An exam system in America, England, Russia

An exam system in America, England, Russia

An exam system in America

In half of states in America all seniors should take final examinations for obtaining the school diploma.

And those who wants to continue "to grind away at the studies" need to pass standard test for entrance in the college. It is curious that unlike domestic USE, tests for entering a higher education institution can be repeated several times within a year and to send the best of the received results to a selection committee of the future of the Alma Mater.

Delivery of the school-leaving certificate or diploma in half of municipal American schools depending on concrete staff happens in the 9th, 11th or 12th class. As a rule, examinations are taken for obtaining the school diploma in January or in the first week of June, and the list of objects in which knowledge of the American school students is checked differs depending on requirements of local authorities. In next to the capital of the USA the State of Maryland, for example, takes tests on English, biology and algebra.

However, the researches conducted by experts in results of final examinations of seniors in Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas have shown that local tests are very easy test for school students and often don't reflect a real picture of knowledge of pupils. It has become clear that the level of final examinations in mathematics of the American twelve-grader corresponds to complexity of the test in a similar subject in Europe for the seventh or eighth class.

At the same time in half of American states it isn't required to take final school examinations at all. However for revenues to the first course of higher education institutions one and all American graduates take the standardized tests. Those there are two look: SAT - school estimated and ACT - for colleges. Depending on a staff arrangement, and often and from the requirement of the American colleges, one of tests which structure is very similar is chosen.

The majority of tasks which consist of three parts: mathematical, the analysis of the text and writing of the composition, it is questions with five possible versions of answers. In each subject it is possible to gain from 200 to 800 points which come to general personal "account" of the entrant which goes to the higher education institution chosen by future student. Taking into account that tests are carried out six times the year everyone coming to the American college has the right to repeat examination if the results of test received earlier don't suit it.

The American experts in the field of education note: writing off and use of various tricks at school and entrance examinations in the USA get the increasing distribution. So, if for the American school students on the Internet tens of the websites cribs which pupils try to use directly during examinations and examinations are created, then at entering higher education institutions also use of the stimulating medical supplies is noted.

Mass use at examinations of cell phones and tablet computers became other problem for examiners in the USA. So, in spite of the fact that at final examinations in algebra both at school, and during introductory tests in college it is forbidden to use by all means, except the calculator, 35 percent of the interrogated pupils admitted poll course that used cell phones and Internet connection for obtaining the correct answers. And 38 percent have explained that they after all have managed to download separate texts from worldwide network and to insert them into the compositions.

An exam system in England

Upon termination of high school pupils take in England the first final examinations — for obtaining the certificate about secondary education — General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The certificate has been entered in 1988, having replaced with itself examinations of GSE 0-level and Certificate of Secondary Education (GCE). Now GCSE is the main examination which is taken by school students in 16 years upon termination of high school.

Examination is taken in each subject and consists of several parts: term paper, theory and practical task. By results of passing an examination pupils receive an assessment of the knowledge (And, B, C, D, E, F and G). The studying, not reached G estimates (the minimum point), are considered as not certified and don't receive the certificate. There are two kinds of examination of GCSE: GCSE (external examination) and IGCSE (International GCSE).

Examinations of GCSE and IGCSE

Examination of GCSE has been founded for pupils who study according to the program of the external studies or for the incomplete program at school or college in this connection they don't meet criteria of the state curriculum. Examination is offered outside Great Britain by several colleges accredited by SASS (Council for the Accreditation of Correspondence Colleges), and also some schools and colleges certified for these purposes.

IGCSE has been developed by UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) as the international GCSE version. All programs of this examination were created, based on requirements of GCSE for the purpose of compliance to the international standards.

An exam system of Russia

USE in Russia

The first prototypes of USE began to appear in Russia in 1997. Separate schools have begun to make experiments on voluntary testing of graduates.

Vladimir Filippov heading the Ministry of Education from 1998 to 2004 became the author of idea of the Unified state examination in Russia. He has begun large-scale reform of domestic education: accession of Russia to Bologna Process with division of the higher education into a bachelor degree and a magistracy, creation of new educational standards. One their necessary conditions of this process there was an introduction of new ways of an assessment of knowledge of school students.

USE had to destroy corruption at schools and higher education institutions and to provide effective examination of graduates (the standard five-point scale didn't cope with this task for a long time). For this reason the test form with which the impartial car works has been chosen. Besides, state examination had to make the higher education rather available to children of regions.

"Elite and in the majority of other higher education institutions it is only possible to come to all or through tutoring at this higher education institution, or through paid courses at him, or through target reception which they realize, or through "contractual" schools which the Moscow and Petersburg higher education institutions have" — Filippov claimed.

In 1999 the Federal center of testing the Ministry of Education and Science is created. Task: development in the country of system of testing, and also implementation of monitoring of quality of the knowledge which is trained in the Russian educational institutions. Under the leadership of the director of the center Vladimir Khlebnikov the idea, technology and a technique of carrying out USE, and also his software and scaling of results of testing have been developed. Then the basis for drawing up КИМов has been created, issues of coordinating of information technological support of examination were resolved.

In 2000 at the disposal of the Government of the Russian Federation the new development plan for education has been designated: "The phased transition to standard per capita financing of higher education provides working off of technology of carrying out Uniform state final exam and its subsequent legislative fixing".

Implementation of the new plan has begun practically at once. However it was impossible to provide all probable obstacles and "underwater" stones in advance. USE during the existence has undergone many changes. His development was carried out in several conditional stages.

Arguments in favor of USE

• USE helps to avoid corruption and protection at entering higher education institutions.
• USE estimates knowledge and abilities of the pupil more objectively, than traditional types of examinations.
• USE stimulates training of pupils for examination including independent.
• USE allows to compare quality of education at different schools and regions.
• USE allows graduates to go to the universities which are at considerable distance from the place of their accommodation without being spent for the road, and having only sent data on Unified State Examination by mail. The submission of documents at once in several higher education institutions, without need to take examinations in each of them is facilitated.
• USE allows to reveal worthy entrants in the province who had earlier no opportunity to take entrance examinations in the large cities.
• Check of result is partially computerized that allows to save time and money as it isn't necessary to be spent for services of hired checking.
• Increase of requirements of USE, allegedly, leads to improvement of quality of education, qualification of teachers and qualities of educational literature.
• USE is similar to systems of final examinations in the developed countries (the USA, Israel and others) that can lead over time to recognition of the Russian school certificates in other countries.
• USE is estimated on wider scale of points (100), than standard examinations (actually 4) that does possible to reveal the best of the best.
• Statements about "suffering of logical and cogitative skill in general, and also a creative and rational basis" have under themselves no reasons as all objects have part C which (in cases with Russian, history, social science and some other objects) demands reasoned proof of the position.

Analyzing general characteristics of examination systems in the considered countries, it should be noted existence in them of the mechanisms and organizational structures controlling and providing quality of work at all stages of carrying out examination, availability of results to the public.

Thanks for attention!