Responsible bodies

Educational institutions themselves carry out quality assurance and quality improvement of educational work (self-evaluation), annually for individual areas and biennially altogether.

Quality assurance and quality improvement of institutions’ educational work (external quality assessment and quality assurance) are performed by the Bureau for Educational Services and Centre for Vocational Education (evaluation) at least every four years.

The Bureau for Educational Services is in charge of quality assurance and quality improvement of educational work at preschool education, primary and secondary general education. The Centre for Vocational Education is in charge of assessment and assurance of quality of educational work in the field of vocational and adult education.

Approaches and methods for quality assurance

The assessment of quality of educational work at an institution is done both internally and externally in accordance with the General Law on Education and the Rulebook on the content, form and manner of evaluating the quality of educational work at institutions.

The Rulebook on the content, form and manner of quality assessment of educational work at institutions prescribes the content, forms and manner of quality assessment of educational work at preschool institutions, primary schools, gymnasiums, vocational schools, educational centres, resource centres, adult education providers and boarding homes for pupils.

The quality of educational work is assessed with regard to the:

• knowledge and skills achievement of children, students and learners (hereinafter: students) according to educational knowledge standards

• quality of teaching and learning

• ethos of the institution (spirit of the community and atmosphere at the institution, preserving and promoting human rights, natural and social environment, multi-ethnicity and diversity)

• governance and management of the institution, organisation and performance of educational work

• support that the institution provides to students (supplementary, additional classes, additional assistance to students with special educational needs, competitions, etc.)

• staff, material and technical, as well as safety conditions of the institution’s work

• cooperation with parents, other institutions and the local community and social partners

• other contents important for evaluating the quality of educational work at institutions.

Internal quality assessment

The purpose of evaluation and self-evaluation of teachers’ work is the improvement of educational work at schools. The self-evaluation process creates the basis for each teacher to recognise their own strengths and weaknesses, to compare their achievements with others, to recognise opportunities for improvement, to set goals for their own development. Internal quality assessment of institution’s educational work (self-evaluation) is done by expert bodies, as well as by other bodies and entities within the institution, in line with its statute and the annual work plan. The institution prepares internal assessment report on the quality of educational work biennially and delivers it to the Bureau for Education Services.

Institutions carrying out vocational education and adult education, deliver the internal assessment report on the quality of educational work to the Centre for Vocational Education as well.

Internal evaluation procedures are described in the publication How to assess the quality of educational work at schools? (Indicators of quality and instruments for self/evaluation of educational work of teachers at schools).

The publication Indicators of quality and instruments for self/evaluation of educational work of teachers at schools (the Publication) is intended for teachers, administrations and professional services at schools, and is used to measure, assess and improve the quality of educational work of teachers at schools.

Starting from the teachers’ competences, which represent a set of their knowledge, skills and values, certain areas of teachers’ action have been defined with a view to evaluating educational work.

The Publication clearly defines six areas for evaluating the quality of teachers’ work at schools:

1. Professional knowledge and skills of teachers

2. Supporting student development

3. Planning and preparing classes

4. Implementing contemporary teaching/learning process at school

5. Monitoring, evaluating and assessing student progression, and

6. Communication and cooperation.

Each of the defined areas of teachers’ educational work quality is differentiated and precisely described by particular sub-areas with set indicators - indicators of quality of teachers’ work at schools. Instruments, scales of self/assessment and checklists have been designed on the basis of these indicators, which are used for self-evaluation and/or evaluation of teachers’ educational work at schools.

External quality assessment

External quality assessment of educational work at institutions can be either regular or extraordinary. Regular quality assessment of educational work at an institution is carried out at least once in four years. Extraordinary quality assessment of educational work at an institution is carried out as needed, as well as following the reasoned request of the parents’ council.

External quality assessment of educational work at an institution is carried out by educational supervisors, as well as by authorised counsellors and external associates. The quality assessment at institutions carrying out vocational education programmes for vocational and theoretical subjects and practical education is done by supervisors appointed by the Bureau for Education Services on the proposal of the Centre for Vocational Education.

The Director of the Bureau passes a Decision appointing a team of supervisors to perform the assessment of educational work quality and appointing the head of the team.

Supervisors assess the quality of educational work on the basis of:

• direct monitoring of teaching and other forms of educational work

• insight into the implementation of the annual plan and programme of the institution’s work

• insight into the students’ achievement of knowledge standards

• insight into the results of external knowledge assessment

• insight into the implementation of subject programmes and extracurricular activities

• conversations with head, teachers, students, parents and other persons involved in the educational process

• insight into the electronic database of statistical data that the institution regularly updates during the classification period

• analysis of questionnaires for students, employees and parents

• other actions that are deemed necessary.

At the request of the head of the team of supervisors, the institution is obliged to provide or prepare information, documents or other materials necessary for determining the quality of educational work within ten days from the date of receiving the request.

The quality is assessed according to the defined quality indicators. The assessment of educational work quality is expressed in the following manner:

• failed to meet

• mostly met

• met

• mostly successful

• successful

• very successful.

The report on the assessed quality of educational work includes quality assessment, explanations and recommendations along with the proposed measures that the institution should take in order to improve the quality of educational work for each key area.

Based on the report, the head of the institution adopts a plan for improving the quality of educational work of the institution. The plan for improving the quality of educational work of the institution is then submitted to the Bureau for Education Services, whereas in case of institutions carrying out vocational education programmes and adult education it is submitted to to the Centre for Vocational Education as well.

The Bureau for Education Services prepares annual report on the assessment of educational work quality at institutions and delivers it to the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the National Council for Education. The Annual Report is published on the website of the Bureau for Educational Services.

The Methodology for quality assurance and quality improvement of educational work at institutions (self-evaluation and evaluation) is prescribed by the Ministry, on the proposal of the Bureau for Educational Services and the Centre for Vocational Education.

The methodology for external evaluation of educational work defines key areas that are analysed by the supervisory service, namely:

1. School/institution governance and management

2. Staff, material, technical and safety conditions of the school’s/institution’s work

3. Ethos of the school/institution

4. Support that school/institution provides to its students

5. Cooperation of school/institution with parents, other institutions and the local community

6. Teaching and learning (by subjects)

7. Students’ achievement of knowledge and skills according to educational standards.

For each of these areas there are defined indicators serving as the main determinants to evaluate a particular key area in terms of quality.

1. The area of school/institution governance and management includes the following indicators: annual plan and its implementation; development programme; work of professional bodies; process of internal evaluation of work; quality improvement plan; pedagogical and instructive work of heads and associates; work of the school/governing board; pedagogical records and documentation.

2. The area of staff, material, technical and safety conditions of the school’s/institution’s work includes the following indicators: professional representation; being equipped with teaching resources and having adequate premises; professional development of employees; spatial and technical conditions and adequate premises; being equipped with computers; using available resources; safety conditions (technical and normative); sanitary and hygienic conditions.

3. The area of ethos of the school/institution includes the following indicators: respect of house rules; interpersonal relations; interpersonal relations between teachers and students; aesthetic arrangement of space; promotion and role in the community; impact of incentive measures.

4. The area of support that school/institution provides to its students includes the following indicators: support for students who are lagging behind with the material; support for talented students; support for students with developmental disabilities; extra-curricular activities/compulsory elective contents; rights and obligations of students; protection and safety of students; implementation of educational and preventive programmes; work of the Student Parliament; professional orientation.

5. The area of cooperation of school/institution with parents, other institutions and the local community includes the following indicators: cooperation with parents; activities of parents’ council; cooperation with other institutions and the local community; involvement of parents in educational process.

6. The area of teaching and learning (by subjects) includes the following indicators: organisation of teaching/learning in a class; lesson planning; written preparations for classes; use of teaching materials; assessment; conditions for work that may be affected by the teacher; work of teaching staff; remedial classes; additional classes.

The area of students’ achievement of knowledge and skills according to educational standards includes the following indicators: results at knowledge assessment and external knowledge assessment; achievements at each classification period of the ongoing year; achievements of students at higher levels of competition; achievements of students at school competitions; educational achievements; achievement of students with special needs; achievements by the classification periods and at the end of the previous year.