Abstract:

This paper discusses one former and two recent reforms in Norwegian teacher education, all implemented with the intention to strengthen the quality of teacher education and thus teaching:
1) In 2005, a center/right government established a lower limit for entrance to teacher education, after public debate on weak results on tests and exams in teacher education: A grade average of 3.5 from secondary school (on a scale with 6 as the top grade) and at least the grade 3 in Norwegian and mathematics.
2) In 2016, a conservative government tightened the entrance qualifications, by requiring the grade 4 in mathematics.
3) From 2017, all programs are expanded to the master level.

The main focus is on effects regarding recruitment of teachers – statistics show that the first reform have already resulted in teacher shortage, with the second and third likely to worsen the situation. Shortage will primarily be on the lower levels (1-7) of compulsory school, in smaller communities, and in particular in Northern Norway.

When entrance qualifications are raised nationally, it becomes an issue to balance these against the number of professionals needed. In a centralized system like Norway’s, where the acceptance procedure is centralized and there is no tuition, an individual institution has limited influence on the number applying and accepted. It will be the responsibility of the central authorities to balance the demand for professionals and the supply of students to be educated. It appears that this responsibility has not been met when raising entrance qualifications. Also, there seems to be limited understanding of to which extent fairly weak students will be able to complete a master’s degree, in particular the most challenging part, the master thesis.

As in most countries, teacher shortage varies over time, and geographically – in Norway, the northern counties and remote areas along the west coast have traditionally been hardest hit. A critical situation in the 70s led to focused policies to recruit teachers, in particularly to the northernmost areas of the country. While in opposition, the candidate for prime minister from the Conservative Party stated that higher PISA scores, in particular in math, would be a goal for a government based on her party. So, after winning the election in 2013, the government, based on her Conservative Party and a rightist populist party (thus labeled blue-blue), implemented the higher entrance qualifications in mathematics in 2016: the grade 4. This requirement is not limited to programs for levels 1-7, where math is a compulsory subject, but also for students in programs for levels 5-10, including those not selecting math as one of their electives.

A formal review of teacher education, published in 2006, recommended that teacher education programs should be expanded, from four years, to five year master programs. When reforming teacher education in 2010, the Labour/Center government (labeled red-green) did not follow this recommendation. However, the blue-blue government has instituted five year master programs for all teachers, with the first students accepted in 2017. Completion rates in the four year programs are below 70, they may sink to below 60 when fairly weak students have to complete a master thesis.

Keywords:

Quality standards, national policies, teacher education, entrance quaifications, teacher shortage.