Austrias Lower Secondary School Reform Neue Mittelschule
(NMS)
Slide 2
The Austrian School System: High Level of Parent Choice
Kindergarten Academic secondary school Lower secondary school
Primary school Academic secondary school Technical & vocational
colleges Intermediate tech/voc school Prevocationa l Apprentice
schools Years 1-4 Years 5 -8 Years 9-12/13 School leaving
certificate Matura Federal legislation, state provincial
administration Federal legislation & administration Equity
issues in lower secondary due to selection at age 10
Slide 3
Terminology NMS-EB (Entwicklungsbegleitung) = external
consultancy team/guidance during pilot phase 2008- 2012; continuity
through know-how transfer to National Center for Learning Schools
(CLS) established in 2012. Lerndesigner = teacher leader/change
agent, evidence-informed qualification program focused on equity
and student achievement 2-year curriculum (equals 12 ECTS credits),
feeds into a MA program, now a joint program between CLS &
Pdagogische Hochschulen (regional level)
Slide 4
The NMS Story: Goals = equity & excellence 2008 Legislation
for NMS Reform Pilot passed in Parliament; Project Team installed
Generation 1 with 67 schools begins pilot External consulting
NMS-EB initiates first network meeting with school leaders
NMS-Platform is provides courses, documentation & networking
online 2009 NMS-EB initiates Lerndesigner role; first national
Lernatelier in January Momentum grows; 177 schools apply to
participate in Generation 2 and begin in September. All state
provinces are now involved in the pilot phase. Two state provinces
(Vorarlberg & Burgenland) are near 100% participation. 2010
Generation 3 with 76 schools joins the pilot phase. NMS-House
illustrates key skills & knowledge for curriculum &
instructional development Parent survey shows high satisfaction;
Online Platform for parents is opened
Slide 5
The NMS Story cont'd 2011 Generation 4 with 114 schools joins
the pilot phase Political will to reform lower secondary grows: The
NMS increases chances for all youth 2012 Generation 5 with 264
schools begin in September. Coalition partners define legislation;
mandate passes Parliament in April. Pilot phase ends;
implementation begins. External consulting NMS- EB in its final
year; National Center for Learning Schools is created to maintain
continuity & continue development National NMS Congress in
Vienna; 900 participants from Generations 1 5 and system partners
2013 Generation 6 with 254 schools ready to start in September
Lerndesigner- Network focus for Austrias project in OECD ILE Phase
3 Know-how transfer to system; new teacher education curriculum,
Master degree program for Lerndesigners begins, CLS continues
development online and in face- to-face events with system partners
First annual NMS Symposia for Lerndesigners post-qualification.
Plus of 11.38% in qualification for academic-track schools among
NMS graduates 2012/13
Slide 6
From Pilot to Implementation: Complete 2020 Pilot Phase G6 274
2013/2014 Implemen- tation Phase G7 Ca. 200 2014/2015 G8 Ca. 200
2015/2016
Slide 7
Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture Dr. Claudia Schmied,
Minister NMS-Project Team, Dept. I/2 Helmut Bachmann & Andrea
Werner- Thaler External Evaluation BIFIE (national testing &
school effectiveness research) Erich Svecnik, Gnter Haider
Ferdinand Eder, Angelika Petrovic, Helmut Fend Pdagogische
Hochschulen (Teacher Education) PH NMS-Coordinators Information
& Debate Reports available in the NMS archive (German)
www.bmukk.gv.at/nms www.bmukk.gv.at/nms Brochures, DVD, information
platforms www.neuemittelschule.at www.nmsvernetzung.at
Implementation in all compulsory lower secondary schools; pilot
classes in academic-track schools (opt-in) In cooperation with:
School Boards & School Inspectorates State-Level
NMS-Coordinators NMS Think Tank School Principals Teachers Students
Parents & Guardians National Center for Learning Schools
Christoph Hofbauer & Tanja Westfall-Greiter in cooperation with
PH-Lower Austria & University of Innsbruck + Regional
Competence Teams NMS Ministry Project Structure
Slide 8
Gateway to web resources and platforms
http://www.neuemittelschule.at/ [4 min video]
Slide 9
The NMS Community & Partners: University Colleges of
Teacher Education + State School Boards
Slide 10
Success Factors Pilot legislation 7a stability Project team at
Ministry leadership Pilot schools required majority among school
staff and parents to begin momentum New roles for teachers teacher
leadership External consultancy NMS-EB system learning Strategies
that worked: Change agents (Lerndesigners) National networking
events Evidence-informed qualification Online platform for
networking & dissemination
Slide 11
Current Challenges New requirements in NMS mandate confusion,
difficult transition for pilot schools Teacher compensation does
not accommodate new social architecture in schools (teacher
leaders) effectiveness depends on school Pension wave in next 10
years (76% in NMS) new starts for some schools Attracting 8-year
academic schools to opt in selection Firewalls between policy &
practice alignment & compliance Response lag in teacher
education qualification burden on continuing education / CLS
