Ofqual announces plans for international comparisons work

Published on Monday, 05 July 2010 11:21

Posted by Scott Buckler

Ofqual announces plans for a research project comparing the level of demand of A level examinations with equivalent qualifications in other countries

The announcement comes as the regulator publishes a study into how information about the reliability of test results is reported in America.

The report, part of Ofqual’s Reliability Programme, looks at how information about measurement uncertainty is reported in high stakes educational and professional tests in the US.

Kathleen Tattersall, Chair of Ofqual and Chief Regulator, said: “The Reliability Programme is an important research project, giving us greater understanding of the reliability of assessment results and related issues.

“Looking at how these matters are approached in other countries gives us important insights that can inform our work.

“In the global economy, it is increasingly important that we look to other countries for ideas and good practice, and to ensure that our qualifications system can compete with the best in the world.

“We are therefore planning a study to compare the demand of new A level question papers and mark schemes with equivalent examinations offered in some other countries.

“We are at the early stage of planning this work and I look forward to announcing more details in the near future.”

The report published today finds that the rules set out for test development and validation in the US clearly specify that the degree of measurement uncertainty must be reported, although how it is reported and disseminated is not specified.

For educational tests, many states highlight measurement uncertainty along with the scores on reports for students / parents, with more now reporting score bands. All states prepare technical manuals with more details about reliability and these are available to those interested, but are not widely promoted.

For professional tests in the fields of medicine, accounting, law, nursing and teaching, it finds the situation is more varied. But 10 of the largest professional tests investigated report score reliabilities in technical manuals which are available to those who want the information.

The findings of the report will be considered alongside other research carried out as part of the Reliability Programme and will inform Ofqual's future work in this important area.

 

Source: ©Ofqual