Model of quality assurance at all levels of education

Policy development
Practical measure/Initiative
Slovenia
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Timeline
  • 2016Design
  • 2017Design
  • 2018Design
  • 2019Completed
ID number
28551

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

The Slovenian educational space has been engaged in the development of quality for at least two decades. There have been various projects, programmes and initiatives, and various and varied substantive, structural and process elements of quality, at the level of kindergartens, schools and adult education organisations, as well as at the system level. A review of these activities and results showed that, with positive effects at the so-called local level, they brought considerable diversity, diffusion and inconsistency in comprehension and processes used for quality assessment and assurance in the Slovenian educational system. Due to this diversity, the need for greater unity in approaches to quality assurance, with self-evaluation at system level, has emerged (Kos Kecojevic and Gaber 2011, Brejc 2014, MIZŠ 2017).

In response to the need for harmonised understanding and implementation of quality assurance in the Slovenian education system, in February 2017 a proposal for a National framework for quality assessment and quality assurance in education (Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, 2017) was prepared. The framework defines a draft model with QA elements at school/kindergarten level and system level, and their interconnection. The model is presented in the national framework of the QA as a draft, which was supposed to be further developed, piloted and upgraded through a national project (Vzpostavitev, dopolnitev in pilotni preizkus modela ugotavljanja in zagotavljanja kakovosti na podrocju vzgoje in izobraževanja), described below.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

Establish a common model of quality assessment and quality assurance at all levels of formal education, from kindergarten to high school.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

Slovenia was running a national project on introducing and piloting model of quality in education (Vzpostavitev, dopolnitev in pilotni preizkus modela ugotavljanja in zagotavljanja kakovosti na podrocju vzgoje in izobraževanja). The goal was to develop, by August 2019, a common model of quality assessment and quality assurance at all levels of formal education, from kindergarten to high school. This includes recommended standards and indicators in five areas:

  1. learning achievements and achievements of children in development and learning;
  2. professional learning and performance of teachers;
  3. safe and facilitating learning environment;
  4. leadership of kindergartens and schools;
  5. assessment and quality assurance with self-evaluation.

The common quality assurance national framework contains 18 standards for providers (schools or kindergartens), which are divided into 50 indicators, further described in detail and illustrated with questions. Examples of descriptors/measures and sources of evidence are available for each standard. Standards and indicators are formulated in a way to concretise directions towards 'a quality school/kindergarten'.

The national project also included collaboration in developing and piloting the model by 32 schools/kindergartens from all participating education subsystems. Examples of good practice were developed during the pilot phase. Four national institutes were involved in the preparation of the model...

Slovenia was running a national project on introducing and piloting model of quality in education (Vzpostavitev, dopolnitev in pilotni preizkus modela ugotavljanja in zagotavljanja kakovosti na podrocju vzgoje in izobraževanja). The goal was to develop, by August 2019, a common model of quality assessment and quality assurance at all levels of formal education, from kindergarten to high school. This includes recommended standards and indicators in five areas:

  1. learning achievements and achievements of children in development and learning;
  2. professional learning and performance of teachers;
  3. safe and facilitating learning environment;
  4. leadership of kindergartens and schools;
  5. assessment and quality assurance with self-evaluation.

The common quality assurance national framework contains 18 standards for providers (schools or kindergartens), which are divided into 50 indicators, further described in detail and illustrated with questions. Examples of descriptors/measures and sources of evidence are available for each standard. Standards and indicators are formulated in a way to concretise directions towards 'a quality school/kindergarten'.

The national project also included collaboration in developing and piloting the model by 32 schools/kindergartens from all participating education subsystems. Examples of good practice were developed during the pilot phase. Four national institutes were involved in the preparation of the model (National School for Leadership in Education, the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for VET, the National Education Institute and the National Examinations Centre).

The idea of systematic common and coordinated support to schools/kindergartens from all four institutes was revised and upgraded. The project was carried out under the aegis the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and was extended to August 2019, when common and coordinated implementation and support by all four national institutes was developed.

2016
Design
2017
Design
2018
Design
2019
Completed

After August 2019, there were discussions on continuation of the project activities among all involved parties; consequently, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport facilitated the preparation of a follow up project on quality of education to take place from 1 April 2020 until 31 August 2022. The project was not realised in the end.

    Bodies responsible

    This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
    • Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MIZŠ) (until 2023)
    • National School for Leadership in Education
    • Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training (CPI)
    • National Education Institute (ZRSŠ)
    • National Examinations Centre (RIC)

    Target groups

    Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

    Education professionals

    • School leaders

    Entities providing VET

    • VET providers (all kinds)

    Thematic categories

    Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

    Governance of VET and lifelong learning

    This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.

    This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.

    The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.

    Further developing national quality assurance systems

    This thematic sub-category refers to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.

    Subsystem

    Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
    IVET

    Country

    Slovenia

    Type of development

    Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
    Practical measure/Initiative
    Cite as

    Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Model of quality assurance at all levels of education: Slovenia. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].

    https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28551