The paradox of school performance’s evaluation, towards Educational Quality

Abstract

For the past three decades, the term “educational quality” has been established linked to the results of learning evaluation of high school students. In this work we will analyze the material conditions that established the evaluations of educational quality in the educational agenda. To achieve this, we will consider the relation State-Market-Education. This relation constitutes the basis for the market society and its correlationis established, education market with the consequent application of educational concepts and own actions of work organization. These actions affected teachers’ work, curricular contents and the pedagogical function of evaluation. National evaluations in Argentina, although in purpose, they tried the quality and improving education, the real intention was to obtain primary data that would allow for the emission of judgment regarding schools efficacy and efficiency, through external evaluation and standardized tests. According to the design, we could locate into an efficiency-rational-scientific framework, these evaluations respond to what we define as accretive function. This assumes that the evaluation values the results of learning (the product), to the detriment of its pedagogical function, whose objective is to assess the teaching-learning processes.