Post on 22-Oct-2020
Building an effective and equitable upper secondary systemA Framework for Analysis and practices across OECD countries
Paulo SantiagoDirectorate for Education and Skills, OECD
Lied Commission Expert SeminarOrganised by the Permanent Delegation of Norway to the OECDParis, 7 March 2019
FUNDAMENTAL POLICY COMPONENTS FOR
AN EFFECTIVE UPPER SECONDARY
EDUCATION SYSTEM
1 – Defining objectives,
learning goals and
establishing the governance framework
2 – Ensuring effective
transitions into upper
secondary education
3 – Diversifying the school offer
to accommodate diverse student achievement and career
interests
4 – Supporting the learning within upper secondary education
5 – Certifying learning and
ensuring successful
transitions from upper
secondary education
DEFINING OBJECTIVES, LEARNING GOALS AND ESTABLISHING THE
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
Agreeing on clear and
well-articulated
learning goals
Instituting effective
governance arrangements
in upper secondary education
Using funding mechanisms strategically
DEFINING OBJECTIVES, LEARNING GOALS AND ESTABLISHING THE
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
• Defining objectives for upper secondary education also vis-à-vis other
education levels
• Curriculum to provide knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed –
including higher-order competencies, essential for advanced learning and
a modern economy (21st century skills); development of social and
emotional skills
• Core subjects, optional subjects, degree of specialization of subjects – is
sufficient time allocated to core competencies in the curriculum?
• Mandatory or not?
Agreeing on clear and well-articulated
learning goals
• Objectives: prepare students for successful transition into the labour market ortertiary education and develop engaged citizens - minimum level of
attainment for full economic and social participation in advanced economies
• Upper secondary education should: ensure all students master core cognitivecompetencies; engage the aspirations and interests of all learners; andprepare students to shape their own and their nation’s future.
Employment rates of 25-34 year-olds, by educational attainment (2017)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Sw
itzer
land
Icel
and
Aus
tria
Sw
eden
Luxe
mbo
urg
Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
Slo
veni
a
Ger
man
y
Net
herla
nds
Cze
ch R
epub
lic
Por
tuga
l
Est
onia
Hun
gary
Nor
way
New
Zea
land
Aus
tral
ia
Latv
ia
Den
mar
k
Can
ada
Slo
vak
Rep
ublic
Bel
gium
OE
CD
ave
rage
Pol
and
Fra
nce
Fin
land
Uni
ted
Sta
tes
Irel
and
Isra
el
Mex
ico
Spa
in
Chi
le
Tur
key
Kor
ea
Italy
Gre
ece
Below upper secondary Upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary Tertiary
Percentage of adults earning more than the median, by educational attainment (2016)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Bra
zil1
Cos
ta R
ica
Mex
ico2
Chi
le1
Hun
gary
Por
tuga
l
Col
ombi
a
Slo
veni
a3
Cze
ch R
epub
lic1
Tur
key2
Slo
vak
Rep
ublic
Pol
and
Latv
ia2
Fra
nce1
Ger
man
y
OE
CD
ave
rage
Sw
itzer
land
Kor
ea
Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
Gre
ece
Luxe
mbo
urg2
Uni
ted
Sta
tes
Bel
gium
2
Irel
and2
Italy
1
Spa
in1
Nor
way
Aus
tria
Fin
land
1
Net
herla
nds1
Lith
uani
a1
Aus
tral
ia
Japa
n1
Isra
el
Den
mar
k
New
Zea
land
Est
onia
Sw
eden
Can
ada1
Tertiary Upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary Below upper secondary%
25-64 year-old workers (full- and part-time workers)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
Ending age of compulsory education (2016)
Age Countries
14 Korea, Slovenia
14-15 Greece
15 Austria, Czech Republic, Japan, Switzerland
16 Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
17 Australia, Israel, Mexico, Turkey, United States
18 Belgium, Chile, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal
DEFINING OBJECTIVES, LEARNING GOALS AND ESTABLISHING THE
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
• Clarify the distribution of responsibilities for education outcomes –central, regional, local, school levels; different ministries
• Ensure participatory mechanisms for all agents in the system,
namely actors of the labour market, tertiary education institutions,
society at large
• Establish the monitoring of the education system (data informationsystems, learning outcomes, labour market outcomes) and inform
policy development on the basis of evidence
Instituting
effective
governance
arrangements
in upper
secondary
education
DEFINING OBJECTIVES, LEARNING GOALS AND ESTABLISHING THE
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK
• Assess the level of resources invested in upper secondary education– is funding adequate? Overall, compared to other education levels,
across expenditure items?
• Identify spending inefficiencies (e.g. school drop-out, smallschools/courses/classes, dead-ends, ineffective transitions)
• Important issue is degree of specialization in upper secondary educationversus cost of providing specialised courses (number of students per class)
• Scholarships for disadvantaged students (to compensate foropportunity cost)
• Private expenditure/sources of funding in upper secondaryeducation (e.g. philanthropy, sale of services in VET schools)
Using funding
mechanisms
strategically
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0,0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1,0
1,2
1,4
1,6
1,8
2,0
Relative to primary education
Relative to lower secondary
Expenditure per student on upper secondary educational institutions relative to that on
primary and lower secondary institutions (2015)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0,0
0,2
0,4
0,6
0,8
1,0
1,2
1,4
1,6
Expenditure per student on general programmes relative to that on vocational
programmes, upper secondary educational institutions (2015)
ENSURING EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS INTO UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Reducing achievement
disparities prior to upper
secondary education
Effectively selecting into
upper secondary education
Supporting transition into
upper secondary education
ENSURING EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS INTO UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Minimize spectrum of student achievement at the point studentstransition to secondary education – facilitates organisation and
structure of secondary education
• Invest early on to compensate educational disadvantage, achieveeducational potential of every student and minimise learning
disparities
• The lasting effects of early learning are particularly strong among
disadvantaged students
• Early identification of learning difficulties and extra support
Reducing
achievement
disparities
prior to upper
secondary
education
Share of first-time entrants to upper secondary education, by programme orientation
and parents’ educational attainment (2015)
25%
48%
31%
53%
30%
44%
40%
64%
39%
48%
42%
47%
41%
61%
35%
71%
40%
64%
33%
58%
20%
55%
27%
51%
16%
49%
39%
49%
13%
58%
0 %
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
90 %
100 %
General Vocational General Vocational General Vocational General Vocational General Vocational General Vocational General Vocational All programmes
Finland Norway1 Flemish Comm.(Belgium)2
Sweden Netherlands Israel France1 UnitedStates1
Below upper secondary Upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary Tertiary
Parents' highest level of educational attainment:
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
ENSURING EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS INTO UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Age/grade of transition into upper secondary education
• School tracking: Early tracking from primary school (e.g. Austria, CzechRepublic, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and, to someextent, Belgium, Switzerland); late tracking at upper secondary level (e.g.Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Korea, Latvia,Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom,
• Requirements to access upper secondary education
• Admission and selection criteria; selective upper secondary schools; selectivetracks/schools; use of external examinations at lower secondary level
Effectively selecting into upper secondary education
ENSURING EFFECTIVE TRANSITIONS INTO UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Articulation between lower and upper secondary education: are
educational offerings well aligned to facilitate transition?
• Diagnostic student assessment; teacher preparation for formativeassessment
• Providing remedial classes for students not fully prepared for uppersecondary education
• Special arrangements for adults / 2nd chance opportunities
Supporting
transition
into upper
secondary
education
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
25
50
75
100
% In general programmes
In vocational programmes
Percentage of students above typical age (20 years old), upper secondary education
(2016)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
Average age of first-time upper secondary graduates, by programme orientation and
gender (2016)
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
33
35
Age
Women in vocational programmes Men in vocational programmes Women in general programmes Men in general programmes
DIVERSIFYING THE SCHOOL OFFER TO ACCOMMODATE DIVERSE STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT AND CAREER INTERESTS
Diversifying paths in
secondary education
Strengthening vocational
programmes
Providing adequate
information and career guidance
DIVERSIFYING THE SCHOOL OFFER TO ACCOMMODATE DIVERSE STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT AND CAREER INTERESTS
• Students arrive at the upper secondary level with a range of skill levels andinterests, and diverse aspirations for the future
• Ensure diversity of education offerings in secondary education toaccommodate spectrum of student achievement and variety of students’career interests – relevance, flexibility and choice are the hallmarks of anengaging upper secondary system
• Balance between academic and professional pathways
• Accommodating diverse needs versus complexity/transparency of the
system
• Ensuring a specialised education while remaining broad and relevant torange of needs
• Expand education provision at secondary level as student enrolmentincreases (infrastructure; qualified teachers)
Diversifying paths in secondary education
• New Zealand, Ireland: significant choice; France: relatively constrained pathways; Nordic
countries: very large common core.
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
First-time upper secondary graduation rates for students below the age of 25, by
programme orientation (2016)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
%
General programmes Vocational programmes All programmes
Percentage of 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary education, by gender (2017)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70% Men Women
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
25
50
75
% 2007
2017
Percentage of 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary education, trends (2007 and
2017)
DIVERSIFYING THE SCHOOL OFFER TO ACCOMMODATE DIVERSE STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT AND CAREER INTERESTS
• Developing a strong vocational sector in secondary education, as a valideducational option (status of VET) – curriculum to address the needs ofstudents who do not find academic courses engaging
• A variety of VET models: school-based models; mixed model (academicand VET); with work-based learning; apprenticeships
• Ensuring offers within vocational education and training (VET) are relevantfor the labour market – with strong links to employers
• Providing opportunities for work-based learning and ensuring good qualitygeneral education within VET
• Availability of apprenticeships as offered by employers
• Provided in same facilities as academic programmes or in separateinstitution? [Anglo-Saxon model: comprehensive school model; Germany,Austria, much of Eastern Europe: different types of schools]
Strengthening vocational
programmes
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0
25
50
75
100
% In vocational programmes
In combined school- and work-based
am m
Percentage of students in vocational programmes and combined school- and work-
based programmes, upper secondary education (2016)
ma m a a a a a a
m – missing dataa – Data are not applicable because the category does not apply
DIVERSIFYING THE SCHOOL OFFER TO ACCOMMODATE DIVERSE STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT AND CAREER INTERESTS
• Providing information about study options in secondary
education, including on outcomes in the labour market
• Ensuring students benefit from career guidance services
so they make well-informed decisions about their future
Providing adequate information and career guidance
SUPPORTING THE LEARNING WITHIN UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Consolidating school
autonomy and school leadership
Addressing learning
difficulties
Providing pathways
within upper secondary education
SUPPORTING THE LEARNING WITHIN UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Bringing decision-making to the local level offers greater potentialto take into account school needs [e.g. staffing decisions;
instructional content; flexibility in delivery; use of school resources;
partnerships with employers; links to labour market; more openness
to stakeholders]
• Can be consolidated as school capacity increases, accountabilitymechanisms are in place and resources are distributed according
to needs
• Investing in the leadership of schools is likely to be cost-effective –key link with system-level policy; role of external stakeholders in
school governance
Consolidating school autonomy and school leadership
SUPPORTING THE LEARNING WITHIN UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Setting equally high expectations for all students
• Providing extra support for students with learning difficulties:individual tutoring; extra classes; smaller classes or extra classroom
attention.
• Teachers to be prepared to teach in heterogeneous classes,individualise learning and have equal expectations of students
• Involvement of parents and school community; policies to re-
engage out-of-school students
Addressing
learning
difficulties
Completion rate of upper secondary education, by parents' educational attainment and
programme orientation (2015)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2018
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Isra
el
Fle
mis
hC
omm
.(B
elgi
um)1
Fin
land
Nor
way
2
Fra
nce2
Sw
eden
Net
herla
nds
Uni
ted
Sta
tes2
,3
Parents did not attain tertiary (General) Parents did not attain tertiary (Vocational)At least one parent attained tertiary (General) At least one parent attained tertiary (Vocational)
Completion of any upper sec. programme within the theoretical duration of the programme in which the student entered
DEVELOPING THE CAPACITY OF LOCAL ACTORS AND SUPPORTING
SCHOOLS
• Offering opportunities for bridging across study options, including
between general and vocational options – can students move easily
between pathways?
• Credit recognition, supplementary courses to transition across tracks
• Ensure students are not faced with dead-ends
Providing
pathways
within upper
secondary
education
CERTIFYING LEARNING AND ENSURING SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS FROM
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Assessing competencies within upper secondary education
Certifying learning within
upper secondary education
Successfully transitioning from upper secondary education
• The need for assessment and examination practices to recognise a broad
range of knowledge and skills
• Summative vs formative assessment:
o Undesired effects of summative assessment/examinations: teaching tothe test; impact on motivation; narrowing of curriculum
o External exit examinations: signals about expected standards; motivateeffort; positive effect on student-teacher relationships.
• External (standardised) vs internal (school-based assessment)
o External assessments: high reliability (same tasks, same standards);fairness (lack of bias) and transparency.
o Internal assessments: high validity, captures a broader range ofcompetencies; provides more opportunities for students to show skills
• Ensuring consistency of marking through moderation procedures
Assessing
competenci
es within
upper
secondary
education
CERTIFYING LEARNING AND ENSURING SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS FROM
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Existence of standardized central examinations and assessments at ISCED levels 1-3,
public schools, general programmes (2015)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2015
Five or more
subjects covered
Three or four
subjects covered
One or two subjects
covered
Exist, but number of
subjects covered is
unavailable
No examination or
no assessment
Existence of
national
examinations
Primary
0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
Lower
secondary
0 0 0 4 0 0 0 11 0 5 0 11 5 0 0 0 9 0 9 0 0 0 0 6 0 2 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 0 0 4
Upper
secondary
m 3 0 2 0 4 3 10 11 3 7 11 9 9 5 0 9 10 9 0 7 9 0 6 12 7 8 7 11 9 9 7 0 0 5 3 0 5 7
Existence of
national
assessments
Primary
5 2 6 4 0 4 4 2 3 3 10 5 2 0 2 2 2 3 2 3 0 2 0 4 2 4 3 0 0 2 3 3 5 0 0 5 2 4 3
Lower
secondary
5 3 5 1 3 6 5 3 0 0 10 5 4 0 2 3 0 4 2 3 5 4 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 2 9 8 5 0 0 7 2 5 0
Upper
secondary
0 0 4 3 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 5 2 0 0
Austr
alia
Austr
ia
Belg
ium
(F
l.)
Belg
ium
(F
r.)
Canada
Chile
Czech R
epublic
Denm
ark
Engla
nd
Esto
nia
Fin
land
Fra
nce
Germ
any
Gre
ece
Hungary
Icela
nd
Ire
land
Isra
el
Italy
Japan
Kore
a
Luxem
bourg
Mexic
o
Neth
erlands
New
Zeala
nd
Norw
ay
Pola
nd
Port
ugal
Scotland
Slo
vak R
epublic
Slo
venia
Spain
Sw
eden
Sw
itzerland
Turk
ey
United S
tate
s
Bra
zil
Colo
mbia
Latv
ia
• The role of national qualifications frameworks – course credits,
qualifications
• Provides clarity to stakeholders regarding the academic and vocationalqualifications students can obtain and the associated competenciesthey need to acquire
• Transparency in progression pathways can facilitate students’ progressionin education, while at the same time acting as a quality assurance
mechanisms for qualifications
• Requirements for certification:
o In most countries, it is at least partly based on results achieved in finalexamination
o In some countries, it is only based on teacher-assigned marks and workover the year (e.g. Belgium, Finland, most German Länder, Hungary,Luxembourg)
o In several countries, it is based on a combination of school-based marksand external examinations
Certifying
learning
within upper
secondary
education
CERTIFYING LEARNING AND ENSURING SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS FROM
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Modularisation and credit-based systems
The case of New Zealand: National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) in
secondary education. Students gain NCEA by accumulating credits from different parts
of the NZ Qualifications Framework (NZQF)
o In Years 11-13, student assessment is guided by the NZQF, a register of all quality assured
qualifications covering both secondary and tertiary education
o Standards contributing to NCEA are listed on the Directory of Assessment Standards. There
are two types of standards: unit standards and achievement standards. Unit standards are
vocationally-based and mostly used in workplace training and the tertiary sector.
Achievement standards are academically-based and focused on the secondary school
curriculum.
o The Directory of Assessment Standards contains over 26 000 unit standards and about 850
achievement standards. Schools can design and offer their own courses mixing unit
standards and achievement standards.
o Assessment can involve both internal and external assessment approaches. All unit standards
are internally assessed. Achievement standards assessed both internally and externally.
o External assessment is conducted by NZQA via national examinations (or by portfolio for
certain subjects). Internal assessment is largely based on coursework and classroom-based
assessment. An external moderation system is in place to ensure the dependability of internal
assessments in Years 11-13.
Certifying
learning
within upper
secondary
education
CERTIFYING LEARNING AND ENSURING SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS FROM
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
• Requirements to enter tertiary education – is upper secondary education wellaligned with requirements for success in tertiary education?
• Supplementary courses in certain upper secondary education tracks to
access tertiary education
• Articulation between upper secondary education and tertiary education: areeducational offerings well aligned to facilitate transition? Supply ofprogrammes at the tertiary level also needs further diversification
• Selection into tertiary education – respective roles of secondary system andtertiary education institutions
• Transition into the labour market - reflecting labour market needs
• In secondary curricula
• In national qualifications frameworks
• Importance of producing information on labour market outcomes ofsecondary graduates
Successfully
transitioning
from upper
secondary
education
CERTIFYING LEARNING AND ENSURING SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS FROM
UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION
Purposes and uses of national/central examinations as admission criteria to tertiary
institutions (2017)
Source: Education at a Glance, 2017
National/central examinations refer to examinations for students at the end of upper secondary level
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Only available route into tertiary education
Only available route into some fields of education
Decisions about scholarships or financial assistance for students
Student access to programme/faculty/discipline/ field/specialisation
Student access to selective and/or high-demand/competitive tertiary institutions
Student entry to tertiary education (in general)
Only available route into tertiary education
Only available route into some fields of education
Decisions about scholarships or financial assistance for students
Student access to programme/faculty/discipline/ field/specialisation
Student access to selective and/or high-demand/competitive tertiary institutions
Student entry to tertiary education (in general)
Only available route into tertiary education
Only available route into some fields of education
Decisions about scholarships or financial assistance for students
Student access to programme/faculty/discipline/ field/specialisation
Student access to selective and/or high-demand/competitive tertiary institutions
Student entry to tertiary education (in general)
Inde
pend
ent p
rivat
ein
stitu
tions
Gov
ernm
ent-
depe
nden
tpr
ivat
e in
stitu
tions
Pub
lic in
stitu
tions
Number of countries
Yes No Not applicable Missing
Many thanks for your attention
• Contact: paulo.santiago@oecd.org
• Website: www.oecd.org/education
• Education GPS: http://gpseducation.oecd.org/
(In particular, see Diagrams of Education Systems)
http://www.oecd.org/educationhttp://gpseducation.oecd.org/