The quality of education in the Netherlands, as expressed by achievement and attainment indicators

In Chapter 4 various kinds of currently available data are used to reach an overall evaluation of the quality of Dutch education (primary and secondary level). The conclusions are as follows: Dutch students consistently achieve scores on international assessments which are (far) above average in international comparisons. The Netherlands generally fares very well in such studies, certainly compared to other countries in Europe. It occupies a slightly lower position on the global rankings due to the exceptionally high scores of countries such as Japan, Singapore, Korea and Taiwan. In terms of development over time between 1995 and 2006, we are able to draw upon no fewer than fifteen international comparisons, of which only three indicate any statistically significant decline in performance. It is therefore inappropriate to state that there has been any clear decline in student achievement but at the same time, it is equally inappropriate to claim that there has been any marked improvement. The trend is broadly similar for all age groups and in all key subjects. The chapter also draws conclusions on the basis of the national assessment program (PPON), equity indicators and educational attainment indicators. Altogether a rather positive picture emerges