Norway

Marianne Aasen, photo: Arne Ove Bergo

Opening for student evaluation of teacher effectiveness (original article in Norwegian)

Espen Løkeland-Stai, Dagsagisven (September 15, 2012)

On Wednesday, September 19^th, Norwegian Labour Party leader and head of the Education Committee in Parliament, Marianne Aasen, will propose a new teacher evaluation process that is systemic and standardized at the national level. Aasen will propose that evaluations of students decrease, while evaluations of teachers increase. In the end, she hopes the overall number of tests will be cut down.

Aasen believes these evaluations will need to be targeted and necessary, indicating that the current system suffers from varying quality of both the collection of data and the information that is actually used. They will also include student surveys of teacher performance.

Mimi Bjerkestrand photo: Linda Cartridge

Aasen, noting the current conflict at the heart of the teacher strikes in Chicago, does not want to introduce incentives such as teacher pay that is linked to student performance. She believes evaluations must be developed in consultation with teachers. Mimi Bjerkestrand, leader of Utdanningsforbundet (the Teachers Union), agrees. She sees the teaching situation as more complex and complicated than teacher performance, but believes that a thorough review is necessary. Bjerkestrand hopes the emphasis is on new information that will improve institutions, and not the rank and competition between schools.

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In 2004, Norway introduced the National Quality System (NKVS) for all schools.