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Rete di Scuole PIEMONTE |
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AVIMES School Network Project The AVIMES network project deals with school self-evaluation for the improvement of school effectiveness. It has been operating for six years within a network of schools set up in the framework of the school autonomy legislation and afterwards under the clause 7 of the School Autonomy Regulations D.P.R. 275/99. The network includes primary schools (pupils aged 6-11), lower secondary schools (pupils aged 11-14), comprehensive schools (pupils aged 6-14) and a few higher secondary schools in Piedmont linked by a common project of Action-Research for the development and implementation of tools and strategies for collecting, processing and interpreting data relating to contexts, resources, processes and results. The theoretical framework of the project is included in the publication G. Barzanò, S. Mosca, J.Scheerens, “L’Autovalutazione nella scuola” (Self-evaluation in school), Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2000 The information gathered is stored in a database which is periodically updated and can be used for - reporting inside and outside the school - selfreflection of school actors (“to become aware”) - improvement of school organisation, - continuous development of the school educational plan quality - qualification of the classroom teaching - documentation aiming at information, education, self-evaluation. The project of school selfevaluation concerns a plan for collecting quantitative and qualitative information relating to the school in a systematic way, in order to provide data deriving from the points of view of the different actors (teachers, pupils, parents, headschools, other staff). The representation given by the data analysis and interpretation becomes more valid and meaningful if the information concerning a school, a class or a school component is inter-compared and compared with the information concerning other schools. The data collected concern: 1. the socio-cultural status of the pupils; 2. pupils’ formal evaluation; 3. cognitive strategies, learning results (pupil selfevaluation, evaluation tests by open-answer questions and standardised tests on Italian and Mathematics) 4. perception of the functioning and effectiveness of the school on the part of parents (Elans questionnaire), pupils (Io la penso così questionnaire), teachers (The teacher selfinterview) and school-heads (Bilancio-tempo del capo di istituto/Timekeeping by the school-head) 5. perception of the culture and the whole quality of the school (School Culture Inventory, Leadership Questionnaire). The aim of the AVIMES network is the research, experimentation and staff development in the fields of internal evaluation and of learning processes and results. It gets advice, support and supervision from Italian and foreign experts. The gathering and the use of the data are laborious processes that require specific rules. For this reason a selfevaluation project should be always preceded and accompanied by professional development actions addressed to each school component. AVIMES is carrying out several training actions that are conducted through different methods - activities of research and experimentation - lectures of experts - international congress - work groups By this way a circular motion starts between selfevaluation and training, which has been also described by several authors. It gave rise to the description of the school as “learning organisation” for example. On the operative level is advisable to specify what are the areas of competence of a project that alternates internal actions carried out by the schools with external actions leaded by the project group. The alternation between internal and external is essential for each action of selfevaluation, even if it is developed within a single school. In this case it is possible to observe “internal/external” dynamics, for example between a class and the whole school or between a component and another within the different subjects involved. In order to avoid risks of implosion a comparison with other schools is essential, for example in the structure of a network. AVIMES is a systematic network project which is linked to other networks making reference to the same theoretical model both in Italy and within international context. The project provides the schools with - seminars and in service training courses; - development and piloting of materials; - data recording and processing; - data feedback; - software assistance for recording and communication; - technical assistance for the analysis and interpretation of the results and for the use of the information gathered; - advice for the improvement of school organisation and pedagogical plans; - opportunities for discussion and comparison; - data banks and archives; - documentation materials and manuals. The schools in the project agree to: - involve in direct training and action at least 3-4 teachers responsible for the evaluation; - involve the whole institution (teachers, pupils, parents and other staff) in the aims and activities of the project; - collect data, cooperate in recording, in duplicating materials and in all other initiatives; - analyse, interpret and use the data processed in order to improve the efficiency of the school and the school pedagogical plan and to report to the parents. The schools subscribe to the network by signing the network agreement which also specifies their commitment to activities and contribution of resources. The network is co-ordinated by a work group called COORSE (Coordinamento Scuole Efficaci). The international network is co-ordinated by a Coordination Committee of the VALMAT Project (Evaluation in Mathematics) and the VALINT Project (Internal Evaluation).
Scientific coordination of the project: M.I.U.R. - Ufficio Scolastico Regionale del Piemonte, Torino (Isp. Silvana Mosca - Uff. Dirigenti Tecnici) E-mail: silvana.mosca@scuole.piemonte.it
Organizational coordination of the AVIMES Network: D.D. CHIERI 3° Circolo - Via Bonello 2 - Chieri (TO) - Tel. 011/9471943 - Fax 011/ 9478370 E-mail: circolo3@tin.it
AVIMES Network web site: www.avimes.it
PRESENTATION OF THE PROJECT The project aims to establish models and materials for the professional development of teachers in the mathematics field and related areas, in view of the crucial importance of this subject to the curriculum of the compulsory education (5-15 years) in the society of knowledge and information. The research and experimentation background (mistake analysis, evaluation, school effectiveness) of the partner institutions enables to make an analysis of the different percentages of success in international tests in the countries involved (TIMMS ’95). The methodological approach is a sustained interactivity between researchers and advanced teachers of mathematics working in the schools. It is important the construction of steps and instruments starting from the feedback and from the stimulus deriving from the evaluation and self-evaluation of the processes and results in the school as learning organisation. Operative objectives:
Activities and results:
BENEFICIARY:
COORDINATOR:
Silvana MOSCA PARTNERS:
EXPERTS OF THE PARTNER COUNTRIES:
ITALIAN WORK GROUP:
The main contents of the project are the following:
The theoretical framework of the project is composed of two parts:
Training model The methodological approach used in the project is a sustained interactivity among researchers, mathematics experts and tutor teachers of training in the mathematics teaching. Steps and instruments have been constructed starting from the feedback and from the stimulus deriving from the processes and results in the schools as learning organisations. The activities which have been carried out can be summarised as follows: construction of mathematics tests in 4 languages (Italian, Spanish, Greek, Hungarian) and application in the partner countries: 40 schools with 3000 pupils in primary school (aged 9-10) and lower secondary school (aged 12); use of grids to check the tests and drawing up of grids for teaching self-analysis; data bank of the results referring to the final tests of Mathematics; compared analysis of the results in the different partner countries; simulation of training modules for teachers, advanced teachers and tutors; piloting of booklets and tools for teacher training; transnational seminars and visits to schools. Outcomes: A CD-ROM including:
Monitoring The process of the project has been described and evaluated according to a checklist. Examples of items:
Dissemination In two countries (Italy and Spain) two school networks have been established with the purpose to allow a comparison in view of the self-evaluation and a spreading of the best practices to schools. A European in-service training Course, Comenius 2.2 action, has been planned in March 2005 in Turin.
Publicizing Teacher training methodologies of VALMAT project make up a model for the training programme of experts in evaluation of the Ufficio Scolastico Regionale del Piemonte (Regional School Government Office of Piedmont). A VALMAT publicizing took place within the annual conference of Hungarian mathematicians association in Budapest (November 2003). VALMAT is present on bilingual (Italian/English) web site http://www.avimes.it. We report the web site of Granada University http://www.ugr.es/local/jgodino/edumat-maestros/. Some intermediate project outcomes have been presented during workshops of “The Treasure Within” Network (Comenius 3), web site http://www.treasurewithin.com. An international conference, which will be arranged in various seminars, is forecast at the end of the project. The AVIMES school network is the key point of the diffusion of the project results.
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