Analyzing the reliability and effectiveness of public school evaluation system in Qatar

Abstract

In 2004, Qatar government launched a huge education reform, Education for New Era (EFNE) which introduced changes to the K-12 educational system. The reform model suggested by Research and Development Cooperation (RAND) include three new government institutes; the Supreme Education Council (SEC) – now turned into the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) –, the education institute, and the evaluation institute. Although the two main institutes have a lot of interactions in their roles and duties related to public school evaluation system (PSES) they have a lack of systematic communication towards the whole PSES. The aim of this project is to analyze the PSES in terms of its reliability and effectiveness under the responsibility of the evaluation institute (EVI). The study focuses on the accuracy and consistency of the process of evaluating a school and studying the after evaluation action plans that enhance school monitoring of improvement resulting from evaluation feedback to proven system effectiveness. The project results shows lacking in reliability of school evaluation system in terms of its accuracy in areas of school evaluation, the use of QNEA results, and the process of evaluation. The reliability of the PSES is criticized in its consistency of practice were the process lack consistency in terms of common understanding of areas and standards that schools are evaluated according to. The effectiveness of the PSES is criticized as it does not provide a systematic approach to use the evaluation results for school improvement It is recommended that EVI considers a holistic evaluation system that combines school evaluation, school self-review, school leaders’ evaluation, the evaluation of school teachers and students’ assessments together so that they can insure its reliability. To obtain a higher level of reliability of evaluation system delivery and outcomes of PSES should be a result of a collaboration between EDI and EVI to solve issuers related to contradictions in authorities, responsibilities, and conclusions. On the other hand, the effectiveness of the school evaluation system could be improved by enhancing the monitoring and evaluation system and developing a system that manages implementing changes within the school.