ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAMMES
There is increasing interest in the assessment of the quality of education; it became more
important with the LOGSE (1990) and even more central since the passage of the LOCE (2002)
and of the present LOE (2006). Among the quality principles listed by the LOE in its Preliminary
Title, we may find the following:
“The assessment of the whole educational system, both its programming and organisation and
the teaching and learning processes, as well as its results.” (art.1)
More specifically, assessment is applied to learning processes and students’ results, the
collaborative task of the teaching staff, the administrative function, the functioning of the
educational institutions, the inspection, and the Educational Administrations themselves.
The mechanisms foreseen are the following:
- A combination of summative and formative assessment adapted to the needs of the
students.
- Those that each educational institution must develop in collaboration with the
Educational Administration in charge. Self-assessment is encouraged.
- Those that each Autonomous Community establishes when exercising its powers.
-
Those carried out by the Assessment Institute (Instituto de Evaluación).
23
The Educational Administrations are also in charge of carrying out inspections in every
training institution (public, private or state-supported), in order to ensure the fulfilment of the
laws and the improvement in the quality of the educational system. Their functions are:
. To advise and provide information to the different sectors of the community with regard
to the execution of their rights and the fulfilment of their duties.
. To participate in the assessment of the educational system.
. To collaborate to improve the teaching practice and the functioning of the training
centres, as well as the educational renewal processes.
. To keep watch over the fulfilment of the laws, regulations and other general provisions in
the field of the educational system.
The new LOE requires that the Government – after a consultation with the Autonomous
Communities – make an annual report to the Congress of the Deputies on the main indicators
of the Spanish educational system, the results of the Spanish or international diagnosisassessments, and the recommendations on the basis of the latter, as well as on the more
important aspects of the report of the State School Council (Consejo Escolar del Estado) on the
educational system.
It should be noted that there has been an effort to improve the quality of the system(the
schemes that are under the responsibility of the Educational Administration) and its results.
In relation to the schemes under the jurisdiction of the Labour Administrations targeted to
both unemployed and working people, assessment is carried out by means of:
Training for the unemployed (FIP Plan):
- Memoranda or reports carried out by the training centres providing courses as soon as
they finish. They must include annual information on the degree of fulfilment of the
programme planning foreseen at the beginning of the activity, the qualifications
obtained by the students and their professional placement.
- Assessments on the collaborating centres where courses have been given and follow-up
by the INEM or the corresponding body in each Autonomous Community.
- Inspection carried out by the Labour Administrations by means of the territorial
delegations.