be because the school leaders think the teachers do not need direct guidelines in order to work with the results from the NTE, whereas the teachers feel the school leaders are not enough involved. Therefore, communication would be the first step to solve this issue. If the school leaders want the teachers to work with the results from the NTE, it is my understanding, based on the interviews with the teachers, this must be communicated far more clearly, and the school

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leaders also need to spend more time following up the teachers’ work with the NTE.

Unfortunately, it would seem the teachers need written guidelines and requirements in order to do this work. That there are different opinions among school leaders and teachers are also implied by NIFU (2013). In their study, they found that most school leaders either stated they worked with the results, or that they wanted to work with the results. The teachers, on the other hand, implied that analysing the results was time-consuming, and therefore not all results were analysed. The teachers also stated that the work with the results was mainly up to each teacher. To enhance the possibility of the results from the NTE are used as formative assessment, the school leaders need to have a clearer picture of how they want the work with the results to be done, and they need to communicate this to the teachers, through guidelines and demands. This might lead to the teachers analysing the students’ results, which again might lead to formative assessment. In addition, it might lead to the school leaders having more control of what their teachers do in relation to the NTE.

Also, it is important that the teachers and the school leaders acquaint themselves with the purpose of the test and the guidance material provided by the Directorate. As it is the school leaders’ responsibility to provide the teachers with the guidance material, making sure the teachers have read the guidance material, and be a support if the teachers have difficulties with the guidance material, the school leaders need to get acquainted with this material. To have knowledge of what the test is, and how to work with the test, will ensure the test serves as more than a statistic score on a school’s achievement. All tests a student is obliged to complete should be a part of their formative assessment, including the NTE. If the teachers and the school leaders use the test to its full potential, it will serve as a valuable tool for assessment.

The teachers also need to communicate their difficulties. To ensure the results from the NTE are used as formative assessment, the teachers need to voice their difficulties, in order for the school leaders’ to know where the teachers face challenges. This could result in the teachers being in a position where they understand PAS, and thereby could analyse the results. If these results were analysed, they could use them in the formative assessment. If they in addition read the guidance material, they would know the NTE tests the students in grammar, vocabulary, and most importantly, reading.

The attitudes to the NTE should be addressed by all three groups, the teachers, the school leaders and the Directorate. The school leaders are far more positive to the NTE than the

93 teachers, and the teachers’ bad attitudes will most likely lead to bad motivation, and are

almost a guarantee that the work with the results will not be done, at least not without specific guidelines from the school leaders. That the school leaders are positive to the NTE was also found by Eriksen (2011), who had school leaders as informants. Most of his informants stated they had positive attitudes to the National tests, and this is also confirmed by NIFU (2013) who found that school leaders were positive to the National tests. The differences in attitudes might be due to the fact that the teachers are the ones who are supposed to do the work with the NTE, whereas the school leaders have the superior responsibility without actually

acquainting themselves with the NTE. Still, there might be a need for an attitude campaign to improve the teachers’ attitudes to the NTE, as only a minority of the teachers stated they were positive to the NTE.

Related to thoughts about own improvements, the school leaders and the teachers differ in their answers. As irony has it, both are more concerned with the other’s improvement than their own. The school leaders want the teachers to work more on their own initiative, and the teachers want the school leaders to be more involved in the work with the NTE. However, both need to improve their work with the NTE.

There is also a difference in the school leaders’ statements that they provide the teachers with expectations for the work with the results, but the teachers do not seem to know these

expectations. As a result, it would be beneficial if the school leaders provided the teachers with written guidelines, as one school has done, to ensure the work with the results from the NTE. However, in addition to providing these written guidelines, they should also focus more on the follow up of the teachers’ work. To ensure the NTE will be a part of the students’ formative assessment, the teachers and the school leaders must have the same perspectives on their expectations for what is to be done with the results. Therefore, the guidance material is important, the school leaders’ communication is important and an understanding of PAS is important.

6.1.5 Summing up

In other words, how the school leaders and teachers can meet the same perspectives

concerning the NTE could in fact be summed up in one word: communication. In addition, the teachers need to take more initiative in working with the NTE, and the school leaders need to improve their follow-up of the teachers’ work. Still, there are some difficulties that neither

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the teachers nor the school leaders can control, which is where the Directorate should offer some help, for example with PAS. If a technical difficulty is a hindrance in the work with the results, the Directorate should either simplify PAS, or offer the schools training in PAS. However, the teachers need to communicate their difficulties with PAS to the school leaders, and the school leaders need to take action in providing this training, for example by

contacting their leader. Also, both the teachers and the school leaders need to get acquainted with the content of the guidance material. In the following, section, how the NTE can serve as