The quality system gives an opportunity to investigate the quality of school learning environments and learning outcomes as preparation for participation in quality development processes.

The Norwegian government has defined the following three sector goals for primary and 

International surveys and national research 

Norway participates in international comparative studies that provide us with information about trends in the pupils’ attainment over time: PISA, TIMSS, TIMSS Advanced, PIRLS, ICCS, ICILS, TALIS and the Starting Strong Survey. A number of external research-based evaluations of various national initiatives are published every year on the website udir.no. 

Inspections 

Norway introduced a new approach to inspections in 2014 which combines both guidance and inspection. The County Governor´s Office carries out the inspections and publishes the inspection reports from public schools within their own county. The reports are available to the public and are used in local quality processes.