Belgium (Flemish)

Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science

In the Flemish Community, education is regarded as more than training and instruction. In addition to instructional content, schools convey values, attitudes, and convictions according to a pedagogical framework, which schools are free to configure themselves. This approach to education yields outcomes that are not assessed easily. As such, there are no externally imposed tests or national examinations. Schools determine whether students have attained national targets and school-specific objectives, using their own tests and qualification standards.

In preprimary education, there is no formal assessment. However, observation-based assessment is used, following these guidelines:

• Is the degree of maturity and development attained by the child sufficient for transition to primary school?
• What has the child learned, and how advanced is the child in comparison with his or her peer group?
• Why has the development of a child been delayed, or why has knowledge not been acquired in particular domains?

The transition from preprimary to primary school, which can be problematic, is supported greatly by the Student Guidance Center (CLB), together with the school’s educational team. The CLB is a center funded by the government that students, parents, teachers, and school management teams may consult for information, assistance, or guidance regarding issues of education, health care, or psychological and social functioning. The CLB provides services free of charge and monitors the welfare of students.

In primary education, teachers are encouraged to use positive reinforcement, taking into account the challenges inherent in the curriculum and the varying abilities of students. At this level, teachers conduct tests yearly to assess student achievement against prescribed objectives and to evaluate teaching efficacy. Examinations are administered mainly in December and June, and are recorded by teachers under the supervision of the school administration. Examination results are factored together with other assessments administered throughout the school year to determine student grades. School reports at regular intervals inform students and their parents of students’ assessment results, progress, attitude toward learning, and personal development. School reports may help parents decide whether to have children repeat a grade or enroll in special education.

Most Flemish schools use a set of educational materials for mathematics, which include tests. In addition to these tests, follow-up assessments are administered independent of the method used to verify students’ achievement level. For science, schools either use tests linked to the curriculum, which may be obtained from an educational publisher, or write tests independently to suit their own curriculum.

Parents of children with learning difficulties (e.g., in mathematics) decide if their children will attend mainstream primary school or special education, with advice from the CLB or another recognized service and their school. The CLB offers multidisciplinary support and focuses primarily on students with learning difficulties related to their social background.

Many students with special needs are able to remain in regular education with special support from their classroom teacher or a remedial teacher. However, regular schools are not equipped to support all students with special needs. Special education schools provide these students with adapted education, training, care, and treatment.

Until the 2014–2015 school year, special education was organized into eight types: minor or major mental handicap (Types 1 and 2, respectively); serious behavioral or emotional problems (Type 3); physical disability (Type 4); temporary stay in hospital or care facility due to health issues (Type 5); visual disability (Type 6); auditory disability (Type 7); and severe learning disabilities (Type 8). Over the years, the number of students with problems has increased. In Flanders, there are approximately 50,000 students in special education with approximately 7 percent of children at the primary level enrolled in special education. A major problem with special education in Flanders is the overrepresentation of students with low socioeconomic status and language problems, as this imposes constraints on equality of opportunity.

During the last decade it became clear that the special education typology needed to be reorganized. (Proposals such as “learning support” proved unfeasible in the field.) On March 12, 2014, the Flemish parliament decided to implement changes to the organization of special education from the 2015–2016 school year, as follows:

• The Basic Supply Type—Includes former Types 1 and 8, students for whom the common curriculum is unsuitable and who do not qualify for any other type of special education
• Types 2 to 7—Correspond with the earlier classification types
• Type 9—Includes students with autism spectrum disorders

In addition to replacing Types 1 and 8 with the new Basic Supply Type and adding Type 9, parliament introduced stricter criteria for students to qualify for special education, in response to requirements in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regarding inclusive education. A diagnosis by the CLB is sufficient for students to qualify for Type 1 or Type 8 programs. For students to qualify for Basic Supply programs, it must be demonstrated that their regular school implemented all possible measures of support (e.g., differentiation, remediation, and compensation) and that even with these measures the students could not be included in regular education. A final important change is that students who qualify for Basic Supply programs receive a basic offer certificate, which allows them to enroll in the programs for two years only. After two years in Basic Supply programs, students typically return to mainstream education. In special cases, the CLB may grant an extension.

In Flanders, a large number of students are following education in special education. Since 2008, a new legal framework ensuring students with disabilities have access to reasonable accommodations in mainstream education has been built up through the following statutory measures:

• The Decree for the Flemish Equal Opportunity and Equal Treatment Policy (2008)
• The approval by the Belgian authorities of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2009)
• The new M-decree (2014)^8,b

Flanders will implement these measures gradually beginning in the 2015–2016 school year, along with several support measures, as follows:

• Since September 1, 2014, there has been collaboration among a network of pedagogical counseling services and additional “competency companions” to offer counseling to 470 regular counselors, as well as schools and teachers.
• An “inclusive service” forum will be created where parents and schools can discuss inclusive processes.
• Professional development for teachers and headmasters during the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 school years will be devoted to inclusive education, following a government initiative.

Students already enrolled in special education in the 2015–2016 school year will be allowed to finish their course in special education. It is anticipated that as a result of these measures, fewer children will enroll in special education in the future. The resources released by reducing enrollment in special education will be reallocated to supporting students with special needs in mainstream education. The government aims to see the expertise of special education institutions shared with the broader educational world. Reallocating funds to mainstream schools will help attract teachers who have worked in special education, and will support regular teachers as they are expected to differentiate more extensively in class.