Inspection points out to schools unnecessary paperwork
All primary schools will receive a new brochure this week that makes it clear to teachers and school principals what to record in their administration and how to account for themselves. According to the Education Inspectorate, which produced the brochure, schools now impose many unnecessary obligations on themselves with their administration.
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About twenty teachers and school leaders contributed ideas about the brochure. The Inspectorate hopes that the document will reduce the workload of teachers because they know better what they have to record on paper according to laws and regulations. 'A certain administration will always be necessary, for example to keep an eye on the development of students', warns the inspectorate. 'But the explanation should make it clear that there is often more room than expected.'
First of all, the Inspectorate assesses teachers in their way of teaching: is the teaching material explained and the lessons are structured. Inspectors also check whether teachers have insight into the development of students and whether they offer them support and challenge in lessons.
School leader in the Room for Rules brochure: "We made a report of every parent meeting. Now we only record conversations with parents or children when important agreements have been made."
In the brochure does the Education Inspectorate provide answers to questions such as: Should tests per question (correct or incorrect) be entered into the student tracking system? Do I have to have a lesson plan on paper for each lesson? Are group plans mandatory and is a school obliged to monitor the development of preschoolers through testing? The answer to these questions is no (see below). The questions are divided into themes, such as educational provision, quality assurance and the teacher's didactic behavior.
Teachers Elisabeth van der Lugt and Kristel Roth van Dalsum contributed to the brochure. The two teachers expect that their colleagues will mainly use the question and answer statements from the guide, they say the website Leraar.nl. Van der Lugt noticed that it is often said at school: 'This must be done by the inspectorate.' She thinks that especially internal supervisors, directors and management stick to the paperwork: just to be on the safe side.
The Inspectorate of Education answers many questions in the brochure 'Space in Rules'. Below are some examples.
Should tests be entered correctly or incorrectly for each question in the student tracking system?
No, there are no regulations for this. Entering one test per question could help you as a teacher to analyze what certain students can or cannot do in order to gain a better insight into the development of the students.
Are group plans mandatory?
No. As a teacher you must be able to show that you have a clear picture of the progress of all students and that you act accordingly. This can be based on observations, work of the students or tests. How you record this as a school and make it visible is up to you.
Do I have to have a lesson plan on paper for each lesson?
The law does not prescribe how you prepare your lesson.
As a school, are we obliged to monitor the development of pre-school children by taking tests?
No, the school itself determines how the development of toddlers is monitored. This does not necessarily have to be done by administering tests.
