- Describing the forms of education in the country
- Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country
- What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country
- What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country
The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3.
This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.
6–16
What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?
| ISCED LEVEL 02 | ISCED LEVEL 1 | ISCED LEVEL 2 | ISCED LEVEL 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | 7-10 | 11-16 | 17-19 |
According to the Law on Education, a non-state school refers to one in which the owner or one of the stakeholders is not the State or a municipality.
The local government (municipalities) are responsible for organising provision of public education in their (pre-)schools. They provide pre-school and general education.
Home schooling can be intended for students who, due to various diseases, pathological conditions or injuries suffered, can’t attend school. Home schooling is organised by the school in which the child is enrolled in the time of illness. Children/learners who are educated at home through formal education programmes are considered as being in formal education.
In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:
A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.
The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).
Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:
- Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more
- Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner
- Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:
An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.
Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:
- There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
- There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
- There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.
The Law on Education (Article 2) provides the definition of special educational needs: ‘Special educational needs – need for assistance and services in the course of the educational process, arising from person’s exceptional capabilities, congenital or acquired disorders, adverse environmental factors’.
There has been an educational assessment procedure involving a multi-disciplinary team – the Child Welfare Commission. The multi-disciplinary team includes 3–5 members from within and external to the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school. It may include the school head, the head of the school’s department for education, educational assistance specialists (social pedagogue, psychologist, special pedagogue, speech therapist), health care professionals, class leaders (tutors), teachers and educators. The Commission may also include parents/guardians/carers, local community representatives and other stakeholders in the child’s/learner’s welfare.
The Child Welfare Commission conducts a primary evaluation of children’s/learners’ special educational needs. A child’s/learner’s special educational needs (except those arising from exceptional talents) are evaluated by a pedagogical-psychological service for pedagogical, psychological, medical and socio-pedagogical aspects. Special education shall be allocated by the head of a pedagogical-psychological service and, in certain cases, by the school principal with the consent of the parents/guardians/carers, in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Education, Science and Sport.
A legal document describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive and is used as the basis for planning.
In the result of the assessment, education assistance specialists work hand-in-hand with teachers to adapt tasks or the teaching programme. In case of major or severe SEN, an individual education plan may be prepared.
The relevant documents include:
- The Law on Education (2011, amendments in 2021; new amendments will come into force in 2024).
- The Model of Provision of Special Pedagogical and Psychological Assistance (2003 and amendments in 2007)
- The procedure for providing special assistance in schools (other than higher education institutions) (2011 and amendments in 2020)
- The procedure for the assessment of the pupil’s special educational needs (except for those arising from exceptional abilities) in the pedagogical, psychological, medical and social pedagogical aspects and for the provision of special education (2011 and amendments in 2013)
- The procedure for providing special pedagogical assistance (2011 and amendments in 2013, 2017, 2020)
- The procedure for providing educational assistance to a family raising a pre-school child at home (2004)
- The procedure for identifying groups of pupils with special educational needs and for levelling their special educational needs (2011 and amendments in 2013).
- The procedure for organising the education of pupils with special educational needs (2011 and amendments in 2021)
- The classifier of groups of students with special educational needs (2012 and amendments in 2014)
- The procedure for organising students’ education in personal health care institution and at home (2012 and amendments in 2016, 2020)
- The procedure for providing psychological assistance (2017 and amendments in 2020)
- The procedure for providing social pedagogical assistance to a child and a pupil (2016 and amendments in 2020, 2021)
- The procedure of providing co-ordinated educational assistance, social and health care services (2017)
- The procedure of organisation of work of pedagogical psychological services (2017 and amendments in 2017, 2020)
- The procedure for establishing a Child Welfare Commission and organising its work (2011 and amendments in 2017, 2020)
- Recommendations for organising education for students diagnosed with autism (2020)
- Recommendations for schools on organising the education of students with visual impairment (2021)
- 2021–2024 action plan to help people diagnosed with multiple developmental disorders (2020).
The Law on Education states that in early childhood and school education the responsibility for creating a safe and supportive environment for the learner rests with the Child Welfare Committee. It organises and co-ordinates adaptation of education curricula and provision of education support to pupils with special educational needs and performs other functions related to child welfare assurance.
Once the Child Welfare Commission has decided on the provision of teaching/learning and/or educational assistance to a particular child, a child support plan is drawn up, a person co-ordinating the implementation of the assistance plan is appointed to plan steps, responsibilities and periodic meetings with the child, parents (guardians, caregivers) to discuss the results of the assistance provided.
When providing training and/or education assistance, the Commission evaluates the effectiveness of the assistance provided, discusses the results of its implementation with the child, their parents (guardians, caregivers) and the person co-ordinating the implementation of the programme or assistance plan.
Special education provision may be permanent or temporary. Special education provision is considered permanent if the Pedagogical Psychological Service does not issue any instructions about the mandatory re-assessment term. If the re-assessment date is indicated, the pupil’s special educational needs should be re-assessed and re-evaluated.
Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.
Out-of-formal education refers to children of compulsory school age (6–16) who are not attending pre-primary, primary or lower-secondary education programmes.
- ‘Not learning child’ refers to a child under the age of 16 not registered in the Pupils’ Register, whose place of residence is declared in the relevant municipality, or a child enrolled in the record of people without a residence, according to the municipality where they live.
- ‘Child not attending school’ refers to a child who is registered in the Pupils’ Register, whose place of residence is declared in the relevant municipality, or a child enrolled in the record of people without a residence, according to the municipality where they live, but who did not attend school for a month without a justifiable reason, and has been out of school for more than half of the lessons or hours allocated for education.
Every child in Lithuania from 6 to 16 years of age must be educated in formal education programmes.
Pre-school and pre-primary education is non-formal in Lithuania. Pre-primary education (from six years of age) is compulsory.