The primary focus of school evaluation should be to improve teaching and learning within schools, to close achievement gaps between schools and to enhance the performance of all students. School evaluation also generates information for education authorities, the school community and other stakeholders to hold schools accountable for their performance. External evaluation and comparison of school performance are usually associated with accountability purposes, while internal school evaluation processes are often linked with school development purposes.
School evaluation
School evaluation refers to the evaluation of individual schools as organisations. It includes external school evaluation, internal school evaluation and the comparison of schools on different performance measures.
Key messages
The potential and coherence of school evaluation processes is considerably enhanced when based on a nationally agreed model of school effectiveness. The model should provide clear criteria for effective schools and robust, research-based foundations for both school self-evaluation and external school evaluation. Transparency is an integral part of the external school evaluation process and can be ensured by making the evaluation approach, procedures, criteria and instruments publicly available. Schools should be allowed to comment on their external evaluations and have clarity on how results will be followed up.
The publication of external school evaluation reports can be used to inform school development planning and school improvement actions. Reporting of results from national student assessments can also be useful for school leaders, teachers and students, provided they are timely, suited to their needs, and take into account confidentiality concerns. The results of external school evaluation need to be followed up systematically by external evaluators and/or appropriate authorities or support agencies and include both a monitoring and a support function.
Context
School evaluation is a core component of accountability
School inspection and school self-evaluation are a core component of accountability in 30 and 27 countries respectively. School self-evaluations are required or regulated in 15 countries and conducted annually. Twelve countries reported that public lower secondary schools are inspected at least once every three years; and four countries reported that they occur more frequently.
School inspection and school self-evaluation in public schools, general programmes (2015)
School evaluation assesses educational practices, outcomes and compliance
International comparison shows convergence on three major areas addressed during school evaluation: educational practices (quality of instruction); outcomes (student performance and student, parent and staff satisfaction); and compliance with rules and regulations. These are usually addressed by a combination of external evaluation and self-evaluation processes.
Distribution of areas addressed during school inspections and school self-evaluations (2015)
