Topic and Rationale

How can improvements in education be adequately assessed if educational quality is considered not only in terms of performance levels, but also with respect to institutional conditions, development processes, and the fair distribution of educational opportunities?The four empirical studies from Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Hungary, presented at the symposium, make complementary contributions to this topic by analyzing different levels of educational quality and inequality in European education systems.
The symposium aims to bring these studies together and to highlight how educational quality is established, stabilized, or differentiated at class, school, and system levels. The planned contributions address key dimensions of quality assurance, such as class composition, socioeconomic resources, individual developmental conditions, and early and persistent selection mechanisms.

Analytical Framework

The questions will be discussed from a macro-, meso-, as well as from a micro-perspective. Educational quality results from interactions between institutional system characteristics and individual developmental processes (Gross et al., 2016). This perspective serves as an organizing framework to facilitate the comparison of the different empirical approaches presented in the four papers.

• The macro level refers to differences in the stratification and control of education systems.
• The meso level focuses on schools and classrooms as key sources for quality assurance.
• The micro level considers the individual resources, life situations, and developmental trajectories of students.

Findings of the four papers:

Paper 1 (Finland) examines the relationship between non-random class assignments and the development of mathematical performance. The study shows that performance differences arise more frequently within schools than between them. This demonstrates that quality assurance cannot be applied solely at the system or school level; class-related decision-making processes also play a central role in educational equity. Thus, the paper makes an important contribution to meso-level quality assurance in less stratified systems.

Paper 2 (Norway) analyses how changes in family income correlate with performance development between grades 5 and 8. Despite Norway´s egalitarian education system, the paper reveals persistent socioeconomic effects on individual performance. It becomes clear that quality assurance at the system level does not automatically lead to equal opportunities, and that social dynamics at the micro level remain relevant, even in comprehensive welfare states.

Paper 3 (Sweden) broadens the view of educational quality by considering leisure activities and well-being as key factors for development. The longitudinal analysis shows that educational outcomes cannot be understood in isolation and that extracurricular context needs to be taken into account. Thus, the paper contributes to a broader understanding of educational quality, considering not only performance, but also development and life experiences. It opens up important perspectives for more comprehensive quality assurance.

Paper 4 (Hungary) analyses early and ongoing selection processes at the school and class levels throughout primary education. The results demonstrate that selection results in homogenization within classes and schools, as well as growing differences between them. The paper illustrates how highly stratified systems perpetuate educational inequalities and limit individual developmental potential, thereby addressing key challenges for improving education at the system level.

Objectives of the Symposium

To analyze educational quality and inequality within different education systems, a multi-level perspective is needed. This includes classroom-related decision-making processes in Finland, the socioeconomic dynamics of individual life situations in Norway, broader developmental conditions beyond the classroom in Sweden, and structural selection at system and school levels in Hungary.
The symposium outlines that educational improvement cannot be considered in isolation. Adopting a multi-level perspective is necessary. Educational quality is conceptualised as the outcome of interactions between these levels, based on testing at each level . In this way, the symposium substantially contributes to the goals of Network 9: Assessment, Evaluation, Testing and Measurement.  

Gross, C., Meyer, H.‑D., & Hadjar, A. (2016). Theorising the impact of education systems on inequalities. In A. Hadjar & C. Gross (Eds.), Education Systems and Inequalities (pp. 11–32). Policy Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1t892m0.7