Responsible bodies

The legal basis for quality assurance is Article 17 of the General Law on Education, according to which quality is ensured, determined and improved through self-evaluation conducted by the institution and external evaluation conducted by competent public bodies.

At the system level, the following entities are responsible for quality assurance:

The institution itself is responsible for self-evaluation. The Rulebook on the content, forms and methods of determining the quality of educational work in institutions (hereafter: the Rulebook) stipulates that self-evaluation is carried out by assessing the compliance of the institution's work with the requirements of the standard, as well as, if necessary, by applying additional criteria and indicators defined by the institution itself.

The Bureau for Educational Services (hereafter: the Bureau) is responsible for the external evaluation of preschool institutions, primary schools and secondary general education, while the Center for Vocational Education (hereafter: the Center) is responsible for secondary vocational schools. The Rulebook stipulates that the evaluation is carried out by the Bureau or the Center, depending on the type of institution.

The National Council for Education has an important normative role, because the General Law stipulates that the provision, determination and improvement of quality is carried out in accordance with the Methodology adopted by the National Council, on the proposal of the Bureau or the Center. 

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (hereafter: the Ministry) performs general supervision over the implementation of laws, while the Educational Inspection performs inspection supervision over the work of institutions.

Internal quality assurance is not completely left to the autonomy of the institution. Central regulations define who participates in self-evaluation. According to the Rulebook, the participants are teachers, professional bodies of the institution, the management body, the director, the parents' council, students, or their representative body, and, if necessary, representatives of the local community or social partners. The director of the institution appoints the self-evaluation team for a period of two years and manages it.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Internal evaluation

Self-evaluation in early education and training is carried out every year, by individual areas and every two years, as a whole, which is defined by Article 17 of the General Law on Education.

The Rulebook additionally specifies that the self-evaluation includes:
- planning,
- implementation of activities,
- making a report on self-evaluation,
- development of a plan for ensuring and improving quality,
- implementation of improvement measures, and
- reporting on achieved results.

The Annual Self-Evaluation Plan contains priority areas, goals, activities, carriers, implementation dynamics, performance indicators, instruments and monitoring methods. The Self-Evaluation Report contains an analysis of the situation, an assessment of the fulfillment of the requirements of the standard and recommendations for improvement. The plan for ensuring and improving quality is based on those recommendations and becomes an integral part of the institution's annual work plan.

The Methodology for ensuring and improving the quality of educational work in the institution (hereafter: the Methodology) explains that self-evaluation should be based on evidence and supported by data from multiple sources. It is also stated that data can be collected through interviews, group discussions, work meetings, questionnaires, assessment scales, direct observation and document analysis.

External evaluation

External evaluation is carried out at least every four years as a whole, and can be carried out partially when there is a need for it, based on the assessment of the Bureau or the Center, at the request of the Ministry or Educational Inspection, or at the reasoned request of parents or students.

Evaluators are educational supervisors and, in vocational education, advisors-supervisors for quality, while exceptionally authorized advisors and external collaborators can also participate.

The evaluation process includes:
- preparation,
- direct insight,
- preparation of the evaluation report, and
- monitoring the implementation of measures.

The preparation includes planning the evaluation for a specific institution, notifying the institution, collecting and analyzing data, as well as surveying participants in the educational process. The institution is obliged to submit documents such as the development program, annual work plan, annual work report, class schedule and self-evaluation report.

In early education and training, the key areas defined by the Methodology from 2021 are:
- educational work,
- management and leadership of a preschool institution,
- the ethos of the preschool institution,
- development and progress of children, and
- resources of the preschool institution.

The evaluation results are used to identify strengths and weaknesses and to guide further improvement measures. The methodology explicitly states that the findings of the self-evaluation should be used in the external evaluation and that the findings of the external evaluation enable the redefinition of the institution's development program.

Primary and secondary education

Responsible bodies

The same legal basis applies to primary and secondary education. Article 17 of the General Law on Education stipulates that quality assurance is carried out through self-evaluation conducted by the institution and external evaluation conducted by the Bureau and the Center.

The main body responsible for external quality assurance of elementary and high schools is the Bureau for Educational Services. The Center for Vocational Education is responsible for vocational and mixed secondary schools. The Rulebook specifies that the evaluation is carried out by these bodies, while the directors of the Bureau and the Center form the appropriate teams of supervisors.

The National Council for Education is responsible for adopting the Methodology on which the entire quality assurance procedure is based, upon the proposal of the Bureau or the Center.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation supervises the implementation of the law, and the Educational Inspection supervises the institutions.

Internal quality assurance is governed by central regulations. The Rulebook defines the participants in the self-evaluation and the management structure of the process. The director appoints the self-evaluation team for a period of two years and manages it. Participants are teachers, professional bodies, management body, principal, parents' council, students, i.e. student parliament and, if necessary, representatives of the local community or social partners.

The Instruction for self-evaluation of schools from 2012 provides additional practical clarification: the self-evaluation team is conceived as a permanent working body responsible for the implementation of the school's quality assurance and improvement policy and may include the principal, assistant principal, pedagogical-psychological service, managers of professional assets, teachers, parents and, when useful, external "critical friends".

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

Internal evaluation

According to Article 17 of the General Law on Education, schools are obliged to conduct self-evaluation:
- once a year in at least two areas, one of which must be teaching and learning; and
- once every two years as a whole.

After a complete self-evaluation, the institution is obliged to adopt a Plan for ensuring and improving quality once every two years.

The Rulebook establishes a procedural framework for this process. Self-evaluation includes planning, implementation of activities, preparation of self-evaluation reports, preparation of quality improvement plan, implementation of improvement measures and reporting on achieved progress. The Annual Self-Evaluation Plan is an integral part of the institution's annual work plan.

The Self-Evaluation Report is considered by the teachers' or professional council, professional staff and the parents' council, and it is adopted by the institution's management body. After that, the institution delivers it to the Bureau or the Center in electronic form within 30 days.

Additional operational support for the internal evaluation of quality in schools is provided by the Self-Evaluation Guide of the Bureau titled "How to evaluate the quality of the educational work of a school?", which is intended for teachers, administration and professional services in the school to measure, determine and improve the quality of the work of teachers. The Guide emphasizes that the purpose of the evaluation and self-evaluation of the work of teachers is to improve the educational work in the school, with a special emphasis on recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of the work and planning professional development.

This document specifies the areas of teacher work quality that can be subject to self-evaluation and evaluation, namely: professional knowledge and skills of teachers, support for student development, planning and preparation of lessons, implementation of modern teaching and learning process, monitoring, evaluation and assessment of student progress, as well as communication and cooperation. In this way, the document operationalizes in more detail the internal assessment of the quality of teaching practice at the school level.

The Instruction for self-evaluation of schools from 2012 explains the logic of the process in more detail. It states that the choice of areas and indicators can be based on both the school's self-assessment and external incentives, including the findings of previous external evaluations and the results of external testing. It is also explained that the self-evaluation should lead to an action plan for improvement and, when necessary, a revision of the school's development plan.

The Methodology emphasizes that self-evaluation is not a mere collection of subjective opinions, but a process based on objectively determined data from various sources, collected on the basis of previously agreed indicators. It also allows institutions to adapt indicators to their own context, but within the national framework of key areas, standards and indicators.

External evaluation

External evaluation is carried out at least every four years as a whole. The Rulebook also allows for partial evaluations, either at the initiative of the Bureau or the Center, or at the request of the Ministry or Inspection, or at the reasoned request of the parent or student council.

The evaluation is carried out by supervisors. The Rulebook stipulates that evaluation teams:
- prepare and implement the evaluation,
- prepare an evaluation report,
- verbally communicate the findings from the observed lessons to teachers and professional staff, and 
- convey the key findings of the evaluation to the director.

The Bureau and the Center prepare the Annual Evaluation Plans, which determine the institutions that will be evaluated and the dates of the evaluation. The names of the institutions and the dates of the evaluation are confidential until the evaluation begins.

The stages of external evaluation are clearly prescribed:
1. preparation of the evaluation;
2. direct insight;
3. preparation of the evaluation report;
4. monitoring the implementation of measures.

The preparation includes data collection, document analysis and participant surveys. The institution is required to submit key internal documents, including the development program, annual work plan, annual work report, class schedule and self-evaluation report.

The Methodology defines the key areas of evaluation for schools as:
• teaching and learning,
• management and leadership,
• ethos of the school,
• educational achievements of students, and 
• support for students.

It also specifies what is valued within those areas. For example:
• in the field of teaching and learning, planning, implementation of teaching, student activity, learning methods, assessment, monitoring and reporting are evaluated;
• in the field of management and leadership, management efficiency, planning, teamwork, management capacity, quality reporting and quality assurance mechanisms are evaluated;
• in the area of ​​student achievement, learning success, quality of knowledge, results on exams and competitions, as well as student motivation are analyzed;
• in the area of ​​student support, student care, learning support, social and personal development and professional orientation are valued.

The evaluation criteria are centrally determined by the Methodology in the form of standards and indicators. It explains that the standards describe quality practice or the conditions in which it can be achieved, while the indicators represent the definitions by means of which the realization of the standards is measured.

For schools, the Methodology provides a detailed framework of standards and indicators. In the field of teaching and learning, for example, it includes:
• planning aligned with curriculum requirements and learning outcomes;
• teaching adapted to the developmental characteristics, needs and abilities of students;
• regular, public and diverse monitoring, evaluation and assessment of students with a developmental function.

Typical procedures therefore include the analysis of documentation, review of pedagogical records, surveying participants, school visit, observation of classes, oral feedback during the visit, preparation of the evaluation report, monitoring through improvement measures, action plans and, if necessary, control evaluation.

Use of results and consequences

The results of both internal and external evaluations are primarily intended to improve the work of the school, and not only for the function of control.

The Rulebook requires that the self-evaluation leads to a Plan for ensuring and improving quality, with clearly defined priority areas, recommendations, activities, carriers, deadlines, performance indicators, resources and monitoring methods.

The Methodology directly connects the evaluation with the institution's development program, stating that the evaluation findings enable the redefinition of the development program and the setting of short-term and long-term improvement goals. It also foresees measures after the evaluation, review of the report in the institution, preparation and quality assurance of the action plan, control of the action plan and, when necessary, control evaluation.

The Instruction for self-evaluation of schools from 2012 further emphasizes this development function, stating that schools should use the results to determine what is good and should be kept, what is weak and should be changed, and what should be included in the school's development plan.

The submitted documents do not represent the publication of evaluation results as a central element of the system. Much more emphasis is placed on structured reporting to the management body and competent institutions, as well as on the planning of improvement measures. Also, the Rulebook explicitly states that the names of the institutions and the dates of the planned external evaluation are confidential until the evaluation begins.

Synergy between external and internal evaluation

The relationship between internal and external evaluation is explicitly recognized in the Methodology. It states that, as part of the external evaluation, it is useful to use the results obtained through self-evaluation in order to more effectively plan visits to institutions, focus on certain areas of external evaluation, and better structure conversations with participants in the educational process. External evaluators rely on self-evaluation reports when assessing quality, and these data contribute to the further improvement of the institution's work.

This means that synergy is provided through:
• use of self-evaluation reports during external evaluation;
• alignment of both approaches around the same key areas, standards and indicators;
• planning improvement measures at the institution level after both types of evaluation.

References 

General Law on Educaton (Opšti zakon o obrazovanju i vaspitanju), "Official Gazette of Montenegro", No. 12/26 of 06/02/26.

Rulebook on the content, forms and methods of determining the quality of educational work in institutions (Pravilnik o sadržaju, oblicima i načinu utvrdjivanja kvaliteta), Ministry of Education, Podgorica, 2020.

Methodology for ensuring and improving the quality of educational work in the institution (Metodologija za obezbjeđivanje i unapređivanje kvaliteta obrazovno-vaspitnog rada u ustanovi), Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Podgorica, 2021. 

Instruction for self-evaluation of schools (Uputstvo za samoevaluaciju škola), Bureau for Educational Services, Podgorica, June 2012.

Self - Evaluation Guide "How to evaluate the quality of the educational work of a school?" (Kako procijeniti kvalitet vaspitno-obrazovnog rada škole?), Bureau for Educational Services, Podgorica, June 2015.