1. SICI Workshop "Balancing School Internal and External Evaluations" Malta, 3-5 October Policy developments at EU level in relation to quality assurance
Dita Kudelová Schools and Multilingualism Unit Directorate-General for Education,
Youth, Sport and Culture

2. Content of Presentation
Communication on "School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life"
ET2020 Working Group on Schools
Thematic work on quality assurance for school development
Peer learning activity "How can external and internal mechanisms for quality assurance effectively complement each other in supporting school development?"
Next steps

3. Communication on School development and excellent teaching
Why?
Common challenges among Member States:
At EU level, one in five pupils have insufficient reading, mathematics and science skills.
Low achievement is closely linked to pupils' background.
Schools need to respond better to a new reality of technological and digital change.

4. The broader EU political context
Rome Declaration:
"a Union where young people receive the best education and training"

5. White Paper on the Future of Europe:
“Making the most of the new opportunities whilst mitigating any negative impact will require a massive investment in skills and
a major rethink of education and lifelong learning systems."

6. Need to act at three levels:
I. Developing better, more inclusive schools
II. Supporting teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning
III. Governance of school education systems: becoming more effective, equitable and efficient
Autonomy and quality assurance

7. How? Full respect of subsidiarity
Exchange of good practice and peer support, peer learning and peer counselling
Supportive actions in Erasmus+ and in ET2020

8. Peer counselling
Rationale − strong demand from the EU Member States for peer learning plus need for an instrument tailor-made to the policy needs of a particular country
Brings together professional peers from a small number of national administrations to provide external advice to a country to support a specific national reform agenda

9. ET2020 Working Group on Schools 2016-18
representatives from all EU Member States, EFTA and EU Candidate Countries, plus European social partner and stakeholder organisations
examining successful and emerging policy developments in Member States concerning the governance of school education systems that can support and improve quality, inclusion and innovation

10. Capacity for systemic change in 4 key interlinked areas:
1: Quality assurance for school development
Internal/external school evaluation
Collaboration/ shared goals
Data analysis
and sharing
Professional/ school autonomy
Enhancing co-operation …
Developing better, more inclusive schools
2: Continuity and transitions in learner development
Supporting teachers and school leaders for excellent teaching and learning
3: Teachers and school leaders in schools as learning organisations
Governance of school education systems: more effective, equitable and efficient
4: Networks for sustainable learning and development in school education

11. Quality assurance for school development
First thematic report under current mandate (April 2017)
Eight broad guiding principles for policy-makers
Examples of policy development across Europe
Based on latest research, discussions during the Working Group meetings and a peer learning activity

12. Peer learning activity, Tallinn, 11-14 October 2016
Key question:
How can external and internal mechanisms for quality assurance effectively complement each other in supporting school development?
Participants:
Estonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia + former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia + ATEE, ETUCE

13. Guiding principles for policy-makers
Coherence of internal and external quality assurance mechanisms
Support to professional learning communities
Trust and shared accountability
Supporting innovation in schools
Common language and shared understanding among stakeholders
School networks to support development
Generating, interpreting and using data
Developing a balanced view of school development

14. Next steps  Working Group on Schools
WG meeting
on all four themes, Brussels November 2017
Final output
and dissemination
Future planning and final meeting (February 2018)

15. Next steps Schools Communication (May 2017):
"Together with EU MS and stakeholders develop targeted policy guidance on quality assurance through peer learning and peer counselling ."
Meeting of Directors-General for Schools, Tallinn, September 2017:
Supporting MS in reforming their quality assurance systems from purely measuring academic achievement to evaluating personal progress of pupils and benefiting to all – pupils, teachers and administrations.
Council conclusions responding to the Schools Communication
Foreseen adoption by the Education Ministers at the Council on 20 November 2017.

16. Links to documents: Communication on School development and excellent teaching for a great start in life Accompanying Commission Staff Working Document ET2020 Working Group on Schools Interim Report on quality assurance for school development Peer counselling  Information note

17. THANK YOU! Questions? dita.kudelova@ec.europa.eu
Improving the now
Improving the future