State of the art report - Norway

Transcription

1 State of the art report - Norway In Norway about 70% of students complete upper secondary school. This figure shows that Norway must do something so that more students complete and pass upper secondary education. What steps have been taken at national, regional and local level? In this report we wish to explain the principles of the Norwegian upper secondary education system and then look at what has been done and is being done to increase the percentage of students who successfully complete their upper secondary education. Description of upper secondary education in Norway Completed upper secondary education is important, both as a goal of the individual, and to provide the workforce with the expertise the different sectors need. The school has to respond to both short- term labour needs and at the same time providing students with a competence that can be developed through decades in a changing labour market. In 1994 Norway had the first of the major changes for upper secondary education. The reform from 1994 gave ALL year olds the right to upper secondary education, and they all received guarantees of getting one of their three study choices. This guarantee applied to all, regardless of prior conditions (physical or mental handicap), adaptation needs, background (minority) or grades. The outcome of this major reform is that about 97% of Norwegian youth start upper secondary education. Upper secondary education builds upon the 10th grade from the lower secondary school. Secondary education leads to higher education, vocational skills or basic skills. One must apply for a place in secondary education. Upper secondary education is usually given as 3 years in school or with 2 years in school and 2 years in a working environment (apprenticeship). All students have the right to one re- election so that their education may be extended by one year. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 1 of 11

2 The main model for vocational education programs is two years in school and subsequent two years in a company (2+2 model). The first year has a wide entrance to the vocational program because one wants to give students the opportunity for flexibility and a possible change. The workplace requires great adaptability and it was therefore important to ensure this already at the start of the training course. Even though Reform 94 in many ways was successful in itself, it also paved the way for a new reform of the vocational programs. This came in 2006 and was called The knowledge lift. With the introduction of the new reform, 15 educational programs were reduced to 12 - nine vocational and three that gave access to higher education. Several educational programs were merged and given new names. Educational courses at Vg2 (second year of education) level cover about 50 program areas. After their second year, vocational students have about 180 trades to choose from. Developments in industrial structures, information and communication technologies, increased competition and efficiency mean the need for unskilled labour has declined. The demand for workers with technical and vocational upper secondary education and people with higher education will continue to increase. The employment rate among skilled workers is higher than in the general population, they have more often permanent positions than the general population, and they tend to have full- time work. In the coming years there will probably be a shortage of civil engineers, engineers and other scientists, nurses, teachers, kindergarten teachers and people with professional training in areas such as construction and health care. Changes in upper secondary education Society demands skilled labour but too few complete and pass their secondary education. The proportion of those who complete and pass secondary education has remained stable between 67 and 70 percent since the 1999 class. This is a far too low implementation rate to meet the needs of future employment, and without upper secondary education many won t have a good enough foundation to meet the challenges of society and the workplace. Half of today's unemployed have not completed secondary education, and one in four that have primary school as their highest education are on disability benefits. Although basic education greatly empowers youth with skills that are valued in the labour market and although studies show that students are very satisfied with the training, the transfer to the workforce does not work well enough for parts of vocational training. About 50 percent of pupils start in vocational education programs, but it is a challenge that only 15 percent of the students achieve academic or vocational or professional skills after five years. An important reason why many students do not complete vocational training is that they choose supplementary studies instead of taking a two- year apprenticeship. This happens particularly from the health education and youth development programs, service and communications, media and communication and natural resource use. The increase in the proportion of young people, who want to pursue higher education, is an international trend. Most students, who attend supplementary courses, have this as their first choice, but only about half of the students complete and pass this year. Measures Based on the current situation the government believes that it is necessary to take various measures. In order to improve the implementation of vocational training, the Government believes that it is necessary both to increase the range of apprenticeships and to improve career and educational opportunities for accomplished academic or vocational qualifications. There is also a need to review parts of the vocational education and training to ensure that trade certificates and vocational competencies are recognized and sought after. In recent years the government has worked closely with municipalities and counties to improve the implementation of secondary education through the project New GIV (New Possibilities). State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 2 of 11

3 The introduction of the subject for vocational education called Project specialization has had a positive impact on student motivation, and has also had a positive impact on students' ability to build contacts resulting in an apprenticeship. The course helps to connect both schools and the workforce closer together by allowing students to conduct part of their training in enterprises and organizations. Academic and vocational education In 2012 the so- called Social Contract was signed. This contract is a ground- breaking collaboration between the government and the partners of working life to increase the number of apprenticeships, by setting specific targets and binding for the Contracting Parties. The aim is to increase the number of apprenticeships approved by 20 percent by 2015 compared with the level at the end of Another goal is that the number of adults taking trade certificate or journeyman certificate and the proportion of apprentices who complete and pass a craft a certificate is to increase. This is the first time such a large percentage of employers 'and workers' organizations align themselves united behind such goals. The Ministry of Education introduced a scheme called Praksisbrevet as a pilot project in This Practice Scheme facilitates secondary education with an emphasis on practical training in the early years, and gives students an opportunity to take a reduced certificate after two years of training. After these two years the candidate should be able to achieve, with documentation, workplace skills for a workplace. The candidate shall then be able to continue the education and practice in order to achieve a full trade certificate in regular training time. The target group for the scheme is students who are entitled to upper secondary school but with poor school results from lower secondary school, students who are in need of a closer connection to the labour market to be motivated for learning, and students with little motivation for regular school. These are young people who are at risk of dropping out of upper secondary education. The project was evaluated in the Autumn 2011 with good results. One of the main findings is that students who were in danger of dropping out of upper secondary education, go through with and complete their training, and that the majority of participants are planning the continuation of their education in order to achieve ordinary certificates. The outcome of the evaluation is that counties are required to establish the Practice Scheme as an ordinary way of achieving a certificate in cooperation with the partners of working life. New Possibilities Completion of secondary education with passing academic or vocational qualification five years after the start of training has been about 70 per cent of the student cohort over time. In autumn 2010, the New Possibilities program was established as a national effort to improve completion in secondary education. The rationale and justification for New Possibilities was that the government would take hold of the great apostasy in upper secondary education. Too many students did not complete upper secondary education and students ' academic basis from primary education and lower secondary education is of great importance for students' probability of completing upper secondary education. A high proportion of students had poor basic skills at the completion of lower secondary education. The project's objective is to establish a lasting partnership between the state, counties and municipalities to ensure that more young people will complete and pass secondary education. New Possibilities was thus implemented as an extraordinary measure in the latter half of the last year of lower secondary education, aimed at students with particularly weak academic performance at the end of the first term. Training programs for teachers who have been responsible for these students, and intensive training with emphasis on basic skills, would make students better equipped to complete secondary education. The measures in New Possibilities are mainly divided into three projects: The Completion Statistics Project, the Transition Project and the Follow- up Project. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 3 of 11

4 The Completion Statistics project develops a common statistical data and indicators for assessing achievement in New Possibilities. The statistics and indicators will provide information on relevant management information for the parties to the design of measures at national and local levels, as well as school owners who can use the information in the local quality improvement. The project, in cooperation with the county, developed a set of indicators to assess the status and effectiveness of efforts to improve completion. For some of these national targets have been set. The Transition Project is a systematic cooperation between the municipality and the county council for close monitoring of low performing students at risk of not completing and passing upper secondary education. Students who showed weak academic performance by the end of the first term of the last year of lower secondary education, have been given a specially adapted and organized training program, primarily to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. In spring 2011, the first group of students, about 2,000 of them, participated in the project. In Spring 2012 another 5,000 students entered and finally, approximately 6,000 students entered in Spring The basic idea for the training for these students is that it should be practical and varied, starting on the actual foundations of the group enrolled. Feedback from a number of students is that their desire to learn has come back, and that they have a new sense of mastery, of actually coping with their own education. Teachers provide positive feedback on the conferences and schooling given in the New Possibilities Program. Schooling has been undertaken at national, regional and local levels, and all lower secondary and upper secondary schools in the country have participated. Several teachers say that they use what they learn in teaching; beyond the lessons they have with students participating in the New Possibilities Program. The target group for the follow up project is everybody between 15 and 21 who have completed lower secondary school, but who are not in upper secondary education or regular employment. The goal is that more young people outside education and work should be paid attention to, be qualified and motivated to further education or regular employment. Completion of upper secondary education, Completion of secondary education has been largely stable at the national level, there has been considerable variation over time at a county level. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 4 of 11

5 Competency Achievement five years after the start of secondary schools. The year refers to the year students enrolled in upper secondary for the first time. Source: Statistics Norway (2012) Five years after the start of secondary education there are major differences in implementation between academic and vocational education and between vocational education programs. While 83 percent of students in academic studies (2006) completed and passed five years after the start of their secondary education, only 55 percent of students in vocational education programs did the same (see figure). The differences largely reflect the student composition of the various education programs. Students in vocational education programs have often a far weaker academic base from primary/lower secondary school than students in programs for general studies, and thus are far less likely to complete and pass secondary education. If students with an equal number of primary points are compared with each other, the difference (in percentage) between those who complete and pass academic and vocational education programs relatively small. Implementation of pupils with very few primary points is higher in vocational education compared with the academic studies. Evidence indicates that students' transition from year 2 is critical for the completion of secondary education. Many studies confirm that a large proportion of dropout in secondary education occurs in the transition between the second and third year of training, and that this mainly applies to vocational education. This can of course have many reasons, but it is especially with the apprenticeship subjects that the transition from year 2 is difficult for students. During the transition from the second year there are many students in vocational education programs that choose supplementary studies. Since the introduction of the education Reform 94, there has been a significant growth in the number of students who choose supplementary studies for higher education. In 2011, there were around students who chose these studies. At the same time, the proportion of students who failed their supplementary studies varied between 40 and 45 percent in the 2000s. Students state that they choose supplementary studies in order to achieve university entrance qualifications and the opportunity for a higher education. It's seldom that their choice reflects a lack of apprenticeship opportunities. The education department s evaluation of the scheme finds that the system of two years of vocational training and one year of supplementary studies an unsatisfactory course of training which in itself increases the risk of dropping out. The department has found it necessary to improve the organization of supplementary studies and to improve education and career opportunities in vocational education programs. More relevant education in secondary schools Although primary education greatly empowers youth with skills that are valued by the labour market the transition to the labour market does not work well enough for all parts of vocational training. There are many complex reasons for these connections in the transition between vocational training and the labour market. It is well documented that countries with apprenticeship programs or other forms of alternating education have significantly lower youth unemployment than other European countries. It suggests that apprenticeships have a significant potential to integrate youth in the labour market if the links between apprenticeship subjects and the demand for skills work well. There are often several possible reasons why young people do not seek, do not start, do not continue or end prematurely their secondary education. Learning challenges and low motivation can be symptoms of complex problems such as social conditions and mental health problems. In many cases, it requires a coordinated effort from several agencies if assistance should work. The importance of a good learning environment for students' academic, personal, social and health development is thoroughly documented through research. Therefore, the school's development of learning environments must still be emphasized and given priority, and be based upon national initiatives and priorities. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 5 of 11

6 State of the art - Haugaland upper secondary school The description of the situation at the national level is also indicative of Haugaland Secondary School. The various measures taken at national level to promote completion and reduce dropout are also true for us. What steps have we taken so that more students will complete and pass their upper secondary education? The further description in this report deals with Haugaland Secondary School, what type of educational institution we are and what has been done and still needs to be done in order to increase the percentage of students who successfully complete upper secondary education. Haugaland Secondary School is in a Norwegian context, a large school, mainly focusing on vocational training. The school has students who come from a wide geographical area and has traditionally also had students with wide variations in their theoretical knowledge. Below are the programs that are offered to upper secondary students in Norway. Haugaland Upper Secondary school offers the programs marked with a star. In the early 2000s the school had a drop- out rate of about 15%. Although this figure was lower than the national average, it was too high for the school management to refrain from doing anything to increase the percentage of students who complete and pass. Different types of measures were taken and some of them were: Systematic student development (team, mentoring, counselling) Study centre (adapted education, learning strategies, vocational orientation) Cooperation with working life, trade and industry (Apprenticeship Training Office, practice arrangements) National / regional / local project (New Possibilities program, the Follow Up Service) Systematic student development: Systematic student development is a practical teaching method enabling mentors / teachers to see each student, adapting teaching and giving the student ample room for student participation. Appreciative student conversations play a central part in the method and give the learner the opportunity to reflect on his/her role as a responsible student. Haugaland Upper Secondary School is continuously working to develop systematic student development. In this context, it has also developed a mentor handbook. The handbook contains mentor instructions, annual cycle, absence monitoring, themes for the mentor classes and student conversations. The goal here is that the school should have a common tool in dealing with the systematic student development. Appreciative student conversations are a counselling method that focuses on the areas that are functioning well with the learner or their wishes and dreams. It also provides ample room for student participation. The method has the task of helping the students to identify their own strengths. The conversations show how the student can use these strengths to realize their potential in school and in the workplace. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 6 of 11

7 With the method the positive relationship between teacher and pupil is central. It provides teachers a tool that enables training to be tailored to the individual student s abilities and needs. Conversations that devote more attention to the individual youth, helps make the everyday, ordinary school life possible for all students. (In particular, the factors that gets students to stay in school). The aim of the method is to develop the student's ability both professionally and personally. Occasionally, the school must have a conversation about what is perceived as problematic. The question is how much time one should use on the problem, and what can be done to prevent such conversations amplifying the problem. Positive guidance of all students In the conversations a positive process for monitoring pupils is established, including pupils who are struggling in different educational areas. Recent research in positive psychology says that such a process has several phases: 1. Helping students to discover their strengths / resources and what is functioning at school. 2. The student should train themselves to look at themselves and their own school experiences through "appreciative eyes" (mentor / teacher) 3. Mentor / teacher manages to see something great with all students. When these virtues are identified, the school will use this as the basis of discussions to help the student to see their future opportunities. (Help the student to create a career plan). Schools in general have systematically worked with student conversations as highlighted by several school reforms. In the White Paper of 2006 "... none were left behind"... student development conversations are a prerequisite. Achieving stimulating conversations is "an art". The school has the responsibility to facilitate conversations that involve, motivate, clarify and increase young people's confidence in their own learning opportunities. Purpose of systematic student development Through: a. To promoting learning and development of the student and that the training is in accordance with the curriculum b. To fulfil statutory responsibilities c. To develop good learning environments thereby creating learning outcomes that lead to more students completing secondary education. Caring about the student. Building positive relationships Positive feedback Developing and implementation of good systems and procedures Developing and adopting good pedagogical tools Distinct class management Good cooperation between school and home Achieves: The student is seen The student experiences higher achievement and increased motivation State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 7 of 11

8 Provides a calm and structured classroom Improves learning and development of the student. Increases expertise. Improved learning outcomes Quality assurance and relieves the work of the educational training Study Centre (adapted education, learning strategies, vocational orientation) According to the Education Act ( 1.3), all students have the right to a customized and adapted training. It is up to each institution to find the best solutions for how educational needs, take place. Suitable training should take place in all classes and in all groups, and this can cause major educational challenges. Haugaland Secondary School decided a few years ago that the school would create a study centre where the main objective was to provide customized and adapted training to students who struggled with their development of basic skills within numeracy and literacy. A few teachers were commissioned to design the organization and teaching at the study centre. These teachers were teachers with extensive experience and a special eye for students who need extra attention academically and socially. Teachers also received training in methodology adapted to the target group, especially in the New Possibilities program (see later section). The selecting process was based on assessment tests in numeracy and reading skills, collaboration between teachers in classes and teachers at the study centre, professional assessment from Head of Department for adapted teaching, the school`s social councillors and finally the New Possibilities label from lower secondary school (see section on New Possibilities). Over a three- year period, the study centre has had an increasing proportion of students receiving part of their teaching at the study Centre. For 2012/13 about a 100 first year students of a total of approximately 400 students accepted the offer from the study centre. The offer was given in mathematics and English, and otherwise the study centre was offering courses in reading strategies and writing strategies. Mathematics and English, Two and two classes at first year level have their teaching of English and Mathematics at the same time within the class weekly timetable. From these classes up to 6 students have been offered to have the entire teaching of mathematics and / or English in a small group at the study centre. If they accept this offer they are placed in a group and the teacher at the study centre takes over the whole teaching of the given subject, including the responsibility for providing the student with marks in the particular subject. Students are not forced, they must sign a contract where they recognize and accept the offer and they can also decide how long they will stay in the group. In practice, virtually 100% of the students stay in the groups throughout the school year. Students work on the same learning objectives as all other students and must sit the same exam. The combination of several factors makes students very often succeed in these groups. These factors are that the groups are small and it is easier for all students to be seen, the teachers are good at creating relationships with students, teaching is as concrete and close to real life as possible, and as many concretes as possibly are used. Instead of talking about cubic metres, a model of a cubic metre is physically there, in the classroom. Courses in reading strategies and writing strategies: Students take part in reading tests at the beginning of the school year, and these provide useful results in terms of which students struggle with basic skills in reading and understanding. Students also provide short written texts in the beginning of the school year, which of course gives useful results in terms of how things are with writing skills. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 8 of 11

9 Based on this, the study center gives short courses in strategy in relation to reading and writing. These courses have emphasized various learning strategies, trying to teach students different reading methods and to see the benefit in using various forms and techniques when to read or write. For 2012/13, these courses were voluntary for students. As of from this year, they are mandatory. The courses are conducted in collaboration between teachers who teach language and teachers who teach vocational subjects. Administrative Remedy: Haugaland Secondary School is a distinctly vocational school with a long tradition of cooperation with local industry and local businesses. Students at the school often come with a background story where practical education is preferred to theoretical education. They appreciate to be allowed to DO something rather than having to READ something. This has been acknowledged by the language and mathematics teachers a long time ago, the study centre being no exception. The teachers there put an emphasis on trying to teach a theoretical subject as closely to real life practise as possible. This means that teachers in mathematics and English work with the various program teachers to create good teaching where students will notice that a mathematical topic actually has something to do with a job being done in the workshop or that English expressions can relate to the student s future. That is why teachers from the study centre who teach students that are going to work in industry or construction are equipped with overalls and general safety equipment so they are able to be in the workshop as much as possible. The practical mathematics tasks are tasks that students recognize from working in the workshop and in English teaching most of the oral presentations that the students have, takes place in the workshop. This way of doing lessons is well received by the students and the school is trying to develop the program around vocational orientation so that more and more are taking part in it. Follow- up service (OT) The Norwegian Education Act requires each county to have a follow- up service for young people between 16 and 21 who are not in education or employment. Rogaland County Council has organized follow- up service by employing and placing OT supervisors (follow- up supervisors) at the largest secondary schools in the district. Haugaland upper secondary school is one of those schools where there is an OT supervisor. The regulations of the Education Act specifies in a detailed description how OT is to work with following up the students in danger of or who have already dropped out. The purpose is to ensure that all young people in the target group are offered training, planning and other qualifying measures, leading to completed secondary education. The follow- up service keeps track of all the students in the target group, by establishing contact with each individual youth in the target group for the purpose of supervision and monitoring. The follow- up service ensures inter- agency cooperation between municipal, county and state agencies that are responsible for the target group, and disseminate, or coordinate, offers from different agencies. Recent instances of cooperation are particularly between primary and secondary schools, educational and psychological services, education administration in the county, labour and welfare administration and health and social services. The Follow- up service can assist in efforts to reduce the dropout rate from secondary education through collaboration with primary and secondary education. Alternative combinations, school and work practice As mentioned earlier, the average progress for a student is two years in school and two years as an apprentice. While this programme works for most students, it is not for all. Haugaland has had good experience with combining school and workplace for students who are not motivated for full time at school. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 9 of 11

10 The school offers two alternatives: 1. Practical agreement / contract This is an agreement for students who are enrolled in school but after a period of time it becomes clear that the student would benefit most from a combination of school and practice. The agreement is made between the school and a company where the student can be placed in the company anywhere from 1-5 days a week. An agreement is drawn between the school and the company. The company, school, parents and students agree on the competence objectives, and it is the section manager / teacher / mentor's responsibility to follow up on this. 2. Candidate for experience- based trade certification This is an agreement for students whose main challenge is their motivation for being in school, they are interested in practical work. The student must be included in regular admission, with no individual work plan in core subjects. An agreement is made between the involved parties and the student agrees on a contract lasting for 2 years. The students are in a company working 4 days a week and come to school the fifth day to take their core subjects. When the 2- year period is up the students can make an apprenticeship agreement with the same conditions as any other vocational student. While being a candidate for experience based trades the student is paid a small salary for which the company receives compensation from the government. New Possibilities at Haugaland vgs With reference to what is written about the New Possibilities program earlier in the report, how does New Possibilities work at Haugaland Secondary School? New Possibilities work in upper secondary education continues the work of the New Possibilities program that has taken place in lower secondary education. Students who for the first half of the 10th year of compulsory education had very poor academic performance, received a specially adapted and organized training program, primarily to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. These students enter upper secondary education with a label stating that they have taken part in New Possibilities program and they have a right to be paid attention to in upper secondary education. New Possibilities students in lower secondary schools follow a specific program in relation to the teaching they receive, but in upper secondary school each institution is given more freedom in how they want to design their New Possibilities program. By August 2012 Haugaland vgs had 51 freshman students labelled New Possibilities. Because the implementation of the New Possibilities program nation wide has taken place over a three year period, not all municipalities were enrolled in the system.. This means that Haugaland s number of labelled New Possibilities students will double for the current year. The school set up a plan for how the New Possibilities students were addressed, and the vast majority of New Possibilities students ended up at the school`s study in which they either received teaching in mathematics or English or participated in short courses in reading strategies and writing strategies. The students who did were not in need of the offer from the study centre or who declined, have nevertheless been paid attention to in their respective classes and have had individual interviews with teachers from the study centre. The national focus on the New Possibilities has led to an increased focus on this particular target group and has also led to the training of many teachers in the so- called New Possibilities pedagogy and methodology. It emphasizes students' learning potential and the teacher TRAINER role, rather than role of the teacher being the JUDGE. At Haugaland Secondary school some teachers have received special training in the New Possibilities program and these have been given ample time and opportunity to spread the lesson to the rest of the College. Gradually, more and more teachers are undergoing training. So far it has been teachers who teach language and mathematics, but the next step for the New Possibilities program is to enrol more and more teachers who teach vocational subjects as well. State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 10 of 11

11 Sources: sv ideregaende- opplari.html? id = State of the art report Norway LLP NO- COMENIUS- CMP Page 11 of 11