Achieve Autumn 2008 Welcome to Achieve, which brings you Cambridge IGCSE gains in global popularity Government initiatives the latest news from Europe’s largest Worldwide entries have risen by 13 percent. More than 250 Our fourth parliamentary research seminar sparks assessment agency, Cambridge Assessment. UK schools now include IGCSEs in their curriculum. lively debate among education professionals and MPs. see page 3 Î see page 6 Î Biggest global gathering of education experts Almost 500 assessment and education experts from 58 countries gathered in Cambridge to exchange the latest research, ideas and experiences of their countries’ education systems at the 34th International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) conference. Sylvia Green, Director of Research at Cambridge Assessment introducing the panel – Yoav Cohen, President of the IAEA, Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive at Cambridge Assessment and Leonard Orban, Commissioner for Multilingualism. Hosted by Cambridge Assessment as part of its 150th Multilingualism, Leonard Orban, also addressed the maintaining standards, to whether emotional and social anniversary celebrations, IAEA 2008 brought together conference and praised Cambridge ESOL’s work in creating abilities predict differences in attainment at secondary internationally recognised education thinkers to present a European language indicator to show the general level of school. challenging views on the way assessment has changed and foreign language knowledge of pupils in the Member States the directions it may take in the future. The conference of the European Union. Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment, theme – ‘Re-interpreting Assessment: Society, Measurement Simon Lebus, said: “We very much enjoyed welcoming and Meaning’ – prompted debate on technical More than 140 parallel paper and poster presentations ran participants to Cambridge by hosting this prestigious measurement issues and on questions about the way alongside the main conference, which featured a total of event. By sharing knowledge and experience in this way assessment results are used in the wider world. 72 hours of presentations. we are able to ensure that assessment continues to enrich lives, broaden horizons and shape futures throughout the Professor Robert J Mislevy, of the University of Maryland, Cambridge Assessment’s research division presented 14 world despite ever changing requirements.” and Professor Dylan Wiliam, of the Institute of Education, papers on topics ranging from the reliability of on-screen London, were keynote speakers. Commissioner for essay marking, evaluating the rank-ordering method for Turn to pages 4 and 5 for more about IAEA 2008. Cambridge Assessment is a department of the University www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk of Cambridge, and a not-for-profi t organisation. MPs get the Cambridge Approach... With the UK Government’s legislative programme for 2009 certain to contain a Bill which will set the new English qualifi cations regulator – Ofqual – on an independent statutory footing, qualifi cations and assessment will come to the political fore. Cambridge Assessment took its message on the road this autumn – to Bournemouth, Manchester and Birmingham – venues for the main political parties’ conferences. Left L–R: David Laws MP, the Liberal Democrats Spokesperson on Children, Schools and Families, with Lib-Dem party member Peter Downes and Greg Watson, Chief Executive of OCR. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Below: Ann Puntis, University of at the Department for Cambridge International Examinations Children, Schools and Families. Chief Executive, met with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband MP and British Education Minister, Jim Knight MP, after hearing the Prime Minister speak at the Labour Party Independence: Conference in Manchester. L–R: David Miliband MP, Jim Knight MP and Ann the key to public Puntis. confi dence in Cambridge Assessment welcomes the establishment of Ofqual. It looks forward to a system in which it is exams clear that there is independent oversight and in which there can be well-informed discussion on the nature of This year, the Cambridge Assessment standards – something which the, relatively politicised, Group celebrates 150 years of raising QCA has been unable or unwilling to foster. education standards. When the legislation that set up the QCA was passed We all know that assessment and tests in 1997 there was little debate around standards. In are vital tools for teachers if they are to fact, Parliament has not really addressed the issue help pupils of all ages do the best they directly since the establishment of the National can. Curriculum in the late 1980s. But independent exam boards are also It is clear that many in the education sector, share vital to making sure that there is fair Cambridge Assessment’s desire to ensure that there is and accurate assessment and that all a full discussion, both inside and outside Parliament, pupils work to common and comparable about how Ofqual is constituted and empowered. Fair standards. assessment and secure standards demand nothing less. Over the past 150 years, Cambridge Left L–R: Michael Gove MP Assessment has been at the forefront of Shadow Secretary of State the world of educational assessment. for Children, Schools and Families, Greg Watson, Chief Back in 1858, 370 candidates in eight Executive of OCR and Sam UK towns and cities were the fi rst to Freedman, Head of Education take the forerunners of our modern at the think tank Policy exams. Exchange. Today, 15 million exam papers are dispatched by the group every year to Below L–R: Nick Gibb, Conservative Spokesperson schools and colleges in no fewer than for Schools, Andrew Povey, 150 countries around the world. Chairman of Conservative Education Society and Bene’t And I know that Cambridge Assessment Steinberg, Head of Group is committed to continuing to go from Public Affairs, Cambridge strength to strength – its work on Assessment. e-assessment is just one way that it is preparing for the future. So, many congratulations to everybody who has helped Cambridge Assessment reach this major milestone. With a new independent regulator in Ofqual, and the commitment of assessment agencies like Cambridge Assessment, we can protect and build on public confi dence in standards and make sure pupils of all ages get the qualifi cations they need to achieve their ambitions. 2 Achieve Cambridge IGCSE gains in global popularity entries in June 2008 show that schools that educate Worldwide entries for the June 2008 Autumn 2008 Autumn Cambridge IGCSE examination session students bilingually are choosing IGCSE examinations to assess students. have risen by 13 percent, confi rming Cambridge IGCSE’s status as the premier The qualifi cation is also growing in popularity in the international qualifi cation for secondary UK. More than 250 UK schools now include IGCSEs students. in their curriculum. They fi nd them to be a good preparation for A level and a means of increasing the Assessment Cambridge The increase is partly due to the rapid growth in the level of choice offered to students. number of schools that offer the qualifi cation. Another factor is that schools are taking advantage of the wide Ann Puntis, CIE Chief Executive, said: “Cambridge subject range by extending their IGCSE curriculum year IGCSEs are hugely popular with students for the simple on year and entering students for more subjects. reason that the syllabuses are interesting, relevant and challenging. They know that Cambridge IGCSEs are Cambridge IGCSE is designed to avoid cultural bias, recognised and accepted around the world as proof of making it accessible for students with good English academic achievement.” skills but who are not native English speakers. The Cambridge helps It’s all about relationships Palestinian teachers The head of the new exams regulator for England, Ofqual, has called for greater teach English openness in assessment matters. Three Palestinian universities have collaborated with the British Council to offer Cambridge ESOL’s Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) for the fi rst time in the region. TKT is an ideal test for all current and potential teachers of English to speakers of other languages. The course aims to boost teachers’ confi dence and enhance their job prospects by focusing on the core teaching knowledge needed by teachers of primary, secondary or adult learners worldwide. After taking a 20 hour preparatory training course, which focused on the background to language teaching and learning, 17 English language lecturers from Al Quds Open, Bethlehem and Hebron Universities completed Module 1 of TKT. They are now looking forward to employing the techniques learned on the course when carrying out lectures to their students. British Council is currently in discussion with the heads of the three university departments on how to deliver the remaining two modules to the lecturers in order for them to be awarded the Cambridge ESOL TKT certifi cate. Speaking at a recent Cambridge Assessment seminar, To underpin public confi dence in the system, Kathleen Kathleen Tattersall, Ofqual’s Chair, presented called for: an historical perspective on the relationship of • Openness and transparency from all those involved examination boards with schools and colleges, and • An engagement in the debate about standards discussed whether the experience of the past could • A Professional Code of Conduct for awarding bodies help provide a direction for the future. and for assessors whether in