Also known as The Beloe Report.

The title first covers the general concerns in secondary school examinations, such as the pass/fail concept, reforms, interpretation of results, and admissibility of subjects. Next, the selection tackles the examination in the ordinary level. The third chapter discusses the Certificate of Secondary Education (C.S.E.) examination; this chapter details the advantages of the C.S.E. along with its systems. Chapter 4 covers the advanced level and university entrance requirements. The next two chapters deal with the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) examining bodies. The seventh chapter examines the secondary school testing system in the U.S., while the last chapter talks about the future of the English secondary school examinations. The book will be of great use to both in-training and professional teachers. School administrators will also benefit from the text.

Summative assessment has been a contentious issue in educational circles for several decades, particularly high-stakes assessment events which arise at various junctures of the school cycle, especially those at the end of it. The French Baccalaureat and English A-Levels and their numerous clones throughout the francophone and anglophone worlds are household names and represent milestone events in people's lives, as their outcomes are principal determinants of young people's future prospects. These examinations are external--they are devised, conducted and processed by agencies outside the schools, usually ministerial examination units. As such, they act as 'blind' arbiters of student achievement, providing the proverbial 'level playing field' which ensures the comparability of outcomes. In the pyramidal school structures of yesteryear, examinations acted as filters, regulating the progression of pupils to subsequent tiers of formal education. Exit points occurred from primary school level up, from where unsuccessful candidates could enter the labour force and/or embark on occupationally specific further education and training. With the modernisation of the labour market and an ever-higher social demand for access to higher levels of formal education, the filtering function of examinations at lower levels of schooling has been gradually eroded, while burgeoning numbers of students at the upper secondary level have brought about reforms that include curricular diversification and sometimes radical overhauls of terminating assessment systems (including the modification and, in some instances, abandonment of external examinations). This edited volume brings together the experiences of twenty examination systems from around the world to show how these dynamic entities have adapted over time to the changing context of schooling. Following an introduction by Stephen P. Heyneman of World Bank repute, there are sixteen chapters presenting Country Case Studies, which have been written up under common subheadings, thereby highlighting the comparative nature of the work and facilitating cross-referencing. The subsequent four chapters elaborate on the theme of 'external examinations beyond national borders', including a contribution by the International Baccalaureate Organisation. A defining feature of the work is the attention it pays to what it calls the 'nuts and bolts' of external examinations, from question-setting to grading procedures. These are, it is argued, instrumental in nurturing and maintaining public confidence in external examinations. The book will be of immense value to people involved in educational policy studies, especially strategic educational planning, as well as those directly concerned with formal assessment. The work has been written to appeal to a wide audience of informed persons--it is accessible to teachers and interested laypeople, as well as to academics."

Le rôle du syndicat national des enseignants (NUT) dans l'élaboration de la politipue nationale d'enseignement en Angleterre et au pays de Galles depuis 1944.

Drawing on the great wealth of knowledge and experience of educational practitioners and theorists, the volumes in The Sociology of Education set of the International Library of Sociology explore the very important relationship between education and society. These books became standard texts for actual and intending teachers. Drawing upon comparative material from Israel, France and Germany, titles in this set also discuss the key questions of girls' and special needs education, and the psychology of education.

No detailed description available for "Contemporary issues in educational testing".

Reform of the public examination system for sixteen-year-olds presented a considerable challenge to secondary schools. The new General Certification of Secondary Education, introduced in 1988, was more than a continuation of the G.C.E. ‘O’ level and C.S.E. examinations at the time. The introduction of national criteria by the Department of Education, the part played by the Secondary Schools Examination Council, the emergence of new examining bodies were new dimensions faced by schools accustomed to exercising considerable autonomy in designing a curriculum. How far would the new examination reflect what was actually taught in our classrooms? What were its new features? Which pupils would be entered, and with what prospect of success? Above all, how would schools meet a tight time schedule, which required study of new syllabuses to be ready by 1986 for the first examinations held in 1988? Originally published in 1986 this book was intended to answer some of these questions and provide an up-to-date picture of the present state of the examination world, with indications of future developments in the vital years ahead. It aimed to assist those immediately and urgently concerned with implementing this far-reaching educational reform. Today it can be considered in its historical context.