Project Best School
The Best Schools project was created as a result of the efforts of a research group led by Prof. Dr. Jurij Toplak, who aimed for greater transparency of the results of Slovenian primary and secondary schools. In 2011, the researchers requested statistical data on the national knowledge assessment (NPZ) and the matura exam from the National Examination Center (RIC).
After years of opposition and legal proceedings, in 2014 the RIC, based on decisions of the Administrative Court and support from the Information Commissioner Nataša Pirc Musar, was obliged to provide the data to the public. Based on these data, the research group created the first list of schools with the best results.
The rankings were publicly published on February 11, 2014, as the final report of the research and were not intended as a complete assessment of the "quality" of schools, but rather as an analysis of specific achievements in external knowledge assessments, where everyone can interpret the data in their own way.
Further Development and Conclusion of the Project
After 2014, the National Examination Center no longer provided data to the Alma Mater Europaea research group, despite rulings by the Supreme and Administrative Courts and decisions by the Information Commissioner between 2017 and 2019 reaffirming the public's right to access these data.
The Constitutional Court decided on September 16, 2021, that the applicant's rights were violated during the procedure and returned the case for reconsideration. Nevertheless, in 2023 the researchers concluded their efforts to continue data collection and focused on other projects.
The project was led by Prof. Dr. Jurij Toplak, with contributions from Mitja Leskovar, Živana Sever Toplak, parents, students, and other researchers.
The project is completed. Unfortunately, we can no longer respond to public inquiries.
Access to Data
For analysis and research work, raw data as provided by state authorities are available. These include:
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Average NPZ scores by tasks
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Statistical data by classes
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Graphical representations of achievements at national and school levels
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Specification tables and guidelines for achievement analysis
Documents
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Decision of the Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia dated February 20, 2019
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Cover letter from the National Examination Center to the applicant dated June 19, 2019
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 1_Descriptions of achievements and specification tables
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Descriptions of achievements and specification tables 2014_6th grade
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 2_Basic statistical data
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 3_Average NPZ scores by tasks
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 4_National level graph
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 5_School level graph
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Case 092-1-2014-471 2014_Set 6_Guidelines for NPZ achievement analysis at school
When citing data and scales, please mention the source:
Univerza Alma Mater Europaea (or shorter: Alma Mater)
Note : After 2014 the data has not been updated as RIC no longer shared data with researchers.
