In francophone Belgium, a policy of external evaluation of schools is developping since 15 years, but the knowledge based regulation tools used for that matter are only symbolic incentives aiming an improvement of local practices within schools. The paper is focused on a comparison of two local inspection zones and the ways by which this policy is co-constructed by local actors (inspectors, directors, and teachers). We show that the local process of « implementation and reception » of the policy affects the nature of the information and knowledge produced about pupil’s performance and produces important effects on the local impacts of accountability tools on practices aswell as on the legitimacy of the policy as such. In particular, using sociology of the translation (Callon & Latour) and some neo-institutionalist conceptual tools, we will show two interrelated process : 1) the difference of role and strategy of intermediate actors as the inspectors.  2) the difference of process of co-construction of the evaluation policy (importance of the co-construction of the tools by a intermediatery network of actors vs top-down bureaucratic implementation process) 

The research presented has been part of the Know&Pol project (6th PRD), related to the work done by the Belgium education research team. (dir. C Maroy)

Cattonar Branka, Dumay Xavier, Mangez Catherine & Maroy Christian (2010). External Evaluation in Primary Schools in Belgium: Receptions and Uses of Knowledge-Based Regulation Tools. Rapport de recherche, UCL, Louvain-la-Neuve, http://www.knowandpol.eu. Mangez Catherine, Maroy Christian, Cattonar Branka, Delvaux Bernard & Mangez Eric (2009), Les politiques de pilotage et d’évaluation de l’enseignement en Belgique francophone : une approche cognitive. Rapport de recherche, know&pol, Louvain-la-Neuve, http://www.knowandpol.eu (available in French and English).