Transcript Functions of the Quality Assurance Directorate

Sandro Spiteri
Director, Quality Assurance Department
SICI General Assembly, September 2011
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1865 – First investigation into school standards by
Colonial Government
1889 – first Maltese primary school inspector
1930s – consolidation of Maltese Inspector Cadre
Inspection seen as colonialist legacy related to need to
monitor untrained state school teachers. Lasting image
of inspector as respected and fearsome judge
spearheading rigid centralised state educational control.
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1988 – recognition of teacher professional status
1990s - Inspection function removed.
2005-07 - revived as school audit for state schools;
suspended due to teacher resistance.
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EU-level comparisons have highlighted unacceptably
low levels of educational attainment.
PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS have confirmed / are likely to
confirm ‘long tail’ of poor results
2006 – decentralisation through networks of primary
and secondary schools, called Colleges.
2008 - QAD set up, for all compulsory education.
2009 – start of harmonisation processes to reduce
inequalities within and between state and non-state
educational sectors. Removal of streaming and selective
examinations for entry into secondary schools.
 “provide the required guidelines for each
school’s development plan”;
 “in support of the evaluation and the internal
audit of every school, implement inspections
and external reviews, and also so that
children and students are helped so that they
may obtain in the best possible manner the
set learning targets and necessary skills”
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On the basis of:
◦ Malta’s stage of national educational development
◦ general ideological consensus on school improvement through teacher
agency and school empowerment
◦ inconclusive international research on the effectiveness of external
inspection for school improvement
The current key change drivers are:
◦ increased school autonomy
◦ ethos of cooperation and competition
◦ External reviews that drive internal evaluation and planning
◦ external monitoring and judicious publication
Change drivers NOT used:
◦ resource allocation through parental choice
◦ naming and shaming
◦ public comparison through inspection reports and exam results
School
Accountability
QAD
Support School
Development
School
School
Development
Planning
Confirm/Identify
Development
Needs
Self Evaluation
Support and
Professional
Development
Developing
improved
practice
Organizational
learning
Fulfilling the vision
of the Curriculum
School
improvement
Raising
standards
Distributed leadership
Community of
reflective
practitioners
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We are in 2nd year of our first national cycle,
External Review NOT Inspection / Audit
a (rigorous) Narrative of a Narrative – remember the
Hawthorne Effect!
Focus on quality of leadership, teaching & learning
Ipsative assessment that looks for:
◦ in reporting: veracity, comprehensiveness and reflection;
◦ in planning: focus, direction, shared leadership and sustainability;
◦ in implementing: classroom and school processes, effective delivery,
evidence of learning, evidence of school improvement, evidence of
reflexive practice by the school community.
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Is the school planning to get / getting better?
Documents available at:
https://secure2.gov.mt/meef/Page.aspx?pid=183
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Full report Head of School, College Principal or
equivalent. Considered internal document covered
by Data Protection Act
Teachers receive executive summary
Parents receive results of their pre-review
questionnaire
School expected to discuss report outcomes with
parents, teachers
Positive report = school reviewed in the next cycle
Negative report = school reviewed within one year
QAD to issue bi-yearly report on general trends
and progress in schools. First report due at end
2012.
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Report consequences need to be defined
more clearly whilst avoiding ‘grading
illusion’
Legal provision being reviewed to enshrine
QAD publication, school dissemination, and
Report consequences
Bring together national and international
attainment results with socio-metric data to
established ‘families’ of schools so as to
compare value-added, as a technical tool
THANK YOU