Vietnam: Compilation of Level-1 secondary school assessment standards

How long after a secondary school achieves national standards at level 1 can it be proposed for upgrade to a new level?

Pursuant to Article 5 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT of the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam:

Cycle of education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for secondary schools

1. The cycle length of education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for secondary schools shall be 5 years.

2. A secondary school shall be recognized as successfully passing the education quality accreditation according to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 34 in these Regulations for at least 02 years from the day on which they are registered for the external assessment and recommended for the recognition that they successfully pass the education quality accreditation at a higher level.

3. A secondary school shall be recognized as achieving the Level-1 national standard for at least 02 years from the day on which they are granted recognition, registered for the external assessment and recommended for recognition as the Level-2 accredited school.

Therefore, when a secondary school achieves national standards at level 1, it can register for an external evaluation and propose recognition for a higher level of educational quality accreditation after at least 02 years from the date of recognition.

Compilation of Level-1 secondary school assessment standards (Image from the Internet)

Compilation of Level-1 secondary school assessment standards​

Pursuant to Article 7 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT, a secondary school to achieve national standards at level 1 must meet the following standards:

* Standard 1: School organization and management

This standard includes the following benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: School development strategy

- Commensurate with educational objectives specified in the Education Law, the local socio-economic development orientation in each period of time and the school's resources;

- Described in a written document and approved by a competent authority;

- Publicly announced by posting a notice at the school or on the school's website (if any), local mass media or websites of education and training offices or departments.

Benchmark 2: School board (Board of Trustees in a private school) and other boards

- Established in accordance with regulations;

- Carrying out functions, duties and powers in accordance with regulations in force;

- Their activities are subject to periodic reviews or assessments.

Benchmark 3: Communist Party organizations, unions and other organizations of the school

- Their organization structure is governed by regulations in force;

- Their activities are subject to regulations in force;

- Their activities are subject to annual reviews or assessments.

Benchmark 4: Principal; vice principal; specialized and academic team; administrative and clerical team

- A school must have a principal or the number of vice principals legally prescribed;

- The structure of specialized and academic teams; administrative and clerical teams, must be subject to regulations in force;

- Specialized and academic teams, and administrative and clerical teams, must operate according to plans and perform duties in accordance with regulations in force. 

Benchmark 5: Classes

- There must be an adequate number of classes in a grade level;

- Students are grouped into classes; classes are organized in accordance with regulations in force;

- Classes operate according to autonomy and democracy principles.

Benchmark 6: Administrative, financial and property management

- All documents and records of the school must be kept under regulations in force;

- Budgeting; formulating cost estimates; collecting and spending money; settling financial obligations; making financial or property statistics, inventory reports or statements; public disclosure and periodic self-inspection of the school’s financial health and property, must be subject to regulations in force; internal spending regulations should be revised and updated to suit current conditions and regulations;

- Managing and using the school’s finances and property for the right purposes and effectively for educational activities.

Benchmark 7: Management of administrators, teachers and staff members

- Having a plan to provide professional development training for administrators, teachers and staff members;

- Clearly and properly assigning and utilizing administrators, teachers, and staff members to ensure the school's performance;

- Prescribed rights of administrators, teachers and staff members must be assured.

Benchmark 8: Management of educational activities

- Each education plan must be aligned with current rules and regulations, actual local conditions and the school’s resources;

- Each education plan must be carried out in full;

- Each education plan must be reviewed, evaluated and adjusted in a timely manner.

Benchmark 9: Implementation of the school’s grassroots democracy

- Administrators, teachers, and staff members are allowed to participate in discussions and give their opinions when developing plans, rules and regulations related to the school's activities;

- Complaints, denunciations, recommendations and feedbacks (if any) under the school's jurisdiction must be resolved in accordance with law;

- Annual reports on implementation of the school’s grassroots democracy must be made.

Benchmark 10: Assurance of the school’s security, order and safety

- There are plans to ensure security and order; food hygiene and safety; prevention and control of accidents and injuries; fire and explosion prevention, control and safety; safety concerns for disasters and natural disasters; prevention and control of diseases; prevention and control of school violence evils; Schools that have kitchen facilities for students must be issued with certificates of conformance to food safety regulations;

- There are feedback mailboxes, hotlines and other means to receive and process feedbacks and comments sent by people; ensuring safety for administrators, teachers, staff and students in the school;

- Discrimination, violence and breach of law on gender equality are prohibited in the school.

Additionally, according to Article 8 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT (partially voided by Circular 29/2021/TT-BGDDT), standard 2 is specified as follows:

* Standard 2: Administrators, teachers, staff and students

This standard includes the following benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: Principal, vice principal

- Satisfying the prescribed standard;

- Assessed as satisfying the standard applied to principals or higher one;

- Completing the training course in education management in accordance with regulations in force.

Benchmark 2: Teachers

- The number and structure of teachers must suit the needs for provision of educational programs and organization of educational activities;

- 100% of teachers meet legally prescribed qualification standards;

- At least 95% of teachers are rated at least satisfactory in the standards of practice for teachers.

Benchmark 3: Staff

- Teachers or staff members can hold multiple positions to perform duties assigned by the principal;

- Assigned to perform proper and reasonable competence-based work;

- Fulfilling assigned duties.

Benchmark 4: Students

- Students admitted to the school must be age-appropriate in accordance with regulations in force;

- Performing duties in accordance with regulations in force;

- Assured of legal rights.

Furthermore, pursuant to Article 9 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT, standard 3 is specified as follows:

* Standard 3: Teaching infrastructure and equipment

This standard includes the following benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: Campuses, playgrounds and training grounds

- The school’s campus must be green, clean, nice-looking and safe for educational activities;

- The school’s entrance gates, name boards and guard walls must be kept in place;

- Playgrounds and training grounds must be furnished with essential equipment to ensure safety for gymnastics, sports and educational activities of the school.

Benchmark 2: Classrooms, subject-based classrooms and academic service blocks

- Each classroom must have an adequate number of the student’s desks and chairs fitting with their stature, the teacher’s desk and chair; a writing board; must be fully lighted and airy or well-ventilated; ensuring two shifts of learning in the classroom a day at most;

- Subject-based classrooms must be fully available;

- Rooms for Union – Team or collective activities, libraries and museums must be available for use.

Benchmark 3: Administrative – managerial blocks

- Meeting minimum requirements concerning administrative – managerial activities in each school;

- Parking lots must be located appropriately, ensuring safety and order;

- Periodically repairing and adding equipment for administrative – managerial blocks.

Benchmark 4: Toilets and water supply and drainage systems

- Having separate toilets for men, women, teachers, staff, and students, prohibiting environmental pollution; Toilets must be easily accessible to disabled students taking inclusive education programs;

- Having sewerage systems ensuring environmental hygiene; Clean water supply systems must meet the needs for potable and tap water of teachers, staff and students;

- Garbage collection and waste disposal must conform to environmental sanitation regulations.

Benchmark 5: Equipment

- An adequate number of office and other equipment necessary for the school’s activities must be provided;

- Providing an adequate number of teaching aids is a legally prescribed minimum requirement;

- All equipment must be enumerated, inventoried and repaired on a yearly basis.

Benchmark 6: Libraries

- Accommodating books, newspapers, magazines, maps, educational pictures, audio cassettes, CDs and publications for reference purposes that are necessary for research, teaching and other activities of each school;

- Library’s activities must meet minimum requirements regarding research, teaching and other activities of administrators, teachers, staff and students;

- Every year, each library may enumerate, inventory, check and add books, newspapers, magazines, maps, educational pictures, audio cassettes, CDs and publications for reference purposes.

Moreover, pursuant to Article 10 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT, standard 4 is specified as follows:

* Standard 4: Relationship between the school, family and society

This standard includes the following benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: Parent Representative Councils

- Established and operated under the Charter of Parent Representative Council;

- The Council’s operational plan must be tailored to each school year;

- Implementing the plan according to the predetermined schedule.

Benchmark 2: Consultation with Party committees, state authorities and coordination with each school’s organizations and individuals

- Consulting with Party committees and state authorities to execute each school’s educational plan;

- Cultivating public awareness and responsibilities concerning guidelines and policies of the Party, the State and the Education sector; concerning the school's educational goals, contents and plans;

- Marshalling and using legitimate resources of organizations and individuals in accordance with regulations in force.

Next, according to Article 11 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT, standard 5 is specified as follows:

* Standard 5: Educational activities and results

This standard includes the following benchmarks:

Benchmark 1: Provision of general education programs

- Conducting teaching of full and correct subjects and educational activities in accordance with regulations, ensuring attainment of educational goals;

- Applying teaching methods and techniques, organizing teaching activities to ensure conformity with educational objectives and contents, ensuring that they are suitable to students and tailored to school conditions; fostering self-study methods, improving the ability to work in groups and training skills to put knowledge into practice;

- Testing and assessment approaches for students are diverse, ensuring impartiality and effectiveness.

Benchmark 2: Providing opportunities for participation in educational activities for underprivileged students, gifted students or students having learning or behavioral training difficulty.

- Planning educational activities for underprivileged students, gifted students or students having learning or behavioral training difficulty;

- Implementing the plan for educational activities for underprivileged students, gifted students or students having learning or behavioral training difficulty;

- Making annual review and assessment reports on educational activities for underprivileged students, gifted students or students having learning or behavioral training difficulty.

Benchmark 3: Provision of legally prescribed local education.

- Providing local education for students in accordance with regulations;

- Approaches for testing and assessment of local education for students must be impartial and effective;

- Reviewing, evaluating and updating materials, and giving recommendations about revision of local education, are required on an annual basis.

Benchmark 4: Experiential learning and career orientation activities

- Having plans for experiential learning and career orientation activities that comply with regulations and suit the school’s conditions;

- Successfully conducting experiential learning and career orientation activities according to plans;

- Assigning and mobilizing the school’s teachers and staff to get involved in experiential learning and career orientation activities.

Benchmark 5: Building up life skills for students

- Having plans to educate students to build up their life skills provided that their learning capacity, the school’s and local conditions are taken into consideration;

- There are positive changes in the student’s learning and accumulation of life skills, social perception and law practice through the school’s educational activities;

- Students' ethics and lifestyles are gradually built up in accordance with law, local customs, traditions and Vietnamese cultural values.

Benchmark 6: Educational results

- The student's academic results and conduct must be satisfactory according to the school’s plan;

- The rate of students eligible for grade advancement and graduation is satisfactory according to the school's plan;

- Student orientation and routing must be satisfactory according to the school’s plan.

Process for education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for secondary schools​

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Regulations on education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multilevel education institutions issued together with Circular 18/2018/TT-BGDDT, the process for education quality accreditation and recognition of conformity with national standards for secondary schools shall be carried out by going through the following steps:

Step 1. Self-assessment.

Step 2. External assessment.

Step 3. Recognition that the school passes the education quality accreditation, and recognition that the school conforms to national standards.