Relatos, una aproximación a la realidad

In 2002/03, 11 European countries had lists of standard criteria for the external evaluation of schools carried out by evaluators directly responsible to the central level. This process of standardisation, which for the most part got underway in the 1990s, is still continuing in some countries (1_{). Thus, in Ireland, Poland and Sweden,}

lists of standard criteria have been in use since 2004/05.

In general, where central-level evaluators do not possess predetermined lists of criteria, this is because they evaluate school activities concerned with very limited specific matters such as compliance with regulations or the school development plan. By contrast, when a country broadens the range of externally evaluated school activities, it tends to produce lists of standardised criteria. This is especially apparent in Ireland, Luxembourg and Sweden (evaluation conducted by the National Agency for Education).

Evaluators who are not directly responsible to the central or top level are not obliged to use lists of criteria established in advance at central level, except in Poland since 2004/05. In general, they refer to the content of national legislation or the educational aims of their local authority in order to determine their criteria.

Figure B17: Use of standard lists of criteria for (external and internal) evaluation of schools for compulsory general education, 2002/03

Primary education

List of criteria for external evaluation, which are recommended

for use in internal evaluation

List of criteria for external evaluation, with no recommendation

for use in internal evaluation

No list of criteria for external evaluation

Local autonomy

No external evaluation of schools

Source: Eurydice. Additional notes

Belgium (BE de): See the note in Figure B16.

Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovakia and United Kingdom (ENG/WLS, SCT): the references to external

evaluation apply to evaluation conducted at central level.

Denmark and Sweden: This applies only in the case of evaluation by the municipalities. In Sweden, a list of standard

criteria has been drawn up for evaluation conducted by the NAE. It is coming into effect in 2004/05, and has to be used for purposes of internal evaluation.

Spain: Lists of standard criteria for external evaluation exist in Andalusia, Catalonia, the Canary Islands and Castile-La

Mancha. In Catalonia, external evaluation criteria have to be used for internal evaluation, and in Castile-La Mancha, the same criteria are used for internal and external evaluation.

Ireland: A set of criteria for external evaluation was developed in 2003/04, and its use is recommended for internal

evaluation.

Lithuania: With effect from 2004/05, use is being made of common internal and external evaluation criteria drawn up in

2002.

Luxembourg: A list of standard criteria is being drawn up for the new approach to the external evaluation of secondary

schools, which has been adopted in 2004/05.

Poland: In 2004/05, a list of standard criteria has been established for external evaluation carried out by the regional

inspectorate (kuratorium).

Finland: See the note in Figure B16.

Iceland: A list of standard criteria has been drawn up for evaluating internal evaluation methods (meta-evaluation) but

not for the evaluation of schools.

Norway: The external evaluation of schools by municipalities is mandatory with effect from 2004/05.

Romania: The Figure relates to evaluation criteria produced by the inspectorate and not the evaluation criteria drawn

In the majority of countries, two or occasionally more distinct approaches to the external evaluation of schools as entities exist, depending on the identity of the evaluator. External evaluation is conducted by evaluators who report to a local, regional or central educational authority. Only approaches to external evaluation conducted by evaluators covering a broad range of school activities are considered here.

Internal evaluation is carried out by members of the school community, meaning individuals or groups of people who are directly involved in school activities (such as the school head, teaching and administrative staff and pupils) or who have a direct stake in them (such as parents or local community representatives).

A criterion is used to form the judgement. It consists of two components, namely the parameter (or measurable aspect of a task that is evaluated), and the required standard (benchmark, norm, regulation or standard of proficiency) with respect to which the parameter is evaluated.

Standard lists of criteria are drawn up at the central (or top-level) authority for education, either by inspectoral management staff, or by ministerial or administrative departments responsible for education.

Where lists of external evaluation criteria are also used for internal evaluation, this is generally on the basis of a recommendation issued by the central (or top-level) authorities for education.

In some countries, lists of criteria are subject to frequent revision. Thus, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom (Scotland) published new lists of criteria in 2002. Following the law on the inspection of schools and education in the Netherlands (the Wet op het Onderwijstoezicht, or WOT, which came into force in 2002), a new supervisory framework known as Toezichtkader has redefined the criteria used by inspectors. In Latvia, lists of criteria used were concerned with different kinds of regulation and varied depending on the focus of evaluation. They have been replaced in 2004/05 by a single more detailed list of criteria. In the United Kingdom (England), new criteria became effective from 2003; they were revised again as part of a more fundamental reform of the system of school inspection effective from September 2005.

Besides standardising external evaluation criteria on the basis of national lists, Estonia, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and Romania recommend that these lists should be used for the internal evaluation of schools. This is being made compulsory in Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden, with effect from 2004/05. Internal evaluation criteria are therefore also undergoing standardisation to some extent.

The use of external evaluation criteria during internal evaluation enables the consistency between these two forms of evaluation to be strengthened. This consistency is particularly meaningful where external evaluation draws on the findings of internal evaluation (Figure B18). This applies to countries that recommend or prescribe the use of external evaluation criteria for internal evaluation, with the exception of Estonia.

THE FINDINGS OF INTERNAL EVALUATION ARE GENERALLY USED