The Committee for Quality in Primary and Secondary Education in Norway

The Committee for Quality in Primary and Secondary Education in Norway was appointed by Royal Resolution on 5 October 2001. The Committee submitted its main report to the Minister of Education on 5 June 2003.

 

The challenge posed by a quality reform in primary and secondary education 1When we talk of primary and secondary education we mean the education covered by the Education Act, that is to say, primary and lower and upper secondary education.

During the 1990’s there were reforms throughout the whole of the education system in Norway. The reforms comprised:

• higher education, mergers of colleges of higher education
• upper secondary education, with a statutory right for all and new curricula
• primary and lower secondary education, the school starting age lowered to 6, and new curricula developed
• adult education – the competence reform

All these reforms encompassed changes in rights, contents and structure. The purpose of the reforms was renewal and bringing education up to date, as well as an effective use of resources so as to "get more out of the talents of the population".

Through these reforms important educational issues were addressed, and many of the proposals and measures in the reforms function well and should not be changed. In other areas results do not live up to expectations. Research and evaluations have shown that there is still a considerable amount of potential for learning and competence building. Reports on learning results imply that not all pupils attain their full possibilities and talents. Some groups of pupils seem to achieve less than others do. It has also become apparent that special education is not relevant enough. So there must be a critical scrutiny both of the quality of the achievements, the contents of the education, the methods used and the competence of the teachers.

This means that a closer study of the work done in classrooms and workshops must amongst other things answer the following questions:

• whether the education is adapted to the individual pupils, giving them challenges and the wish to learn
• whether the individual pupil is given guidance and advice with respect to his work on improvement and development
• whether the subject matter is relevant
• whether the working methods used serve their purpose and contribute to good and lasting learning
• whether the learning environment motivates pupils to make efforts and allows challenges, active pupil participation and consideration for others
• whether the assessment system stimulates learning and gives information about the learning results of school work from a broad perspective

In order to create renewal and improvement and to ensure the quality of primary and secondary education, these are the areas where measures must now be vigorously implemented. The purpose is to stimulate and allow each individual to realise his/her own potential for competence through a lifelong – and life-wide – learning process.

This report ascertains that:

• There are strong sides to Norwegian primary and secondary education, but there is also considerable room for improvement.
• Norwegian pupils are happy at school and possess a good knowledge of democratic processes, but are not always able to utilise such knowledge in school.
• The Norwegian results in national and international assessments of foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy are too poor.
• In spite of purposeful work with respect to adapted education and the integration of all groups of pupils in schools, the effects of social and cultural differences in Norwegian schools are stronger than one should expect compared with other Nordic countries. Girls do better than boys at both levels, and in most subjects. Pupils from minority groups do on average less well than other pupils.
• Teacher competence is deficient in important areas. Many teachers have poor in-depth knowledge of main subjects, and the evaluation of the primary/ lower secondary reform has shown that many teachers did not master the change in methods that the reform presupposed.
• Many school owners and school leaders are not competent enough to lead a modern knowledge institution.
• The status of our knowledge about primary and secondary education is still fairly poor. Primary and secondary education has traditionally been an area about which there has been too little research. The evaluation of the reforms of the 90’s has contributed towards increased knowledge about the education.

Objectives and values

Primary and secondary education must serve several purposes. It must both give each pupil knowledge and equip him/her for a meaningful life as an individual and as a citizen. It must also contribute to giving children and young people a good foundation from which to master their own lives and realize wishes and dreams - both in their working lives and in their social capacity. Education is not solely an individual project, but equally an investment for the community. The objective of imparting more knowledge to more people is meant to promote social justice and welfare for all. The Committee has emphasised that Norway is a multicultural society and has based its proposals on this fact. Education must contribute to a greater understanding of other people.

The Committee wishes to underline that primary and secondary education must encompass perspectives both of education and of cultural and moral growth. Schools must never fail their role as places for studying basic knowledge, skills and attitudes. Primary and secondary schools must also live up to the expectations that they contribute to social development and building the nation as bearers of culture and identity, as normative institutions and as creators of identity. Therefore it is necessary for primary and secondary education to be administered in accordance with national control, objectives and framework.

 

Quality

Quality is a key concept when working to improve primary and secondary education. The Committee stresses a broad definition of quality which is meant to cover learning in a lifelong perspective. In order to make lifelong learning possible, it is essential that primary and secondary education is thorough and meets demands for overall learning achievement. The Committee has based its definition of quality on the pupil’s or apprentice’s learning in a broad sense, in other words the pupils’ and apprentices’ knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Areas of quality

The quality areas were described in more detail in the Committee’s partial report.

The quality of results describes the desired results of educational activities, the pupil’s or apprentice’s learning in a broad sense. The figure above indicates that the quality of results is of overall importance, while structural quality and process quality are significant presuppositions for the quality of results. More work must be done to develop criteria for all the areas of quality and in its partial report the Committee suggested a series of tests that could measure the quality of results.

Structural quality describes the external presuppositions, how the establishment is organised and its available resources.

Process quality refers to the internal activities of the establishment, the work on education itself.

 

Competence

The defining characteristic of competence is the effective and creative deployment of knowledge and skills in human situations – such situations comprise general social as well as specific occupational contexts. Competence draws on attitudes and values as well as on skills and knowledge. 2Definition from ASEM (Asia – Europe Meeting), ASEM Basic Learning: Thematic report 1: Ensuring Basic Skills for All, Working Group 1, KBH. 2002. This broad concept of competence to cover an overall competence coincides for the most part with the ideas in the Norwegian Education Act and the General Part of the National Curriculum.

The Committee uses the competence concept in order to give the objectives and contents of primary and secondary education a clear aim with emphasis on the pupil’s or apprentice’s overall learning achievement. Competence focuses on the ability to master a complex challenge or execute a complex activity or task. The important thing is that the pupil or apprentice is able to make use of his/her knowledge, attitudes and skills.

In Norwegian primary and secondary education the concept of competence has been used mainly in vocational training. The Committee proposes that competence as an expression of what education is meant to lead to for the individual should now be used throughout primary and secondary education. The Committee is of the opinion that this will focus attention both on the learner and on the results of the education. In vocational training the Committee proposes that the concept "end competence" be replaced by "competence platform" in order to emphasise that the trade or journeyman’s certificate is not a final station but a lap on the lifelong road of learning.

The Committee uses the concept "overall competence" about the learning achieved by the pupils and apprentices. Overall competence is expressed by the Education Act and the General Part of the National Curriculum:

0. foundational competence
1. 15. reading and writing skills, and skills in arithmetic and numeracy
   16. skills in English
   17. digital competence
   18. learning strategies and motivation (effort and stamina)
   19. social competence
2. subject competence, referring to subjects in primary and secondary education.

The Committee stresses the importance of ensuring that the pupils and apprentices achieve foundational competence, because it is the most important tool for learning new competence and forming one’s own identity.

Foundational competence shall be expressed by attainment objectives in all subject curricula throughout the school years. Foundational competence consists of competence across subjects and is an important part of all subjects, even though some elements will belong more closely to certain subjects.

 

Adapted education

The Committee wishes to improve the quality of learning for all pupils in an inclusive school. This means reinforcing the requirement that education must be adapted to the individual pupil and that this concerns all pupils. It is proposed that traditional special tuition based on individual decisions will no longer apply to most pupils. It is proposed that individual decisions for special tuition will only be made for pupils or apprentices who must have individual plans in accordance with criteria in child welfare and health care legislation. This also applies to other pupils or apprentices who need an adaptation of the curriculum.

Current legislation has already ensured all pupils and apprentices a right to an education that is adapted to their abilities and capabilities, and their cultural and linguistic background. This principle is laid down in Section 1 – 2 of the Education Act, but paradoxically enough, despite this principle, most of the pupils that are integrated in ordinary schools spend most of their time in schemes separated from the other pupils.

The use of special tuition varies a great deal from school to school and from municipality to municipality. In some municipalities there have been individual decisions about special tuition for more than 19 per cent of the pupils, whereas other municipalities have no individual decisions for any of their pupils. It has also proved difficult to provide documentation of the effects of special education for many pupils. Individual decisions have proved to be based on other needs than the pupils’ own, for example in connection with behavioural problems in many classes.

The Committee is of the opinion that the best means of achieving adapted education for all pupils is to reduce the average group size whilst getting rid of ordinary classes. The Committee therefore proposes that all pupils should belong to a basic group which should ordinarily not include more than 12 pupils. The composition of the basic group must reflect the diversity of the pupils and ensure that each pupil is given an individually adapted education. A basic teacher must be responsible for the group.

In addition the Committee proposes that school owners establish a system for quality control which can provide documentation of how schools implement an inclusive learning environment and give all pupils adapted education. The educational and psychological counselling service must be obligated to give the school or the place of learning advice on how to adapt their education to all the pupils, and the school or place of learning must give an account of how this advice is followed up.

An adapted education for all pupils presupposes as a minimum the current level of resources in primary and secondary education including the resources currently being spent on special tuition.

 

Coherence and continuity in primary and secondary education

The reforms of the 90’s were implemented at different times, thereby making it difficult to achieve a good flow and continuity in contents and transitions. This characterises the education system today. The Committee therefore proposes a few measures concerning contents, organisation and administration which in sum aim to increase the quality of learning and make the education system more coherent, with a better flow and more flexible transitions both at the start of primary education, through primary and secondary education and through working life, tertiary education or higher education.

The following continuous measures are proposed:

0. A reinforced adapted education for all pupils through organisational adaptations, differentiation and systems for quality control.
1. Module-based continuous curricula for primary and secondary education.
2. Foundational competence that is continuous through all curricula on all levels and classes.
3. Continuous emphasis on sciences and languages.
4. Making physical activity for all pupils available every day.
5. Dropping the final examination in the lower secondary schools as an indicator of transition between lower and upper secondary education.
6. National tests and the use of student files as a continuous tool for evaluation.
7. A new assessment system, with the grades A – F substituting today’s system.
8. A closer connection between primary/lower secondary education and upper secondary education, both in the form of programme subjects and in making possible a choice of modules from upper secondary school while still at lower secondary school.
9. A closer connection between primary and secondary education and higher education by letting pupils in upper secondary schools take modules from higher education while still at school.
10. The Counties will be made responsible for vocational counselling in the lower secondary school.
11. The place held by working life in education must be fortified and made more binding and continuous.
12. The introduction of the concept of lifelong learning in lower and upper secondary schools.
13. Developing teacher competence at all levels in subjects like mathematics, Norwegian and English including didactics.
14. Continuous emphasis on ICT.
15. Continuous emphasis on management.
16. Kindergartens are to be more closely connected to primary and secondary education through the framework plan and by belonging politically and administratively to the Ministry of Education and Research.

 

Consequences for primary and secondary education

To start with
Organised education starts in kindergarten, where children are given possibilities to develop and solve tasks through play and collaborative work. The Committee is of the opinion that the kindergarten is an important foundation for primary and secondary education, and a part of lifelong learning. It is therefore essential that all children are given the opportunity to make use of this possibility.

The Committee proposes:

0. All children are to have a statutory right to a whole day place in a kindergarten.
1. All children are to have a core period in the kindergarten free of charge from the year they are five.
2. Children in families where both parents are from a minority language group are to have a core period in the kindergarten free of charge from the year the child is three years old.
3. The responsibility for kindergartens must be moved to the Ministry of Education and Research so that kindergartens and primary and secondary education are together in one ministry.

To continue
The primary and lower secondary reform included the six-year-olds in the primary schools, and the new curriculum L 97 represented a clarification of what is expected of primary and lower secondary schools. Despite changed contents, new working methods and comprehensive programmes for developing competence, the reform has up to now not lived up to all its expectations. The Committee therefore proposes strengthening education in basic skills (foundational competence) from the time the six-year-olds start school. Learning through play is defined as one of several approaches to learning in the primary school. Foundational competence must be a continuous element throughout the primary and lower secondary school.

Pupils in the primary school must be given the possibility to learn more than they do today. These possibilities are connected both to contents, teaching approaches and time available. The Committee is furthermore of the opinion that it is necessary to consider giving the lower secondary school a more distinct subject specialisation.

The Committee believes that it is necessary to modernise the lower secondary school and make it possible for pupils to achieve a high degree of learning in the various subjects, with a strong connection to the upper secondary school. The Committee therefore proposes keeping a strong emphasis on the work with foundational skills, strengthening sciences and languages, and giving pupils the possibility to choose subjects that will provide them with useful experience for their subsequent choice of education and job. It must be possible for pupils in the lower secondary school to take subjects from the upper secondary school. The Committee bases this proposal on the idea that education in the lower secondary school should increasingly be embedded in practical work, and recommends binding co-operation with business life in parts of the education.

The Committee proposes:

0. An increase in the number of lessons in the four first years.
1. Pupils from minority linguistic groups are to be given special attention in connection with the first education in reading and writing.
2. A period of varied physical activity should be made available to all pupils each day.
3. The introduction of a new subject of technology and design in the lower secondary school. The subject is to combine theory and practical work.
4. The introduction of programme subjects as electives in the lower secondary school. These programme subjects are to replace today’s electives for the pupils, and will be part of the framework of the whole year.
5. Pupils in the lower secondary school can choose modules from the upper secondary school in addition to the compulsory subjects and lessons.
6. An increase in the number of lessons in mathematics.
7. A second foreign language (after English) is to be made compulsory in the three years of the lower secondary school.

 

Specialisation

A lot of problems posed by upper secondary education were solved by the 1994 reform. The close connection between training in schools and in working life has made it possible to offer young people a modern, up-to-date vocational training. The implementation of the reform has however caused certain structural problems, and the renewal of the contents has proved to take more time than expected. Changes in higher education pose new challenges to future students and it is necessary to consider more closely what kind of competence the young students will need. In the Committee’s opinion, it is necessary to implement some structural measures while at the same time ensuring that there is professional and methodical development and renewal.

The Committee proposes:

0. The establishment of a main structure of 8 educational programmes with matching programme areas:

1. Programme for industrial production and process
2. Programme for crafts
3. Programme for building and construction techniques
4. Programme for service
5. Programme for art and design
6. Programme for biological production
7. Programme for media and communication
8. Programme for academic specialisation

0. The main model for vocational training in working life is prolonged, with two years in school and two years in a training establishment. There must however be room for more flexibility in the extent of and the sequence of the training that takes place in the firm and that which takes place in school.
1. The contents of this new structure must be developed in close co-operation with the organisations of working life.
2. Pupils shall have a statutory right to their primary choice of programme in their first year.
3. Pupils shall have a statutory right to a programme area in their second year that is based on the study programme they chose in their first year.
4. The Counties must give the possibility for new training to those pupils who have taken the programme for academic specialisation, but subsequently wish to take adapted courses in vocational programmes based on the national curricula.
5. Completed upper secondary education gives pupils the general qualifications needed for entrance to higher education no matter which programme they have chosen.
6. The curricula must be module-based, continuous and be applicable across the programmes and give room for flexible courses.
7. The general academic subjects in vocational programmes must be adapted to the vocational subjects being studied.
8. Physical education is to be called "physical training" and be extended.
9. Pupils in upper secondary school can take higher education courses or parts of higher education courses.
10. There will be more compulsory mathematics in the programme for academic specialisation.

 

Renewed curriculum for primary and secondary education

The Committee’s proposals entail a renewal of the curriculum for primary and secondary education.

The Committee proposes:

- The development of a new curriculum structure based on the following elements:

0. The General Part of the National Curriculum
1. The principles underlying how pupils attain their competence achievements
2. Subject curricula:
3. 15. The objectives of the subject
   16. The level and modules of the subject
   17. The contents, qualifications and knowledge requirements concerning the subject are to be expressed through objectives for the pupils’ foundational competence and subject competence
   18. Assessment
4. The curricula are to be revised in accordance with the framework for the new curriculum structure.
5. The revision of the curricula should lead to curriculum continuity throughout the whole of primary and secondary education.
6. The curricula in the whole of primary and secondary education are to be module based.

 

The length of education

The Committee has considered the length of education. The majority wishes to keep the current system of 10 years’ primary and lower secondary education, whereas a minority of 7 proposes that the duration should be 9 years. The majority has based their opinion on educational arguments, especially the importance of primary and secondary education as a part of lifelong learning. 13 years of primary and secondary education will ensure a qualified workforce and the necessary recruitment for research and creativity. Competence gained through primary and secondary education can be increased significantly by implementing measures within the current 13-year framework.

The minority has based their opinion on the fact that decreasing the primary and secondary education by one year will make a large amount of resources available for a considerable effort to improve quality in primary and secondary education. Allowing young people to go out to work earlier will also be of great benefit to society. The minority is of the opinion that the reorganisation will be the start of a necessary renewal and change in schools. The first year in upper secondary schools is to be made compulsory within the 12-year framework.

 

Expectations

The pupils and the apprentices

A five-year-old in Norway today is expected to spend an average of 18 years on education. To be undergoing an education is a special type of activity which cannot be compared with other activities as pupils must be active participants in creating their own competence, a competence which in its turn only becomes apparent through being used actively and creatively. It is therefore not possible to regard the pupil as a product of his education. Primary and secondary education must therefore focus on the pupil’s and apprentice’s own efforts and own work and emphasise that learning demands self-discipline and the ability to collaborate with others.

 

The teachers and school management

A good learning environment is of crucial importance for the pupils’ social development and for how much they learn. The teacher or the instructor in the training establishment is a key factor both for the environment and for the learning achievement of the individual. A good learning environment is the result of a visible and clear management of the school as well as of the basic groups. A good learning environment arises from a united staff that is conscious of the teachers’ roles as educators, role models and distinct leaders in the learning situation. Teachers and school managers who are united, who are responsible, who are decisive and predictable, who set distinct limits and confer positive attention, are of crucial importance for how much pupils learn and for their social development. In this way pupils learn the codes of human coexistence, they gain confidence in mastering different situations, and they become active partners in creating a good and secure learning environment at school.

The Committee emphasises the necessity for developing and keeping up teachers’ competence, and that there must be a support system for the individual teacher and thereby the individual basic group. In its proposals the Committee has defined which areas of competence development that must be given priority. It is a presupposition that all teachers in Norwegian primary and secondary schools wish to develop their competence, both individually and in co-operation with colleagues.

 

The parents

The pupils’ parents and home environment, their cultural equity, are important for their motivation and learning. The objectives of home-school co-operation should be given a clearer slant towards enforcing and highlighting the role played by parents in education. This must entail a mutual obligation from both parties, whilst bearing in mind that the arrangements must be realistic. All parents must be included in the co-operation because it is of great importance for their own child’s development. All parents should feel a distinct obligation to take part. The Committee therefore proposes that schools arrange more frequent conversations with parents with a starting point in the pupils’ files, that they organise courses for parents and that there is a programme for parent co-operation at each school.

 

School owners

School owners must have the necessary perspective, the necessary competence and adequate resources to ensure that they fulfil their overall responsibilities as owners, with a view to improving quality and ensuring an equal education for everybody. The owners must therefore accept responsibility both for the quality of results, for ensuring quality and for a support system to develop their schools.

 

The national authorities

The national economic, legal and ideological management instruments are to ensure stable framework conditions for primary and secondary education, as well as communicating national objectives. The assessment system will be connected to supporting and supplementing local development work by adapting, collecting, forwarding and analysing relevant and updated management information and knowledge about the status of the educational system.

National involvement in development is today relatively ad-hoc, fragmented, and, or so many would say, too much guided by national political demands and not necessarily based on local requirements. It is difficult to see an overall strategy for quality development in primary and secondary education.

The economic framework of primary and secondary education must be examined in order to design a funding system that:

0. ensures that primary and secondary education get sufficient resources
1. does not favour private schools
2. stimulates school owners, schools and training establishments to continuous improvement of their education
3. ensures rational solutions between the administrative levels
4. ensures that pupils and apprentices have equal opportunities wherever they live
5. Vocational knowledge must be included as a compulsory subject in teacher training. System knowledge should be made part of this subject.
6. Teacher training should be differentiated so that students are required to study specialised subjects with a view to which level of education they wish to teach at.
7. There should be a Master’s program in specialisation and didactics for teachers in the subjects Norwegian, mathematics and English, with specialisation for the separate levels’ characteristics and challenges.
8. There must be an increase in educational research and research recruitment.
9. Every other year there should be a published report about the status and central development characteristics of Norwegian primary and secondary education.

Partnerships for development

The Committee proposes the development of an overall and co-ordinated development strategy for primary and secondary education. This strategy should describe a support and follow-up structure aimed at the place of learning and the daily processes in education. The goal of the development strategy is to collect and target efforts and the use of resources with a view to improving results in primary and secondary education, and getting more out of national and local investments in education.

The development strategy should be developed, implemented and funded through a partnership model. The Committee is of the opinion that a partnership model can contribute towards an innovation culture in Norwegian primary and secondary education. The Committee believes that a partnership model at a national level would be a model for partnerships at municipal/county levels.