It’s about running a special education! The Ministry of Education issued evaluation guidelines to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of special education.
Our (chinatimes.net.cn) reporter Wang Xiaohui reports from Beijing.
Over the years, China has paid more and more attention to special education. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed "supporting special education", the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized "running special education well" and "striving to make every child enjoy a fair and quality education", and the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that preschool education and special education should be strengthened for all-inclusive development.
In order to conscientiously study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, recently, the Ministry of Education issued the "Evaluation Guide" (hereinafter referred to as the "Evaluation Guide"), which, according to the characteristics of running a special education, defined the evaluation contents in five aspects, including the government’s performance of duties, the implementation of curriculum teaching, the construction of teachers, the organization and management of schools, and the appropriate development of students, with a total of 18 key indicators and 49 examination points.
"The promulgation of the Evaluation Guide is an important measure to implement the central decision-making and deployment, an urgent need to promote the appropriate integrated development of special education, and an inherent requirement for deepening the reform of education evaluation." The head of the Department of Basic Education of the Ministry of Education said that in the new era, China’s special education has entered a new stage of high-quality connotation development, and it is urgent to improve the special education guarantee mechanism and improve the special education evaluation system.
According to the reporter’s understanding, at present, the evaluation system of special education in China is not perfect. In the actual evaluation process, most of them refer to the evaluation of general education, and an evaluation system that conforms to the physical and mental characteristics of special children and the laws of special education itself has not yet been formed. It is urgent to formulate an evaluation guide for the quality of special education, guide local schools to implement the requirements of special education, improve the governance capacity of special education, and comprehensively promote the high-quality development of special education. The Evaluation Guide insists on promoting construction by evaluation, and requires all localities to constantly improve the application mechanism of evaluation results and give full play to the leading and promoting role of evaluation results in comprehensively improving the quality of running special education.
Clarify five types of evaluation contents
The Evaluation Guide emphasizes the need to conscientiously implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, take Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the New Era as the guide, comprehensively implement the Party’s educational policy, implement the fundamental task of educating people, follow the growth law of special children and the development law of special education, accelerate the establishment of an evaluation system for the quality of special education with the goal of suitable integration, strengthen the application of evaluation results, lead the deepening of special education teaching reform, comprehensively improve the quality of special education, and promote the comprehensive, healthy and appropriate development of special children.
The evaluation content mainly includes five aspects: the government’s performance of duties, the implementation of curriculum teaching, the construction of teachers, the organization and management of schools, and the appropriate development of students.
In terms of the government’s performance of its duties, it includes five key indicators and 17 examination points, namely, adhering to the correct direction, making overall planning and layout, improving school conditions, strengthening funding guarantee, and improving working mechanism, with the aim of promoting local governments to fully implement the Party’s educational policy, adhere to the socialist school-running direction, strengthen leadership over special education, and implement the "special education office" to effectively improve the security and level of special education. For example, in view of the unbalanced distribution of special education resources, the main points of the examination put forward that "a county (city, district) with a population of more than 200 thousand should independently set up a special education school that has passed the standardized acceptance"; In order to strengthen the guarantee of special education funds, the main points of the examination put forward that "the subsidy standard of public funds for special education students in compulsory education stage reaches the national standard, and the subsidy level can be appropriately raised where conditions permit, and the full amount can be ensured."
In the implementation of curriculum teaching, it includes four key indicators and eleven examination points, including standardizing curriculum, optimizing teaching methods, carrying out multiple evaluation and rehabilitation support, aiming at promoting schools to follow the laws of special education and the learning characteristics of special children, implementing curriculum plans, standardizing the use of teaching materials, optimizing curriculum content and teaching methods, reforming evaluation methods, promoting the integration of medical and teaching to provide auxiliary support and rehabilitation training, and comprehensively improving the education quality of special students. For example, in order to implement the curriculum plan, the main points of the examination put forward that "the curriculum prescribed by the state should be opened in an all-round way, and the approved textbooks for special education schools should be standardized"; In order to strengthen medical rehabilitation and the integration of information technology and special education, the main points of the examination put forward "strengthening targeted rehabilitation training, combining training content with real life, education and teaching" and "creating an integrated education and teaching environment, carefully designing and organizing teaching activities, paying attention to differential teaching and individual guidance, rationally using information technology and providing rich teaching resources".
In the construction of teachers’ team, there are four key indicators and eleven examination points, including improving teachers’ professional ethics, matching teachers’ strength, helping professional development and improving treatment guarantee. The purpose is to promote the school to strengthen the construction of teachers’ ideological and political work, strengthen the allocation of special education teachers, improve the professional development mechanism of teachers, effectively improve the professional quality of teachers in special education, improve the incentive mechanism, enhance teachers’ professional happiness and stimulate the enthusiasm and creativity of education and teaching. For example, in order to improve the teacher incentive system, the examination points put forward "implementing the allowance standard for special education teachers" and "implementing the classified evaluation of special education teachers in the teacher title evaluation and employment system"
In the aspect of school organization and management, it includes two key indicators and seven examination points to improve school management and create barrier-free environment, aiming at promoting schools to effectively protect the right to education of special children, standardizing school management system, improving the working mechanism of special education, strengthening collaborative education between home and school, deepening integrated education, building barrier-free environment, and improving the overall governance capacity of special education. For example, in order to strengthen the cooperative education between home and school, the main points of the examination put forward that "schools should actively close communication between home and school, strengthen family education guidance, actively seek help from the communities where special children live, and create conditions for the whole society to care for and support the healthy growth of special children"; In order to provide a suitable and convenient educational environment, the examination points put forward "doing a good job in the construction of barrier-free physical environment", "optimizing the humanistic environment of barrier-free campus" and "promoting the construction of information barrier-free".
In terms of students’ suitable development, it includes three key indicators and three examination points, namely, ideological and moral quality, knowledge and skill level and social adaptability, aiming at promoting special students to have good moral quality, master basic knowledge and skills needed to adapt to future development, and strive to cultivate special students into self-respecting, self-confident, self-reliant and self-reliant national useful talents. For example, in order to evaluate the level of students’ knowledge and skills, the main points of the examination put forward "mastering the basic knowledge of disciplines, basic life and vocational skills needed to adapt to future life and development"; In order to evaluate students’ social adaptability, the main points of the examination are "having safety awareness and self-protection ability", "being able to manage their own emotions and behaviors" and "basically adapting to family, school and community life".
Improve the application mechanism of evaluation results
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader stressed at the Party’s Report to the 20th CPC National Congress that it is necessary to "improve the school management and education evaluation system" and at the national education conference that it is necessary to "reverse the unscientific orientation of education evaluation and fundamentally solve the baton problem of education evaluation". The "Overall Plan for Deepening the Reform of Education Evaluation in the New Era" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council clearly requires that the government should improve the evaluation of fulfilling its educational responsibilities and accelerate the improvement of the evaluation standards of schools at all levels. The "Action Plan for the Development and Promotion of Special Education in the 14th Five-Year Plan" issued by the General Office of the State Council proposes to improve the evaluation index system for the quality of running special education, and by 2025, the evaluation system for the quality of special education will be basically established.
Now, the evaluation content has been made clear, and how to implement it is the key.
In this regard, the "Evaluation Guide" requires that all localities should attach great importance to the quality evaluation of special education, put it on the important agenda of local governments, education departments and schools, and seriously organize and implement the quality evaluation of special education.
First of all, it is necessary to establish an evaluation organization and implementation mechanism led by the government education supervision department and participated by many parties, and increase the tilt in financial input, evaluation team construction and information platform construction to provide necessary support and guarantee for the quality evaluation of special education; Secondly, it is necessary to formulate specific standards for the evaluation of the quality of running special education in light of the actual situation, classify and refine the contents and methods of evaluation indicators by levels, adhere to the combination of result evaluation and value-added evaluation, comprehensive evaluation and characteristic evaluation, self-evaluation and external evaluation, online evaluation and offline evaluation, and implement self-evaluation of counties (cities, districts) and schools, municipal audit, provincial comprehensive evaluation and national random inspection and monitoring; Thirdly, we should deal with the connection and complementarity of the quality evaluation system between special education and general education, and do a good job in the implementation of the quality evaluation of special education on the basis of implementing the requirements of the management standards of compulsory education schools, the quality evaluation guide of compulsory education, the quality evaluation guide of kindergarten conservation education and the quality evaluation guide of ordinary high schools. In principle, we should carry out a round of evaluation every 3-5 years, and implement it simultaneously with the quality evaluation of primary and secondary schools to achieve full coverage.
At the same time, in terms of how to strengthen the application of evaluation results, the "Evaluation Guide" has also made it clear: to promote local governments to perform their duties of special education. The "Evaluation Guide" regards the evaluation results of the quality of special education as an important part of the supervision and evaluation of the main leaders of the county-level people’s government in fulfilling their educational responsibilities, and incorporates them into the performance appraisal of the county-level people’s government, guiding the county-level people’s government to implement the special education office, earnestly performing their duties and responsibilities, and providing sufficient conditions and a good policy environment for improving the quality of special education; Promote schools to improve the level of running special education. The "Evaluation Guide" regards the evaluation results of the quality of special education as an important basis for school rewards and punishments, policy support, resource allocation and assessment of principals, and guides special education schools and regular schools to improve education, teaching and management methods, constantly improve school conditions, promote the maximum development of special children, and comprehensively improve the quality of education; Create a good atmosphere for the whole society to care for and support special education. The "Evaluation Guide" requires all localities to widely publicize the significance of running special education well, deeply interpret the content requirements of the quality evaluation of special education, and guide teachers, students, parents and society to fully understand the important role of special education in promoting the growth and lifelong development of special children, and effectively promote the high-quality development of special education.
Editor in Charge: Nan Zhou Editor in Chief: Wen Mei