European experience of evaluating the quality of secondary education

Abstract

The article considers the practice of evaluating the quality of secondary education in European countries. The author of the article analyzes the characteristic features of the implementation of evaluation procedures in the educational space of secondary schools. The study aims at exploring the experience and procedure of the evaluation of the quality of secondary education in European countries and to recommend their achievements for the educational practice of Ukraine. Research methods: analysis, systematization, comparison, data classification, legislative provisions concerning the organization of pedagogical evaluation the quality of secondary education in European countries. Different countries have different approaches to understanding the external and internal evaluation of secondary education. Thus, 26 countries successfully implement both, internal and external evaluation procedure. Some countries use school assessment for quality assurance, along with other methods, such as monitoring under the aegis of regional public education authorities and teachers’ evaluation. Among the criteria for quality evaluation are the indicators of students’ academic performance, obtained as a result of international survey on the quality of education in various countries. Among the most popular surveys are PISA and TIMSS. The criteria used in the external evaluation of schools are highly standardized. They are developed by the departments of the education ministries in most researched countries and only in a minority of European countries they are developed by regional education authorities. In most cases, external evaluation of schools covers a wide range of the secondary education institution activities, including teaching, management, students’ learning outcomes and compliance with legal requirements and regulations. The evaluation criteria also include teachers' professional training and competence, teaching methods, students’ academic achievements, dropout rate, school organization and management, environmental and construction conditions, involvement of the stakeholders in the educational process, social context, and integrated interaction with the environment. The progressive experience of European countries can be effectively used to improve the domestic system of quality assurance in secondary education. Keywords: quality of secondary education, evaluation, internal evaluation of the quality of education, European experience in evaluating the quality of secondary education.