chile: creating an enabling environment for an effective...
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October 4-6, 2010Nairobi, Kenya
Second READ Global ConferenceEffective Assessment Systems: Strengthening the Enabling Environment
Chile: Creating an enabling environment for an effective
assessment system
Maria Jose Ramirez The World Bank
Education in Chile
• 3.5 millions students in the schools
• 8,000 schools (primary and secondary)
• Successful expansion of education system
• Ministry of Education is main authority
– Sets national policies
– Monitors quality of education
Chile’s Educational Assessment System
1. Large-scale assessment for monitoring the quality of education, SIMCE
2. University entrance exam, PSU
3. Classroom assessment for fostering students’ learning and for grading
1. Large-scale assessment: SIMCE
General description• Purposes
– Monitor education quality
– School accountability
• Coverage
– All 8,000 schools (census)
– 2 grades per year (4 and 8 or 10)
– All 500,000 students in both grades (census)
1. Large-scale assessment: SIMCEChanges to Enabling Environment
Pilot program
in university
Unit in
Ministry of Education
Autonomous
organization
Assessment
enforced by
law
New law with
greater focus on
accountability
1990 2009-101980
1. Large-scale assessment: SIMCE
Drivers that allowed for changes
• Need to monitor quality of education
• Curricular reform
• Need to avoid conflicts of interests and ensure autonomy
• Political and professional leadership
• Participation in international studies
2. University Entrance Exam: PSU
General description
• National exam for university selection (since 1967)
– No substantive reforms until 2004
• 250,000 students took exam in 2009
– Number of students grew 56% in 4 years
2. University Entrance Exams: PSU
Enabling Environment: Governance
• Governed by a board representing ‘traditional’ universities
• Governance in crisis because of
– Weak power of the Ministry of Education
– Decreasing representation of board
2. University Entrance Exams: PSU
Pushes for change
• Creation of new private universities• Historical reasons and corporate interests
have blocked reforms• Expansion of secondary education • Higher proportion of low income students applying
to the university• Public pressure from students• Reform of secondary school curriculum
3. Classroom Assessment
General description
• Shifting purposes
– from grading and bureaucratic control
– to pedagogical support
• Very little information at central level
– No quality assurance mechanism
3. Classroom assessment
Changes to Enabling Environment
• New official documents emphasize pedagogical function
• No clear strategy for training teachers
• Evidence of weak practices
• No permanent changes in organizational structures, human resources, budget
3. Classroom assessmentDrivers that allowed for changes
• Reform of school curriculum
• Teachers’ demands for training
• International literature
• Need to counterbalance influence of external assessments (national and international)
• Professional leadership
Key lessons (1)• Renewed emphasis on students’ learning has put
assessment at the center of the education systems
• Political and professional leadership are essential ingredients of reforms
• Gradual changes are better than huge reforms
• Need to anticipate changing circumstances
• Laws are important to institutionalize and ensure budget