» Improving the Quality of Education through an Internal Evaluation System for use in Educational Institutions, an Academic Performance-Based External Evaluation System, and Development of Legislation
The goal of the ESF programme “Improving the Quality of Education through an Internal Evaluation System for use in Educational Institutions, an Academic Performance-Based External Evaluation System, and Development of Legislation” is to bring about a rise in the quality of education by improving the quality of the management of the general educational system and educational institutions, provision of flexible feedback on academic performance and the development of supporting legislation.
The programme activities will be used to increase the knowledge and practical skills of heads of educational institutions, teachers at and operators of educational institutions with regard to internal assessment of educational institutions. A nationwide system of recognition for general educational institutions will be created, allowing positive experience to be shared with educational institutions; opportunities for administering examinations electronically will be created; legal acts that influence the functioning of the general educational system will be analyzed from the standpoint of developing an internal evaluation system as well as an academic performance-based external evaluation system.
The programme target group comprises participants in the general educational system (students, administrations at educational institutions, personnel at educational institutions, parents) and partners in the field of general education (operators of educational institutions, county and local government educational specialists, professional associations, teacher trainers etc).
The quality of the general educational system has a significant influence on the quality of education. The quality of management/leadership decisions has an effect on the productive functioning of internal evaluation and external evaluation of academic performance at a given institution. It is important that there be an abundant array of high-quality evaluation instruments (examinations, tests, satisfaction surveys etc) and that these be available to users. This allows the educational institutions themselves to carry out the internal evaluation and improve the performance of their work. At the same time, the state receives adequate feedback about how the educational system is functioning.
Primary programme activities: - Increasing the knowledge and practical skills of administrators and teachers at educational institutions (personnel) and operators of educational institutions with regard to the internal evaluation of educational institutions, including self-evaluations. Supporting the efficacious functioning of the advisory system for internal evaluation of educational institutions. - Increasing the quality of the internal evaluation of educational institutions by way of involving interest groups and carrying out satisfaction surveys. - Creating a functioning recognition system for general educational institutions, which will allow positive experience to be exchanged between educational institutions. - Interest groups will have access to high-quality sample problems and exercises, and opportunities will be created for administering examinations electronically. - To support the development of an internal evaluation system as well as an academic performance-based external evaluation system, an analysis of legal acts that have a bearing on the functioning of the general educational system will be conducted and suggestions for amending specific legal acts will be developed.
This programme is being implemented by the National Examination and Qualification Centre. The total cost of the programme is 26.5 million kroons. The programme is being funded by the Estonian government and the European Social Fund.
For more information, contact: Liisa Mäemets, programme manager, tel 7350 716, e-mail: Karin Kuldmets, assistant to the programme manager, tel 7350 719, e-mail:
