sou · GTB3101 · 2006-01-01 00:00:00 — Delegationen bedömer sammantaget att resultaten i försökets skolor har utvecklats lika bra som eller bättre än i övriga skolor. Det är ett gott resultat med tanke på att de elever som lämnat skolorna bara har ingått i försöket under en del av sin skoltid och att det inte är förrän mot slutet av försöket som skolorna har funnit sig mer till rätta med de förändrade arbetsformerna. Lärartätheten har också ökat mer i övriga skolor än i försöks- skolorna. När det gäller förmågan till mål- och resultatstyrning har skolorna i försöket utvecklats mer än övriga skolor, vilket enligt vår uppfattning indikerar att arbete utan timplan kan leda till förbättrade studieresultat . Erfarenheterna från försöket visar att arbete utan timplan stimu- lerar skolans utveckling och ett målinriktat arbetssätt. För att garantera eleverna rätten till en likvärdig utbildning och för att stärka utvecklingen i skolorna krävs kompletterande åtgärder om timplanen avskaffas. Våra förslag och ställningstaganden skall ses som en helhet där synergieffekter kan uppstå som innebär att arbete utan timplan och utvecklingen av skolans målarbete samt dess styrning, uppföljning och utvärdering förstärker varandra. Delegationen föreslår att timplanen avskaffas. Vi föreslår att det av skollagen skall framgå att undervisningen i för varje elev skall omfatta ämnena eller ämnesgrupperna bild, engelska, hem- och konsumentkunskap, idrott och hälsa, mate- matik, musik, de naturorienterande ämnena biologi, fysik och kemi, de samhällsorienterande ämnena geografi, historia, religions- kunskap och samhällskunskap, slöjd, språkval, svenska eller svenska som andraspråk samt teknik. Vi föreslår dessutom att modersmål skall anges i skollagen som ett ämne för vissa elever. Förtydligandet för varje elev skall ses som en markering av varje elevs rätt till undervisning i alla ämnen. Delegationen menar att det inte får råda något tvivel om att alla kommuner och skolor erbjuder alla elever minst lärarledd undervisning. Vi föreslår därför att det minsta garanterade antalet undervisningstimmar som totalt skall erbjudas varje elev i offentliga och fristående grundskolor skall regleras i skollagen. Vi föreslår därutöver att huvudmannens skyldighet att kunna redovisa att den minsta garanterade undervisningstiden erbjuds i grund- skolan skall tydliggöras i skollagen. Vi föreslår också att intentionerna bakom bestämmelserna i grundskoleförordningen (1994:1194) om att eleverna skall få såväl en väl avvägd total skoltid i som väl avvägda läsår och skoldagar lyfts fram och tydliggörs i läroplanen. Vi föreslår vidare att aktiviteterna elevens val och skolans val inte skall regleras i skollagen och därmed inte heller i grundskoleförord- ningen. Elevernas intressen, behov och förutsättningar står ändå i centrum för planeringen i en skola utan timplan och möjligheten att i dialog med läraren göra individuella val är stor. I en skola utan timplan är dessutom friheten att ge undervisningen en lokal anknytning eller profilering inom ramen för ämnen väl så stor som med en fortsatt reglering av skolans val. Vi föreslår dock att de intentioner som finns för aktiviteterna elevens val respektive skolans val lyfts fram och tydliggörs i läroplanen. Delegationen anser dessutom att det är viktigt att det i skollagen finns en tydlighet om vad som avses med undervisning. Delegationen anser att det finns ett generellt behov av att tydlig- göra målen och målstrukturen i läroplanen och i kursplanerna. Vi förordar därför att dagens målsystem ses över. En målsättning för översynen bör vara att systemet skall uppfattas som robust och tydligt av alla. Vi anser vidare att mål bör fastställas för fler tillfällen under än 5 och år 9, och då särskilt för basfärdigheter under de tidiga åren. Vi anser att även detta bör utredas. Vi betonar särskilt vikten av att ytterligare vidareutveckla arbetet med att följa och utvärdera måluppfyllelsen på såväl individnivå, skol- och huvudmannanivå som nationell nivå. En positiv effekt av att införa mål för fler tillfällen under är att det förbättrar förutsättningarna för att följa utvecklingen på alla nivåer i systemet. Det finns enligt delegationens uppfattning ett stort behov av kompetensutveckling av lärare när det gäller målorienterat arbets- sätt och systematiskt kvalitetsarbete. Kompetensutveckling av lärare är en förutsättning för att en avveckling av timplanen skall få fullt genomslag i utvecklingen av skolan. Lärarutbildningen måste ge blivande lärare god förmåga att arbeta i en mål- och resultatstyrd skola. Examensordningens mål i detta avseende behöver därför få ökat genomslag i lärarutbild- ningen. Vi anser vidare att Myndigheten för skolutveckling igenom- förandet av uppdraget att utveckla rektorsutbildningen bör beakta konsekvenserna av skolutvecklingen generellt och av en avveckling av timplanen. Som obligatoriska inslag skall enligt vår uppfattning ingå avsnitt om ansvarsfördelningen mellan stat och kommun, den statliga styrningens uppbyggnad, skoljuridik och innehållet i de statliga styrdokumenten. Stöd för utveckling och lärande Vid en avveckling av timplanen krävs särskilda insatser för imple- mentering under förslagsvis . Det handlar om särskilda infor- mationsinsatser och en koncentrerad satsning på kompetens- utveckling, bl.a. genom erfarenhetsutbyte mellan skolor respektive mellan huvudmän. Det krävs vidare enligt delegationens uppfatt- ning fortlöpande stöd och stimulans för skolans utveckling. Uppföljning och utvärdering av reformen Slutligen föreslår delegationen att forskning och utvärdering initie- ras om timplanen avskaffas. Detta bl.a. mot bakgrund av de positiva erfarenheter som vi har av den forskning och utvärdering som skett under försöket och mot bakgrund av den generella bristen på tillämpad forskning om skolans utveckling. Det är viktigt att få en kvalificerad utvärdering av hur målen för med ett avskaffande av timplanen nås. Vi anser dessutom att den investering som har gjorts i olika forskarmiljöer under försöket bör förvaltas även framgent. Medel bör därför avsättas för detta ändamål under . The pilot scheme for compulsory schools with no set timetable involves just under 900 compulsory schools in 79 different muni- cipalities. This five-year scheme started in the academic year of 2000/01. The schools participating in the scheme were given total exemp- tion from the time distribution per subject or group of related subjects stipulated in the national timetable, but were still governed by all other provisions applicable to compulsory schools. These include following the national curriculum (Lpo 94) and working to existing syllabi for compulsory school subjects/groups of related subjects; providing the stipulated number of guaranteed hours for nine years of compulsory school (6,665 hours) and ensuring pupils receive a well-balanced education, well balanced academic years and schooldays. The schools have decided themselves how the time is to be allocated. has had the overall responsibility for leading, supporting and evaluating the pilot scheme. The Delegation has furthermore had the task of providing the Government with a basis for decision-making regarding whether and if so how the compulsory school timetable can be abolished. In this final report, the Delegation presents its conclu- sions and proposals. The role of the timetable in a school driven by objectives and results has been the subject of debate for a long time. It was high- lighted in particular when the responsibility for schools was decentralised and was the subject of several government enquiries during the 1990s. There has been widespread consensus that having a national timetable in schools driven by objectives and results is rather illogical and that such a timetable can lead to an inflexible schedule-bound approach, hindering the desired development of school education in . Furthermore, the steering effect of the timetable on how education is organised and how teaching resources are utilised is also brought into question. On the other hand, the nationally established timetable has been viewed as a tool with which to promote equity and quality. Mis- givings about the abolition of the timetable have included the effects it might have on various school subjects. The need for more detailed syllabi objectives in the event of the timetable being abol- ished has also been discussed. Efficient evaluation and quality systems have been highlighted as absolute necessities for being able to abolish the timetable. In its final report School issues - the schools role in a new era (Offi- cial Government Report 1997:121), pro- posed that the school's existing timetable be abolished and that only a minimum number of guaranteed teaching hours be regu- lated. also proposed a pilot scheme as an alterna- tive, which was the option finally adopted by the Government and the Riksdag. The Government then appointed a working group within the then , which presented a com- munication entitled No set timetable - but the same assignment (Ds 1999:1). The Government and Riksdag adopted the vast majority of the proposals in the communication. The Government then took the decision to set up a pilot scheme testing the no set time- table system in compulsory school and appointed . Even in its interim report, No set timetable - with the objectives in focus (Official Government Report 2004:35), the Delegation deemed the abolition of the timetable to be both feasible and desir- able. We felt, however, that the pilot scheme should be completed before a recommendation to abolish the timetable was submitted to the Government. We were also of the opinion that the final reports of the research and evaluation projects and other monitor- ing data should help to provide a more in-depth and clearer picture of the pilot scheme. The Delegation also wanted to supplement a recommendation to abolish the timetable with proposals for fur- ther measures, were the timetable to be abolished. Should the timetable be abolished? The conclusions in this report are based on an analysis of the results of extensive monitoring, evaluation and research. The Dele- gation has performed unusually in-depth scrutiny of the current Swedish compulsory school system and studied how the teaching has been organised both within and, to a lesser extent, outside the pilot scheme. During our deliberations, it became necessary to try to evaluate what relates to the timetable and what is more an expression of general school improvement, something which has been a delicate and complex task. The development occurring in the pilot schools is also happening in other schools, albeit not with the same force, and much of what the schools are doing in the pilot scheme can also be implemented within the framework of the cur- rent national timetable. In accordance with the principles of management by objectives and results, the Delegation has refrained from issuing directives to the schools in the pilot scheme as regards working methods, mate- rial selection, etc. Prior to adopting a standpoint, we also assessed working methods and other aspects of teaching in the schools, however. During the course of the pilot scheme, we have also highlighted certain questions for the schools to reflect on. The opinion of the Delegation The Delegation is of the opinion that the timetable both can and should be abolished. The vast majority of the reasons we outlined in our interim report are still valid. Some of these have since been further strengthened while others are no longer quite as unequivo- cal. All in all, however, experience gained during the pilot scheme indicates that abolition of the timetable can in the long term con- tribute to greater goal achievement by stimulating development in schools. The majority of the question-marks, which we already referred to in our interim report, do not concern whether there should or should not be a timetable but are more about school improvement in general. In our opinion, however, abolition of the timetable should be accompanied with other measures and be backed up by efficient implementation. Schools must take control over time The responsibility for day-to-day activities in a decentralised school driven by objectives and results rests first and foremost with the teachers and the school principal. In a school where the aim is to allow each pupil to develop to the best of her/his poten- tial, it is reasonable for the teachers and other staff to be given the best possible scope to design the school's activities. Deciding how time is to be allocated to different subjects and activities should be part and parcel of the planning and organisation of each individual school's activities. In our view, it is both illogical and contradictory to control the use of a school's time on the national level whilst employing a man- agement by objectives and results system. We would like to stress, however, that management by objectives and results by no means excludes the planning of time. On the contrary, it implies that the school or its staff needs to plan both how it wants to work in order to achieve the set objectives in the various subjects, how the sub- jects can interact and support each other, how the various require- ments of the pupils can be met and how the different skills of the teachers can best be utilised to achieve this, as well as how all this is to happen in time and space. The timetable is seen as an obstacle to school improvement by many of those working in the education system. Abolishing it would therefore stimulate schools to develop in such a way that could help lead to greater goal-achievement and improved well- being and work satisfaction among both pupils and teachers. Joint planning and more intensive pedagogical discussions A very favourable effect of the pilot scheme has been an increase in the amount of time teachers in the pilot schools devote to struc- tured and in-depth pedagogical discussions. Furthermore, more focus has been placed on objectives in both staff team planning and their pedagogical considerations. Another positive development is the fact that the way pupils reach the set objectives has now become more of a common issue for the staff team. Many schools strive to ensure there is solid support for all subjects/groups of related subjects in the staff team. The fact that the necessary pre- conditions for this are not always in place for all categories of teacher can cause problems. The increased cooperation is seen as positive by the teachers and seems no longer to lead to conflict, even though discussions are common. The fact that mutual understanding among the teachers for each other's subjects has increased and that the pre-conditions for creating a better holistic approach to teaching have also improved is of benefit not only to the teaching but above all to the pupils. Focusing on objectives - a holistic or fragmented approach? Placing the objectives at the centre of a school's activities must be seen as a matter of course in a school driven by objectives and results. The schools participating in the pilot scheme have put considerable effort into understanding, interpreting and breaking down the objectives, which have then been evaluated, documented and checked with and communicated to pupils and parents. We identified the potential risk involved in focusing on the objectives, saying it may lead to fragmentation and the loss of 'the bigger picture'. We are able to ascertain that the schools now have a more balanced approach to working with the objectives than they had in the initial stages of the pilot scheme. Increasingly, the schools are now basing their activities on objectives 'to strive towards'. Indi- vidual planning and follow-up by the pupils is now being played down somewhat in favour of actually carrying out the tasks. The intensified focus on the objectives has helped to stimulate more pedagogical discussions at the schools. Work with the objec- tives and how they can be monitored, for each pupil and for the staff team or school, is however one of the areas where the need for skills development and exchange of experience is particularly great. We also feel that there is a considerable need in general to give the objectives and the way they are structured greater clarity. A consequence of working with the objectives has been that par- ents of the pupils involved in the scheme have been better informed about and have participated to a greater extent in their children's studies and educational development. Through this, they have also become better informed about how the school is devel- oping. Self-regulated study - privatised learning? Much of the pilot scheme has focused on self-regulated study by the pupils and the periods on the timetable that are often referred to as private study individual time, self-study or simply study periods. These terms imply some kind of private learning, something that occurs but in our experience need not by any means always be the case. Self-regulated study by the pupils is an expression of the schools' ambition to base their teaching on the prerequisites, needs and interests of each individual pupil as well as the ambition to increase the amount of pupil influence and responsibility. A greater number of pupils and teachers in the pilot schools than in other schools say that group work, themes and projects were common activities. The pupils appreciate the variation during the school-week, with a combination of teaching in large , dif- ferent forms of group work and individual study. There is much evidence to suggest that self-regulated study provides the pupils with more scope for making their own choices and taking greater responsibility for their education. All in all, a mixture of different forms of teaching is well in line with the teaching objectives stipulated in the school curriculum. Each staff team and each school must, however constantly and consciously consider how the teaching is organised, regarding for example, the balance between individual study and joint . Is the balance between subjects affected? The Delegation does not feel the risk of an undesirable imbalance between the subjects is particularly large in the event of the time- table being abolished. In a school where the focus is on the objec- tives and which uses the subject syllabi as its starting-point, allo- cating sufficient time to all subjects is a matter of course. The risk of a 'three-subject school' being accentuated if the time- table is abolished has not been substantiated in the pilot scheme. As in other compulsory schools, there is a tendency however for pupils with learning difficulties, particular in later school years, to devote considerable time to Swedish, English and mathematics in order to be eligible to study a national programme at upper secon- dary school. Practical and artistic subjects have if anything been afforded more time in the pilot schools than previously as a result of having both their own slot on the timetable and being a part of subject- integrated activities. The problem lies on the other hand in the practical difficulties in integrating practical and artistic subjects into the joint work of staff teams. As far as subject-integrated themes are concerned, the risk is also that subject-wise specialisa- tion in practical and artistic subjects will be too limited. It has been found to be more difficult to incorporate modern languages, mostly Spanish, German and French, in the self-regulated study framework. Sooner or later, however, the balance between different subjects and groups of related subjects will change as a natural consequence of social and knowledge development. A reappraisal within the framework of government control will then be performed, by means of a review of the curriculum and syllabi. When this hap- pens, time will not be without significance, even if the timetable has been abolished. Greater responsibility and influence - only for some? The pupils have received greater responsibility and influence during the pilot scheme. They are positive to this greater influence, which can also help increase commitment to schoolwork, but also demand more. Influence is primarily a question of where, when and how, and to a lesser extent what. The fact that influence has mainly increase within the framework of self-regulated study provides considerable scope for further developing the working methods employed throughout the school so that pupil influence can make a broader impact. Pupils that find it difficult to reach the objectives are not always able to make as good use of the freedom they are given as other pupils are. They tend to be more controlled by the teachers and their own ambitions to succeed in Swedish, English and mathe- in particular. We feel it is important to respect the choice of pupils even when they allocate their priorities in this way. It is equally important, however, for teachers to help ensure the teach- ing doesn't just focus on the pupils' difficulties but also on their opportunities. The school-week should be balanced with respect to the nature of the subjects, so that all pupils have the opportunity for more in-depth studies and to develop their skill in taking responsibility for and exerting influence over their studies. Pupils in need of special support There is also a good deal of evidence suggesting that a more indi- vidualised working method leads to pupils in need of special sup- port actually receiving such support to a greater degree. Teachers look to organise solutions for pupils based on the pupils' individual needs. Pupils who have problems fulfilling the requirement for goal-awareness and concentration gain from being made more visi- ble and hence receiving more attention from teachers. Much of the background material also points to the pilot schools basing their special needs education strategies on inclusive solu- tions. In other words, pupils are given special needs support within the framework of the normal teaching situation, often during the time set aside for self-regulated study. As is the case in compulsory schools in general, however, there is also a lack of effective special needs strategies in the pilot schools. We feel that change management strategies in schools should always be designed with pupils in need of special support in mind. Skills in special needs education should be included in planning processes at a very early stage. They are needed, not only in con- junction with pupils in the classroom and as consultative support to fellow teaching staff members, but also in strategic decision- making domains, such as school management organisations. Teachers' working situation and development of their role With only a few exceptions, the teachers in the pilot schools are positive to the development that has occurred during the scheme. They appreciate the increased cooperation and the intra-team dis- cussions and the fact that staff teams have been given greater influ- ence than previously over how work is planned. The development that has occurred in the pilot schools has benefited the develop- ment of the teaching profession. The greater work satisfaction among the teachers in the pilot schools than in other compulsory schools can be seen as proof that they have appreciated the change management project in which they have been involved. The working methods developed in a school with no set time- table, as in other Swedish compulsory schools, place tough de- mands on teaching skills. When schools no longer need to follow the national timetable, the responsibility for planning and teaching time allocation among the various subjects shifts to the profession- als. In many cases, these responsibilities were assumed by the staff team.