The SEC issues Triennial School Review for Cohort II Independent schools

Doha, Qatar July 8, 2008: The School Evaluation Office of the Evaluation Institute today released the periodical Triennial School Review for twenty Cohort II Independent Schools for girls and boys. Triennial School Reviews (TSR) identify schools’ achievements, strengths and weaknesses and areas that may require attention and improvement following their inception three years ago. The report also includes information about two schools from Cohort I that were not assessed last year. “Periodical Triennial School Reviews aim to ensure the Independent schools are progressing towards achieving their set objectives particularly in relation to attaining the goals of the reform,” said Aisha Al Hashemi, the director of the School Evaluation Office in a press conference held at the Supreme Education Council.

the Triennial School Reviews for Cohort II schools

Triennial reviews are designed to assess the social development of students as well as promote schools self-review in order to help develop and improve their performance. Al Hashemi pointed out that the periodic evaluation is a fair and precise process, which focuses on twenty selected areas of school functioning and performance. Schools have been classified in four categories – Very Good, Good, Average and Weak. 20% schools feel in the Very Good category, 55% graded Good and 25% had Average rating. No schools fell in the Weak field. The evaluation and review process undergoes strenuous preparation of reviewing school documents, examining and analyzing documents sent by the school administration. This is followed by identifying areas to be evaluated including school leadership and management, teaching and learning methods, standards and academic achievement, curriculum and learning environment, staff professional development, parental participation and the relation between parents, community and the school. The main sources of data for the reviews include school records and reports and documents; interviews with parents teachers, principals and administration; classroom visits and observations; and students assessment data from the school as well as the Qatar Comprehensive Educational Assessment tests. The Triennial School Reviews are conducted on a three-year cycle and are specifically designed to Qatar education context using international best practice and utilize world-class standards in evaluating the progress of Independent schools. The results from the reviews allow us to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the reform, illuminating areas that need improvement and further development. There are twenty specific areas of schools functioning that are addressed across the reviews. Each school evaluation is individually and strategically tailored to cover five to seven of these areas. The Supreme Education Council was established by Emiri decree in 2002. It serves as the primary authority on education policy in Qatar and, with its three Institutes, is leading the effort to transform the nation’s schools into a modern, world-class education system.