This paper investigates how and why test-based accountability (TBA), a global model for education... more This paper investigates how and why test-based accountability (TBA), a global model for education reform, began to dominate educational debates in Norway in the early 2000s, and how this policy has been operationalised and institutionalised over time. In examining the adoption and retention of TBA in Norway, we build on the cultural political economy framework, in combination with a political sociology-driven approach to policy instruments. The analysis draws on two data sources: four White Papers and 37 in-depth interviews with top-level politicians, policy-makers and stakeholders, conducted between September 2017 and February 2018. The findings indicate that 'scandalisation' of Norway's below-expected PISA results and promotion of standardised testing as a neutral device contributed to the relatively abrupt adoption of national testing in the early 2000s. The increasingly dominant policy discourse equalising education quality and learning outcomes led to the institutionalisation of TBA, developed to ensure equity and quality standards in a decentralised education system. Increased visibility, benchmarking and administrative control are identified as key mechanisms in putting pressure on local actors to reorient their behaviour. The study provides original insights into the drivers, expectations and strategies underlying TBA in a social democratic institutional regime.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Feedback is a key component of formative assessment because it helps school actors understand how... more Feedback is a key component of formative assessment because it helps school actors understand how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. The key point is that the feedback must be more than information about the presence of a gap between the current and desired performance (Black & Wiliam, 2009). It must also include information about what kinds of development activities are likely to improve student performance. The articles in this issue address various topics related to this key point.
In different parts of the world, social movements led by parents, educators, and professional org... more In different parts of the world, social movements led by parents, educators, and professional organizations have emerged that resist educational standardisation and use of (high stakes) standardised tests, and that push for educational change. With the aim of extending empirical coverage of protest movements in non-English speaking countries, this study examines a Norwegian parental movement called Foreldreopprør i Osloskolen (FiO) (in English: Parental Uprising in the Oslo School). We draw on exploratory research based on in-depth interviews with initiators and members of FiO (n=8), as well as documentary and press analysis and an examination of social media sites. The analysis sheds light on the emergence and nature of the movement, parents’ main motivations and discourses, as well as the movements’ collective action strategies and main successes. The findings highlight how rather than opting-out their children from standardised tests, some Norwegian parents chose to opt-out their...
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Education institutions are assigned complex missions, responsibilities and tasks. Even if it seem... more Education institutions are assigned complex missions, responsibilities and tasks. Even if it seems easy to agree on the core qualities they should fulfil, it proves rather challenging to give precise definitions that can be operationalised and measured in valid, reliable and fair ways according to sometimes contradicting ideals. Conceptual and empirical works by researchers are both important contributions for improving policies and practices. The articles presented in this issue address assessment discourses and ethics but also point to the unintended consequences of country regulations of school entry age and important factors to improve internal and external evaluations.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Over the past two decades, the demand for evidence-based practices in education has increased sig... more Over the past two decades, the demand for evidence-based practices in education has increased significantly (Afdal, 2017; Burn & Mutton, 2015; Cordingley, 2015). Scholars argue that this development is related to a stream of management ideas loosely labelled 'evidence-based management' that includes governance, policy and practice; it is described as a successor of New Public Management (Vedung, 2012). School actors are expected not only to respond to these policy demands, but also to develop their competences and practices along with available evidence and research relevant to their profession. This issue addresses demands for evidence-based practices in education and provides perspectives that expand and go beyond such ideas.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
In many education systems around the world, student performance data are considered an ideal basi... more In many education systems around the world, student performance data are considered an ideal basis for coordinating decisions and activities on different levels of the school system (Ozga, 2009). Various types of tools for measuring and assessing student performance provide a basis for generating the information used for policymaking and initiating and legitimating changes in education. Data-use practices are usually defined as what takes place when individuals interact using test scores, grades and other forms of assessment data in their work (Coburn & Turner, 2011; Spillane, 2012). Such practices are seen as the centrepiece of data-driven approaches to education governance and are closely linked to performance-based accountability (Verger et al., 2019). The contributions that appear in this issue of EAEA approach these topics from various angles.
An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Schwyz werden jedes Jahr ca. 70 Bachelorarbeiten verfasst. Davon ... more An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Schwyz werden jedes Jahr ca. 70 Bachelorarbeiten verfasst. Davon sind ca. 40 Partnerarbeiten und ca. 30 Einzelarbeiten. Die Studierenden werden betreut, sind aber selbst verantwortlich für den Fortschritt der Arbeit und die Einhaltung aller Termine. In den letzten Jahren hat eine leichte Verschiebung der Art der Arbeiten stattgefunden. Es werden weniger Literaturarbeiten, dafür mehr empirische Arbeiten verfasst. Alle Arbeiten werden in feierlichem Rahmen präsentiert und gewürdigt. Die drei besten Arbeiten werden zudem in der lokalen Presse erwähnt. (DIPF/Orig.)
... Page 2. 2 Träger des Modellprojektes: Landkreis Stendal , Landkreis Merseburg-Querfurt Projek... more ... Page 2. 2 Träger des Modellprojektes: Landkreis Stendal , Landkreis Merseburg-Querfurt Projektmitarbeiter: Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie Uchtspringe: ... Herr Dr. Scheffler, Frau Jäger Jugendamt des Landkreises Merseburg-Querfurt: Herr Prang ...
Typically involving the use of test scores, grades, and other forms of assessment in various educ... more Typically involving the use of test scores, grades, and other forms of assessment in various educational contexts, the concept of data use has developed in parallel with the introduction of new managerial approaches to school governance, including performance management and accountability measures. This use of data for governance purposes is one way in which national authorities coordinate activities across administrative levels to improve education quality and effectiveness. Policymakers’ and researchers’ frequent use of the concepts of data and data use also usually parallels this development. However, based on systematic research mapping, the present findings identify differing ideas about data use in national and local contexts, including the role that data play and should play in school reform. Such differences relate to variations in school systems, teachers’ status, school governance traditions, curricular traditions, and research traditions. Moreover, characteristic of the l...
This chapter disentangles the organizational structures of national policies for basic education ... more This chapter disentangles the organizational structures of national policies for basic education in Norway and examines how state boards and agencies fulfill their institutional responsibilities and roles within the education system. In the last two decades, state authorities have encouraged national reform programs to create innovation and change across policy realms and levels. They have also enacted changes by reorganizing their own administrative apparatus at the national level.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 2017
Ample literature documents the importance of the quality of educators for effective student learn... more Ample literature documents the importance of the quality of educators for effective student learning. In the editorial for the second issue of EAEA in 2016 (Huber and Skedsmo 2016), we pointed out that questions can be raised about the links between policy and research, and the extent to which policies regarding teacher evaluation consider empirical evidence when new models for teacher evaluations are promoted and implemented (cf. Gunter 2002). On the basis of their analysis of the evidence from research into teacher evaluation and the impact on school improvement, Hallinger et al. (2014) conclude that the policy logic supporting and driving teacher evaluation remains considerably stronger than the empirical evidence of positive results. Moreover, they argue that the literature on the new generation of teacher evaluation is characterised by overly optimistic interpretations of the underlying literature and a tendency to overlook important limitations of the research designs. Methods to measure teacher quality and the systems of teacher performance assessment are diverse and depend on the national or local context. Santelices et al. (in this issue) refer to three main approaches observed in the literature: (1) teacher quality based on observable characteristics, (2) the assessment of classroom practices based on professional standards and (3) teacher effect estimates based on students' test scores. These assessment approaches have been used as part of initiatives that hold teachers accountable for students' learning, often without taking contextual variables into account. In the field of education, many of the methods used in performance assessment aim to combine the purposes of holding educators to account for students' learning outcomes and providing a basis for professional development. In this issue,
The presentation was focused on the activities done so far within the PROFLEC project (Profession... more The presentation was focused on the activities done so far within the PROFLEC project (Professional Learning through Feedback and Reflection).
This paper investigates how and why test-based accountability (TBA), a global model for education... more This paper investigates how and why test-based accountability (TBA), a global model for education reform, began to dominate educational debates in Norway in the early 2000s, and how this policy has been operationalised and institutionalised over time. In examining the adoption and retention of TBA in Norway, we build on the cultural political economy framework, in combination with a political sociology-driven approach to policy instruments. The analysis draws on two data sources: four White Papers and 37 in-depth interviews with top-level politicians, policy-makers and stakeholders, conducted between September 2017 and February 2018. The findings indicate that 'scandalisation' of Norway's below-expected PISA results and promotion of standardised testing as a neutral device contributed to the relatively abrupt adoption of national testing in the early 2000s. The increasingly dominant policy discourse equalising education quality and learning outcomes led to the institutionalisation of TBA, developed to ensure equity and quality standards in a decentralised education system. Increased visibility, benchmarking and administrative control are identified as key mechanisms in putting pressure on local actors to reorient their behaviour. The study provides original insights into the drivers, expectations and strategies underlying TBA in a social democratic institutional regime.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Feedback is a key component of formative assessment because it helps school actors understand how... more Feedback is a key component of formative assessment because it helps school actors understand how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. The key point is that the feedback must be more than information about the presence of a gap between the current and desired performance (Black & Wiliam, 2009). It must also include information about what kinds of development activities are likely to improve student performance. The articles in this issue address various topics related to this key point.
In different parts of the world, social movements led by parents, educators, and professional org... more In different parts of the world, social movements led by parents, educators, and professional organizations have emerged that resist educational standardisation and use of (high stakes) standardised tests, and that push for educational change. With the aim of extending empirical coverage of protest movements in non-English speaking countries, this study examines a Norwegian parental movement called Foreldreopprør i Osloskolen (FiO) (in English: Parental Uprising in the Oslo School). We draw on exploratory research based on in-depth interviews with initiators and members of FiO (n=8), as well as documentary and press analysis and an examination of social media sites. The analysis sheds light on the emergence and nature of the movement, parents’ main motivations and discourses, as well as the movements’ collective action strategies and main successes. The findings highlight how rather than opting-out their children from standardised tests, some Norwegian parents chose to opt-out their...
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Education institutions are assigned complex missions, responsibilities and tasks. Even if it seem... more Education institutions are assigned complex missions, responsibilities and tasks. Even if it seems easy to agree on the core qualities they should fulfil, it proves rather challenging to give precise definitions that can be operationalised and measured in valid, reliable and fair ways according to sometimes contradicting ideals. Conceptual and empirical works by researchers are both important contributions for improving policies and practices. The articles presented in this issue address assessment discourses and ethics but also point to the unintended consequences of country regulations of school entry age and important factors to improve internal and external evaluations.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Over the past two decades, the demand for evidence-based practices in education has increased sig... more Over the past two decades, the demand for evidence-based practices in education has increased significantly (Afdal, 2017; Burn & Mutton, 2015; Cordingley, 2015). Scholars argue that this development is related to a stream of management ideas loosely labelled 'evidence-based management' that includes governance, policy and practice; it is described as a successor of New Public Management (Vedung, 2012). School actors are expected not only to respond to these policy demands, but also to develop their competences and practices along with available evidence and research relevant to their profession. This issue addresses demands for evidence-based practices in education and provides perspectives that expand and go beyond such ideas.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
In many education systems around the world, student performance data are considered an ideal basi... more In many education systems around the world, student performance data are considered an ideal basis for coordinating decisions and activities on different levels of the school system (Ozga, 2009). Various types of tools for measuring and assessing student performance provide a basis for generating the information used for policymaking and initiating and legitimating changes in education. Data-use practices are usually defined as what takes place when individuals interact using test scores, grades and other forms of assessment data in their work (Coburn & Turner, 2011; Spillane, 2012). Such practices are seen as the centrepiece of data-driven approaches to education governance and are closely linked to performance-based accountability (Verger et al., 2019). The contributions that appear in this issue of EAEA approach these topics from various angles.
An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Schwyz werden jedes Jahr ca. 70 Bachelorarbeiten verfasst. Davon ... more An der Pädagogischen Hochschule Schwyz werden jedes Jahr ca. 70 Bachelorarbeiten verfasst. Davon sind ca. 40 Partnerarbeiten und ca. 30 Einzelarbeiten. Die Studierenden werden betreut, sind aber selbst verantwortlich für den Fortschritt der Arbeit und die Einhaltung aller Termine. In den letzten Jahren hat eine leichte Verschiebung der Art der Arbeiten stattgefunden. Es werden weniger Literaturarbeiten, dafür mehr empirische Arbeiten verfasst. Alle Arbeiten werden in feierlichem Rahmen präsentiert und gewürdigt. Die drei besten Arbeiten werden zudem in der lokalen Presse erwähnt. (DIPF/Orig.)
... Page 2. 2 Träger des Modellprojektes: Landkreis Stendal , Landkreis Merseburg-Querfurt Projek... more ... Page 2. 2 Träger des Modellprojektes: Landkreis Stendal , Landkreis Merseburg-Querfurt Projektmitarbeiter: Klinik für Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie Uchtspringe: ... Herr Dr. Scheffler, Frau Jäger Jugendamt des Landkreises Merseburg-Querfurt: Herr Prang ...
Typically involving the use of test scores, grades, and other forms of assessment in various educ... more Typically involving the use of test scores, grades, and other forms of assessment in various educational contexts, the concept of data use has developed in parallel with the introduction of new managerial approaches to school governance, including performance management and accountability measures. This use of data for governance purposes is one way in which national authorities coordinate activities across administrative levels to improve education quality and effectiveness. Policymakers’ and researchers’ frequent use of the concepts of data and data use also usually parallels this development. However, based on systematic research mapping, the present findings identify differing ideas about data use in national and local contexts, including the role that data play and should play in school reform. Such differences relate to variations in school systems, teachers’ status, school governance traditions, curricular traditions, and research traditions. Moreover, characteristic of the l...
This chapter disentangles the organizational structures of national policies for basic education ... more This chapter disentangles the organizational structures of national policies for basic education in Norway and examines how state boards and agencies fulfill their institutional responsibilities and roles within the education system. In the last two decades, state authorities have encouraged national reform programs to create innovation and change across policy realms and levels. They have also enacted changes by reorganizing their own administrative apparatus at the national level.
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 2017
Ample literature documents the importance of the quality of educators for effective student learn... more Ample literature documents the importance of the quality of educators for effective student learning. In the editorial for the second issue of EAEA in 2016 (Huber and Skedsmo 2016), we pointed out that questions can be raised about the links between policy and research, and the extent to which policies regarding teacher evaluation consider empirical evidence when new models for teacher evaluations are promoted and implemented (cf. Gunter 2002). On the basis of their analysis of the evidence from research into teacher evaluation and the impact on school improvement, Hallinger et al. (2014) conclude that the policy logic supporting and driving teacher evaluation remains considerably stronger than the empirical evidence of positive results. Moreover, they argue that the literature on the new generation of teacher evaluation is characterised by overly optimistic interpretations of the underlying literature and a tendency to overlook important limitations of the research designs. Methods to measure teacher quality and the systems of teacher performance assessment are diverse and depend on the national or local context. Santelices et al. (in this issue) refer to three main approaches observed in the literature: (1) teacher quality based on observable characteristics, (2) the assessment of classroom practices based on professional standards and (3) teacher effect estimates based on students' test scores. These assessment approaches have been used as part of initiatives that hold teachers accountable for students' learning, often without taking contextual variables into account. In the field of education, many of the methods used in performance assessment aim to combine the purposes of holding educators to account for students' learning outcomes and providing a basis for professional development. In this issue,
The presentation was focused on the activities done so far within the PROFLEC project (Profession... more The presentation was focused on the activities done so far within the PROFLEC project (Professional Learning through Feedback and Reflection).
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Papers by Guri Skedsmo