Metadata


School operation in upper secondary schools


0. Registration entry for subjects


0.1 Name

School operation in upper secondary schools

0.2 Subject area

Education

0.3 Responsible authority; office, division, person etc.

Department: Wages, income and education
Contact: Haukur Pálsson
Tel: +354 528-1042
Email: haukur.palsson@hagstofa.is

0.4 Purpose and history

Statistics Iceland has collected operation data from all upper secondary schools in Iceland since the school year 1998-1999. Statistics Iceland started this collection as a result of the agreement between Statistics Iceland and the Ministry of Education from 1997 on collecting statistics on education. Data are collected once a year, in spring. In the report information is requested on the school calendar, teachers' working days, days used for examinations-assessment, the organization of teaching and if there is a special education department in the school. All information is registered for both autumn and spring semester. A few schools operate according to a three semester system. The purpose of this collection is to give an overview of school operation on this educational level and register changes and trends.

0.5 Users and application

Users: Ministries, municipalities, private and public organisations, specialists and the public. Data are also used by teachers' and parents' organisations.

0.6 Sources

In May each year data are collected from every upper secondary school in Iceland regarding operation/information from the current school year.

0.7 Legal basis for official statistics

Act on Statistics Iceland, no. 163/2007. Act on Upper Secondary Schools no. 92/2008, regulation no. 141/1997 and regulation no. 6/2001. The agreement between Statistics Iceland and the Ministry of Education on collecting educational statistics from 1997.

0.8 Response burden

According to law, all upper secondary schools are supposed to provide the Ministry of Education with data about school operation and teachers' working days annually. Since the agreement from 1997 Statistics Iceland has collected and processed these data from the school year 1998-1999. Data are mostly collected via the internet

0.9 EEA and EU obligations


1. Contents


1.1 Description of content

The data collection includes the following information:

Upper secondary school: name, address, CVR-number, e-mail address, management, person filling in the report, telephone-number, if there is a special education department at the school, and if there is a grade system or unit-credit system.

School operation: First and last day of the school year, school opening day, graduation day, number of full-time teaching days, other teaching days, days for examinations-assessment and other teachers' working days during the school year. Number of days of absence because of bad weather, strike or other reasons. Total teachers' working days within or outside of the school operation time. All data are by semester, i.e. autumn and spring semester.

1.2 Statistical concepts

Upper secondary school: A school is an institution with its own headmaster. An upper secondary school can be in one or more buildings, and have different locations, normally though within the same municipality.

Unit-credit system or year unit-credit system: There is a difference between a unit-credit system by semester or by one school year.

First day of school: First teaching day of school each semester.

Last day of school: Last teaching day of school each semester.

School opening day: Formal first day of the school semester.

Graduation day: Date of formal graduation.

Examinations-assessment start: First day of preparation time for exams for students or first exam day.

Examinations-assessment end: Last day of exams or exam correction days for teachers.

Full-time teaching days: Students' days at school under the teacher's guidance according to the timetable. The graduation day is counted as a full-time teaching day.

Other teaching days: Other days at school, without a full timetable, or where regular teaching did not take place, such as freshmen's day, open days.

Examinations-assessment: Examination days, days for repeated exams, assessment of students, preparation time for exams for students, exam correction days for teachers. Teachers' working days without students were included for the school year 2001-2002.

Other teachers' working days during the 9 month school year: Days in school without students, e.g. days for meetings and preparation.

Days of absence: Days without teaching because of bad weather or strike. Not counted as full-time or other teaching days.

Total teachers' working days: Total teachers' working days on an annual basis, i.e. teachers' working days during and outside of the school year.

Teachers´ working days during the 9 month school year: Full-time teaching days, other teaching days, days of examinations-assessment and other teachers' working days during the 9 month school year.

Teachers' working days outside of the regular 9 month school year: Teachers' working days before the start or after the end of the 9 month school year, according to teachers' wage contract. Collected since the school year 2002-2003.

Notes: The school reporters can insert comments if they feel it is necessary.

2. Time


2.1 Reference periods

In May each year data are collected from every upper secondary school in Iceland regarding operation/information from the previous school year. The period is prolonged annually by one year.

2.2 Process time

Processing time is approximately four months from the reference date.

2.3 Punctuality

Statistics are usually published without delay in relation to the advance release calendar.

2.4 Frequency of releases

Statistics are published in September annually on the Statistics Iceland website.

3. Reliability and security


3.1 Accuracy and reliability

In recent years, every upper secondary school has handed in data.

3.2 Sources of errors

Inaccuracy is generally small. The inaccuracy is mainly due to mistakes in typing and/or upper secondary schools giving wrong information because they don't know better or misunderstand the questions.

3.3 Measures on confidence limits/accuracy

Not relevant.

4. Comparison


4.1 Comparison between periods

Statistics Iceland has collected data on upper secondary school operation since the school year 1998-1999 and this information is available on the Statistics Iceland website from the school year 2001-2002. The school year 2001-2002 other teachers' working days were included in examination-assessment days, but since the school year 2002-2003 other teachers' working days are collected separately. During the years that Statistics Iceland has collected this information the definitions have been clarified.

4.2 Comparison with other statistics

Not relevant.

4.3 Coherence between preliminary and final statistics

Not relevant, since preliminary data are not published.

5. Access to information


5.1 Forms of dissemination

Data are published on the Statistics Iceland website on certain dates with an accompanying press release; see the advance release calendar.

5.2 Basic data; storage and usability

Data are saved at Statistics Iceland in computerized format.

5.3 Reports

No reports have been published on these data

5.4 Other information

Please contact the person in charge.
© Hagstofa �slands, �ann 7-2-2014