Inclusion and education

CONCLUSION
Countries are making progress towards inclusion through 
their curricula, textbooks and assessment processes. 
While all countries have legal provisons for inclusive 
curricula, representation of some groups is still weak or 
absent. As public institutions charged with curriculum 
development increasingly recognize the need to avoid 
biases and discriminatory content, they are involving 
other stakeholders. However, this involvement is usually 
limited to simple consultation. Active cooperation and 
dialogue with experts, schools and, especially, parents and 
learners remain relatively rare. Curricula are commonly 
adapted to learner needs through individualized education 
plans, which exist in almost all countries but mainly for 
children with special education needs. Procedures for 
developing and implementing them remain a challenge.
Learning materials adapted to different learners’ needs 
are increasingly available, but schools and teachers 
need more autonomy when it comes to selecting 
learning materials. Policies, regulations and guidelines 
on assessment of all learners, including those with 
special needs, are being created and updated to meet 
the goal of inclusion. Key questions on why and how 
learners are assessed, however, sometimes still lack an 
inclusion dimension. Education systems should continue 
supporting and guiding schools and teachers in the use 
of assessment as a tool for planning and implementing 
meaningful participation, teaching and learning of 
all students.
BOX 5.5: 
Technology is used to improve assessment quality
Increasingly, education systems expect teachers to use ICT to 
improve assessment quality. Almost half the education systems 
in the region use ICT for this purpose, although they differ in the 
assessment types and extent involved. In some countries, ICT is 
used in state school graduation examinations only, while in others 
it is also used in school-based and even home-based assessment. 
In Estonia, ICT is used in standard-determining tests, harmonized 
basic education final examinations, state examinations and 
internationally recognized foreign language examinations.
Examples of ICT used to support assessment include speech 
synthesizer software and text formatting (increased font 
size or different font) for the visually impaired, speech-to-
speech platforms for the hearing impaired, and alternative 
and augmentative communication software, such as view 
control software, applications for testing on computers and via 
smartphones, and software for converting speech to writing. 
Bulgaria offers enlarged fonts on computers, along with 
computers with a customized speech synthesizer. Adaptation 
of technology, materials and proceedings also takes place in 
graduation and national examinations in Croatia. In Slovakia, 
enlarged letters, clearly divided text, and text in Braille are used 
in ICT-based assessments. In Slovenia, assessment through 
computer programmes is used via the Special Needs Assessment 
Profile programme. It is a non-obligatory psychometric test that 
collects information about a child’s learning, social, emotional and 
behavioural issues.
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C E N T R A L A N D E A S T E R N E U R O P E , C A U C A S U S A N D C E N T R A L A S I A

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The jailoo kindergarten in Kyrgyzstan teaches the children of 
pastoralist families who move to the mountains in the summer to 
fatten their livestock for the winter. The kindergarten ensures the 
children do not fall behind in their studies while on the move. The 
lessons are catered to the lifestyle of the children, and are equipped 
with culturally responsive teaching materials. 
CREDIT: GEM Report/Askar Nuraken

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