FBE aims for the national objective to offer high-quality education to all children. Each school is responsible for having an internal quality care system. Through self-assessment and study the quality is evaluated and if necessary improved.

 

Quality care for teachers is, among other things, done by means of the National

Quality Card FBE. 

This card was scientifically designed for the Netherlands Antilles by

Drs. Floor van der Zwan, who presented the card to Commissioner of Education

Chris Johnson on November 28, 2007.

The quality card is a questionnaire to be filled out by every teacher anonimously.

The instrument can detect issues that need to be addressed, such as:

- communication among teachers;

- training in new strategies;

- new materials for students.

 

The quality card will be completed every year to keep track of the quality in FBE.

 

Quality care for students is monitored by applying several assessment techniques accumulating in the Student Tracking System:

 

a) Authentic Assessment: Concrete examples of what children actually do. Examples: written stories, Social Studies projects, Science projects or Math problems.

 

b) Checklists: A checklist summarizes a child's skills, thus providing a quick way to see where the child is and where he/she is going next in their specific learning process. Checklists reflect development objectives and whether the child masters that objective.

 

c) Anecdotal Records: Anecdotal records are written notes about a child's strengths, needs, interests, and development in all areas. Social and emotional factors of the child can be placed in anecdotal records.

 

d) Portfolios: A portfolio is a highly selective collection of each child's strengths in all areas. Examples of work in the portfolio should document the child's successful growth in becoming a better reader, writer, and problem solver.

 

e) Oral Presentations, Drama and Video/CD: Certain strengths of a child cannot be fully represented on paper. Expression can be assessed using drama in the class room, recording a piece on videotape or CD or simply doing a presentation in front of the class or audience.

 

f) Testing; Written/Oral/Assisted Testing: Students are tested on an area of development using a product of written form or oral testing to gain insight about a student's knowledge. Some students may need assistance during a test from the teacher or another student.

 

g) Running Records: The teacher sits one-on-one with a student, assesses the child's reading strategies and determines whether the book is appropriate for the child. The teacher then completes the running record and adds it to the child's portfolio.

 

h) Peer Assessment: Classmates offer each other evaluation and support. Learning how to evaluate the work of others and offering suggestions makes children better critics of their own work as well.

 

i) Student Self-Evaluations: Students can add to their own portfolio with reflections on their own work as well as setting their own future goals.

 

j) Parent Observations and Conferences: In the first months of the school year, an open house is held to provide parents with information about school policy, teachers and their own support role. Over the course of the year there are 3 parent/teacher conferences that allow parents to visit the school and discuss their child's progress within his/her class and school environment. Parents can come to school (by appointment) to sit in the class on a Friday morning.

 

The Inspectorate can pay the schools a visit. Items for inspection will be: