Benchmark intended to raise standards

The review Transition From Primary To Secondary Schools In Malta (July 2007) recommended the abolition of the Junior Lyceum and common entrance examinations and the introduction of a national assessment in mathematics, English and Maltese. Once the results of the last Junior Lyceum and common entrance examinations were published, on July 1, 2010, a meeting was held to plan a national benchmark for June 2011. Officials from the Directorate for Standards and Quality in Education and representatives from Church and independent schools participated in the meeting. This group formed the steering committee.

The Educational Assessment Unit had already done some groundwork and during the previous scholastic year teachers in state schools received training in oral language assessment. However, by the beginning of September 2010, the exercise became more collaborative when a number of Year 6 teachers from state, independent and Church schools were invited to share ideas and expertise in order to further develop the idea of a national benchmark assessment in literacy and mathematics.

The steering committee continued to meet regularly and by the end of October presented the national benchmark to all heads of primary schools in Malta. Technical teams made up of educators from the three sectors and from the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta prepared sample papers for Maltese, English and mathematics. These were made available to the public via the website www.curriculum.gov.mt by mid-December 2010. Meanwhile, teachers in Year 6 in Church and independent schools were given the opportunity to attend training sessions in language oral assessment.

In December, the steering committee met with the Education Leaders Council, made up of the two directors general, the directors and the state college principals, to discuss and take important decisions.

The benchmark exercise was officially launched by the Minister of Education, Dolores Cristina last January 15 and consultation meetings with educators and parents ensued.

The benchmark is an articulated assessment exercise. It includes the testing of various skills including speaking and listening in language examinations and mental/aural skills in mathematics. So it is not a mere statistical exercise: the new components should contribute to qualitatively more appropriate teaching and learning. Together, the different components of the benchmark exercise should contribute to a positive wash-back effect on instruction and assessment throughout the primary school.

The purpose of benchmarking is to collect evidence of the standards in Maltese schools with the prospect of raising these same standards. The benchmark provides schools with information about their own school and of the national standards. This information can assist them in their planning for further school improvement.

Such an exercise provides educators with external and objective feedback from professionals and practitioners. Great effort has gone into assuring validity and relevance. The sample components of the benchmark made available to all schools have already yielded important information and the June benchmark will be an improvement of the sample provided. The benchmark is intended to develop into a challenging and meaningful experience for all learners, including high fliers.

The removal of the Junior Lyceum and common entrance selective examinations has liberated thousands of children and families from end-of-primary stress. The benchmark does not select students for different schools. It aims at making transition as smooth as possible. The exercise should be embedded within the school culture and organisation, carried out as a routine assessment exercise and regarded as a normal step at the end of the first six years of formal education. It should not attract overwhelming attention and distort school life. Instead of relying on school-based annual examinations in Year 6, the benchmark will be a centrally-set and marked examination, no more and no less.

Schools still have the opportunity to meet parents now that the deadline for non-state schools to register their participation in the benchmark exercise has been extended in response to requests voiced during public meetings.

The benchmark cannot be a truly national benchmark unless schools from all sectors participate. The more schools participate, the better calibrated the national benchmark will become with the prospect of raising standards for all.

The author is the Church Schools Representative.