A test of all learning

Regardless of myriad opinions on independent testing, a question that is widely speculated on by politicians, testing is here to stay. The staff of the Ukrainian Center for Quality Assessment in Education (UTsOYaO) is pleased to note that nearly one-half of the testing marathon has been successfully completed: over half a million students in the country have passed the tests in five subjects, with six remaining.

Certificates are now being printed for those who have obtained a passing grade of 123 points. Many parents are concerned whether their children will be able to enroll in an institution of higher education only on the strength of this certificate, because many universities and colleges now insist on their own testing in the form of additional exams or interlocution. Obviously, they do not trust in the test results, despite the fact that the results are very encouraging.

The national testing center has already corrected the tests in Ukrainian language and literature, the history of Ukraine, and mathematics. According to the results, 7 percent of students did not achieve a passing grade. Nearly 50 percent of the participants of the three sessions obtained over 150 points. Some students obtained the maximum of 200 points.

“It was a pleasant surprise for us that over 600 participants who were tested obtained 200 points, with 19 achieving the highest results in several tests, for example, math and history,” the head of the UTsOYaO Ihor Likarchuk noted. “These wunderkinds include students from the countryside. This completely nullifies the problem of education in cities and villages. The results of the first test, in Ukrainian language and literature, instantly showed that the level of knowledge of students from cities and villages is practically the same. So, not everything depends on the geographical location of an educational establishment. One should also take into consideration the student’s capabilities and the teacher’s level of teaching. Although the test results in math are somewhat different, this is to be expected because most lyceums and gymnasiums that specialize in physics and mathematics are mostly concentrated in large cities.”

Students from Kyiv and Lviv oblasts had the best standing in all three tests. Students from the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea earned somewhat worse results, which were lowered by the test in Ukrainian language. The 12-point assessment scale indicated that most test participants showed an average and adequate level of educational achievements: between five and nine points.

“The test participation level is 82 percent, which is rather high,” Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Pavlo Poliansky said. “Therefore, there is no sense in stopping this process. At the moment, the external assessments are functioning as a powerful tool for monitoring the quality of education in Ukraine. Its results are a good assessment of whether students have successfully mastered the school curriculum and what knowledge they are prepared to enter a higher educational establishment. To bring balance to these two links (school curriculum and entrance program) is the main goal of testing, which should be improved in order to avoid mistakes in the future.”

Although this year’s testing had a few shortcomings, they had no impact on the results. According to Likarchuk, during the testing in Ukrainian language, the history of Ukraine, and history 15 so-called non-regulation situations emerged: some instructors had packed the tests into the wrong package, and the bar codes were attached to desks incorrectly. Owing to organizational flaws, 14 students sent appeals to the UTsOYaO. At the moment their cases are being considered in the courts. Some students also made mistakes. Four were ejected from the examination room for using mobile phones and other unnecessary items.

“Another five students refused to write the tests on the scheduled day because they were sick, so they will take them later,” Likarchuk explained. “We are very happy because, even though fabricated tests were circulating throughout Ukraine and Web sites were posting allegedly real test questions, students did not succumb to these provocations. (Some cheaters were even ready to buy a certificate online for 5,000 hryvnias). It is gratifying to note that there was no mass cheating during the tests. There simply were no opportunities because the students only had a copybook and a pen,” he said.

By Sept. 1 the Ukrainian Center for Quality Assessment in Education promises to publicize ratings of all educational establishments, based on the results of the external testing. They will help parents decide to which school they will be sending their children.