True and false about the Oslo School – VG

INGA MARTE THORKILDSEN, Education and Knowledge Council (SV)

Harsh words are used at this time. VG writes in an editorial that the city council has ideological blinders on school policy and “experiments with the learning environment for children and young people.” Trond Nilsen, leader of the Association of School Leaders, states that “the pendulum has turned from what was once a strong focus on developing basic skills in students. Conservatives in Oslo believe that the Oslo School will be “dismantled.”

The main evidence for these claims is a slight decline in national test scores in grade five.

But the figures from the national tests show a completely different picture than the critics present. In fact, the Oslo school has the best results in the entire country. Oslo has the highest number of students at the highest master’s level and the fewest at the lowest, in all the stages that have been measured. We are serious about diminishing results in the fifth step.

But it has two probable causes, which I think we owe to teachers: one is the corona pandemic. Closed schools and a lot of distance education, of course, have had consequences. Therefore, we see that the decrease applies not only to Oslo, but also to other parts of the country, including right-wing municipalities such as Sandefjord, Råde, Askøy and Tvedestrand.

At the same time, Oslo has had a great quarantine scope, because we are a big city with a lot of infection and a lot of people living in crowded conditions. This means that the framework conditions for the operation of a school are demanding. Still, the decline has only been weak, I think it’s a feat!

The second reason the results have dropped should be very interesting to VG and VG readers. VG was one of those who revealed that many in Oslo were exempted from national tests when the Conservative City Council ruled. By exempting weaker students, Oslo’s results could be made to look better in competition with other municipalities.

We take that into account when we replace the Conservatives. We wanted fewer people to be exempted from the test, in order to give an honest picture of the situation in schools and the need for additional support for students who are struggling academically. The result is that we have had both a decrease in the exemption percentage since 2016 and a small increase in the proportion of students at the lowest level. And that is logical, since students who are exempt have a worse starting point than others to take the tests.

That this is then used against us with the intensity that we see now, just shows how dangerous the ranking culture really is. It can be tempting to try to influence results in awkward ways if the headlines are like the ones we’ve seen lately.

It’s incredibly important to spot students who are struggling, whether they score poorly on national tests or mapping tests, or otherwise show that they feel bad. To attract these students, it is essential to have enough resources, not least enough teachers.

At the beginning of our term, we added 200 additional teachers in grades 1-4. steps just to work on basic skills. We have strengthened the teacher density, the number of teachers in the Oslo school has increased by around 900. We work for schools to develop adapted programs to teach reading, mathematics and arithmetic. This means that training can be more effective and tailored to the group of students in the school.

That’s why I said it was just “spray” when they challenged me not to prioritize basic skills. Of course we can improve, but no one can say that we have not had this as our focus area.

The results also show that many things are going very well. Grade point average in elementary and lower secondary school has risen from 4.1 to 4.5 in recent years, VGS grades have risen in almost all subjects, and the proportion completing upper secondary school is increasing. And on the KS municipal barometer, Oslo is up 16 places from last year. Only twice in history has the Oslo School achieved such a high ranking. In other words, there is no reason to warn about the primary mission of the school, unless the intention is to make people believe that things are going wrong.

However, good results do not mean that you are satisfied. I know that a one-sided focus on numbers and rankings doesn’t tell the whole truth. Schools are now in an extremely demanding situation. The differences between schools and districts are too great. We know that the consequences of homeschooling have been less learning for many students and that social differences are increasing, greatly affecting schools. And now there is a red level in both upper secondary and upper secondary.

So my whole focus now is to make sure struggling students get the best possible help, in the difficult situation we find ourselves in. Principals, teachers, and all school personnel have gone to extreme lengths to get the schools through this crown year. And we must move forward together.

Finally, I would like to say that one of the positive aspects of the recent debate is that it shows that we now have more openness and freedom of expression at the Oslo School than we did. It has not been many years since such strong criticism of the leaders would have been completely unheard of. Now I hope we can sit down and agree how we can reboot. I think we should all be humble in that process and be willing to give a little bit.

It is my responsibility and that of the education director to ensure that there is a better dialogue with all parties, not least with the shop stewards. We are working on that and we will do what we can to build a school in Oslo that is even better and with fewer differences than the one we have today.