OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: North Macedonia

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and abbreviations
Executive summary
	Raising learning outcomes through student assessment
	Using teacher appraisal to support and incentivise good teaching
	Aligning school evaluation with its core purposes of accountability and improvement
	Creating a stronger framework to monitor and evaluate national progress in education
Assessment and recommendations
	Introduction
	Main trends: despite strong participation in education, learning outcomes are not improving
		Younger generations show similar levels of educational attainment as their peers in OECD and EU countries
		Participation in higher education has expanded rapidly in the last two decades
		Learning outcomes are among the lowest in the region and are not improving
		More than three out of five 15-year-olds lack basic reading skills
		Neighbouring countries achieve better outcomes with the same level of education spending
		School location and language of instruction are strongly related to outcomes
	Evaluation and assessment in North Macedonia
		Setting goals for improving learning outcomes and measuring progress
		Strengthening professional competence
		Supporting and resourcing schools to lead improvement
	Raising learning outcomes through student assessment
		Policy issue 2.1 Making the results of student assessment more meaningful
		Policy issue 2.2 Focusing assessment practices on helping students learn
		Policy issue 2.3 Updating the state matura to encourage and assess better student learning in key areas
	Using teacher appraisal to support and incentivise good teaching
		Policy issue 3.1 Ensuring that entry into, and progression along the teaching career path is based on professional competence
		Policy issue 3.2 Developing a culture of learning and feedback in schools
		Policy issue 3.3 Strengthening external support for teachers’ professional development
	Aligning school evaluation with its core purposes of accountability and improvement
		Policy issue 4.1 Professionalising the State Education Inspectorate
		Policy issue 4.2 Ensuring that integral school evaluations focus centrally on improving school quality
		Policy issue 4.3 Developing schools’ capacity to carry out meaningful self-evaluation
		Policy issue 4.4 Providing schools with greater resources to enhance the quality and impact of school evaluation
	Creating a stronger framework to monitor and evaluate national progress in education
		Policy issue 5.1 Centralising the use of EMIS and improving its capacity
		Policy issue 5.2 Designing a national assessment that supports national learning goals
		Policy issue 5.3 Institutionalising system evaluation
	References
Chapter 1.  The education system in the Republic of North Macedonia
	Introduction
	National context
		Socio-economic context
			Further progress needed to reduce unemployment and poverty
			North Macedonia is ethnically and linguistically diverse
			Despite recent reforms, lack of transparency and accountability continue to hinder national development
	Governance and funding of the education system
		Governance of the education system
			The national strategy for education focuses on essential actions, but lacks goals and monitoring mechanisms
			Lack of professional capacity and unco-ordinated data systems weaken the Ministry’s ability to set and monitor policy goals
			Specialised bodies affiliated to the ministry provide technical expertise, but are weakened by lack of strong leadership and insufficient resources
			Recent reforms have decentralised education service delivery, but have not developed capacity to match
			While schools have significant autonomy, political interference and lack of support prevent them from fully using it
		Funding of the education system
			Public spending on education has been historically low, and is declining further
			North Macedonia’s limited resources could be used more efficiently
			Expenditure levels in the early years of education are comparatively low
			Municipalities have considerable autonomy for resource allocation, but little oversight
			Many schools lack basic resources
	Structure of schooling in North Macedonia
		General programmes
			Education is compulsory until the end of upper secondary school and predominantly publicly provided
			Satellite schools account for two-thirds of elementary schools
			Students from the main minority groups have the right to education in their mother tongue
			Schools struggle to respond to student demand
		Vocational education and training
			Students are tracked into VET or general schools at age 15
			Both VET and gymnasium students can take the state matura which enables them to access tertiary education
			There are major reforms underway to improve the quality and labour market relevance of VET programmes
	Main trends in participation, learning and equity
		Participation
			Participation to compulsory education has increased, but a minority of students leave school before completing upper secondary
			Despite recent progress, access to pre-primary education remains limited and lower than in other Western Balkan countries
			There has been a rapid expansion of higher education, but with limited quality controls
			Tertiary programmes do not reflect labour market needs
		Learning outcomes
			Most 15-year-olds lack basic science, reading and mathematics
			Learning outcomes have stagnated and are among the lowest in the region
			Teaching and learning in the early years does not equip students with foundation skills
			Schools provide limited instruction time
			Schools have limited resources to support student learning
			Initial teacher education does not equip new teachers with minimum teaching competencies
			Teachers participate in professional development less than in many other countries
		Equity
			Little variation in education outcomes reflects a high share of low performers overall
			Disadvantaged students are less likely to participate in pre-primary education and upper secondary education
			Disadvantaged students are three times more likely to be enrolled in a pre-vocational or vocational programme than their advantaged peers
			Boys are under-achieving in school
			Disparities between rural and urban regions are still large
			Ethnic minorities face important challenges
	Conclusion
		Annex 1.A. Key indicators
	References
Chapter 2.  Raising learning outcomes through student assessment
	Introduction
	Key features of an effective student assessment system
		Overall objectives and policy framework
			The curriculum and learning standards communicate what students are expected to know and be able to do
		Types and purposes of assessment
		Classroom assessment
			Effective classroom assessment requires the development of teachers’ assessment literacy
		National examinations
		National assessments
		National assessment agencies
	Student assessment in North Macedonia
		Overall objectives and policy framework
			Recent curricula changes emphasise a more competency-based approach to teaching and learning
			Learning standards are comprehensive but fragmented
		Classroom assessment
			Students are graded on a five-point scale from grade 4 onwards
			From grade 6 onwards, marks from classroom assessments inform student pathways
			Classroom assessment focuses heavily on numeric grades
			There have been efforts to support teachers’ assessment knowledge and skills
		National examinations
			The state matura is a well-respected model across the region
			A decade after its introduction, there are aspects of the state matura that could be improved
			Alternative examinations to the state matura might also require review
		National assessment
			A new national assessment is in the early stages of development
		National assessment agencies
			The BDE supports teachers’ classroom assessment capacity
			The NEC is the examination and national assessment agency
	Policy issues
	Developing meaningful reporting of student results
		Develop coherent national learning standards
			Prioritise learning standards for reading and writing in grades 1-3
			Introduce performance levels that set out how far students have achieved learning standards
		Align student assessment with national learning standards
			Support teachers in developing assessments that are aligned with learning standards
			Connect classroom assessments with the national assessment
		Enhance the accuracy and educational value of marking and reporting
			Extend the marking scale and link it with the national learning standards
			Support teachers to use the new marking scale through consistent moderation
			Emphasise that marks are to be used for monitoring student learning, not for ranking
			Consider introducing a project assessment at the end of lower secondary to inform students’ choice of upper secondary programme
	Focusing assessment practices on helping students learn
		Promote the use of diagnostic assessments, especially in early grades
			Use EGRA and EGMA as diagnostic assessments for young students
			Communicate that the purpose of diagnostic assessment is to support students and not classify them
		Provide and record high-quality feedback to support learning
			Update reporting structures to reflect the new marking scale
			Providing feedback to parents
			Recording descriptive feedback
		Remove barriers to providing formative assessment
			Remove rigid time expectations in the curriculum
			Allow for greater flexibility in the teaching of the curriculum in the integral evaluation process
			Strengthen support in schools for implementing formative assessment
	Updating the state matura to encourage and assess better student learning in the key areas
		Revise the matura design to provide more reliable results in key subjects
			Make mathematics a compulsory subject
			Create two versions of the mathematics exam, at basic and higher levels
			Consider extending further the core subjects that are assessed by the state matura
			Mark all subjects externally
			Standardise the project assignment
		Adapt marking and improve item quality to provide greater discrimination of student ability and motivate students to improve their learning
			Change the marking scheme to 1 to 10
			Produce and analyse item statistics after the state matura has been administered
		Strengthen the VET component of the state matura
			Externally validate the VET subject of the state matura and link the results to certification
			Determine responsibility for assuring the quality and external validation of the new VET certification
			Require project assignments be related to VET
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 3.  Using teacher appraisal to support and incentivise good teaching
	Introduction
	Key features of an effective appraisal system
		Teacher standards
			Standards provide a common reference point for teacher policies, including appraisal
		Initial teacher preparation
			Select candidates with strong academic skills and motivation to teach
			Set a rigorous certification process at the end of teacher education to make sure to select qualified new teachers
		Types of teacher appraisal
			A probation period and appraisal provides new teachers with essential support in their first year(s) on the job
			Regularly appraising teachers provides meaningful feedback and informs classroom practices
			Appraisal for promotion informs teachers’ career progression and rewards performance
	The teaching profession in North Macedonia
		Teaching workforce
			North Macedonia has a young and expanding teaching workforce
		Teacher salaries and career progression
			Teacher salaries are higher than in other Western Balkan countries
		There is currently no career advancement structure
		Initial teacher education and continuous professional development
			Entry to initial teacher education programmes is not selective
			Initial teacher training is mostly theoretical
			Participation in professional development is limited compared to OECD countries
		Teaching and learning
			Teachers have dedicated time for lesson preparation, but receive limited guidance on how to do so
			A multi-actor support team in schools is supposed to help teachers meet diverse learning needs
	Teacher appraisal in North Macedonia
		Teaching standards have been developed but are not yet implemented
		Initial certification does not provide a reliable indicator of teachers’ readiness to teach
		A probation period aims to provide important mentorship and feedback, but is rarely implemented in practice
			In practice, the probation appraisal is based only on the confirmation examination in many schools
		North Macedonia has three processes for regular appraisal
		Plans to introduce an external appraisal for promotion purposes remain on hold
		Appraisal for reward
	Policy issues
	Policy issue 3.1. Ensuring that entry into, and progression along the teaching career path is based on professional competence
		Recommendation 3.1.1. Introduce the planned performance-based teacher career structure
			Focus appraisal on collecting authentic evidence of teachers’ readiness to move up the career path
			Develop indicators and descriptors of quality teaching
			Develop BDE and VETC evaluators’ capacity for appraisal
			Link career promotion to a salary increase to reward performance
			Clarify the link between professional development and career advancement
		Recommendation 3.1.2. Select the most qualified candidates for teaching and ensure that they receive adequate support during probation
			Set higher standards for accreditation of initial teacher education programmes
			Make entry into initial teacher education more selective
			Consider introducing a national qualification exam
			Ensure that all teachers receive quality mentorship during their probation
			Make BDE advisors the final decision makers for probation appraisal
	Policy issue 3.2. Developing a culture of learning and feedback in schools
		Recommendation 3.2.1. Guide principals and pedagogues to make regular appraisal a more meaningful process
			Focus regular appraisal on teacher competencies
			Revise teacher portfolios
			Introduce self-evaluation
			Provide principals and pedagogue with training on teacher appraisal
		Recommendation 3.2.2. Develop the “Teacher Actives”
			Give “Actives” a clear mandate for teachers’ professional development
			Train co-ordinators of “Teacher Actives” and ensure that this role is recognised in the merit-based teacher career structure
		Recommendation 3.2.3. Review the role of the in-school support team
			Revise the role of the school support team
			Ensure that the school support team has the necessary skills and training to work as a multi-tier support team
	Policy issue 3.3. Strengthening external support for teachers’ professional development
		Recommendation 3.3.1. Ensure that professional development meets teachers’ needs
			Accredit training programmes based on teachers’ and national priorities
			Provide sufficient funding for teacher professional development
		Recommendation 3.3.2. Develop more digital resources to support continuous professional development
			Make better use of online training and sharing of lesson materials
			Develop online teacher networks
		Recommendation 3.3.3. Strengthen the role of the BDE
	Conclusion
	Notes
	References
Chapter 4.  Aligning school evaluation with its core purposes of accountability and improvement
	Introduction
	Key features of an effective school evaluation system
		Frameworks for school evaluation ensure transparency, consistency and focus on key aspects of the school environment
		Countries’ external evaluations balance accountability and improvement
			Evaluations aim to establish a school-wide perspective on teaching and learning
			Many countries have created school inspectorates in central government
			The consequences of evaluations vary according to their purpose
		Self-evaluation is an internal tool for improvement
			Effective self-evaluation requires strong school-level capacity
		Data systems provide important inputs for evaluation
		Principals must be able to lead school improvement
			Principals need a deep understanding of teaching and learning, and strong leadership skills to become instructional leaders
			Professionalising school leadership – standards, selection and appraisal
	School governance in North Macedonia
		Principals receive little training in instructional leadership and school management
		The hiring of school principals is highly politicised
		High turnover make it difficult to develop a professional school leadership body
		School boards are involved in key strategic decisions, but lack training and independence
		There are few formal school roles or bodies that support the principal
	School evaluation in North Macedonia
		School performance quality indicators set expectations for school evaluation but gaps remain
		School external evaluation does not fulfil its school improvement purpose
			The process and tools for evaluation do not reflect its intended purpose
			School integral evaluation reports are provided to the school and made public
			Evaluation is perceived to be high stakes by school actors
			The State Education Inspectorate lacks professional independence
			Inspectors receive little training or guidance on how to undertake evaluations
		The quality of school self-evaluation varies
			Schools’ capacity for self-evaluation is limited
		Other forms of school evaluation and quality assurance
	Policy issues
	Policy issue 4.1. Professionalising the State Education Inspectorate
		Recommendation 4.1.1. Guarantee the independence and integrity of the inspectorate
			Ensure the integrity and professional competence of the SEI’s director
			Ensure that inspectors undertake their role with utmost integrity
			Create a board to oversee the SEI’s work
			Make the SEI accountable for the quality of its work
			Develop a national vision of a “good school”
		Recommendation 4.1.2. Build the professional capacity of the State Education Inspectorate
			Reinforce the training of school inspectors
			Create a roster of licensed inspectors to undertake school integral evaluations
	Policy issue 4.2. Ensuring that integral school evaluations focuses centrally on improving school quality
		Recommendation 4.2.1. Revise school integral evaluation to focus more centrally on the quality of teaching and learning
			Revise the School Performance Quality Indicators (SPQI) framework to focus on core teaching and learning areas
			Streamline and reduce administrative reporting
			Revise classroom observations to focus on teaching and learning across the school
			Develop guidance on how to observe teacher practice and student-teacher interactions
		Recommendation 4.2.2. Make sure that integral evaluations deliver constructive feedback to schools
			Improve the quality of feedback to schools
			Create a more meaningful follow-up process, focused on schools in greatest need of improvement
			Communicate and educate the school community on the purpose of school evaluation
	Policy issue 4.3. Developing schools’ capacity to carry out meaningful self-evaluation
		Recommendation 4.3.1. Provide support and training for school actors on self-evaluation
			Revise school self-evaluation guidance
			Provide more training for school actors on self-evaluation
			Review and provide feedback on self-evaluation during integral evaluations
			Create an online portal for schools to share their experience with self-evaluation
		Recommendation 4.3.2. Develop school principals’ instructional leadership skills
			Create a leadership academy for principals’ initial training and continuous professional development
			Make school principals’ appointment transparent and solely based on merit
			Ensure that school principals’ renewal and dismissal are based on independent and external appraisal
	Policy issue 4.4. Providing schools with greater resources to enhance the quality and impact of school evaluation
		Recommendation 4.4.1. Provide schools with indicators and tools to measure their performance
			Strengthen the use of standardised measures of learning outcomes in school evaluations
			Rethink plans to rank schools based on students’ performance in the national assessment
			Simplify schools’ access to data and indicators
		Recommendation 4.4.2. Provide schools with adequate financial resources to implement their improvement plans
			Ensure that school resources are allocated fairly and transparently
			Provide schools with discretionary funds to implement their school plan
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 5.  Creating a stronger framework to monitor and evaluate national progress in education
	Introduction
	Key features of effective system evaluation
		A national vision and goals provide standards for system evaluation
			Reporting against national goals supports accountability
			National goals are a strong lever for governments to direct the education system
		Tools for system evaluation
			Administrative data about students, teachers and schools are held in central information systems
			National and international assessments provide reliable data on learning outcomes
		Thematic reports complement data to provide information about the quality of teaching and learning processes
		A growing number of OECD countries undertake policy evaluations
		Effective evaluation systems requires institutional capacity within and outside government
	System evaluation in North Macedonia
		There is a national vision for education, but goals should be more specific and measurable
		Tools to collect evaluation information are unco-ordinated
			Administrative data collection does not always follow standard definitions and unified procedures
			Public reporting of education data are limited
			A new national assessment is being developed
			North Macedonia participates intermittently in international assessments
		Evaluation and thematic reports
			There is no annual report on the education system
			Some information from school evaluation is made available for system evaluation
			Donors and non-governmental organisations have undertaken valuable analysis
		Evaluation institutions
			There is little oversight of how municipalities use resources and no evaluation of how they set and achieve education goals
	Policy issues
	Policy Issue 5.1. Centralising the use of EMIS and improve its capacity
		Recommendation 5.1.1. Formalise EMIS as the central source of data
			Raise the prominence of EMIS by positioning it closer to central leadership
			Improve staff capacity
			Establish protocols for data definition, collection and retrieval from schools
			Standardise the collection of data across agencies and link those data to EMIS
			Establish quality assurance procedures to verify the accuracy of data that is entered
		Recommendation 5.1.2. Enhance the functionality of EMIS
			Create regular reporting procedures
			Develop a user-friendly portal to quickly retrieve contextual data
		Recommendation 5.1.3. Improve the articulation of national education goals and align future EMIS development with them
			Clarify national goals and create measureable targets
			Develop a national indicator framework and use it to co-ordinate data collection and reporting procedures
	Policy Issue 5.2. Designing a national assessment that supports national learning goals
		Recommendation 5.2.1. Determine the purpose of the national assessment and align its design to the purpose
			Establish a steering committee to define the purpose of the assessment
			Determine who will be responsible for the national assessment
			Consider making formative feedback to educators the primary function of the assessment
			Align the assessment’s design with its primary purpose(s)
			Combine census and sample-based testing
			Test mother tongue language and mathematics
			Create criterion-referenced scoring
			Develop different item types that are designed to assess student learning
			Consider computer-based assessment delivery
		Recommendation 5.2.2. Pay careful attention to the dissemination and use of national assessment results to enhance their formative value
			Avoid decontextualised ranking of individual schools and any judgements on individual teachers
			Create reporting structures to maximise the formative value of the national assessment
			Reporting assessments results to the public
	Policy Issue 5.3. Institutionalising system evaluation
		Recommendation 5.3.1. Build support for system evaluation through the creation of a policy analysis and research unit within the ministry
			Set up a research and analysis unit and clearly define its purpose
			Ensure the new unit has a prominent role in policy making
		Recommendation 5.3.2. Develop a wider network of research entities that contribute to system evaluation
			Clearly define the roles of the specialised agencies and ensure that they have consistent leadership
			Formalise the BDE as the research arm of government
			Define the research and evaluation functions of the NEC and the SEI
		Recommendation 5.3.3. Promote the sharing and use of evaluation results
			Annually publish an analytical education report
			Reinforce processes to embed the use of evidence in the policy-making process
		Recommendation 5.3.4. Strengthen local accountability
			Establish clear procedures for municipalities
			Consider establishing a local audit function to oversee municipal functions related to education
	Conclusion
	References
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