Assessing Bulgarian education or having it assessed (that is the question)

The lack of external assessment of the educational system was finally being recognized as a significant problem. And as we often do, as soon as we detect a serious problem, we tend to look for the root of all evils exactly there. So it’s quite likely that external assessment will not be spared such fate.

by Julian Popov

 

What does external assessment exactly mean?

It is not such a simple question as it seems. Yet, if we put it plainly, the external assessment is a type of assessment obviously not made by the assessed ones themselves. (As we will see below, even this definition is not quite straight to the point) When teachers rate their pupils, they rate themselves as well. Each time a teacher gives an A grade, he or she says "Good for you" to the pupil and then "Good for you" to himself/herself for having taught the pupil what is required.

This kind of interrelation between teachers and students seems quite ambiguous, but at the same time it is predominantly based on shared trust and sincerity. We should not see it necessarily as a bad thing. It is important not to make haste judgments about the teachers and their abilities by simply reviewing the grades obtained by their pupils.

However, when we have certain doubts as to the impartiality of the teacher’s evaluation methods, we resort to external assessment. What is the essential thing about external assessment is that someone else comes to evaluate the student, and the teacher respectively. When an external assessment procedure is under way, teachers tend to be more responsive and objective in their judgments, knowing that an outsider will come to class who might find fault with them for giving grades as they please.

Of course, some risks are inherent in external assessment:

1. What do we assess? That’s a hard one. Do we actually assess the children? Or the teachers? Or the parents, whose help is essential to their children’s progress? Or the principal, who’s in charge of the school? Or the social environment of the students? Or the Ministry? Or the textbooks, who might be or might be not decently written and compiled? Or the other media and environmental factors such as television, radio, museums and libraries, cultural centers, press and similar cultural institutions supposed to aid the overall educational process?

2. As we assess, what is our basis for comparison? Our expectations? Some intellectual concept of an imaginary average "knowledge degree" for students of a particular age? Do we compare with school in the nearby town or village? Or with the established European standards? Or with the standards in, say, Finland? Or Greece? Or with the requirements that local Universities might have? Or European? Or US Universities?

3. How much is the cost of assessment? One might say: "Well, accounting is a pretty expensive service but we cannot go without." It’s perfectly right and yet if we are to introduce external assessment on a general basis, we should first calculate the percentage of our educational budget to be involved in this feat. We have the mind of an easy spender. We usually think and plan matters without considering their price. Maybe we still expect someone else, someone richer than us to step the bill. Or it is just because we do not really expect our plans to come to life.

4. What does assessment teach us? In the long run, this type of assessment only makes sense, if it contributes to the efficiency of the educational system. If it teaches the school a useful lesson. And if the knowledge of students starts to expand thanks to it. So, how does kids benefit from external assessment? The answer is largely up to its manner and focus of application. If, for example, it is used to evaluate a particular student and the resulting grade is then integrated into this particular student’s rating for the next educational level, then he/she will always try to do better when being evaluated externally. If external assessment involves filling in tests, then the student will basically learn how to do tests. Whether the student will acquire some other skills is still unclear.

To put it shortly, the introduction of external assessment to general education might be accompanied by a number of ambiguities.

Is there a solution to these ambiguities?

Yes, certainly. Like many other brilliant solutions, that one is pretty simple. We just have to ignore the further development of the external assessment system for the time being and apply those methods, which have already provided some basis for comparison such as the well-known methods of PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA (see www.sitekreator.com/qute/ratings.html).

Why not a system of our own?

Of course, that will also happen at a certain point. However, the methods of PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA are indispensable for a simple reason – they have already been used and have proven capable of giving a general picture, though rather fragmented, of the current status of Bulgarian education, as well as drawing comparisons to its condition five or ten years ago. Moreover, these methods provide education-related data for approximately 40 other countries.

When applied to a random school, say, 20th school of general education "Todor Minkov" in Sofia, the methods of PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA allow us to immediately make out where does that school stand compared to its average counterparts in the country, in Europe, England, Greece, Russia, etc. We’ll be able to put the school against the backdrop of the average standards of previous periods – 5, even 10 years ago. In other words, we’ll have the possibility of transposing it in a wide historical and geographical context.

After we have measured all schools in this manner, we’ll have exact information as to their status in relation to a group of unified indices.

What about examinations?

Having a magic system of external, therefore fully objective assessment is a very attractive concept indeed. Finally someone (and again – someone from the outside, someone else) will come and uproot corruption, subjectivity and all other drawbacks.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. If you are not aware what is to be assessed and what your criteria should be, you are likely to end up in a situation reminiscent of the conversation between the deaf and the blind.

Bulgarian school still does not have a clear idea as to what is quality education. The business says it is an education which is able to prepare qualified personnel. Charity funds and non-governmental organizations define it as a network of schools providing education to all minorities up to 10th grade. Not so long ago they used to tell us quality education should shape exemplary members of a socialist-minded society. Others see it as an investment for the future and some are convinced that such a term can only be attributed to education, which is recognized in Europe.

One way or another, without a coherent idea about what kind of education we want for ourselves and our children, it is hardly appropriate to address the issue of assessment in the first place. This is one of the reasons why we shouldn’t push the introduction of an external assessment system in the form of some kind of exam that can significantly affect the future of today’s students.

Moreover, to be able to implement a working rating system for student achievements, we should first build up a basis, find a starting point of a kind.

An eventual complete "audit" of all schools will give us exactly the perspective we need. What is more important, though, is that such a survey will result in a detailed comparative diagnosis of the entire Bulgarian school system.

This diagnosis should not be seen as a reason for sending our kids to particular schools. Nor should it determine the salaries of teachers; penalize schools of poor performance by cutting their budget or encourage the best ones by budget incentives.

We need such diagnosis just to understand where we stand, what is our place in the general picture.

As the old saying goes, one should not be ashamed to ask questions. That’s exactly what Bulgarian schooling needs to do – ask questions. Ask the others about itself and take to some serious self-searching, in order to finally come across an easily identifiable familiar ground.

Despite its name, such assessment procedure should not be entirely external. The best systems of this type are the ones which manage to involve the subject of assessment into the very process. When assessees are certain that they’ll not have their salaries cut (or told to leave the classroom, for that matter) they will probably take part in the assessment effort themselves.

The fate of Bulgarian education is too tough a task to be assigned to a single institution. Its assessment should not be based upon oversimplified "ticket controller" policies. The fate of Bulgarian education is a complex, even painful matter that cannot be resolved by a new, though next to immaculate, assessment system.

Shall we just sit and wait then?

Well, no. The incessant ill-advised reforms are what keeps education waiting and ties its hands up.

Bulgarian school badly needs some urgent measures to be taken. Immediate, no hassle measures, so to speak. However, they should not be taken in a rush to keep pace with the advance of our neighbours. If you have lost your way in the suburbs of a big city, rushing is not the thing to do. You will not get downtown even if you run. Because what you need is a map. Stop for a moment, look at the map, look around, read the signboards, ask someone, if you will.

Similarly, Bulgarian educational system has to stop for a while to take a look around. Then decide which way to go. The assessment procedures utilizing the methods of PIRLS, TIMSS and PISA will hopefully give it exactly what it needs: an initial evaluation, based on shared experience and cooperation.

julianpopov@clara.co.uk