School quality and standard-based evaluation in Italy: the voices of teachers and students

In the last decades quality of school systems is a key-issue of debate and concern to governments in terms of effectiveness for individual and community success and economic investments (Bolletta, Pozio, 2008). International comparative surveys on students’ outcomes (OCSE-PISA) are involving a progressively increasing number of countries and since early 90ies OECD is publishing a comparative report on educational systems (Education at a Glance). Solicited by this phenomenon, in Italy since 2004 INVALSI (National Institution for the Evaluation of the School System) is surveying students’ outcomes through standard-based tests in Literacy and Math, which have been arising a lively debate and often criticism among teachers, head teachers, parents and policy makers. Few researches address stakeholders’ point of view, especially students’ voice, who are the first actors of the school scene, is ‘silent’ and unheard. Rather, students are key and specific informants on school quality (Czerniawski, Kidd, 2011; Rudduck, McIntyre, 2007; Grion,Cook-Sather, 2013) especially on evaluation, one of the most delicate, complex and influent component of school experience (Hattie, Timeperly, 2007). This presentation discusses data from a qualitative study (“Promoting an evaluation culture in school”, 2011-2012, Scientific Supervisor Susanna Mantovani) aimed at to uncover high and middle-school students (100) and teachers (106) perspective on standard-based evaluation system and tests. All participants were fully informed of the research project, permission to be audio-recorded were required and were given guarantee of anonymity in case of use of the data (presentations, teaching, publications). Subjects were asked – through focus group and one-to-one interviews – to describe their experience before, during and after tests administration, express their ideas and offer suggestions to improve current procedures of evaluation. Findings highlight a paradox: national tests and results, thought to be a stimulus to school, teachers’ and students’ improvement, are perceived, especially by students, as unrelated to school life and even a non-sense experience whose purposes are ambiguous. Limits of an accountability-based paradigm of school-evaluation will be discussed adopting a systemic and ecological perspective (MacBeath, McGlynn, 2003).