Answers to the conference issues from Bulgaria

1. 1: The examination as a school-leaving »maturity« exam (Abitur, Bac, Matura, etc.) and/or as an »entry examination« to higher education (university):
   

1. to achieve both aims - Why and how?
   
2. as the school-leaving »maturity« exam – Why and how?
   
3. as the »entry examination« to higher education - Why and how?
   

• they are compulsory part of a secondary school leaving certificate giving access to higher education studies
  
• the marks obtained at the final examinations are important part of the criteria for arranging the candidates ranking list while applying for further studies at higher education (university and non-university) level.
  

Issue 2: Compulsory and optional subjects in the final examination

2.1. The number of compulsory and optional subjects and the aim of such a division
Students at secondary comprehensive schools sit written matriculation examinations in:
–        Bulgarian language and literature;

• an elective-comprehensive subject on their own choice (without Bulgarian language and literature) which is part of the compulsory-elective instruction in the last school grade.
  

• Bulgarian language and literature;
  
• the main subject related to the school profile; while the main subject is Bulgarian language and literature, students sit matriculation examination in the second main subject.
  

Issue 3: Assessment and certification of achievement

3.1. The definition of national standards (if defined)

The content of final examinations is determined according to the relevent type of the school. Study content is almost constant, for a large period of time. The concrete questionnaires could be submitted to any changes but not concerning the examinations in the current year.

3.2. What is to be measured: knowledge alone or also other skills and abilities?

The final examinations are to be hold in only one stage: written presentation. The well known facts are the first to be assessed. The assessment is also based on students skills for generalization and interpretation of facts, extraction of essential information, finding relations between social/scientific phenomenon, clear expression of thoughts, style of writing etc.

3.3. Assessment of different levels of examination

As mentioned above, there are not different levels of final examinations - they are in written form on the same date for all schools, on the same theme drawn as a lot in the presence of an expert of the Ministry of Education and Science.

Issue 4: External and/or internal (school-based) final examinations

4.1. The definition of »external« and »internal« final examinations

According to the definition for external examinations (depending utterly on an external for the school organ) and internal examinations (held fully upon school's regulations) the situation in Bulgaria could be defined as a ratio between the two estimated at 80% to 20 %; i.e. the questionnaires and regulations for organizing the examinations as well as the criteria for assessment are prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Science. The teaching staff in each school is in charge of the practical organization of these examinations. The assessment is also a duty of theirs. Taking into account that it is insured through regulations, the subjectivism is almost excluded.

Of course it's more difficult to get entirely equal value of assessment in cases of subjects from the aesthetically sphere - music and fine arts. The last ones depend more on internal conditions.

4.2. Reasons for the selected type of examination

In Bulgaria the state schools as well as private ones are under the Ministry of Education and Science supervision. That guarantees to a large extent equality of position of all students. The equal criteria for assessment allow the school teaching staff to be given the rights of assessment. That gives as well the possibility teachers from different schools to measure their class work results

4.5. Effects on class teaching

Preparation for the final examinations lies fully in class work time as a student could make use of additional hours provided in the program. This is connected with the final examinations as well with the examinations for higher education selection.

Issue 5: The organisation of the final examination

The organization of the final examination is regulated by different legal documents such as: National Education Act, Rules of Procedure, on the implementation of the National Education Act as well as some special regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Science on annual basis.

In compliance with the above-mentioned documents, the organization of the final examinations is a joint responsibility of the school, the Inspectorates for Education and the Ministry of Education and Science. The Ministry is in charge of the overall organization, which comprises the schedule, the examination themes and the general procedure. The Inspectorates for Education are responsible for the organization of the examinations on regional level. The school, represented by the School Principal, is in charge of the preparation, organization, as well as evaluation of the examinations themselves. To this end three different Commissions are set-up: Commission for application forms verification, Technical Commission and Evaluation Commission. Members of these commissions are in general representatives of the school teaching and pedagogical staff. Each commission consists of Chairperson and members. The Commission for application forms verification deals with the documents of the students sitting for matriculation examinations in compliance with the regulations concerning these examinations. The Technical Commission is in charge of the preparation of the examinations: prepares the list of the students sitting for matriculation examinations, defines the classrooms in which the examinations will take place and announces the distribution of the students in these classrooms, prepares all the necessary documentation: certified blank sheets, blank protocols, organizes the activities of the invigilators. The Evaluation Commission consists of three teachers, specialists in the given subject. It is in charge of the evaluation of the papers, The Chair person of the Commission is responsible for the organization of the work, prepares the final protocol with the results in the given subject and forwards the signed protocol and the examination papers to the School Principal.

5.1. The start dates and duration of the final examination: one or more examination sessions per year

The school calendar comprises three examination sessions: one in June, one in September and one in January. The first one starts at June 5 and ends at June 29. Within this session there are also extra dates for students which due to some unxpected reasons /illness/ were not able to passs the examinations on the regular dates. The September session is organised within the period September 5 - September 23. The January session starts at January 10 and ends on January 26.

5.2. The design of question papers

Different sets of examination themes for each subject are prepared on annual basis by experts from the Ministry of Education and Science. The examination themes in Bulgarian language and literature, geography, history and philosophy are announced at the respective date by the National radio. Students receive before the start of the examination in the respective subject blank sheets, certified by the school. The total number of sheets received by each student is reported in the prepared by the invigilators final protocol, issued at the end of the examination.

Instructions concerning the evaluation of the papers in each subject are also issued by the Ministry of Education and Science and forward to the Evaluation Commissions before the start of the evaluation procedure.

5.3. The time available for marking the papers

Examination papers are marked after the end of the examination in a given subject. The evaluation procedure lasts no more than 10 days

5.4. Regulations for sitting examinations and the invigilation of examinations

The regulations for sitting final examinations are set-up by the Ministry of Education and Science. According to them, students, who have sucessfully completed the last year of secondary school (wih a mark of at least 3.00 in all subjects from the curriculum), sit written matriculation examinations

Students at secondary comprehensive schools sit written matriculation examinations in:
–        Bulgarian language and literature;

• an elective-comprehensive subject on their own choice (without Bulgarian language and literature) which is part of the compulsory-elective instruction in the last school grade.
  

• Bulgarian language and literature;
  
• the main subject related to the school profile; while the main subject is Bulgarian language and literature, students sit matriculation examination in the second main subject.
  

• the internal order during the examination;
  
• the collection of the examination papers at the end of the examination;
  
• the final protocol, containing information on the examination organized;
  

Issue 6: Ongoing reforms in the field of secondary education
One schould mention that changes in the system of secondary general education are actually taking place on a long-term basis. They are mainly related to the last amendments to the National Education Act and most of them will become effective as of the next academic year. The following basic objectives provide the general framework of the educational system development:

• National education system improvement within the context of both the national and European dimensions;
  
• Establishment of a legal basis responsive to the education system changes;
  
• Management and coordination with special focus on the optimization of the national resources in the educational system;
  

• Preparation of the general educational system for the implementation of the 12-years of schooling and compulsory matriculation examinations.
  
• Study content optimization concerning pre-primary education as well as all general comprehensive subjects for basic and secondary level, thus creating preconditions for educational minimum definition.
  
• Elaboration of standards concerning the study content and the assessment system. They lay an emphasis on the formation of personal, social and civic skills, as well as on the development of active study methods for teaching and learning.
  
• Development of a study standard for children with chronicle diseases as well as with special education needs.
  
• A Standard for pupils assessment at national level at the exit of the educational levels is in a process of elaboration.
  

• Early foreign languages teaching expansion, leading to its introduction as compulsory subject from grade one /for the first foreign language/ and from grade five /for a second foreign language/
  
• Information technologies integration in the study process.
  
• Development of civic, economics and democratic knowledge.
  

• Rules of Procedure, concerning the implementation of the National Education Act;
  
• Concept for religious education, concerning curriculum and manuals development for grades 1 to 8.
  
• Instruction for mother tongue teaching at Bulgarian secondary schools. The document is part of the legal documents elaborated in conformity with the international conventions, concerning the rights on mother tongue learning.
  
• Programs for integrated forms of education for children with special needs