EuropAid/119860/C/SV/multi/Lot9, RfS. 2009/214653: Program Evaluation of Institutions for Gifted 3.4a, Jordan
Final Report
EuropAid/119860/C/SV/multi/Lot9
Request No. 2009/214653 – Version 1
Prepared for
The Delegation of the European Commission in Jordan
and
The Ministry of Education
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
3.0 Special Needs Education
3.4a Program Evaluation – Institutions for Gifted
ERFKE II Implementation Plan Year 1
Prepared by:
Dr. Fathi A. Jarwan
Senior expert
EUROPE Ltd
December 2009
Table of Contents
1
2
2.1
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
5
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
6
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4 / Introduction
Executive Summary
Major issues in qualitative type of evaluation
Background of the Program Evaluation
Objectives
Evaluation Methodology
Information Sources
Summary of Work Activities
Evaluation Results: Conclusions and Comments
Resource Rooms for the Gifted
Pioneer Centers for the Gifted
King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence:
The Academic Acceleration Program:
Quantitative Evaluation of KAII Schools & Centers:
Pioneer Centers:
King Abdulla II Schools of Excellence:
Results of Parents Evaluation:
Results of Students Evaluation:
General Recommendations
Resource Rooms
Pioneer Centers
King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence
The Academic Acceleration Program
1 Introduction
Jordan has been a leader among Arab States in the education of gifted and talented students during the last two decades. The Ministry of Education (MOE) and Non-governmental Foundations in cooperation with the MOE established the first Pioneer Center in Al-Salt city in 1982, and the Jubilee school in 1993. A continuum of services have been developed and provided for more than (5,000) students from 3rd-12th grades, throughout the Kingdom. The grouping models of students include special schools, Pioneer Centers, and Resource Rooms, in addition to the acceleration program. About (500) administrators and teachers are working in these programs. Jordan has been an innovator to whom other Arab countries have looked for inspiration and guidance.
Currently, there are (3) public full-time schools for the gifted and talented students in Zarqa, Irbid, and the City of Salt. In addition, there are (18) Pioneer Centers distributed throughout the whole country, in addition to (32) Resource Rooms for the gifted and talented students in many secondary and basic schools. The academic acceleration program is still working since its initiation in 1997. The Managing Directorate of Special Education has been upgraded as an independent managing directorate as recommended by previous experts in 2007.
In 2007, an evaluation study was conducted by the expert with support of the European Union to help the MOE in developing and improving gifted programs. Many recommendations have been adopted or implemented. This report represents another step in providing guidelines and standards for the development and improving the current practices in the MOE programs for gifted education.
2 Executive Summary
The main objective of this study, as stated in the terms of reference for the expert's assignment, is to evaluate the educational effectiveness of the MOE institutions for the gifted and talented students in Jordan to determine whether or not they are meeting the objectives set out for them. These institutions include the Pioneer Centers, King Abdullah II schools for excellence, Resource Rooms, and the academic acceleration program.
This evaluation study has been carried out over a thirty-nine day assignment between October 4, and December 1. The programming management, concerning the relationships and responsibilities of local Directorates’ officials, the Managing Directorate of Special Education at the central level, and the gifted institutions’ administrators, is not clear and sometimes having negative effects on the work development. There is a need for a more integrated approach to maintain effective cooperation and coordination within and among all concerned parties in both the center and the field. The circulated instructions stated that Central Directorate is responsible for the technical issues, while the local Directorates are charged with the administrative issues.
In fact it is difficult, and may be impossible, to draw a clear-cut line between technical and administrative issues in gifted education programs. Teachers, for example, are considered as the most important factor in the success of these programs. If the Special education central directorate has no full control on the process of selection and training of teachers, it is difficult to expect the recruitment of best available teachers at the local level.
2. The professional training of staff and teachers of gifted education institutions needs much more efforts and follow- up through a systematic (pre-and in-service) staff development program. A very few number of those cadres participated in specialized training courses. Equally important is the need for providing incentives to encourage trained staff to stay on the job.
3. There is a pressing need to develop the scope and sequence of the enrichment curriculum and instructional materials tailored to meet the needs of gifted students from grade (7) to grade (11). Fragmented units in some subjects have been developed, but the whole process is lacking scope and sequence.
4. The students’ identification and selection systems have many shortcomings in all gifted education programs, especially in the Pioneer Centers and Resource Rooms. The Managing Directorate of Special Education needs to be staffed with specialized and qualified cadres in measurement and evaluation in order to set up, develop, organize and control the whole process.
5. Three standard sets or lists of teaching / learning resources need to be provided to gifted education institutions (KAII schools, Pioneer Centers, and Resource Rooms). The IT resources need to be maintained on regular basis as one of the main requirements for successful gifted education programs. The current situation is not satisfactory concerning the labs equipment, materials, and maintenance.
6. The geographic distribution of gifted education institutions is not based on logical standards or criteria. In addition, it has been noted that the Capital and the largest city in Jordan (Amman) is lacking gifted education programs, except for a limited number of Resource Rooms. This is a case for consideration in any plans for establishing new programs.
7. All gifted education institutions visited by the expert have no specific annual budget for operating expenses. Their financial resources are restricted to the fees paid by students, financing some projects by the MOE educational innovations fund, and limited financial support from the budget of the Managing Special Education Directorate. Therefore, a budgetary plan that may be estimated according to the number of students is needed for these institutions’ operating expenses.
8. The bylaws, policies and regulations related to King Abdullah II Schools, need to be fixed and approved through the official channels. The “Instructions for the Pioneer Centers for Gifted and Talented Students” need to be implemented in the field and authorities overlap problem should be resolved. Also, the Resource Rooms program need to be much more structured and monitored by the staff of the Managing Directorate of Special Education, if it is intended to provide professional services and integrating gifted students in ordinary public schools.
27. During the assignment, the expert reviewed a large number of documents and curriculum materials. He interviewed concerned key directors and staff in the Ministry of Education, met with the three principals, assistants, and some teachers of King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence. In addition, ten directors, assistants, and some teachers of the Pioneer Centers, three supervisors, and some teachers of three Resource Rooms for the gifted and talented, all of which are distributed throughout the Kingdom. The site visits included touring around the institutions educational facilities, observing classes and activities in action, and collecting the completed evaluation rating scales.
The expert also reviewed the available educational literature related to international standards on Gifted Education Programming; the summary report of McBride’s Review of Special Education – Grades 1-12, January (2007); the final report on the review of Gifted Education Programming in Jordan (2007), the Special Education National Agenda Recommendations of 2006, which included the followings:
· Expand and improve programs for gifted students.
· Develop a database of gifted students to nurture and reward them by the community
· Expand programs for gifted students (King Abdullah II schools of excellence, pioneering centers and Resource Rooms for gifted students) to cover all governorates in the Kingdom.
This report focuses on the following areas:
- Existing and effective programs
- Efficiencies of staff and teachers
- Services and activities provided
- Working hours
- Lab tools and sets
- Gender sensitivity
- Learning materials and Curricula applied
- Profile of the institutions
- Financial information and costs of the institutions
- Students outcomes
- Subjects for teacher training
Four types of evaluation instruments were used, and analyzed:
· Teachers and administrators Rating Scale (73 items)
· Students’ Rating Scale (24 items)
· Parents’ Rating Scale (20 items)
· Personal Interviews Protocol for the institutions’ directors or principals.
Samples of teachers and administrators (165), students (65), and parents (44), have been randomly selected to fill in the evaluation rating scales.
The total number of students enrolled in the MOE institutions for gifted and talented students is about (4,454) students, most of them are enrolled in the Pioneer Centers (2,510). Additionally, there are (694) students who have been accelerated once or twice since the initiation of the acceleration program. The total number of the full-time administrators and teachers working in these institutions is (510), including the (32) Resource Rooms’ supervisors.
Results of the quantitative evaluation of the gifted programs’ dimensions indicated the following major points:
- Administrators and teachers of Pioneer Centers strongly agree that the centers program and services are effective and meeting the objectives set out for them. The mean score on this dimension is (4.4) out of (5). The mean scores on the programs other five dimensions (curriculum, admission system, teachers and staff, policies, and counselling services) range between 3.7 and 4.04. The overall mean score on the evaluation rating scale is (4) out of (5).
- Parents of Pioneer Centers’ students strongly agree that the centers program and services are effective and meeting the objectives set out for them. The overall mean score on their evaluation rating scale is (3.88) out of (5).
- Students of Pioneer Centers and King Abdullah II schools strongly agree that the centers and schools’ program and services are effective and meeting the objectives set out for them. The overall mean score on their evaluation rating scale is (3.7) out of (5). It is a little bit lower than the parents mean score.
- Administrators and teachers of King Abdullah II schools strongly agree that the schools’ program and services are effective and meeting the objectives set out for them. The mean score on this dimension is (3.98) out of (5). It is lower than that of the Pioneer Centers. However, they moderately agree on the effectiveness of the other dimensions. The mean scores on the programs other five dimensions (curriculum, admission system, teachers and staff, policies, and counselling services) range between (3.18) and (3.49). The overall mean score on the evaluation rating scale is (3.4) out of (5).
Based on these results, it is safe to conclude with confidence that the gifted education programs of the Pioneer Centers and King Abdullah II schools are meeting the objectives, which the MOE set out for them. Responses of all participants in the study samples are supporting this conclusion.
2.1 Major issues in qualitative type of evaluation
1. The programming management, in regard to the relationships and responsibilities of local Directorates ’ officials, the Managing Directorate of Special Education at the central level, and the gifted institutions ’ administrators, is not clear and sometimes having negative effects on the work development. There is a need for a more integrated approach to maintain effective cooperation and coordination within and among all concerned parties in both the center and the field. The circulated instructions stated that Central Directorate is responsible for the technical issues, while the local Directorates are charged with the administrative issues.
In fact it is difficult, and may be impossible, to draw a clear-cut line between technical and administrative issues in gifted education programs. Teachers, for example, are considered as the most important factor in the success of these programs. If the Special education central directorate has no full control on the process of selection and training of teachers, it is difficult to expect the recruitment of best available teachers at the local level.
2. The professional training of staff and teachers of gifted education institutions needs much more efforts and follow- up through a systematic (pre-and in-service) staff development program. A very few number of those cadres participated in specialized training courses. Equally important is the need for providing incentives to encourage trained staff to stay on the job.
3. There is a pressing need to develop the scope and sequence of the enrichment curriculum and instructional materials that are tailored to meet the needs of gifted students from grade (7) to grade (11). Fragmented units in some subjects have been developed, but the whole process is lacking scope and sequence.
4. The student's identification and selection systems have many shortcomings in all gifted education programs, especially in the Pioneer Centers and Resource Rooms. The Managing Directorate of Special Education needs to be staffed with specialized and qualified cadres in measurement and evaluation in order to set up, develop, organize and control the whole process.
5. Three standard sets or lists of teaching / learning resources need to be provided to gifted education institutions (KAII schools, Pioneer Centers, and Resource Rooms). The IT resources need to be maintained on regular basis as one of the main requirements for successful gifted education programs. The current situation is not satisfactory regarding to the labs equipment, materials, and maintenance.
6. The geographic distribution of gifted education institutions is not based on logical standards or criteria. In addition, it has been noted that capital and the largest city in Jordan (Amman) is lacking gifted education programs, except for a limited number of Resource Rooms. This is a case for consideration in any plans for establishing new programs.
7. All gifted education institutions visited by the expert have no specific annual budget for operating expenses. Their financial resources are restricted to the fees paid by students, financing some projects by the MOE educational innovations fund, and limited financial support from the budget of the Managing Special Education Directorate. Therefore, a budgetary plan that may be estimated according to the number of students is needed for these institutions’ operating expenses.