Ricerc@Sapienza

Educational system assessment allows the evaluation of some learning
outcomes and permits the continuous monitoring of educational processes. The
aim of this study is to explore the ways used to assess and evaluate school
systems and universities and students’ learning outcomes in Italy and Finland,
two important educational realities as shown in PISA (Programme for
International Student Assessment) results (OECD, 2019). The attention is
focused on common and uncommon practices employed in each country and
on perceptions that the educational system assessment creates in those who
evaluate and in those evaluated. Ten stakeholders from Italy and Finland
participated in focus groups or interviews one to one audio-taped, transcribed
and analysed using qualitative methods. The results underline that the
evaluation of school systems and universities helps build a large database and
that the evaluation process have to be made with trust between stakeholders
involved, with innovation and awareness. The general acceptance is
increasing: stakeholders from two contexts considered highlight that, in order
to improve efficiency and effectiveness, school systems and universities need a
formative assessment and evaluation in which everyone is involved from
central educational institutions to teachers and students.