Assessment of Education Quality: Expert Advice Part 3

Develop Modern Forms of In-School Assessment

Bolotov and Waldman identified the following elements of  in-school assessment, in addition to the general principle of criteria-based assessment:

• Learning goals and criteria for achievement are developed collaboratively;
• Various assessment techniques are employed, including tests, essays, and portfolios;
• Students evaluate one another and themselves;
• There is a shift from a subtractive to cumulative assessment.

In a cumulative assessment system, compared to a subtractive system, it is more significant whether a student is able to complete tasks that become increasingly challenging.

Apply proctoring during online testing

This advice primarily applies to high-stakes examinations. The main point is that state certification cannot be transferred online without any changes. Both adaptation of exam tasks and additional supervision from a proctor – a remote observer – are required.

Bolotov and Waldman recognize the direct benefit of proctored exams for assessing educational quality: it minimizes the risk of cheating, reduces reputational risks, and enhances confidence in exam outcomes among all stakeholders.

They refer to the experience of Saudi Arabia as a good example. In 2020, one of the main admission exams at universities there was the SAAT (Standardized Achievement Admission Test). 117,000 schoolchildren took the exam in specialized centers and almost twice that number, 218,000, took it at home. Automated proctored testing based on artificial intelligence was used.

Be cautious with public subjective evaluations

Vasily Rusetsky, Head of the Research Centre of the National Institute of Education in Belarus, advised educators and administrators to implement the principle of social responsibility when assessing the quality of education. He noted that critical remarks about education are often made without consideration for the consequences, and more often than not, they judge the entire situation based on personal experience alone:

“For example, if there is a typographical error in a textbook, some people may conclude that all textbooks are of poor quality and suggest returning to the textbooks from the Soviet era. Such remarks are discussed with seriousness, but those making them do not consider how such a move could be practically implemented.”

What should be done about this? Rusetsky believes that it is necessary to systematically teach all participants in the educational process how to evaluate the quality of education and to pay more attention to informational and methodological work with managers and teachers. It is also necessary to form a culture of interaction with the media and society on educational issues.