Quality indicators for SNE - Denmark

Teaching should enable pupils to acquire the forms of cognition and working methods of the individual subjects. They should be given the opportunity to practise and develop acquired knowledge and skills through interdisciplinary topics and issues.

The class teacher has the main responsibility for supporting the subject-specific and social development of the pupils and must ensure overall coherence and progression in teaching. The Act on the Folkeskole outlines the class teacher's coordinating role in organising teaching, including interdisciplinary teaching and teaching in mandatory subjects.

The organisation of the teaching, including the choice of teaching and working methods, teaching materials and the selection of subjects must meet the aims set by the Ministry of Education. These should be diverse and correspond to the needs and abilities of the individual pupil. The head teacher ensures the class teacher and other teachers in the class plan and organise their teaching in order to challenge all pupils. Every school year teachers and pupils cooperate continuously in each subject to determine and meet the objectives of the pupil. The work should be organised in due consideration of the objectives set out.  Whenever possible, working methods and selection of subjects take place in cooperation between teachers and pupils.

The concept of differentiated teaching as laid down in the Act on the Folkeskole implies that teaching should be adapted to the individual pupil to the greatest extent possible. The split into a basic and advanced level was eliminated with the Act of 1994. From the 1st – 10th grade teaching may be organised in groups in the classroom or between different classes, where this is practical and sensible. At all grade levels, pupils must be taught together for the major part of the school day.

Information Technology (IT) must be integrated in all subjects at all grade levels. This means IT is fully integrated into mandatory subjects and the three optional subjects. Pupils are given the possibility to acquire basic knowledge in the IT area. The integration of IT is written into the curriculum guidelines. From the school year 2006-2007 written pupil appraisal plans are produced for all public schools.

The pupil appraisal plan should be prepared once a year and should comprise all subjects where the pupil receives instruction. It should be short and precise in order to be a useful and easily accessible tool for teachers, pupils and parents. The pupil appraisal plan must include information on how assessment, appraisal and evaluation of the benefits of education has been conducted throughout the year. It should be clearly outlined how the teacher and the pupil intend to follow up on the achieved results and educational goals for the period ahead must also be described.

In addition to basic skills, the Folkeskole is required by law to help promote each individual pupil’s personal and social development according to his or her capability. Working methods are modified towards the pupil’s attainment of greater self-reliance and maturity. This aspect of pedagogic policy requires close cooperation between school and home, and an ongoing dialogue is sought between teachers, parents and pupils.

The Act is very clear on this point, requiring that pupils and parents be regularly informed of the pupil's benefits of schooling. ‘Regularly’ means at least twice a year and refers explicitly to information about the pupil’s personal and social development as well as academic attainments.

A series of national tests were introduced in spring 2007 in order to provide teachers with a tool for better the overall assessment of the pupils' academic level. The tests are individual and computer based and take approx. 45 minutes.

The national tests are innovative as they are constantly adapted to the level of the individual pupil. If the pupil answers the first question correctly, the following question is automatically made sligthly more difficult. If the answer is incorrect, the next question is automatically made sligthly easier. Therefore, all tests will differ. When the test is completed, the computer will print out a text describing the pupil’s academic level in the subject tested, exempting teachers from correcting the test assignments.

The teacher will inform the pupil of the results and these will be included in the on-going interviews between the teacher and the pupil regarding future goals for education. The school will inform the parents of the pupil's test results, not in form of a grade but a written description of the results: a 1-2 page computer printout of the results following the completion of the test. 

The implementation of written pupil appraisal plans and national tests have implied continous discussions about advantages and disadvantages. The idea of both tests and appraisal plans is to provide the teacher with an effective tool to help teacher, parents and the pupil focus on the pupil's specific needs. The discussions have raised doubts as to whether the test and plans works the way they are supposed to.

Online Literature from the Danish Ministry of Education

Below is a list of foreign language publications dealing with the different levels of the Danish education system and with other educational issues.

http://www.eng.uvm.dk/service/Publications.aspx