maintaining standards

Ofqual: maintaining standards

Isabel NisbetActing CEO, Ofqual

SSAT, Leeds 6 February 2009

Outline

What’s distinctive about Ofqual

The new Bill

Events – “SATs” and Lord Sutherland

Two themes– Technology and assessment – Reliability

About Ofqual

Independent of Government and QCA

To ensure standards and confidence in qualifications, exams and tests

Launched (in shadow form) in April 08

Legislation in 08-09 session

Meantime distinct part of QCA

How we want to work

Visibly – Summer exams and tests– Areas of legitimate debate – however

uncomfortable– Not just when things go wrong

In collaboration– With users of qualifications and those whom we

regulate– But no regulatory capture

How we want to work

Expertly – Working with the assessment experts– Judgements based on evidence, not headlines

Engaging the public – Learners’ panels, open letters, discussion

papers, blogs, listening…….

Rooting for the learner – Learners’ panels

The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

Published yesterday

Clear statutory objectives for Ofqual – Standards– Confidence– Awareness – Efficiency

Independence – Reporting to Parliament

Sharper powers – And we’ll use them if necessary

Statutory role to regulate National Curriculum Tests

Events, dear boy, events

Events, dear boy, events

“SATs” and Lord Sutherland

Tests are delivered by the Secretary of State, through the QCA

Ofqual regulates the delivery and quality of tests and results

A non-statutory role now, but provisions in the new Bill to make it statutory

QCA contracts with several organisations for:– Question-paper setting – Printing, transport etc – Delivery to schools – Marking and production of results

Ofqual’s role: to regulate in a way that assures that all aspects of tests are of an acceptable quality and delivered effectively

What happened in 2008

Design delivery of tests papers and arrangements for sitting tests – all OK

Administration of marking and logistics of aggregation and collection of marks and return of results to schools – WENT WRONG – deadline for delivering results to schools was missed

Ofqual was tracking events and feeding back concerns to QCA

When it was clear that the deadline would be missed, Ofqual commissioned an independent inquiry (Lord Sutherland) – Government co-sponsored

Lord Sutherland asked to look at regulation too

Close tracking of closure of series and marking reviews

Overall judgement about quality of marking

Lessons learned

Roles need to be clearer: – QCA– Contractors– Regulator – DCSF

Regulation needs to be more formalised

Need to have an end-to-end view of fragmented processes

Risks need to be managed better – but there will always be risks

MARKER PROFESSIONALISM ESSENTIAL

For 2009

No mandatory KS3 tests (but many schools using tests voluntarily)

New contractor to deliver KS2 test results (Edexcel)

Work with existing markers

Regular overviews by Ofqual

Meanwhile:– Pilots of Single Level Tests – Expert Group looking at KS3 (Ofqual submitted research evidence) – Commitment to modernisation of processes in future

Ofqual’s in-tray

A few pieces from the in-tray

Judging new entries to the system – New GCSEs for accreditation (English, Maths and ICT)– 2nd phase of Diplomas– New organisations (including employers and colleges) wanting to

award qualifications

This summer’s exams and tests

Qualifications market studies – fees and efficiency

Maintaining standards in new/changed qualifications

Preparing for independence

Completing the move to Coventry

Regulatory principles for e-assessment

Validity and reliability

Security

Data integrity

Access to e-assessment

Business continuity and disaster recovery

Use of e-portfolios

E-assessment: What the regulator can do

Clear regulatory principles engender the confidence for investment in technology to enhance qualifications 

Regulator can help take a leadership role in:

the appropriate application of technology

encouraging collaborative working

Stimulating innovation

shaping public perception

Reliability – what the papers say

Saturday, 31 January 2009

Reliability - re-positioning the debate

Academic discussions of reliability – Need for empirical work

»Examining consistency of outcomes across a range of tests/assessments

Questions about quality/accuracy of marking – Critiques of national curriculum assessments– Letters from teachers – Worries about internal assessment

The challenge of assessing learning in an applied context

OFQUAL NEEDS TO RE-POSITION THE DEBATE – WITH THE EXPERTS– WITH THE PUBLIC

Our aims

To ensure:

that the qualifications market is fit for purpose

that qualifications, exams and tests are fair

that standards are secure

that public confidence is sustained

that the interests of learners are paramount.

Outline

What’s distinctive about Ofqual

The new Bill

Events – “SATs” and Lord Sutherland

Two themes– Technology and assessment – Reliability

Conclusions

Ofqual: independent, about standards and confidence

The new Bill will give us the tools to do our job

Shining light on the difficult issues – Technology in assessment – Reliability

CHALLENGE US – we’re up for it

Thank you

Isabel.nisbet@ofqual.gov.uk

www.ofqual.gov.uk