Criteria and Procedures by which State Participates in Funding of Work Remuneration of Teachers of General Education Institutions at Secondary Education Level

Issued pursuant to
Section 14, Clauses 41 and 42 of the Education Law

I. General Provisions

1. This Regulation prescribes:

1.1. the quality criteria, the minimum acceptable number of educatees per class group at the secondary education level in general secondary education institutions established by local governments or State higher education institutions or private general secondary education institutions, and also the criteria for determining the maximum acceptable number of educatees in the aforementioned educational institutions;

1.2. the criteria and procedures by which the State shall, by taking into account the minimum acceptable number of educatees at the secondary education level, participate in the funding of work remuneration of teachers who are involved in the implementation of general secondary education programmes in general education institutions established by local governments or State higher education institutions or private general education institutions, if an educational institution does not meet the quality criteria referred to in this Regulation.

2. This Regulation shall not apply to special education institutions and the general education institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Justice, and also the general educational institutions which implements only special secondary education programmes on secondary education level or on which the founder of educational institution has taken the decision to complete reorganisation or liquidation of the general secondary educational institution until 31 August of the current year.

[15 June 2021]

II. Quality Criteria and the Minimum Acceptable Number of Educatees

3. The quality criteria based on which work remuneration of teachers who are involved in the implementation of general secondary education programmes of general education institutions is financed in the amount of 100 per cent from the funding which is to be calculated in accordance with the laws and regulations regarding the earmarked grant from the State budget for the work remuneration of teachers in general education institutions of local governments and general secondary education institutions of State higher education institutions, or the laws and regulations regarding the procedures by which the State funds work remuneration of teachers in private educational institutions (hereinafter - the funding rules), shall be as follows:

3.1. the quality score level determined in the existing accreditation for the quality of implementation of general secondary education programmes at a general educational institution in accordance with the regulation regarding the accreditation of general educational institutions and general educational programmes is not lower than level III (good) in the following quality assessment criteria:

3.1.1. competences and achievements;

3.1.2. continuation of education and employment;

3.1.3. equality and inclusion;

3.1.4. teaching and learning;

3.1.5. professional capacity of teachers;

3.1.6. implementation of educational programmes;

3.1.7. safety and psychological well-being;

3.1.8. infrastructure and resources;

3.1.9. professional capacity of the management;

3.1.10. support and cooperation;

3.2. the index of the results of mandatory centralised examinations taken by educatees of grade 12 (hereinafter - the index of results of centralised examinations) is at least 60 per cent.

[15 June 2021]

4. The minimum acceptable number of educatees at the secondary education level is as follows:

4.1. per grade group of a local government educational institution at the secondary education level:

4.1.1. in State cities - 120 educatees;

4.1.2. in the administrative centres of administrative territories (except for State cities) - 90 educatees;

4.1.3. in the administrative territories outside administrative centres - 40 educatees;

4.2. per grade group of a State higher education institution and a private general education institution at the secondary education level - 40 educatees;

4.3. per grade group of a general education institution at the secondary education level - 25 educatees:

4.3.1. if a general education institution implements a general secondary education programme on the basis of a bilateral or multilateral international agreement of the Republic of Latvia;

4.3.2. at a private and local government general education institution in the border area laid down in laws and regulation which is the external land border of the European Union, not more than 15 kilometres from the external land border of the European Union, except for the administrative centres of administrative territories.

[15 June 2021]

III. Criteria and Procedures by which State Participates in Funding of Work Remuneration of Teachers Involved in Implementation of General Secondary Education Programmes from State Budget Funds

5. The Ministry of Education and Science (hereinafter - the Ministry) shall, each year by 15 August, calculate the index of the results of centralised examinations by using the data and formulas referred to in Annex to this Regulation.

6. Each year the Ministry shall assess the conformity of a general secondary education institution of a local government, a general secondary education institution of a State higher education institution and a private general secondary education institution to the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation. If non-conformity to the criteria referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.2 of this Regulation is found, the Ministry shall inform the founder of the general education institution and the general educational institution of this in writing until 20 August of the current year.

7. When assessing conformity to the criteria referred to in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, the Ministry shall take into account information on the number of educatees as at 1 September of the current year which an educational institution has entered and confirmed in the State Education Information System by 5 September of the current year.

8. The State shall participate in the funding of work remuneration of teachers who are involved in the implementation of general secondary education programmes at a general education institution from the State budget funds to the following extent from the amount of funding which is to be calculated according to the funding rules:

8.1. in the amount of 100 per cent from 1 September of the current year to 31 August of the following year, if the general education institution does not meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation;

8.2. in the amount of 80 per cent from 1 September of the following year to 31 August of the second following year, if the number of educatees as at 1 September of the current year is equal to or exceeds the minimum acceptable number of educatees specified in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, and the general education institution does not meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation for the second consecutive year;

8.3. in the amount of 50 per cent from 1 September of the second following year to 31 August of the third following year, if the number of educatees as at 1 September of the current year is equal to or exceeds the minimum acceptable number of educatees laid down in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, and the general education institution does not meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation for the third consecutive year.

[15 June 2021]

9. The State shall not participate in the funding of work remuneration of teachers who are involved in the implementation of general secondary education programmes at general education institutions from the State budget funds if the number of educatees as at 1 September of the current year:

9.1. is less than the minimum acceptable number of educatees specified in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, and the general education institution fails to meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation for the second consecutive year;

9.1.¹ is less than the minimum acceptable number of educatees specified in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, and the general education institution fails to meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation for the third consecutive year;

9.2. is equal to or exceeds the minimum acceptable number of educatees specified in Paragraph 4 of this Regulation, and the general education institution fails to meet the quality criteria referred to in Paragraph 3 of this Regulation for the fourth consecutive year.

[15 June 2021]

IV. Criteria for Determining Maximum Acceptable Number of Educatees

10. The head of a general education institution shall determine the maximum acceptable number of educatees at the general education institution per class at the secondary education level and per class group at the secondary education level by taking into account the following:

10.1. the minimum area for the place of one educatee in a classroom, the chemistry and physics cabinet, the domestic science and technologies cabinet, the sports hall and the computer classroom specified in laws and regulations regarding hygiene requirements;

10.2. the availability of the teaching and support staff at the general education institution. In this case, the maximum number of educatees per class and class group may not exceed the number of educatees specified in accordance with the regulatory framework referred to in Sub-paragraph 10.1 of this Regulation.

V. Closing Provisions

11. An educational institution shall be considered to meet the criterion referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.2 of this Regulation if:

11.1. from 1 August 2020 until 31 July 2025 the index of the results of centralised examinations is at least 40 per cent;

11.2. from 1 August 2025 until 31 July 2029 the index of the results of centralised examinations is at least 50 per cent.

12. Sub-paragraph 3.1 of Annex to this Regulation shall come into force on 1 August 2025. Until 31 July 2025, the Ministry shall calculate the index of the results of centralised examinations by using the formula specified in Sub-paragraph 3.2 of Annex to this Regulation.

[15 June 2021]

13. Sub-paragraph 3.2 of Annex to this Regulation shall be in force until 31 July 2025.

[15 June 2021]

14. When assessing the conformity of an educational institution to the criteria referred to in Paragraphs 3, 8 and 9 of this Regulation, the quality criterion referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation shall be taken into account from 1 August 2022.

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14.¹ A general education institution shall, until the end of the accreditation period of the general education programme implemented thereby, be regarded as complying with the criterion referred to in Sub-paragraph 3.1 of this Regulation in respect of the abovementioned programme if the general secondary education programme is accredited in conformity with Cabinet Regulation No. 831 of 20 December 2016, Procedures for the Assessment of Accreditation of Educational Institutions, Examination Centres, other Institutions Laid Down in the Education Law, General and Professional Education Programmes and Professional Activity of the Heads of Educational Institutions, and the quality score level determined during the accreditation of the general secondary education programme is not lower than level III (good) in the following quality assessment criteria:

14.¹ 1. study content;

14.¹ 2. quality of teaching;

14.¹ 3. support for the differentiation of study work;

14.¹ 4. facilities and material and technical resources;

14.¹ 5. physical environment.

[15 June 2021]

15. This Regulation shall come into force on 1 August 2020.

Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis

Minister for Education and Science Kārlis Šadurskis

Annex
Cabinet Regulation No. 583
11 September 2018

Calculation of Index of Results of Mandatory Centralised Examinations

[15 June 2021 / Sub-paragraph 3.2 of Annex shall be in force until 31 July 2025. See Paragraph 13 of Regulation]

When calculating the index of the results of mandatory centralised examinations, the Ministry shall use:

1. the following data:

1.1. the results of each relevant mandatory centralised examination taken by an educatee of grade 12 at a general education institution which are expressed in percentage points*;

1.2. the number of educatees of grade 12 at a general education institution who have taken the relevant mandatory centralised examination;

1.3. the end-of-year assessment of each educatee of grade 12 at a general education institution registered at the end of the academic year in the State Education Information System for the subjects where mandatory centralised examinations are taken; assessment is expressed in percentage points;

1.4. number of those educatees of grade 12 at a general education institution who have not taken the relevant mandatory centralised examination. The aforementioned data shall be obtained by deducting the number of educatees who have taken the mandatory centralised examination at the end of academic year from the number of educatees at the general education institution entered in the State Education Information System as at 1 September of the previous year;

2. the following formulas for the calculation of weighted average values of a mandatory centralised examination:

where

∑M - the sum of assessment points obtained by educatees in the mandatory centralised examination in maths which is expressed in percentage points;

- the average end-of year grade in maths of the educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination;

- the average assessment points in the mandatory centralised examination in maths of the educatees who took the examination;

- the average end-of-year grade in maths of the educatees who took the mandatory centralised examination;

Sk - the number of educatees of grade 12 entered in the State Education Information System as of 1 September of the previous year, except for the number of educatees which complete the secondary education programme at prisons. If the number of educatees which have taken the mandatory centralised examination at the end of the academic year is greater that the number of educates in grade 12 which is entered in the State Education Information System as of 1 September of the previous year, then Sk is equal to the number of educatees which have taken the mandatory centralised examination at the end of the academic year;

Nm - the number of educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination in maths;

V1 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in maths;

∑L - the sum of assessment points obtained by educatees in the mandatory centralised examination in the Latvian language which is expressed in percentage points;

- the average end-of-year grade in the Latvian language and literature of the educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination;

- the average assessment points in the mandatory centralised examination in the Latvian language of the educatees who took the examination;

- the average end-of-year grade in the Latvian language and literature of the educatees who took the mandatory centralised examination;

Nl - the number of educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination in the Latvian language;

V2 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in the Latvian language;

∑Sv - the sum of assessment points** obtained by educatees in the mandatory centralised examination in foreign language which is expressed in percentage points;

- the average end-of-year grade in a foreign language of the educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination;

- the average assessment points in the mandatory centralised examination in foreign language of the educatees who took the examination;

- the average end-of-year grade in the foreign language, in which the educatees took the mandatory centralised examination, of the educatees who took the mandatory centralised examination;

Nsv - the number of educatees who did not take the mandatory centralised examination in foreign language;

V3 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in foreign language;

3. the following formulas for the calculation of the index of a mandatory centralised examination:

3.1. MCE index = min(V1,V2,V3) ≥ 60 %

MCE - mandatory centralised examination;

V1 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in maths;

V2 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in the Latvian language;

V3 - the weighted average value of the mandatory centralised examination in foreign language.

Notes.

*Percentage points shall be obtained by using a correlation that the end-of-year assessment of 10 points is equal to 100 percentage points.

** If an educatee has taken mandatory centralised examinations in several foreign languages (for example, in the English language and the French language), the result of the examination in which the educatee has obtained the highest assessment shall be chosen.

Minister for Education and Science Kārlis Šadurskis

Translation © 2022 Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre)