<b>EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY SÃO PAULO: LEADS TO WHAT DIRECTION?

Abstract

In this paper we analyze the use of external assessments on a large scale developed by the Department of Education of the São Paulo city, during the period from 2005 to 2015. Initially we performed, document analysis, the description of the external evaluations implemented in the evaluated city, named: Prova São Paulo (Sao Paulo Exam), Prova da Cidade (City Exam) e Prova Mais Educação (More Education Exam). Next, we present pedagogical actions taken by the Sao Paulo city hall department of education wich aimed to improve student performance in external evaluations. Finally, using the quantitative method, we present the averages of the Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) of all public schools in São Paulo, the period 2005-2013 by checking the percentage of schools that achieved the goals set by this index. Through this qualitative and quantitative analysis, we realized that the educational policy of the mentioned educational system was driven to a curriculum narrowing process (more emphasis in given to the Portuguese Language and Mathematics subjects) and the training of the students, in a perspective of education quality focused on the achievement of the goals established outwards the school through the IDEB, in the last decade. However, the results obtained by the municipality in the years analyzed show us that the adoption of external evaluations in large school did not mean to guarantee the targets set by this index . In this scenario, we must reflect that the quality education that goes against the control initiatives, in particular via external evaluation.