sou · GWB327 · 2008-04-01 00:00:00 — Such an indicator makes it possible to study deviations and analyse upper secondary school results. The Upper Secondary Education Reform Commission - with the help of the for Education - has developed such an indicator and presents it later on in this report. Another important part of the reform, for which there are no clear evaluation results either, is how the dimensioning principle works. The number of students who gain a place on their first- choice programme is not measured nationally and the suitability of the chosen dimensioning principle cannot therefore be discussed based on an evaluation. There is no data on the number of students who receive a workplace-based education according to the regulatory framework despite the fact that it is essential for the quality of a vocational programme. An even more important area where there is a lack of information is the extent to which the students right to education, in accordance with the regulations on guaranteed teaching time, is satisfied. A conclusion I draw is that both clear result indicators and an improved evaluation system are needed. The Upper Secondary Education Reform Commission has also examined the current throughput of upper secondary schools, particularly in light of the large number of students who drop out. There is also a surprisingly large number of eligible students in the individual programmes. There are what are known as switchers and deferers (those who want to switch programmes or defer their education) in individual programmes waiting to continue their studies. The indicator used by the Commission to measure throughput is the proportion of students who start their upper secondary education and who achieve basic eligibility for higher education within a stipulated period of time, namely three years. All deviations can be seen and discussed and the associated costs can also be estimated. According to these specially compiled statistics, only 62 percent of all students achieve this goal. A conclusion is that it should be possible to improve throughput, which would in turn incur substantially lower costs. There are also costs in upper secondary education that can be traced back to the current system of many different alternatives to choose from. Small class-sizes increase costs so a tightening-up of the system with fewer alternatives could lead to lower costs and higher efficiency to the benefit of both students and upper secondary schools. I also see a considerable need for cooperation between upper secondary schools and the local community; upper secondary education is an important infrastructure issue that affects the prerequisites for growth and employment in a municipality and region. I put forward proposals to stimulate such cooperation but refrain from submitting proposals for how it should be organised. Cooperation is also brought to the fore by the existing overcapacity in upper secondary education and which will quickly get worse since student cohorts are set to fall from an extremely high level within a few years. In order to be able to guarantee a good supply of upper secondary education in the future, cooperation among different school governing bodies (including independent schools) is required. Upper secondary education in a new era proposals and assessments The Upper Secondary Educational Reform Commissions analysis of the changes needed concentrates on three important issues: –The students right to a good education needs to be strengthened. –Responsibility, structure and regulations need to be clarified. –Greater cooperation in upper secondary education is needed between receivers and school governing bodies. Large-scale changes are needed in these three areas. The student is the protagonist in upper secondary education and this should be made self-evident in the regulations and their application. Upper secondary education must build on a completed compulsory education and be the way-in to adult life. It must be clear to a student what a programme contains and where it leads. It is important that students are able to choose programmes based on their interests and it must be possible for both young women and men to find vocational programmes that enhance their employability and lead to recognised qualifications. A higher education preparatory programme must provide a good grounding for higher education studies. The legal rights of the student will be strengthened by my proposals and the right to education will be elucidated. My proposals also mean that the right of students on vocational programmes to achieve basic eligibility for higher education within the upper secondary school system will be clarified for the individual student. I create no dead-end streets with my proposals. Both national equity and the prerequisites for decentralised, goal-driven upper secondary education need to be strengthened. My proposals therefore contain a clear, nationally established target level for all programmes that is to apply to both upper secondary school and upper secondary adult education. I propose the introduction of a diploma which involves the Government adopting specific diploma objectives for each programme. This will in turn involve the drawing-up of new policy documents for upper secondary education in order to enhance goal-driven management and provide the prerequisites for a more holistic approach to upper secondary education. One important precondition for my proposals is that the future national objectives established by the Government as well as other regulatory components must apply equally to both municipal and independent schools so that they can operate on equivalent terms. I also put forward proposals on how this can be achieved. My proposals will also tighter restrictions as regards the right to establish specially designed programmes, local branches and local courses. Here, I make a clear choice in favour of a nationally equitable education system. I consider access to upper secondary education and upper secondary adult education to be a strategic issue that should hence be seen as part of the infrastructure in a municipality, region or inter-municipal area of cooperation. It is important for working life, both private and public employers, to have access to a well- educated workforce and it is also important for growth issues, for industrial policy in a municipality or region and for the country as a whole. There are examples of some municipalities and cooperative bodies working in this way but there is nothing in the current regulatory framework that stimulates such a perspective. The result is potentially large differences between different parts of the country and between different upper secondary schools. I therefore propose that the task of upper secondary schools to satisfy the skills supply needs of working life and the higher education sector be further clarified in the Swedish Education Act. I also propose a clear role for receivers, i.e. working life and the higher education sector, when it comes to formulating educational objectives. It is also valuable if they participate in ensuring the quality of the education. Knowledge as to skills supply issues in different parts of the country must be improved and I therefore propose that the for Education every year prepares a report on these issues to be submitted to the Government. In light of this, the for Education will need additional competence to assist it in the assessment of these new issues. I therefore propose the of a national council for the development of upper secondary education, . This shall be connected to the for Education and not only play an advisory role in strategic issues concerning the development of upper secondary education but also have the right of initiative. A national council, on which receivers have representation, would make it possible to identify development needs and satisfy the forthcoming needs of future industries which currently lack established structures of cooperation. This would make it possible to continuously renew upper secondary education and ensure important development needs are satisfied. I also propose that programme specific national councils be set up, one for each national programme. The programme councils will have an operative role compared to which will concentrate on strategic development issues. for Education will be responsible for the of these programme councils and for their administration. Stakeholders, in the form of industrial representa- tives such as employers and trade unions, and relevant central government standard-setting agencies will be affiliated to a programme council. It is important that the programme councils make use of students experiences and views of the programmes. for Education will appoint programme council members. I see broad representation and the fact that receivers, as well as in , are given an important role in the work of the councils as beneficial. I also propose that local programme councils be set up for cooperation between receivers of upper secondary vocational programme graduates and school governing bodies. In brief, this means that I envisage new institutional levels of cooperation both on the national strategic level and the national and local operational levels. This institutional cooperation on the national level covers both vocational programmes and higher education preparatory programmes. New vocational programmes and higher education preparatory programmes Upper secondary education leads to a working life or higher education studies and this shall influence the education from day one. During my assignment, I have therefore concentrated considerably on issues concerning transition from upper secondary school. What skills do students need to cope with their next step in life? This also explains my cooperation with receivers, those who receive upper secondary school students, when it comes to assessing what requirements are stipulated now and in the future. I propose that all upper secondary programmes be three years in length and be worth 2 500 points. All programmes I propose shall be given a common basic structure. This provides plenty of scope for finding flexible forms for each programme within the basic framework that will satisfy the various needs the programme is to fulfil. This involves a key difference compared to the current structure, based on programme uniformity regardless of where they lead. An important aim with this new structure is to recognise the different receiver requirements. Some industries are stringently regulated by international rules whilst others have virtually no such rules at all. My conclusion is that it must be possible for the programmes to be different. It is also important that the outcome, the diploma, is on an adequate level. I propose that the current term vocationally oriented programme be replaced by vocational programme: The idea here is that a vocational programme should stretch further than todays upper secondary school and lead to a vocational diploma that constitutes a recognised skill qualification and enhances employ- ability. It shall be possible to implement a vocational programme either as a school-based programme or as an apprenticeship programme. I propose that the term study-oriented programme be replaced by higher education preparatory programme, a term that more clearly specifies the aim of the programme. Higher education preparatory programmes lead to a higher education preparatory diploma. The actual, detailed content of the programmes shall be established after a process prepared by the for Education. When the for Education prepares the issues, the stakeholders of each programme shall have a strong influence over the content via the proposed national programme councils. A table illustrating the structure of both school-based vocational programmes and higher education preparatory programmes is presented below. 0–6 per 1 000–1 800 p 200–900 p 300–600 p entitled to read the and health 2 course and an arts course. have the right to and/or as an extended programme, i.e. Swedish/Swedish as a courses to offer. courses lead to a Diploma project 100 p 5TP PT Science studies is a common upper secondary subject in all programmes apart from the Natural Science Programme and the Technology Programme. These two programmes already contain natural science elements in the form of the common programme-specific subjects of physics and chemistry, and biology in the Natural Science Programme. Some comments on the table: 1.One essential feature of the subjects that I propose should be common to all upper secondary education and be included in all programmes is that their scope and content can vary between the various programmes. I therefore suggest that the concept of core subjects should be removed from upper secondary education. I use instead the concept of common upper secondary subjects. These shall be Swedish/Swedish as a second language, English, mathematics, history, religion, civics, science studiesTPF6FPT and physical education and health. I see these subjects as constituting a common ground for all upper secondary school programmes. The common upper secondary subjects shall be established by the Swedish Riksdag. 2.Programme-specific subjects give the programme its character and are read by all students on the programme in question. 3.All programmes have national branches apart from the Health and Social Care Programme. The number of branches per programme varies. 4.In-depth programme studies provide scope for profiling albeit within a tighter framework than the current system. for Education shall establish which courses and combinations of courses may be offered as in-depth programme studies and shall be given directives on restrictiveness. The education shall reward in-depth studies into the character of the programme. 5.Individual options will also be possible in the future but to a lesser extent. Some courses shall always be offered; arts course, a second course in physical education and health and - for vocational students - courses needed to provide basic eligibility for higher education. Current rules should be changed so that the school may offer students all the courses there are in the municipality, but this shall not be an obligation. In other words, the governing body decides the range of individual options over and above the courses that shall always be offered. 6TP PT Science studies is a common upper secondary subject in all programmes apart from the Natural Science Programme and the Technology Programme. These two programmes already contain natural science elements in the form of the common programme-specific subjects of physics and chemistry, and biology in the Natural Science Programme. 6.Vocational outcomes for vocational programmes correspond to the professions for which the students will be employable. I consider it important for students to be given clear information about the potential outcomes a programme can lead to. Upper secondary school subjects shall, as they are today, be made up of courses. They shall however, in a clearer way, build on compulsory school subjects and continue from where compulsory school left off. This means that certain repetition elements in todays general courses should be replaced by in-depth studies in the subject at upper secondary level. Courses are currently denoted by letters, but I propose they instead be denoted by figures. I propose that subjects and courses shall be described more clearly than they are today. The aim of this added clarity is to strengthen equity. According to my supplementary terms of reference, I am to highlight the core subjects and look particularly at the subject of Swedish and whether it should be one combined subject or be divided into two - one focusing on language and the other focusing on literature. I propose that courses in Swedish/Swedish as a second language continue to be one combined subject covering both language and literature. New vocational education - two paths towards a vocational diploma An important starting-point in the new upper secondary education system I propose is that students shall progress further as regards their preparation for a vocation or further studies in higher education. In other words, students shall be more specialised within their vocational or study area compared to todays vocationally oriented programmes. I do not believe that this increased specialisation contradicts the idea that students shall also be prepared for participation in society and be given the opportunity to develop general skills such as problem solving, the ability to cooperate and communication skills. Through my proposals for a changed structure as regards upper secondary vocational education, I have designed a system that meets currently assessable needs based on what can be deduced from the continuously on-going changes in working life. As a result of my proposals in connection with programme councils integrated with the for Education, I believe I have also created the conditions necessary for an ongoing dialogue with receivers on future needs for change as regards upper secondary vocational education. A vocational programme leads to a vocational diploma that provides a recognised qualification that in turn enhances employability. The vocational education programmes I propose shall enhance employability and the upper secondary level will in future be defined by the established diploma objectives for each programme in cooperation with receivers. This is also a view supported by the industrial representatives the Commission has consulted. The defined level will be the one to which each industry will adapt its further education and training for possible certification. I believe we must see learning in working life and what it provides in a broader perspective than the narrow syllabus-driven view of learning conveyed by workplace-based education and its definition. I therefore propose that the concept of workplace learning be used instead of the concept of workplace-based education. I propose that at least 15 weeks of workplace learning shall be compulsory for students on all school-based vocational programmes. The dispensation allowing workplace-based education to take place at school shall be removed. As regards apprenticeship programmes, at least half the period of education shall be located at the workplace. I also propose that local programme councils for cooperation between school governing bodies and receivers on upper secondary vocational education be made compulsory. In other words, I am introducing a new element of upper secondary vocational educa- tion. Making workplace learning, with a qualitative level demanded by the receivers, compulsory means that the programme can only be offered if workplace learning places can be found. I see work- place learning as an entirely necessary component of a vocational programme; students without workplace learning do not have the same opportunities to establish themselves on the labour market and the education will not provide them with the right skills. The new national programme councils and local programme councils will provide an institutional level of cooperation at the national and local levels that is currently lacking. At present it is the schools responsibility to find workplace learning places. As a result of the new requirements, I see the issue of workplace learning as a mutual undertaking where both the school and working life have an interest in generating a sufficient number of workplace learning places. This will require good cooperation between schools and working life and the issue will be monitored and reported on in the for Educations annual report on skills provision to the Government. During the workplace-located component of the programme, I propose that the student be supervised by a skilled company employee who should have undergone a supervisors course arranged by the school governing body in cooperation with receivers or who has the equivalent education. I propose that such education be made compulsory for apprenticeship programmes. The school governing body shall appoint one or more vocational teachers to be responsible for the contacts between the school, workplace and student and who, after consultation with the workplace/supervisor, grades the students. It is my view that an agreement on workplace learning should be drawn up between the school governing body and the workplace/s that take on students. Such agreements will enable workplace learning and the undertakings of the various parties to be quality- assured in a completely different way to if there were no agreements. I am of the opinion that the amount of compensation given to workplaces that take on students on workplace learning programmes should not be regulated on the central level. I do however propose that the issue of compensation should always be discussed and regulated in connection with the drawing-up of an agreement on workplace learning between the school governing body and the workplace. Vocational education at upper secondary schools therefore includes both school-based education and apprenticeship educa- tion. I see apprenticeship education as an alternative path to the same qualification - a vocational diploma. vocational programmes followed by upper secondary apprenticeship pro- grammes are presented below. The section on vocational education starts with a figure illustrating how these two educational paths are interrelated. Common upper secondary subjects (600 p) Individual option (200 p) Diploma project (100 p) (at least 400 p) (course grade) (0–350 p) (course grade) (at least 300 p) (course grade) (1 250–1 800 p*) (comprising programme blocks that are (max 900 p) (course grade) * A maximum of 1 800 points provided that 200 points in Individual option is done as workplace learning. The common upper secondary subjects of Swedish/ Swedish as a second language, English, mathematics, history, religion, civics, science studies and physical education and health are included in all vocational programmes and are worth 600 points. In my proposals for vocational programmes, I have not speci- fied which subjects and courses I deem should work as common programme-specific and common branch-specific subjects. I believe that this work should be done by the in cooperation with relevant receivers. In my opinion, the for Education should, in addition to establishing the content of the programme-specific subjects and how they should be distributed among different courses, also establish the final number of points for the common programme- specific subjects, the common branch-specific subjects and in- depth programme studies. needs to establish, in consultation with receivers from working life, the programme-specific subjects that are to function as in-depth programme studies. According to my proposals, the individual option is worth 200 points in all programmes. For students who so wish, the individual option can also be used for further in-depth study within the programme-specific subjects or to read other courses offered by the school governing body. Another course in physical education and health and at least one course in an arts subject shall always be offered. Furthermore, students on vocational programmes shall always be offered the courses necessary for basic eligibility for higher education as an individual option and/or extended programme. These courses include a further 200 points in Swedish/Swedish as a second language and a further 100 points in English. One of the courses may be made compulsory on certain vocational pro- grammes. The individual option, with its 200 points, will then be enough to achieve basic eligibility for higher education. On other programmes, students will have to study an extended programme.