Interim Report on the First Phase of the Pilot Electronic Conference

1. BACKGROUND TO THE INITIATIVE

The conclusions of the European Ministers of Education Conference Communiqué (Prague, 25 - 27 June 1998) indicated the need for developing more informal methods of information exchange, which could lead to the development of concrete proposals and innovative projects.

On behalf of the informal group of four ministers, Dr. Slavko Gaber, the Slovenian minister, proposed the first topic for discussion:

The issue of the certification in upper-secondary education leading to the university type of higher education.

2. RATIONALE

As some expert analyses show, this is one of the most challenging topics in the field of education facing Europe today and remains one of the permanent developmental tasks, closely related to the issue of standards and quality in education.

It is a question of great importance to the states already implementing certification systems and those preparing for their implementation as well as those searching for effective solutions.

3. PRINCIPLES AND AIMS

The electronic conference was expected to provide a picture of the present-day situation in the field of the examination and certification system at the end of upper-secondary general education, present the standpoints and views of the participating countries on the issues, open questions and trends, and especially:

• 3.1.
  To encourage a direct, informal, interactive and rapid exchange of information and views on topical issues of the upper-secondary school-leaving examinations in European countries. It could foster the dissemination of effective, particularly practical, solutions, encourage co-operation between countries, help mutual recognition of diplomas and could have an overall beneficial effect on the future development of the school-leaving examination and certification system;

• 3.2.
  To allow, in a very simple, timesaving and cost-effective way, the ministers and ministries interested in the issue and experts of the EU and associated countries to intercommunicate with each other; to collect and exchange information on national systems; to discuss and settle unresolved topical issues of common interest to all the participating countries;

• 3.3.
  To contribute substantially to a more effective decision-making at the ministerial level and thus help encourage the process of creating a more comparable, compatible and high-quality educational landscape in Europe.

4 countries (the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia) at the Ministerial Conference, Prague, 1998. Recently, Austria joined in, thus forming a 5-country group.

5. PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND ACTIVITIES

• 17 countries (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) expressed their readiness to participate,

• 10 of them sent open questions raised during the implementation or development of the certification system in their country,

• 16 of them submitted their reports,

• In addition, some countries have recently been invited to participate and send their material (after the deadline).

Participants were invited to consider the following issues and try to clarify the basis and rationale for the solution implemented in their country by taking into account:

• The historical background,
  
• The interdependence of solutions within the system of education,
  
• The planned changes and reforms.

Issue 2: Compulsory and optional subjects in the final examination

Issue 3: Assessment and certification of achievement

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

Issue 5: The organisation of the final examination

Issue 6: Additional comments about issues, which should be addressed

Each conference issue included detailed questions in order to provide coherent responses.

7. CONFERENCE RULES

Each country participating in the electronic conference is represented by its co-ordinator. He or she was the only person who could send or receive messages and materials of the electronic conference. The tasks of the co-ordinator were therefore to pass the information 'coming into' the electronic conference to the experts of his or her country; to co-ordinate their points of view; and to 'send' their responses back to the electronic conference. Those responses were considered as the viewpoints of a particular country or ministry.

The use of the e-mail was considered as a technological means for the rapid gathering of information, opinions, and standpoints and the preparation of materials.

8. BACKGROUND MATERIAL

Examinations at the end of upper-secondary education (Extract from the Eurydice European Glossary on Education Terminology - Vol. 1, On Diplomas and Qualifications, published July 1999 - Appendix 1)

Countries not included in the extract were invited to prepare concise descriptions of the missing data and send them to the electronic conference.

9. RESULTS

The conference material is expected to represent:

• First-hand and most up-to-date information on the present-day system, existing problems, future trends, planned changes and, in some cases, forthcoming reforms;
  
• A wealth of information for identifying similarities and differences between systems, examination structures and procedures as well as assessing advantages and deficiencies;
  
• Various solutions of the present-day role of the school-leaving examinations (the completion of the secondary education, a prerequisite for enrolment in higher-education programmes or a direct pathway to occupation);
  
• A beneficial effect on the quality of education.
  

• The role of the school-leaving examinations in the national certification system (e.g. completion of the upper secondary school, prerequisite to professional training and employment, prerequisite for admission to university entrance examinations, eligibility and direct access to university studies);
  
• The nature of the school-leaving examination as a national/school-based or externally/internally assessed examination;
  
• The issue of breadth vs. depth of the required examination knowledge and skills.

Results of the 1st phase of the conference are available on Internet URL address: http://www.mss.edus.si/exam

10. TIME-SCALE OF THE Q&A PART

This part of the conference will start on 21 June and will have been closed by mid-July 1999.

11. FINAL PUBLICATION

The final conference material will include: the final report on the conference, the documents submitted by the participating countries in the original form, the contributions gathered in the Q&A phase of the conference, the comparison of similarities and differences, some statistics and analyses, and future trends.

The final document will have been issued on behalf of the five countries by the late autumn this year in both a printed and an electronic form.

Prepared by:
Dr. Jožko Budin
President of the National Matura Commission
Slovenia