Accountability systems and uses of tests (completed)

About the project

Norway has a long-standing tradition of school-leaving exams in both lower and upper secondary schools. However, other achievement tests have only recently been introduced. Tests are building blocks of accountability systems, and the emergence of achievement tests in Norway can be interpreted as a manifestation of accountability thinking.Many countries’ educational systems had seen the introduction of test-based accountability policies, each with different and unique features. In Norway, accountability in education had been attempted only recently. Norwegian education authorities had developed diagnostic tests to identify needs for individual assistance, alongside national tests. National tests were used for accountability purposes, although it was not immediately meaningful to use the national tests at grade 8 for these purposes because the majority of the students changed schools between years 7 and 8. 

The aims were to assess the extent to which students’ basic skills were in accordance with curricula goals, to inform students, teachers, parents, school leaders, school owners, regional authorities and the nation, and to provide such information as a basis for improvement and development. In addition, school-leaving examinations, craft certificates, and final assessments were used for accountability purposes. Further, international studies (PISA, TIMSS, et cetera) were used to assess Norwegian students’ competence in relation to other countries, to serve as a basis for indicators on education, and to form policy. The main purpose of this project was to examine and explore the uses of tests in Norway.