Quality assurance in schools

A Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE) has been set up within the Ministry of Education. According to the 2006 Education Act, the directorate's mission is "to regulate, establish, monitor and assure standards and quality in the programmes and educational services provided by schools, whether State schools or not". Furthermore, the Act calls on the directorate to "regulate, guide, evaluate, verify, research and report... in order to promote good practices in all activities related to such education in a national framework of lifelong learning".

It is important to point out that the process we will introduce over the next few months will not be cast in stone. We are engaging in a learning process as we relate within the ministry's Quality Assurance Department (QAD), and with others in the ministry's two directorates and the respective colleges.

There are a number of questions that need to be raised and discussed. Why evaluate schools? Can inspection be beneficial to schools? Will evaluation benefit children, teachers, parents and the community? What's in it for us? These and similar questions need a response. They also have to be experienced.

There is no doubt that the current networking system is aimed at giving more and more responsibility and decision-making authority to schools. At the same time, the DQSE's primary role is to set and raise standards. It acknowledges that this can best be achieved by helping schools know themselves, do it for themselves, and give their own account of their achievements. Schools need to speak for themselves. They need to tell their own story.

It is an index of a nation's educational health is when school communities learn how to use the tools of self-evaluation and self-improvement. In healthy systems there is sharing and networking of good practice within and among schools on a collegial basis. Many teachers are experiencing this through various initiatives within and across schools. Teachers benefit when they work together, when they engage in learning experiences both locally and through exchange programmes abroad.

This devolution of responsibilities to schools has brought with it greater accountability for our decisions and practices. While the drive for accountability may be seen as intrusive and controlling, few disagree it has its place. Accountability is the principle that everyone who has the responsibility of providing education needs to give an account of their targets, their actual achievement and performance, and their plans for improvement. Any definition of accountability needs to emphasise the question: 'Who are we here for?'

We may talk of different types of accountability. However, while there is tension between external and internal evaluation they are actually two sides of the same coin. Internal evaluation entails ongoing monitoring of any aspect of a school's work. It involves teachers and school leaders coming to judgements based on their first-hand knowledge of what is happening in classrooms and laboratories, and dealing with all aspects of school life.

Self-evaluation takes place whenever teachers consider different pedagogies of learning; when a school decides to introduce a new language scheme or a new way of communicating with parents. Evaluation also involves students who develop the skills required to reflect on their own learning. It also means that parents learn how to react to the learning opportunities being provided for their children.

Whenever existing education systems and provision is examined with a view to its improvement, internal evaluation is taking place. Those who have worked in school development planning know what the implications behind review and evaluation are and how they have addressed them over the years.

External evaluation entails the review and reporting on a school's work by people who are not part of the school's organisation. Audits do not and will not undertake a one-size-fits-all approach to evaluation of practices. Schools are different. They are at different stages of development. They may be strong on some dimensions and in need of development in others. This also changes with time. The position that the QAD will take is that differential school improvement strategies are required for schools in varying socio-economic contexts. We do not believe all schools, irrespective of their social and economic situation, can succeed and improve in the same manner. We acknowledge the evidence that in challenging circumstances, schools face a range of problems that prevent significant improvements being made. Audits will take into account the complexity of the schools' realities.

At the same time we have to acknowledge that both schools and audit teams have a massive responsibility as they engage in both internal and external evaluations. There is definitely a need to acknowledge that an audit team brings with it a mandate and an authority. We are not in the business of producing reports that sound great but then continue with our usual day-to-day matters.

It is therefore essential that schools master the skill of evaluating their own practices in such a way that an external audit only serves to enlighten the internal discourse or shed new light on potential areas that may have been ignored or need to be followed up more closely. This tension needs to be acknowledged. We need to work at building the trust that is needed to build a rapport before, during and after audits. This requires that we are clear and upfront about the parameters of the engagement that audits entail. As John MacBeath argues, within such a framework an audit will be congenial, rigorous and challenging. That should always be the defining characteristic of the audit process.

As the new scholastic year unfolds, we will be putting into practice our beliefs and value system to nurture a system of reciprocity between the QAD, the colleges and their schools. We promise we will learn from all individuals and groups to make learning meaningful to one and all.

We are after the creation of what Paul Clarke calls a 'renewed sense of social responsibility' that moves us away from a culture of individualism and isolation that has affected our thinking and action. School improvement is much more than raising test scores or increasing grades. Audits go beyond looking at academic results and focus on all aspects that influence learning. Its essence lies in building school communities that are collaborative, inclusive and empowering. It is only in such a community that the true potential of both students and educators will be fully realised. This aspiration lies at the heart of school improvement and behind the work of both directorates. Together we can make a difference in our schools and other places where learning matters.

Dr Bezzina is director, Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education, Ministry of Education.