COURAGE

State of the art report - Norway

In Norway about 70% of students complete upper secondary school. This figure
shows that Norway must do something so that more students complete and pass
upper secondary education. What steps have been taken at national, regional and
local level? In this report we wish to explain the principles of the Norwegian upper
secondary education system and then look at what has been done and is being done
to increase the percentage of students who successfully complete their upper
secondary education.

Description of upper secondary education in Norway

Completed upper secondary education is important, both as a goal of the individual,
and to provide the workforce with the expertise the different sectors need. The
school has to respond to both short-term labour needs and at the same time
providing students with a competence that can be developed through decades in a
changing labour market.

In 1994 Norway had the first of the major changes for upper secondary education.
The reform from 1994 gave ALL 16-17 year olds the right to upper secondary
education, and they all received guarantees of getting one of their three study
choices. This guarantee applied to all, regardless of prior conditions (physical or
mental handicap), adaptation needs, background (minority) or grades.
The outcome of this major reform is that about 97% of Norwegian youth start upper
secondary education.
Upper secondary education builds upon the 10th grade from the lower secondary
school. Secondary education leads to higher education, vocational skills or basic
skills. One must apply for a place in secondary education.
Upper secondary education is usually given as 3 years in school or with 2 years in
school and 2 years in a working environment (apprenticeship). All students have the
right to one re-election so that their education may be extended by one year.

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The main model for vocational education programs is two years in school and
subsequent two years in a company (2+2 model). The first year has a wide entrance
to the vocational program because one wants to give students the opportunity for
flexibility and a possible change. The workplace requires great adaptability and it was
therefore important to ensure this already at the start of the training course.
Even though Reform 94 in many ways was successful in itself, it also paved the way
for a new reform of the vocational programs. This came in 2006 and was called The
knowledge lift. With the introduction of the new reform, 15 educational programs
were reduced to 12 - nine vocational and three that gave access to higher education.
Several educational programs were merged and given new names. Educational
courses at Vg2 (second year of education) level cover about 50 program areas. After
their second year, vocational students have about 180 trades to choose from.
Developments in industrial structures, information and communication technologies,
increased competition and efficiency mean the need for unskilled labour has
declined. The demand for workers with technical and vocational upper secondary
education and people with higher education will continue to increase. The
employment rate among skilled workers is higher than in the general population,
they have more often permanent positions than the general population, and they
tend to have full-time work. In the coming years there will probably be a shortage of
civil engineers, engineers and other scientists, nurses, teachers, kindergarten
teachers and people with professional training in areas such as construction and
health care.

Changes in upper secondary education

Society demands skilled labour but too few complete and pass their secondary
education. The proportion of those who complete and pass secondary education has
remained stable between 67 and 70 percent since the 1999 class. This is a far too
low implementation rate to meet the needs of future employment, and without upper
secondary education many wont have a good enough foundation to meet the
challenges of society and the workplace. Half of today's unemployed have not
completed secondary education, and one in four that have primary school as their
highest education are on disability benefits.

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Although basic education greatly empowers youth with skills that are valued in the
labour market and although studies show that students are very satisfied with the
training, the transfer to the workforce does not work well enough for parts of
vocational training. About 50 percent of pupils start in vocational education
programs, but it is a challenge that only 15 percent of the students achieve academic
or vocational or professional skills after five years. An important reason why many
students do not complete vocational training is that they choose supplementary
studies instead of taking a two-year apprenticeship. This happens particularly from
the health education and youth development programs, service and communications,
media and communication and natural resource use. The increase in the proportion
of young people, who want to pursue higher education, is an international trend.
Most students, who attend supplementary courses, have this as their first choice, but
only about half of the students complete and pass this year.

Measures
Based on the current situation the government believes that it is necessary to take
various measures. In order to improve the implementation of vocational training,
the Government believes that it is necessary both to increase the range of
apprenticeships and to improve career and educational opportunities for
accomplished academic or vocational qualifications. There is also a need to review
parts of the vocational education and training to ensure that trade certificates and
vocational competencies are recognized and sought after.
In recent years the government has worked closely with municipalities and counties
to improve the implementation of secondary education through the project New GIV
(New Possibilities).
The introduction of the subject for vocational education called Project specialization
has had a positive impact on student motivation, and has also had a positive impact
on students' ability to build contacts resulting in an apprenticeship. The course helps
to connect both schools and the workforce closer together by allowing students to
conduct part of their training in enterprises and organizations.

Academic and vocational education

In 2012 the so-called Social Contract was signed. This contract is a ground-breaking
collaboration between the government and the partners of working life to increase
the number of apprenticeships, by setting specific targets and binding for the
Contracting Parties. The aim is to increase the number of apprenticeships approved
by 20 percent by 2015 compared with the level at the end of 2011. Another goal is
that the number of adults taking trade certificate or journeyman certificate and the
proportion of apprentices who complete and pass a craft certificate is to increase.
This is the first time such a large percentage of employers 'and workers'
organizations align themselves united behind such goals.

The Ministry of Education introduced a scheme called Praksisbrevet as a pilot

project in 2006. This Practice Scheme facilitates secondary education with an
emphasis on practical training in the early years, and gives students an opportunity
to take a reduced certificate after two years of training. After these two years the
candidate should be able to achieve, with documentation, workplace skills for a
workplace. The candidate shall then be able to continue the education and practice in
order to achieve a full trade certificate in regular training time. The target group for
the scheme is students who are entitled to upper secondary school but with poor
school results from lower secondary school, students who are in need of a closer
connection to the labour market to be motivated for learning, and students with little

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motivation for regular school. These are young people who are at risk of dropping out
of upper secondary education. The project was evaluated in the Autumn 2011 with
good results. One of the main findings is that students who were in danger of
dropping out of upper secondary education, go through with and complete their
training, and that the majority of participants are planning the continuation of their
education in order to achieve ordinary certificates. The outcome of the evaluation is
that counties are required to establish the Practice Scheme as an ordinary way of
achieving a certificate in cooperation with the partners of working life.

New Possibilities
Completion of secondary education with passing academic or vocational qualification
five years after the start of training has been about 70 per cent of the student cohort
over time. In autumn 2010, the New Possibilities program was established as a
national effort to improve completion in secondary education. The rationale and
justification for New Possibilities was that the government would take hold of the
great apostasy in upper secondary education. Too many students did not complete
upper secondary education and students ' academic basis from primary education
and lower secondary education is of great importance for students' probability of
completing upper secondary education. A high proportion of students had poor basic
skills at the completion of lower secondary education. The project's objective is to
establish a lasting partnership between the state, counties and municipalities to
ensure that more young people will complete and pass secondary education. New
Possibilities was thus implemented as an extraordinary measure in the latter half of
the last year of lower secondary education, aimed at students with particularly weak
academic performance at the end of the first term. Training programs for teachers
who have been responsible for these students, and intensive training with emphasis
on basic skills, would make students better equipped to complete secondary
education.

The measures in New Possibilities are mainly divided into three projects: The
Completion Statistics Project, the Transition Project and the Follow-up Project.

The Completion Statistics project develops a common statistical data and indicators
for assessing achievement in New Possibilities. The statistics and indicators will
provide information on relevant management information for the parties to the
design of measures at national and local levels, as well as school owners who can use
the information in the local quality improvement. The project, in cooperation with the
county, developed a set of indicators to assess the status and effectiveness of efforts
to improve completion. For some of these national targets have been set.
The Transition Project is a systematic cooperation between the municipality and the
county council for close monitoring of low performing students at risk of not
completing and passing upper secondary education. Students who showed weak
academic performance by the end of the first term of the last year of lower
secondary education, have been given a specially adapted and organized training
program, primarily to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. In spring 2011, the
first group of students, about 2,000 of them, participated in the project. In Spring
2012 another 5,000 students entered and finally, approximately 6,000 students
entered in Spring 2013. The basic idea for the training for these students is that it
should be practical and varied, starting on the actual foundations of the group
enrolled. Feedback from a number of students is that their desire to learn has come
back, and that they have a new sense of mastery, of actually coping with their own
education. Teachers provide positive feedback on the conferences and schooling
given in the New Possibilities Program. Schooling has been undertaken at national,

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regional and local levels, and all lower secondary and upper secondary schools in the
country have participated. Several teachers say that they use what they learn in
teaching; beyond the lessons they have with students participating in the New
Possibilities Program.
The target group for the follow up project is everybody between 15 and 21 who have
completed lower secondary school, but who are not in upper secondary education or
regular employment. The goal is that more young people outside education and
work should be paid attention to, be qualified and motivated to further education or
regular employment.

Completion of upper secondary education,

Completion of secondary education has been largely stable at the national level,
there has been considerable variation over time at a county level.

Competency Achievement five years after the start of secondary

schools.
The year refers to the year students enrolled in upper secondary for the first time.
Source: Statistics Norway (2012)

Five years after the start of secondary education there are major differences in
implementation between academic and vocational education and between vocational
education programs.
While 83 percent of students in academic studies (2006) completed and passed five
years after the start of their secondary education , only 55 percent of students in
vocational education programs did the same (see figure). The differences largely
reflect the student composition of the various education programs. Students in
vocational education programs have often a far weaker academic base from
primary/lower secondary school than students in programs for general studies, and
thus are far less likely to complete and pass secondary education. If students with an
equal number of primary points are compared with each other, the difference (in
percentage) between those who complete and pass academic and vocational

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education programs relatively small. Implementation of pupils with very few primary
points is higher in vocational education compared with the academic studies.

Evidence indicates that students' transition from year 2 is critical for the
completion of secondary education. Many studies confirm that a large proportion of
dropout in secondary education occurs in the transition between the second and third
year of training, and that this mainly applies to vocational education. This can of
course have many reasons, but it is especially with the apprenticeship subjects that
the transition from year 2 is difficult for students.

During the transition from the second year there are many students in vocational
education programs that choose supplementary studies. Since the introduction of the
education Reform 94, there has been a significant growth in the number of students
who choose supplementary studies for higher education. In 2011, there were around
14 000 students who chose these studies. At the same time, the proportion of
students who failed their supplementary studies varied between 40 and 45 percent in
the 2000s. Students state that they choose supplementary studies in order to
achieve university entrance qualifications and the opportunity for a higher education.
It's seldom that their choice reflects a lack of apprenticeship opportunities. The
education departments evaluation of the scheme finds that the system of two years
of vocational training and one year of supplementary studies an unsatisfactory
course of training which in itself increases the risk of dropping out. The department
has found it necessary to improve the organization of supplementary studies and to
improve education and career opportunities in vocational education programs.

More relevant education in secondary schools

Although primary education greatly empowers youth with skills that are valued by
the labour market the transition to the labour market does not work well enough for
all parts of vocational training.
There are many complex reasons for these connections in the transition between
vocational training and the labour market. It is well documented that countries with
apprenticeship programs or other forms of alternating education have significantly
lower youth unemployment than other European countries. It suggests that
apprenticeships have a significant potential to integrate youth in the labour market if
the links between apprenticeship subjects and the demand for skills work well.
There are often several possible reasons why young people do not seek, do not start,
do not continue or end prematurely their secondary education. Learning challenges
and low motivation can be symptoms of complex problems such as social conditions
and mental health problems. In many cases, it requires a coordinated effort from
several agencies if assistance should work.
The importance of a good learning environment for students' academic, personal,
social and health development is thoroughly documented through research.
Therefore, the school's development of learning environments must still be
emphasized and given priority, and be based upon national initiatives and priorities.

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State of the art - Haugaland upper secondary
school
The description of the situation at the national level is also indicative of Haugaland
Secondary School. The various measures taken at national level to promote
completion and reduce dropout are also true for us. What steps have we taken so
that more students will complete and pass their upper secondary education? The
further description in this report deals with Haugaland Secondary School, what type
of educational institution we are and what has been done and still needs to be done
in order to increase the percentage of students who successfully complete upper
secondary education.

Haugaland Secondary School is in a Norwegian

context, a large school, mainly focusing on vocational
training. The school has students who come from a
wide geographical area and has traditionally also had
students with wide variations in their theoretical
knowledge. Below are the programs that are offered
to upper secondary students in Norway. Haugaland
Upper Secondary school offers the programs marked
with a star.

In the early 2000s the school had a drop-out rate of

about 13 %. Although this figure was lower than the
national average, it was too high for the school
management to refrain from doing anything to
increase the percentage of students who complete
and pass. Different types of measures were taken and
some of them were:
Systematic student development (see and follow
up each individual student through systematic work in teams, mentoring
programs, individual counselling, close cooperation with parents)
Study centre (adapted education, learning strategies, vocational orientation)
Cooperation with working life, trade and industry (Apprenticeship Training Office,
practice arrangements)
National / regional / local project:
New Possibilities program, the Follow Up Service
FYR adopt the academic subjects to the vocational practical trade

Systematic student development:

Systematic student development is a practical teaching method enabling mentors /
teachers to see each student, adapting teaching and giving the student ample
room for student participation. Appreciative student conversations play a central part
in the method and give the learner the opportunity to reflect on his/her role as a
responsible student.

Haugaland Upper Secondary School is continuously working to develop systematic

student development. In this context, it has also developed a mentor handbook. The

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handbook contains mentor instructions, annual cycle, absence monitoring, themes
for the mentor classes and student conversations.
The goal here is that the school should have a common tool in dealing with the
systematic student development.

Appreciative student conversations are a counselling method that focuses on the

areas that are functioning well with the learner or their wishes and dreams. It also
provides ample room for student participation. The method has the task of helping
the students to identify their own strengths.

The conversations show how the student can use these strengths to realize their
potential in school and in the workplace.

With the method the positive relationship between teacher and pupil is central.
It provides teachers a tool that enables training to be tailored to the individual
students abilities and needs.

Conversations that devote more attention to the individual youth, helps make the
everyday, ordinary school life possible for all students and to develop their social
skills. In particular, factors that gives the students the COURAGE to STAY ON.

The aim of the method is to develop the student's ability both professionally and
personally through dialog.

Positive guidance of all students

In the conversations a positive process for monitoring pupils is established, including
pupils who are struggling in different educational areas. Recent research in positive
psychology says that such a process has several phases:
1. Helping students to discover their strengths / resources and what is
functioning at school.
2. Help the students to look at themselves and their own school experiences
through "appreciative eyes" (mentor / teacher)
3. Mentor / teacher manages to see something great with all students. When
these virtues are identified, the school will use this as the basis for
discussions to help the student see their future opportunities and help the
student create a career plan.

Schools in general have systematically worked with student dialogue as highlighted

by several school reforms.
In the White Paper of 2006 "....... none were left behind" ....... student development
dialogues are a prerequisite.

Achieving stimulating dialogues is "an art". The school has the responsibility to
facilitate dialogues that involve, motivate, clarify and increase young people's
confidence in their own learning opportunities.

Purpose of systematic student development

a. To promote learning and development of the student and that the training
is in accordance with the curriculum
b. To fulfil statutory responsibilities
c. To develop good learning environments thereby creating learning outcomes
that lead to more students completing secondary education.

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Through:
Caring about the student and building positive relationships
Positive feedback
Developing and implementation of good systems and procedures
Developing and adopting good pedagogical tools
Distinct class management
Good cooperation between school and home

Achieving that:
The student is seen
The student experiences higher achievement and increased motivation
The student experiences a calm and structured classroom
The student learning and development is increased resulting in better learing
outcomes and expetise
The student`s educational training is assured the right quality

Study Centre (adapted education, learning strategies,

vocational orientation)
According to the Education Act ( 1.3), all students have the right to a customized
and adapted training according to their needs. It is up to each school and their
teachers to find the best solutions for how the students educational needs are met.
Which can be quite challenging for the teachers sometimes.

Haugaland Secondary School decided a few years ago that the school would create a
study centre where the main objective was to provide customized and adapted
training for students who struggled with their development of basic skills within
numeracy and literacy. A few teachers were commissioned to design the organization
and teaching at the study centre. These teachers were teachers with extensive
experience and a special eye for students who need extra attention academically and
socially. Teachers also received training in methodology adapted to the target group,
especially in the New Possibilities program (see later section).

The selecting process was based on assessment tests in numeracy and reading skills,
collaboration between teachers in classes and teachers at the study centre,
professional assessment from Head of Department for adapted teaching, the school`s
social councillors and finally those students who have been registered though the
New Possibilities program in the lower secondary school (see section on New
Possibilities).

Over a three-year period, the study centre has had an increasing proportion of
students receiving part of their teaching at the study Centre. For 2012/13 about a
100 first year students of a total of approximately 400 students accepted the offer
from the study centre. The offer was given in mathematics and English, and
otherwise the study centre was offering courses in reading strategies and writing
strategies.

Mathematics and English,

Two and two classes at first year level have their teaching of English and
Mathematics at the same time within the class weekly timetable. From these classes
up to 6 students have been offered to have the entire teaching of mathematics and /
or English in a small group at the study centre. If they accept this offer they are
placed in a group and the teacher at the study centre takes over the whole teaching

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of the given subject, including the responsibility for providing the student with marks
in that particular subject. It`s a voluntary arrangement and the students must sign a
contract where they recognize and accept the offer and they can decide for
themselves how long they will stay in the group. In practice, virtually 100% of the
students stay in the groups throughout the school year.

Students work on the same learning objectives as all other students and must sit the
same exams. The combination of several factors makes students very often succeed
in these groups. The groups are small and it is easier for all students to be seen, the
teachers are good at creating relationships with students, teaching is as concrete and
as close to real life and the vocational subjects as possible, and objects that they
make in their vocational education as possible are used. Instead of talking about
cubic metres, a model of a cubic metre is physically there, in the classroom.

Courses in reading strategies and writing strategies:

Students take part in reading tests at the beginning of the school year, and these
provide useful results in terms of which students struggle with basic skills in reading
and understanding. Students also provide short written texts in the beginning of the
school year, which of course gives useful indications in terms of how things are with
writing skills.

Based on this, the study center gives short courses in strategy in relation to reading
and writing. These courses have emphasized various learning strategies, trying to
teach students different reading methods and to see the benefit in using various
forms and techniques when they read or write. For 2012/13, these courses were
voluntary for students. As of from 2013/14, they are mandatory. The courses are
conducted in collaboration between teachers who teach languages and teachers who
teach vocational subjects.

Administrative Remedy:
Haugaland Secondary School is a distinctly vocational school with a long tradition of
cooperation with local industry and local businesses. Students at the school often
come with a background story where practical education is preferred to theoretical
education. They appreciate to be allowed to DO something rather than having to
READ something. This has been acknowledged by the language and mathematics
teachers a long time ago, the study centre being no exception. The teachers there
put an emphasis on trying to teach a theoretical subject as closely to real life practise
as possible. This means that teachers in mathematics and English work with the
various program teachers to create good teaching where students will notice that a
mathematical topic actually has something to do with a job being done in the
workshop or that English expressions can relate to the students future. That is why
teachers from the study centre who teach students that are going to work in industry
or construction are equipped with overalls and general safety equipment, so they are
able to be in the workshop as much as possible. The practical mathematics tasks are
tasks that students recognize from working in the workshop and in English teaching
most of the oral presentations that the students have, takes place in the workshop.
This way of doing lessons is well received by the students and the school is trying to
develop the program around vocational orientation so that more and more are taking
part in it.

Follow-up service (OT)

The Norwegian Education Act requires each county to have a follow-up service for
young people between 16 and 21 who are not in education or employment.
Rogaland County Council has organized follow-up service by employing and placing
OT supervisors (follow-up supervisors) at the largest secondary schools in the district.

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Haugaland upper secondary school is one of those schools where there is an OT
supervisor.

The regulations of the Education Act specifies in a detailed description how OT is to

work with following up the students in danger of or who have already dropped out.
The purpose is to ensure that all young people in the target group are offered
training, planning and other qualifying measures, leading to completed secondary
education.

The follow-up service keeps track of all the students in the target group, by
establishing contact with each individual youth in the target group for the purpose of
supervision and monitoring.

The follow-up service ensures inter-agency cooperation between municipal, county

and state agencies that are responsible for the target group, and disseminate, or
coordinate, offers from different agencies. Recent instances of cooperation are
particularly between primary and secondary schools, educational and psychological
services, education administration in the county, labour and welfare administration
and health and social services.

The Follow-up service can assist in efforts to reduce the dropout rate from secondary
education through collaboration with primary and secondary education.

Alternative combinations, school and work practice

As mentioned earlier, the average progress for a student is two years in school and
two years as an apprentice. While this programme works for most students, it is not
successful for all students. Haugaland has had good experience with combining
school and workplace practice for students who are not motivated for being full time
at school.
The school offers two alternatives:
1. Practical agreement / contract
This is an agreement for students who are enrolled in school but after a period of
time it becomes clear that the student would benefit more from a combination of
school and practical work in a company. The agreement is made between the
school and a company where the student can be placed anywhere from 1-5 days a
week. An agreement is signed between the school and the company. The
company, school, parents and students agree on the competence objectives, and
it is the section manager / teacher / mentor's responsibility to follow up on this.
2. Candidate for experience-based trade certification
This is an agreement for students whose main challenge is their lack of motivation
for going to school. They are only interested in doing practical work. The student
must be included in regular admission, with no individual work plan in core
subjects. An agreement is made between the involved parties and the student
agrees on a contract lasting for 2 years. The students are in a company working 4
days a week and come to school the fifth day to take their core subjects.

When the 2-year period is up the students can achive an ordinary apprenticeship
agreement with the company on the same conditions as any other vocational
student. While being a candidate for experience based trades the student is paid
a small salary for which the company receives compensation from the
government.

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New Possibilities at Haugaland vgs
With reference to what is written about the New Possibilities program earlier in the
report, how does New Possibilities work at Haugaland Secondary School? New
Possibilities work in upper secondary education continues the work of the New
Possibilities program that has taken place in lower secondary education. Students
who for the first half of the 10th year of compulsory education had very poor
academic performance, received a specially adapted and organized training program,
primarily to improve their literacy and numeracy skills. These students enter upper
secondary education with a label stating that they have taken part in New
Possibilities program and they have a right to be followed up especially in upper
secondary education. New Possibilities students in lower secondary schools follow a
specific program in relation to the teaching they receive, but in upper secondary
school, each institution is given more freedom in how they want to design their New
Possibilities program.

By August 2012 Haugaland vgs had 51 freshman students labelled New Possibilities.
Because the implementation of the New Possibilities program nation wide has taken
place over a three year period, not all municipalities were enrolled in the system..
This means that Haugalands number of labelled New Possibilities students doubled
in 2013 and the following years. The school set up a plan for how the New
Possibilities students were addressed, and the vast majority of New Possibilities
students ended up at the school`s study center, where they either received teaching
in mathematics or English or participated in short courses in reading strategies and
writing strategies. The students who did not need to go at the study centre or who
declined, have nevertheless been paid attention to in their respective classes and
have had individual interviews with teachers from the study centre.

The national focus on the New Possibilities has led to an increased focus on this
particular target group and has also led to the training of many teachers in the so-
called New Possibilities pedagogy and methodology. It emphasizes students' learning
potential and the teacher TRAINER role, rather than role of the teacher being the
JUDGE. At Haugaland Secondary school some teachers have received special training
in the New Possibilities program and these have been given ample time and
opportunity to spread the knowledge acquired, to the rest of the College. Gradually,
more and more teachers are undergoing training. So far it has been teachers who
teach language and mathematics, but the next step for the New Possibilities program
is to enrol more and more teachers who teach vocational subjects as well.

Reading program
As a result of the STAY ON project, Haugaland deceided to introduce a reading project
in 2014/15. The students start the day in their respective classrooms/woorkshops by
reading a book, magazine, comic stip etc. they read something they enjoy, not
homework, and not from a computer or ipad.
The aim of the project was to improve the students reading skills.

Background.
Reseach has shown that quite a lot of the students, and especially boys who starts in
upper secondary education have poor reading skills. So poor readning skills that they
are not able to understand the textbooks in the different subjects. In order to succeed
in upper secondary education and also in worklife and in social life in the furture,
good reading skills are required and paramount.

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About 40 % of our first year students have scored under the critical limit in our
reading tests these past few years. This is a higher number than the allegedly
average national score. This is also why we had developed an action plan to develop
our student`s reading abilities.
This also related to society`s ever increasing demands of reading skills, in social life
as well as in working life. Reading is also one of five key skills that all our students
should master and that is the responsibility of all teachers whatever subject they
teach.

A project group was established and a strategy for our project was developed. It was
based on the assumption that many students that drop out, do so because they
struggle with their reading skills and their lack to cope with understanding the
content of many of our textbooks.

If students are going to STAYON and succeed by passing their examinations, it is

paramount to be motivated, to master school skills and thereby succeed in the
learning process. Reading skills are very essential in the learning processes.

Description of the project.

Every day starts with all the students reading for 20 minutes.
The students are going to read for pleasure and in order to improve their reading
skills.
The students can decide what they want to read since the aim of the project also is to
increase the students reading pleasure.
The teachers can encourage the students to read novels and short stories, but it`s
also possible for them to read cartoon books, comics, and different kinds of
magazines and newspapers.
The students are not supposed to read curriculum literature.
We do not allow students to read from laptops, computers or mobile phones.
The school starts at 08.05 and absence will be registered so the reading lesson is
compulsory.
The rooms should be silent and music can therefore not be played.
The students are not going to be given assignments connected with the reading
lesson.
The students can read both Norwegian and English.
The students are responsible for bringing the books, magazines etc. that they are
reading.

We encourage students to borrow books and other reading material from the schools
library or to bring it along from home.
It is important that all teachers are positive to and in support of the project towards
the students. Teachers must be encouraged to read during the reading lessons
themselves and thereby be good role models.
The students can eat during the reading lesson, except for warm food or noisy food.
The students should read in the rooms where they are going to have their first
ordinary lesson of the day, which implies reading in the workshops as well as in the
classrooms.

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Results of the reading project
Management and the project group have followed up the project closely from the
start.
We have made an evaluation by interviewing teachers at midterm, and followed up
with another such evaluation in June.

The annual survey we made of students reading proficiency in August, at the

beginning of the school year, was repeated in May the following year, in order to see
if there were any improvement in the results.
It was also evaluated by the national reading center in Stavanger, Norway towards
the end of the school year.

The survey in August showed that as much as 37,9 % of our students scored below
the critical limit for reading abilities. In that respect the school was far below the
average of the country as a whole. In the test conducted in May this score had been
reduced to 17,2 %, and the school is now over the average of the country.

Of course this survey mainly give us most information about the weekest student
readers, however, the test in May shows clearly that these students have made the
most progress. Some of this progress can be due to them getting a year older and
that they also have learnt from the teaching and learning throughout the year, but
Mossige from the Norwegian leaning center that conducted the research concludes
that there is no doubt that the reading project has had a major impact on the
students reading abilities.

Haugaland was also awarded the Readning price (leseprisen) as best upper
secondary school in Norway in May 2015 as a result of this project.

Surpringingly the reading project also produced a few other very positive results for
the school that we did not plan for.

Firstly, it led to a much calmer atmosphere among the students, it has put an end to
all the pushing, shoving around that sometime can be a problem, especially among
16-17 year old boys, and that easily develop into unnecessary conflicts and bad
learning environment.

Secondly, when the 20 minutes are gone, the students are very calm and ready to
listen to the teacher starting the lesson. All teachers soon became very positive
about the reading project and reported that the morning lessons ran much more
smoothly than before. In the students survey in October 2014, this was confirmed
by the results concerning a calm and quiet working environment. For the first time at
our school, this has been given the highest score possible.

Thirdly, the students were very pleased - 75 % were positive towards all aspects of
the reading project - with this calm, pleasant way of starting the day, where they
even can enjoy a cup of coffee and some food while reading their book.

From project to permanent program.

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The positive evaluation resulted in us adopting the read program every morning as a
permanent part of our school day. Our conclusion is that that is a very good way of
improving the student`s reading skills and making them see the joys of reading. The
Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training states in The framwork for basic
skills:
Reading means to create meaning from text in the widest sense. Reading gives
insight
into other people`s experience, opinion and knowledge, independent of time and
place.
The reading of texts on screen and paper is a prerequisite for lifelong learning and for
active participation in civic life. (Point 2.2)

To create systems in order to get students to master the basic skill that reading is
and must be fundamental to all teachers and all schools. This is done in a number of
ways, and our Reading Program is one way of accommodating to this directive.

Sources for the reading project:

Include links to what has been shown on TV? They are in Norwegian though.

http://www.nrk.no/rogaland/leseprosjekt-skal-gi-ferdigheter-1.11960776

http://tvh.no/lurer-lesingen-inn-bakvegen/haugaland-videregaende-skole/33937

Other sources:
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/kd/dok/regpubl/stmeld/20122013/meldsv ideregaende-opplari.html? id =
683 843
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/kd/campaign/nygivnewpossibilities.html?id=632025

This publication has been produced with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the
European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of
EUCOURAGE and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the NA and the
Commission.

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