Duration: December 2012 – June 2016
Donor: USAID North Macedonia
Objective: Upgrade and improve the Teacher Professional and Career Development (TPCD) system, contributing in turn to higher quality instruction in the schools and higher student achievement in the Republic of North Macedonia. The project’s target group were teachers, school directors and support staff, associates from the Bureau for Development of Education (BDE) and the Vocational Education Training Centre, Education inspectors (state and authorized inspectors). The project was initiated by the Bureau for Development of Education as a result of the partial and inconsistent interventions related to teacher professional and career development that were implemented so far. Therefore, within the scope of this project, Comprehensive Analyses of existing documents and decisions including successful education systems with high student achievements in international evaluations were implemented. The Analyses were used as basis for preparing recommendations to improve the system for teacher professional and career development in North Macedonia, including current policies and practices that were considered sustainable. In addition, the project considered the current professional development activities, and proposed two models for career development, which were most suitable in the Macedonian context. The system was established on clear standards for quality teaching, objective and transparent teacher evaluation, focused professional development and continuous support for teachers.
Results:
• Project Steering Committee established and meetings to review and approve project documents and solutions organized on regular basis;
• International consultants to support the implementation of TPCD project selected and hired, and TPCD capacity building workshops organized;
• SABER-Teacher analysis conducted and World Bank report received;
• Comparative analysis of six countries with well-established TPCD systems prepared by the international experts;
• Policy and Practice Analysis of the Teacher Professional and Career Development in the Republic of Macedonia developed and printed;
• Focus groups, round table discussions, interviews, meetings, debates, surveys, presentations and other activities implemented to gather information and feedback in the process of establishing the system for education staff professional and career development;
• Public opinion from professional community and education stakeholders on all the developed solutions and documents obtained;
• Informative meetings with representatives from all primary and secondary schools in the country related to TPCD system and publications organized;
• Rulebook for Teacher Core Professional Competences and Rulebook on the manner of attaining professional standards for teacher-mentor or teacher-advisor developed and adopted by MoES;
• Rulebook for the form and content of the individual/personal development plan and Rulebook for the form and content of the teacher professional portfolio drafted and submitted to BDE;
• Rulebook for accreditation of training providers amended to encompass the project solutions and forwarded to BDE for adoption;
• Rulebook on the manner of assessing the received teachers’ applications and documentation for obtaining the title teacher-mentor and teacher-advisor, scoring of candidates, ranking list, and the mode of operation of the committee (Rulebook for career advancement) developed and forwarded to BDE for adoption;
• Draft Rulebook on the manner and the required time for conducting the teachers’ work obligations finalized and submitted to BDE and MoES;
• Teacher core professional competences and standards, Student support staff core professional competences and standards, Professional competences for primary and secondary school directors, Guideline on the Manner and Form of Providing Mentoring Support to Novice Teachers and Novice Student Support Staff in Primary and Secondary Schools, Manual on Performance Monitoring and Professional Development Planning for Teachers and Student Support Staff in Primary and Secondary Schools, FROM NOVICE STUDENT SUPPORT STAFF TO MENTOR: A Guide for professional and career development of student support staff in primary and secondary schools, FROM NOVICE TEACHER TO MENTOR: Guide for professional and career development of teachers in primary and secondary schools developed, printed and distributed as well as a brochure for schools on how to support the career advancement of teachers;
• Procedures, tools and instruments for teacher and student support career advancement developed, piloted and finalized;
• Pilot Committee for assessing the teacher and student support staff e-portfolios established and solutions related to career advancement of teachers and student support staff proposed;
• Guideline for individual assessment of education staff as part of the school integral evaluation improved an the TPCD solutions incorporated;
• Feedback from different stakeholders related to the project solutions, the role of the school and the process of soliciting of parents and students opinion for career advancement of teachers obtained.