1. They set expectations for the performance of the education system and communicate
them more clearly than before.
2. Evaluation and accountability are considered to be key issues in ensuring quality
provision for all. Evaluation measures are to produce evidence as to whether or
not expectations have been met by the practical operation of the system units.
3. “Evidence” will stimulate and orientate system development. Actors at all levels
of the system—education politicians, administrators, school leaders, teachers,
students, parents, members of school; boards, etc.—will use evaluation information
to make more rational choices in developing their contribution to the
education system and in improving their performance.
In Europe, “evidence-based governance systems” are built on two dominant
arrangements which often exist side by side. The first one includes performance
standards (which set expectations) and tests of student performance (which produce
evidence of system performance; see Altrichter and Maag Merki 2010). Student
achievement results on national standardized tests are aggregated to evaluate the
performance of schools and in some cases to publish league tables of schools.
The second arrangement for educational accountability is school inspections.
Inspectorates of Education set expectations through their inspection standards and
procedures. They assess the quality of education by using existing data (e.g. statistics,
data on student performance) and by collecting additional information (e.g. by interviews
with stakeholders, classroom observation). As a consequence, they produce
reports which hold schools accountable for a broad range of goals related to student
achievement, teaching, organization and leadership.