1. Successes and Challenges
POLAND
Successes and Challenges
Educational Reforms
Strong Performers and Successful Reformers – Lessons from PISA Tokyo, June by Mr. Miroslaw Sielatycki, Under-Secretary of State Ministry of national Education ate

2. Outline of the presentation
The main findings of PISA Programme for Poland
2. The comprehensive reforms of the
educational system toward the LLL strategy
3. Conclusions from the Polish experience

3. Poland Country of: political, social and economic transformation
educational boom
high aspirations of young people
still on the way ….

4. Polish educational boom in focus
1989
2011
tertiary education students
400 000
2 million
participation in higher education
10%
41,2 %
(4 times more)
students of upper secondary schools leading to maturity exam
40%
84%
teaches with university diploma (ISCED 5)
50%
600 000 teachers
98%
pre-primary education participation
30%
67,5%

5. Developing students’ competences – the example of reading literacy
Poland is among the 13 countries that showed improvements in average reading performance in PISA since 2000
The main sources of these improvements:
development of competences of lowest-performing students
development of competences of girls
These trends apply also to Poland

6. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Polish 15-year-old students’ mean performance in reading versus OECD average in

7. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Percentage of students below proficiency level 2 in reading in

8. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Change in the percentage of low and top performers in reading across 13 countries in

9. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Improvement of reading performance among boys and girls in in chosen countries

10. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Variance in student performance between schools in Poland in versus OECD
The variance in student performance between schools was reduced (the most significant result in EU and OECD countries).
It concerned students’ achievements in all competences measured by PISA (reading, mathematics, science).

11. Main findings of PISA 2000-2009 in Poland
Improvement in students’ performance and reduction in variance in students’ performance between schools results from comprehensive reforms of the educational system
PISA 2000 examined the previous system of education
PISA examined the new one

12. Polish way to success long-term and comprehensive reforms
Three stages of the educational reforms transformation - beginning of the changes in education systemic change in educational system complementary reforms

13. POLAND – the first stage of the reforms
change of the political system in Poland
I. Bottom up reforms
release of educational potential - non-public schools, innovations
II. Top down reforms
decentralization of the system
greater autonomy of schools
increase of teachers’ salary (up to the country’s average salary)
first long - term educational strategy - „Good and modern school”
OECD accession ( review of educational policy in Poland)
National Centre for Teachers’ In-Service Training established
Giving up ideology in curriculum

14. POLAND – the second stage of the reforms
1999 – continuation of educational reforms
I. administrative reform of the country - schools’ management
delegated to local authorities
II. changes of the system of education
structural reform - creation of the lower secondary schools (ISCED2) – longer compulsory general education
introduction of the external system of national assessment
adoption of the core curriculum and national standards
reform of the teachers initial education at the universities
introduction of the teachers’ career promotion system

15. general education extended by one year
Change of the structure of school system Polish way to success – longer together
Changes introduced since 1999: introduction of the new school type - ISCED 2 and extension of comprehensive compulsory education by one year (related to 15-year-olds)
ISCED ISCED ISCED ISCED ISCED 4-6
ISCED ISCED ISCED ISCED 4-6
PRIMARY SCHOOL
LOWER SECONDARY
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
UPPER SECONDARY GENERAL
UPPER SECONDARY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
BASIC VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
Previous structure of school system (PISA 2000):
New structure of school system (PISA 2003, 2006):
UPPER SECONDARY GENERAL
general education extended by one year 15

16. Agenda Structure of higher secondary education (ISCED 3)
Number of students at first grade
Standardy/wskazówki do SIWZ
Regulaminy dot. Zamówień publicznych
Współpraca międzyzespołowa/szkolenia
Planowanie prac: zespół analityczno-informatyczny, prawnicy
Eksperci banku światowego

17. Poland – the third stage of the reforms
2009 – complementary reforms
new core curriculum - based on learning outcomes
compulsory education at the age of 6
compulsory pre-school education for 5 years olds
modernization of the vocational education and training - based on the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET)
individual approach to teaching - special attention given to talented students and to the students with learning difficulties
development of Life-Long Learning Strategy
National Qualifications’ Framework - based on European
Qualifications’ Framework - in progress

18. Context of the comprehensive reform – educational aspiration
Is it worth gaining education? – 2009
Significant growth of citizens' educational aspirations in :
91% of adult Poles believe that it is important to get an education, of which 68% are strong supporters of this idea

19. POLAND - strengths of the educational system
small share of early school leavers - 5,3%
(EU average 14,4%)
high rate of people (20-24) with completed upper secondary education - 91% - the third result in EU (EU average 78,6%)
high tertiary education attainment 35,3% (EU average 33,6%)
small share of adults (25-64) with education below upper secondary - 14% (the average for OECD countries is 30%)
small share of low achievers in reading - 15%
(EU average 20.0%)
highly qualified teachers - 98% with the ISCED 5 diploma

20. Teachers
qualifications – from 50% to 98% with university diploma
compensation – increase by 50% in the last 4 years
90% participate in professional development
insufficient number of candidates for teaching profession

21. Main challenges early childhood education and care
only 67,5 % of children is participating in early childhood
education (EU average is 92.3%).
still large variance in student performance between schools
at the level of ISCED 3 (vocational vs. general education)
high unemployment rate of the graduates – apox. 26%
life long learning - only 4,7 of adults participate in life long learning in Poland (EU average is 9,3%)

22. In general In Poland the results of educational system (schools
and universities) are good or very good
More work is now needed in:
early childhood education
vocational education
in life-long learning

23. Conclusions from the Polish experience
Comprehensive approach to the changes in education
one of the most extensive reforms of education in OECD and UE countries
evolutional not revolutional changes
(in Poland they affect schools,
teachers and 6 million of students)
Ensuring better general education for all with individualization of teaching (ISCED 3)

24. Conclusions from Polish experience
Taking advantage of existing educational potential
improvement among lowest performing students (revealed in PISA in )
Proper monitoring of the system and development of evidence based policy
participation in international programmes (like PISA, TIMSS/PIRLS, TALIS, TEDS-M, PIAAC)
development of national educational research capabilities and data collection systems

25. Thank you very much for your attention