1. OECD Review on
Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks
for Improving School Outcomes in Portugal
OBJECTIVES OF THE OECD REVIEW
The OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes is designed to respond
to the strong interest in evaluation and assessment issues evident at national and international levels. It will provide
a description of design, implementation and use of assessment and evaluation procedures in countries; analyse
strengths and weaknesses of different approaches; and provide recommendations for improvement. The Review
looks at the various components of assessment and evaluation frameworks that countries use with the objective of
improving student outcomes. These include student assessment, teacher appraisal, school assessment and system
evaluation.
The overall purpose is to explore how systems of evaluation and assessment can be used to improve the quality,
equity and efficiency of school education. The overarching policy question is “How can assessment and evaluation
policies work together more effectively to improve student outcomes in primary and secondary schools?” The
Review further concentrates on five key issues for analysis: (i) Designing a systemic framework for evaluation and
assessment; (ii) Ensuring the effectiveness of evaluation and assessment procedures; (iii) Developing competencies
for evaluation and for using feedback; (iv) Making the best use of evaluation results; and (v) Implementing
evaluation and assessment policies.
PROCESSES
Twenty four countries are actively engaged in the Review. These cover a wide range of economic and social contexts,
and among them they illustrate quite different approaches to evaluation and assessment in school systems. This will
allow a comparative perspective on key policy issues. These countries prepare a detailed background report,
following a standard set of guidelines. Countries can also opt for a detailed review, undertaken by a team consisting
of members of the OECD Secretariat and external experts. The final comparative report from the OECD review,
bringing together lessons from all countries, will be completed in 2012. The project is overseen by the Group of
National Experts on Evaluation and Assessment, which was established as a subsidiary body of the OECD Education
Policy Committee in order to guide the methods, timing and principles of the Review. More details are available from
the Web site dedicated to the Review: www.oecd.org/edu/evaluationpolicy.
Twenty four countries are preparing a Country Background Report: Australia, Austria, Belgium (Flemish Community),
Belgium (French Community), Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel,
Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia,
Sweden and United Kingdom.
Ten countries also opted for a Country Review: Australia, Belgium (Flemish Community), Czech Republic, Denmark,
Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovak Republic and Sweden.
REVIEW VISIT TO PORTUGAL (23 FEB.-2 MARCH 2011) AND INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
Portugal is hosting a visit by an external review team which will visit during the period 23 February - 2 March 2011.
The visit is designed by the OECD in collaboration with the country authorities. The review team holds discussions
with a wide range of national and local authorities; education officials; relevant agencies which deal with evaluation
and assessment issues; teacher unions; parents’ organisations; representatives of schools; students’ organisations;
and researchers with an interest in evaluation and assessment issues. It also visits a range of schools, interacting
with school management, teachers and students. The intention is to provide a broad cross-section of information
and opinions on evaluation and assessment policies and how their effectiveness can be improved. After the visit a
report will be provided to the country authorities, and later made publicly available. The report will provide, from an
international perspective, an independent analysis of major issues facing the evaluation and assessment framework
in Portugal, current policy initiatives, and possible future approaches.
Each meeting intends to assist the review team in understanding evaluation and assessment policies in Portugal.
Meetings are most likely to focus on: the strengths of the evaluation and assessment framework – what aspects are
working well, and why; the main policy challenges facing the evaluation and assessment framework – what needs to
be changed, and how might those changes be made; the policy mechanisms or strategies available to Education

2. 2OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes – Review of Portugal
authorities; successful evaluation policy initiatives, and the reasons behind their success; and the role that
stakeholder groups play in developing and implementing evaluation and assessment policies. The discussions are
intended to be informal. It is not necessary to prepare any documents or provide a formal presentation. The
discussions will be treated in confidence.
MEMBERS OF THE REVIEW TEAM
Graham Donaldson published his report Teaching Scotland’s Future – A Report of a Review of Teacher Education in
Scotland in January 2011. This Review was undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Government
(www.reviewofteachereducationinscotland.org.uk). Graham was Her Majesty’s Senior Chief Inspector of Education
from 2002 to 2010 in Scotland. In that role, he was Chief Executive of HM Inspectorate of Education and Chief
Professional Adviser to the Scottish Government on all aspects of education outside the university sector. Graham
began his teaching career in 1970 and taught in schools in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire. He worked as a Curriculum
Evaluator for the Consultative Committee on the Curriculum. During this period, he was seconded to BP to review
links between education and industry. His report, Industry and Scottish Schools, was published in 1981. He became
an HM Inspector in 1983. Graham is the current President of the Standing International Conference of Inspectorates
(SICI) which has 29 member inspectorates from across Europe. Graham was awarded a CB for his services to
education in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Anne Looney is Chief Executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment in Dublin (www.ncca.ie).
Anne is from Dublin. A former post-primary teacher of Religious Education and English, she joined the full-time staff
of the NCCA in 1997 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2001. She holds a Doctorate in Education from the
Institute of Education of the University of London. She has published on curriculum and assessment policy, school
culture and ethos, and religious education and has presented papers in Ireland, north and south, in the United
States, Canada Australia and China on a range of curriculum and assessment themes and on issues of school reform.
Deborah Nusche, a German national, is a Policy Analyst in the OECD Directorate for Education. She is currently
working on the OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for Improving School Outcomes. At the
OECD, she previously worked on the Thematic Review of Migrant Education and the Improving School Leadership
study. She has led country review visits on migrant education and participated in case study visits on school
leadership in several countries. She also co-authored the OECD reports “Closing the Gap for Immigrant Students”
(2010) and “Improving School Leadership” (2008). She has previous experience with UNESCO and the World Bank
and holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.
Paulo Santiago, a Portuguese national, is a Senior Analyst in the OECD Directorate for Education, where he has been
since 2000. He is currently the co-ordinator of the OECD Review on Evaluation and Assessment Frameworks for
Improving School Outcomes. He has previously assumed responsibility for two major cross-country reviews, each
with the participation of over twenty countries: a review of teacher policy (between 2002 and 2005, leading to the
OECD publication “Teachers Matter”) and the thematic review of tertiary education (between 2005 and 2008,
leading to the OECD publication “Tertiary Education for the Knowledge Society”). He has also led reviews of teacher
policy and tertiary education policy in several countries. He holds a PhD in Economics from Northwestern University,
United States, where he also lectured. With a background in the economics of education, he specialises in education
policy analysis. He co-ordinates the review and will act as Rapporteur for the Review Team.
Directorate for Education – Education and Training Policy Division www.oecd.org/edu/evaluationpolicy