Evaluation of Curriculum Laboratory Schools’ Implementation Under the Cover of the National Education Development Project

Abstract

In this article, the efforts of the Ministry of National Education to increase quality in education and to take students' achievements to OECD countries’ average levels are evaluated. In 1992 the Ministry of National Education established an Education Research and Development Directorate by rearranging its structural organization and received a US $ 90.2 Million project-based loan. By using this credit, the ERDD carried out curriculum development, instructional materials preparation, testing and evaluation system establishment activities based on standard achievement tests. The aims are that in Turkey the level of student achievement should reach the average student achievement level of OECD countries, total quality implementation should be put into effect and the first prototype of successful schools for the year 2000 should be seen. The extent to which these objectives were reached between 1992-1997 and the approach of the Curriculum Laboratory Schools were evaluated. In Ankara the student achievement of CLS's in Science was compared with 11"' grade students achievement of 7 non CLS’s with similar socio-economic structure. The 1994-1996 Student Selection and Placement Center’s exams achievement percentages of the CLS’ students were evaluated. As a result, it is concluded that, even though it is not at the level targetted by the project, there is significant increase in the student achievement of CLS’s.