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How the official decision of special educational needs (SEN) in the country relates to the agreed EASIE operational definition

Operational definition

An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.

Criteria for an official decision of SEN

  • There has been an educational assessment procedure involving a multi-disciplinary team
  • The multi-disciplinary team includes members from within and external to the child’s/learner’s (pre)school
  • There is a legal document which describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive and which is used as the basis for planning
  • The official decision is subject to a formal, regular review process

Educational assessment procedure in the country

According to the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act, the SEN Guidance Commission co-ordinates professional and administrative activities that qualify a child/learner to get a placement in an appropriate educational setting. The Commission prepares an expert opinion based on direct procedures with the child/learner, including an interview with the child’s/learner’s legal representative, and on the basis of pedagogical, special-pedagogical, social, psychological, medical and other documentation acquired by the relevant institutions in accordance with the legislation governing personal data protection. The SEN Guidance Commission reports the professional statement to the National Educational Institute, which issues an SEN Guidance Decision.

How the multi-disciplinary team is comprised in the country

The Commission for the placement of children/learners with special needs in first and second level is appointed depending on the type of special needs. It consists of three members: a special educator in the appropriate field (depending on the child’s/learner’s specific needs), a psychologist, and a specialist paediatrician, specialist child psychiatrist or school medicine specialist. However, as a rule, the team includes those who deal with the child/learner from the perspective of their special needs.

The legal document used in the country to outline the support that the child/learner is eligible to receive

The SEN Guidance Decision is a legal document stating that the child/learner may benefit from special education, indicating the most suitable programme and institution, the type and extent of special educational support, the provision of additional human or material resources and, if needed, a reduced class size.

How the document is used as the basis for planning in the country

Every child/learner who gets an SEN Guidance Decision is eligible for an individual education plan.

The formal, regular review process in the country

The SEN Guidance Decision should be reviewed according to the Commission’s opinion to give each child/learner a chance to be re-assessed.

 

Proxy indicator for the 80% benchmark used for the country’s data collection

The EASIE work uses an 80% benchmark of inclusive education. This is defined as:

An inclusive setting refers to education where the child/learner with SEN follows education in mainstream classes alongside their mainstream peers for most – 80% or more – of the school week.

Proxy indicator used

Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner.

Details on what the country proxy is

Children/learners with SEN educated in the mainstream classes are eligible for a maximum of five hours per week of additional learning and professional assistance carried out outside or inside the mainstream class. The average weekly study load at primary level (ISCED 1) is 23 hours per week, and 28 hours per week at lower-secondary level (ISCED 2). As children/learners with SEN receive on average three hours per week of additional learning or professional support, it means that they are present in the mainstream class for more than 80% of the time.

Why this proxy was used

It seems the most suitable.

Difficulties in using the proxy

No difficulties.

Specific country issues in applying the proxy indicator

There were no specific country issues in applying the proxy.

 

Detailed description of what ‘out of formal education’ means within the country

The 2011 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) defines ‘formal education’ as follows:

[…] education that is institutionalised, intentional and planned through public organizations and recognised private bodies and, – in their totality – constitute the formal education system of a country. Formal education programmes are thus recognised as such by the relevant national education or equivalent authorities, e.g. any other institution in cooperation with the national or sub-national educational authorities. Formal education consists mostly of initial education […] Vocational education, special needs education and some parts of adult education are often recognised as being part of the formal education system. Qualifications from formal education are by definition recognised and, therefore, are within the scope of ISCED. Institutionalised education occurs when an organization provides structured educational arrangements, such as student-teacher relationships and/or interactions, that are specially designed for education and learning.

(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2011, International Standard Classification of Education ISCED 2011, p. 11).

Do the country definitions of formal, non-formal and informal education differ from the ISCED definitions?

No, Slovenia uses the same definitions as ISCED.

How specific cases – such as home-educated children/learners – are considered

Home education for children/learners with special needs is regulated by the rules and regulations on primary education for children with special needs at home. In Slovenia, home education is considered formal education.

Children/learners who are considered out of formal education (meaning those not in formal education as defined by ISCED)

Children/learners considered ‘out of education’ are those in the age group corresponding to compulsory education who are not enrolled in any form of formal education.

How the population of children/learners who are out of formal education is defined

As above.

 

Provision of data on private sector education

The data collection covers all sectors of education, including numbers for the child/learner population in the private sector.

Private sector education in the country

Private sector means that the educational institution was established by resident or foreign natural or legal persons, with the exception of basic schools, which may only be established by resident natural and legal persons.

Child/learner population counted for each relevant question

Children/learners educated in private basic schools that deliver state-approved programmes are counted.

Specific issues with providing data on private sector education and how these have been overcome in the data collection

No specific issues.

 

ISCED level age ranges

The following are the most common (pre)school entrance ages and (pre)school leaving ages for the different ISCED levels:

Age range in the country at ISCED level 02 (pre-primary): 1 to 5

Age range in the country at ISCED level 1: 6 to 11

Age range in the country at ISCED level 2: 12 to 14

Age range in the country at ISCED level 3: 15 to 18

 

2012/2013 and 2014/2015 data background information

This country updated its background information for the 2014/2015 and 2016/2017 datasets. PDFs of the background information for the 2012/2013 dataset and the 2014/2015 dataset are available.

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