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PROGRAM ACTIVITIES |
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ACTIVITIES IN 2007: |
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1. Defining the Additional Criteria for the Categories of Special Educational Needs
(Ministry of Education and Science) EUR 6,900
A reformed educational system implies equal access and quality of education for all children in Montenegro, which is particularly important with regard to children with special needs.
There is a database on children with difficulties or impediments caused by organic disorders. This project focuses on the two remaining categories of children with special needs – those whose special needs caused by difficulties or impediments in emotional functioning or behavior problems and those with special educational needs caused by socio-economic, cultural or linguistic factors.
The first stage of the project includes activities to establish clear definitions, indicators and criteria for the two categories. The second stage focuses on updating the databases on children with special educational needs by developing questionnaires and collecting data.
The project contributes to creating the conditions to implement the principles of inclusive education in Montenegro.
2. Development and Implementation of Compulsory Elective Subjects in High Schools / Matura Standard
(Bureau for Educational Services) EUR 8,105
The first generation attending the reformed high school program will take the external final graduation (matura) exam in 2010. The exam includes four subjects: Mother Tongue, Mathematics or Foreign Language and two more compulsory subjects selected by the individual student. The subjects included in this exam need to meet the matura standard with regard to the required number of hours. Elective subjects from the respective fields may be used to supplement the matura standard.
The project aims to provide the option of supplementing the matura standard for all high school subjects. The commissions competent for Art, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Sociology and IT will define the matura standard for these compulsory subjects. Relevant commissions will design the curricula for the new elective subjects to supplement the matura standard for Philosophy, Psychology, Geography, Latin and Music.
3. Towards Inclusion in Secondary Education
(Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro - UMHCG) EUR 15,225.05
The project focuses on creating and training a team of trainers of the Association, which will transfer knowledge on the topics relevant for persons with disabilities (the language and terminology related to disabilities, the social model in approaching disability, human rights, anti-discrimination, equal opportunities etc).
The training includes two four-day modules run by Slađana Mandić from Belgrade and Goran Macanović from Nikšić. It will be organized for ten participants, activists of the Association and other organizations that the Association cooperates with in the domain of realization of the rights of persons with disabilities. The participants will be provided skills needed to design and run workshops and training events on disability and take an active part in awareness raising campaigns on the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
The project supports the advancement of inclusive secondary and elementary education in Montenegro.
1. Development of the National Report on the Results of 2006 PISA Testing in Montenegro
(Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Montenegro) EUR 14,578
[+ EUR 1,272 remained from two previous projects, total amount EUR 15,850]
According to PISA plans - Project of International Student Assessment-PISA is implemented, along with other 56 countries, in Montenegro - PISA National Center is required to develop a report on the testing conducted in 2006 that served to assess the skills of 5,500 elementary and secondary school students in mathematics, natural science and functional literacy.
The National Report needs to include a detailed analysis of the results obtained and to link them with the current context, as well as provide recommendations for further advancement of the educational system.
The report should be developed by a team of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Bureau for Educational Services and Examination Center; its publication is planned for late May 2008.
The Foundation funded organization of the seminar for the preparation of the National Report and other activities within the PISA project.
2. Better Quality of the Curricula for the First Cycle /Grades I – III/ of the Nine-Year Elementary School
(Bureau for Educational Services) EUR 6,700
The main project objective is improved quality of the curricula used in the first cycle of the nine-year elementary education as of 2008/09 school year.
After the first generation of elementary school students (in more than 20 schools) completed the third grade according to the reformed curricula, a need was identified to conduct an expert analysis and partially revise the curricula. These tasks require definition of the methodology to be applied, which will also be used in analyzing the curricula in the higher grades of elementary school and in high schools.
The project involves teachers, members of the teams in charge of curricula development, textbook authors and other stakeholders.
3. Active Students' Association
(Office for the Protection of Students' Rights and Care for Students' Standard) EUR 7,980
The project represents a continuation of the support that the Foundation provided to awareness-raising activities on the new role of students in the reformed school in 2005 and 2006.
The Office for the Protection of Students' Rights will organize two-day seminars to train 90 secondary school students from Cetinje, Nikšić and Rožaje to initiate and organize activities in their respective schools and local communities. As follow-up, the participants will develop their own projects; the best three of them to be funded by the Ministry of Education with the amount of 1,500 EUR.
4. "You are Right!" - A Guide to the Law. And Everything Else.
(Association for Democratic Prosperity - ZID) EUR 12,875
The project includes development, publication and distribution of a handbook titled "You are right!". This handbook, intended for students of final grades of secondary school, contains useful information important for their future, presented in a simple and engaging way. The information covers the topics of: education, employment, family, home, money, health, safety, state and law, police, judiciary, corruption, minority groups, travel, nature, addictions, leisure time and documents. In addition to the basic information about the regulations relevant for the individual areas, the handbook contains addresses of the institutions and organizations that young people can contact for advice or assistance.
The new, revised edition of the guide should be published and distributed to high school graduates at the end of the 2007/2008 school year.
5. Handbook on Sexual and Reproductive Health
(NGO Safe Women's House, Podgorica) EUR 10,000
The project includes development of a handbook on sexual and reproductive health intended to provide young people with professional and objective relevant information, to be preceded by a research on the extent to which they are currently informed about the topic and the most efficient means for providing them with information.
The handbook should be distributed before the end of the 2007/08 school year, using info-points in secondary schools; it will also be available in electronic format.
The project aims to compensate, to an extent, the lack of educational programs on sexual and reproductive health issues for young people and to foster activities in this area.
[The Foundation provided additional support to this project in the amount of EUR 6,264.50 through its Women’s Program, so that the total amount granted equals EUR 16,264.50]
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Podgorica, 6-7 October, 2008 - Press conference and Presentation of the Handbook
1. Media Literacy - a New Course in Formal Secondary Education System
(In-house project) EUR 24,142.02
The main aim of the project is introduction of media literacy as an elective course in secondary education designed to enable young people for critical appraisal of the information they receive from the media. The course is planned to be introduced as of school year 2008/09.
This Foundation grant serves to support project preparation (engagement of experts, consultative meeting with teachers, research of available materials on media literacy), development of the curriculum, teaching materials and handbooks for teachers and students.
1. Collection of Problems Used in the Program for International Student Assessment - PISA
(Ministry of Education and Science of Montenegro) EUR 3,120
(Funds remained from PISA 2006)
OECD PISA tests cover the areas of reading, maths and science and serve to assess the practical life skills of students. Since the testing is conducted in 57 countries, its results enable comparisons with other educational systems.
FOSI-ROM support to the development of the collection of problems used in PISA rests on the full compliance of this activity with some of the strategic goals of education reform in Montenegro, such as combining contents across different courses, establishing a more direct linkage between the knowledge provided in school and real life, and development of skills and abilities to apply knowledge and enable lifelong learning.
The publication explains the nature of PISA testing to teachers, while interesting examples derived from real life may serve to enhance their teaching practice.
2. Building the Capacity to Prepare the National Report on OECD PISA Results for Montenegro
(Ministry of Education and Science of Montenegro) EUR 3,650
The Ministry of Education and Science, supported by FOSI-ROM, will organize a two-day seminar/workshop to acquaint the representatives of the key educational institutions with the implementation of the OECD PISA project in Montenegro and the requirements related to the development of the National Report on PISA Results.
The testing was conducted last year and involved 5,500 elementary and high school students (aged 15). The results obtained enable comparisons with other educational systems, since the assessment is conducted in 57 countries.
Montenegro is to develop the National Report that should include detailed analyses of the results and place them in the context of the current situation and planned reform activities, as well as recommend the steps to improve the education system. Dragica Pavlović Babić and Aleksandar Baucal, experts involved in the implementation of PISA project in Serbia, will provide necessary guidelines and share their own experience with education specialists from Montenegro.
(Bureau for Educational Services-BES) EUR 15,720
The project envisages issuance of six professional BES publications intended to serve the schools and the expert public to introduce reform mechanisms and upgrade the teaching process.
In addition to contributing to the professional development of teachers, the project will also serve to enhance the BES capacity in the sphere of publishing.
The success of the publication titled Our School, issued by the BES in 2006 with FOSI-ROM support provided grounds for this project.
The available experience in monitoring the reform and the feedback received from teachers served to identify the need to continue with similar publications.
4. Development of Optional Courses (Curricula) in Elementary and General-Program Secondary Schools
(Bureau for Educational Services-BES) EUR 12,000
The purpose of the project is development and delivery of 10 additional compulsory optional courses before the beginning of the school year 2007/08. Five optional courses are intended to be used in general-program secondary schools, and five in elementary schools.
Ten working teams, coordinated by the BES, will be involved in developing the curricula for all four grades of secondary school and for the areas of languages and IT in elementary schools. Working teams have four months available for their activities, in order for the curricula to be adopted and endorsed by July 2007. Following that, they will be published in 300 copies and distributed to schools before 20 August 2007.
As of school year 2007/08, the reform, which enables students to determine their own educational profile by selecting optional courses, is implemented in the first and second grades of all general-program secondary schools in Montenegro.
5. Presentation of the Study on National Testing of Learning Achievements of Third Grade Students in Mother Tongue and Mathematics and Presentation of the Forthcoming Testing of the Reformed Third and Sixth Grade Students to be Conducted by the Examination Center
(Bureau for Educational Services) EUR 2,526.50
The project aims to inform the expert and general public about the first comprehensive research on students’ learning achievements in Montenegro. In May 2005, FOSI-ROM supported the assessment of learning achievements of third grade students in 72 schools (out of the total number of 161) that included 3,472 students (out of 9,067). The testing was also conducted for 292 students (out of 412) who attend school in the Albanian language. The testing was accompanied by questionnaires developed by experts from the region and Europe and intended for the students, teachers, school managers, psychologists and educationists.
At the event, the BES will also present the testing/research to be conducted by the newly established Examination Center in May 2007 (pilot testing) and May 2008 (main testing). These activities will test the students of the third grade of the new reformed nine-year elementary school in mother tongue and mathematics, while the sixth grade students will be tested in mother tongue and English language.
6. The New Concept of General-Program Secondary School from the Standpoint of Parents
NGO Parents' Association of Montenegro EUR 9,767.10
One year following the introduction of the new educational concept in the reformed general-program secondary school, the Parents' Association will examine the students' and parents' opinions about the curricula, in particular the ones for optional courses.
The one-year experience raises questions as to: the extent to which students and parents are informed about the concept and have clear understanding of it; whether they are satisfied with the list of optional courses offered; to what extent these courses meet students’ wishes; whether the students have received timely information about the contents of individual courses; to what extent they are satisfied with other aspects of the new concept.
The project also envisages, based on the results obtained, making an impact on the Bureau for Educational Services and schools so that new optional courses are developed in time and presented to students and parents.
1. Support to PISA 2007 - 2009
(Examination Center) EUR 2,864.75
During 2007, Examination Center will conduct preparations for the project of testing knowledge and skills of 15-year old students within the international project PISA 2009. Trial testing will take place next year, while the main testing, which encompasses reading, maths and science, and places special emphasis on the knowledge and skills necessary for life, will take place in 2009.
Results of these research projects provide information on student achievement and an outline of their knowledge and skills, and link the results with school characteristics, level of teacher training, general atmosphere in schools. This information facilitates monitoring and improvement of the education system and can be compared with the information obtained for other countries.
FOSI-ROM supported the introduction of PISA Project in 2005 and 2006. Supporting this project is part of FOSI-ROM's strategic support to the implementation of mechanisms for evaluation and monitoring of the reform and quality assurance in the education system.
2. Action Plan for the Introduction of Sustainable Development in the Education System (Appendix to the Strategic Plan for Education Reform 2006-2009)
(Ministry of Education and Science) EUR 5,700
Action Plan for the Introduction of Sustainable Development in the Education System should define the roles and responsibilities of educational institutions, the methods for development of projects, organization of monitoring and the way of securing the budgets for the implementation of planned activities. The Action Plan will be fully in line with the UN strategy for the introduction of sustainable development in education and will be developed as an appendix to the Strategy for the Implementation of Education Reform for the period 2006-2009.
This document is to be developed by the Working Team consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Bureau for Educational Services, Examination Center, Center for Vocational Education and Department for Textbook Publishing.
1. Extended Engagement of Tomislav Reškovac in the Period February – May 2007
(In-house Project) EUR 4,684.41
The Bureau for Educational Services team is currently developing the Civic Education Strategy and the task requires further engagement of Tomislav Reškovac as project consultant.
FOSI ROM covers the expenses of engaging Tomislav Reškovac as project consultant for the period February - May 2007.
The consultant's scope of work includes: facilitation of two project team workshops – one focused on developing draft Strategy, to be held in February, and the other one, focused on developing the final version of the Strategy, to be held in April; systematization of the conclusions reached at the February workshop; assistance in the development of draft and final Strategy; evaluation of the Strategy development process and development of the final report.
2. Training of High School Civic Education Teachers
(Bureau for Educational Services -BES) EUR 6,224.50
The project includes two seminars, a five-day program, organized for 22 teachers of Civic Education - as of this year, an elective course attended by approximately one thousand students in 18 high schools in Montenegro.
The participants, teachers of Sociology and Philosophy, will be introduced to the principles and aims of the education reform, the importance of Civic Education in the context of reform and school democratization, the curriculum outline and the innovative teaching methods. This training program will be organized by the BES and will include 18 sessions, to be conducted by eight trainers.
Within the activities related to the introduction of Civic Education in schools, FOSI ROM has supported: training of Civic Education teachers in using debate in the classroom and in the foundations of political philosophy and Montenegrin political system; a seminar on assessment; development and publishing of the Teachers’ Guide; development of Civic Education Strategy for Elementary Schools and High Schols (2007 – 2010) FOSI ROM also hired Tomislav Reškovac as project consultant.