(How) Does output information from external monitoring enrich school policy and practice? Exploring factors that influence improvement-oriented use of school performance feedback from Flemish national assessments and parallel tests.

The Flemish policy research center for test development and assessments (in Dutch: Steunpunt Toetsontwikkeling en Peilingen, KU Leuven and UAntwerpen) investigates whether attainment targets are met on system level, both in primary and in secondary education. Schools that were selected for participation in a national assessment, and schools that take parallel tests developed within the national assessment program, receive a confidential feedback report in which their performance is compared to the national results and to the performance of other schools, taking into account student background characteristics. The reports provide benchmarking information for schools to use in their quality assurance policy. Goal-oriented and systematic data use has a beneficial impact on the quality of decision making in education. Empirical research has shown that Flemish schools make restricted use of student output data, benchmarks, standardized tests and feedback from scientific studies when shaping their policy and practice. This project aims to investigate to what extent and in which way school feedback from national assessments and parallel tests is used for school development. We will also examine which factors promote or impede this type of data use. We will explore contextual factors, school and user factors, and factors pertaining to the information (system). Our findings will contribute to the future design of school feedback for the national assessment program and the associated parallel tests. In its initial stages, this project will run parallel to a user study initiated in 2018. Quantitative and qualitative data are collected in order to broaden and deepen our understanding of the way school feedback from national assessments and parallel tests is used.

Keywords:EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, EDUCATIONAL QUALITY

Disciplines:Primary education, Secondary education, Comparative and international education, Educational administration, management and leadership

Project type:Collaboration project