COMPETENCES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES AS SYSTEM-BUILDING ELEMENTS OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

Abstract

The changes foreseen by the concept of the New Ukrainian School and the updated legislation require a comprehensive analysis, in particular to identify the reasons for the changes, their direction and ways of realization.
The article analyzes the legislative and regulatory documents that lay the foundations for reforming the general secondary education system. A list of key changes related to such elements as competences and learning outcomes is identified. The reasons that caused them have been determined.
The list of key changes laid by the education reform and related to the elements such as competences and learning outcomes:
- changing the essence of education standards as framework documents focused on the description of competences and compulsory learning outcomes;
- introduction of a new document into the educational activities of the educational institutions
- the educational program of the educational institution, which allows the educational institution to form its own educational mission: to formulate the expected learning outcomes, to describe the educational components, including the forms of organization of the educational process for their achievement and assessment tools;
- changes in the quality of education, which require the presence of external and internal assessment systems. Independent formation by the institution of the internal system should contain the following components: educational environment; a system for evaluating students’ learning outcomes; pedagogical activities of pedagogical workers of the educational institution; management processes.
It is substantiated that competences and learning outcomes can play the role of system-building elements, such as integrating educational components (education standards, educational process, quality of education). Practical advice is given to pedagogical staff on awareness and correlation of the concepts of “competence” and “learning outcomes”, rules of formulation of learning outcomes and requirements for their assessment. Further research requires an analysis of the role of competences and learning outcomes as system-building elements in the system of teacher training and professional advancement, in the development of educational and methodological support.