This report presents input from key stakeholders regarding the introduction of standardised tests in Flanders. The OECD team extends heartfelt gratitude to all those who gave time to provide valuable insights to their perceptions, hopes and concerns during structured interviews (February and March 2021) and the stakeholder reflection seminar (June 2021). The OECD team enjoyed constructive and open discussions with all participants and is grateful for the frank and trusting exchanges. Our learning was in no way impaired by the virtual nature of the discussions, but we sincerely hope to continue learning together in person in the future. We are equally grateful to those who took time to provide written responses and send supporting evidence.
This report was prepared as part of the strategic education governance project within the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI). The OECD team is indebted to the Flemish Department for Education and Training (DOV) for the opportunity to engage in the case study and support CERI’s work applying lessons from research to promote strategic education governance. We are grateful to Jeroen Backs and Miekatrien Sterck for the initial guidance and provision of contacts for key stakeholders and to Bieke De Fraine for taking up the co-ordination responsibilities and providing timely and pertinent feedback on the draft report.
The structured discussions with key stakeholders were conducted by Claire Shewbridge and Florian Köster. Claire Shewbridge led the analysis and drafting of the report. The report is anchored in the strategic education governance framework, which was collectively developed by a core team of Claire Shewbridge, Florian Köster and Rien Rouw. The strategic education governance framework allows the application of a body of CERI work on governance in complex education systems, led by Tracey Burns, with her team Marc Fuster and Florian Köster. For the strategic education governance framework, Florian Köster developed the conceptual framework for the systematic use of evidence by decision makers (Chapter 5), based on work by Laurenz Langer, Janice Tripney and David Gough. Florian Köster, with support from Glenn Fahey, prepared the conceptual underpinnings for the framework on accountability (Chapter 6). Clara Krämer initiated work on how to operationalise strategic thinking (Chapter 4). All areas of the strategic education governance framework have been enriched by the knowledge, expertise and policy experience of Rien Rouw, with a special thank you for his input to operationalising our framework on stakeholder involvement (Chapter 3).
Many thanks to Leonora Lynch-Stein for her management of the layout and publication process, to Sophie Limoges for editiorial support and to Giannina Rech for compiling the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) trends data in Chapter 4.