Answers to Conference Issues from Slovenia

1.1. Does the »final examination« serve
a) to achieve both aims - Why and how?
b) as the school-leaving »maturity« exam - Why and how?
c) as the »entry examination« to higher education - Why and how?

In Slovenia, the final examination called the Matura serves to achieve two aims: it is a school-leaving 'maturity' exam and an entry examination to higher education. There are three types of study programme in tertiary education: university programmes (4-6 years, offered by universities), professional programmes (3-4 years; offered by universities and professional colleges), and vocational programmes (2 years; offered by vocational colleges). The Matura is a general prerequisite for enrolment in all study programmes in tertiary education and compulsory for university programmes. Students of technical and vocational secondary schools sit the Zaključni izpit (the final examination) which does not meet the requirements for enrolment in university programmes, but only professional and vocational ones.

The present system (Note 1) of the two types of final examination (the Matura, the Zaključni izpit) at the end of upper secondary education is based on some major principles:

• that high-quality secondary education should be offered to the entire population in order for students to obtain appropriate knowledge and skills to find employment or continue their studies;
  
• that as much students as possible could pursue their studies in tertiary education;
  
• that the specific demands of university vs. professional/vocational study should be considered;
  
• that transferring from one (type of) study programme to the other should be made possible; and
  
• that a firm basis should be given to the future occupation and employment of an individual.

Today, the Matura is a school-leaving certificate leading to higher education in general, particularly to university programmes; it is a pathway to occupation only exceptionally. The Zaključni izpit is a school-leaving certificate leading only to a limited number of programmes (professional and vocational) of higher education; however, it offers a direct pathway to occupation and employment. Students who finish secondary school with the Matura (or even who fail the Matura but successfully finish the last year of general secondary school) may enrol in the Poklicni tečaj (the Vocational Course) - thus obtaining the same qualifications as the graduates of the Zaključni izpit. Students who finish technical or vocational secondary school may take the Maturitetni tečaj (the Matura Course) - thus obtaining the right to sit the Matura.

1.3. The individual achievement at the final examination as a selection criterion for admission to higher education (e.g. in the event of the numerus clausus, etc.)

The individual achievement at the Matura or the Zaključni izpit is one of the selection criteria for admission to institutions of tertiary education. University and professional colleges use these criteria when the number of applicants exceeds the number of study places defined (today about one third of all programmes). In such cases they generally take into consideration 60 % of the Matura (or the Zaključni izpit) achievement and 40 % of the overall achievement in the last two years of secondary education. In some cases (language, medicine programmes, etc.) they take into account the achievement in particular subjects as well. For enrolment in arts and sports study programmes, a test of special talents or physical aptitudes is compulsory.

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

The Matura is a 'maturity examination' with which the student can demonstrate his or her achievements (knowledge, skills, and abilities). The areas where he or she can show them must be directly connected with the type of school he or she has attended - in Slovenia this is the gymnasium (the general upper secondary school). The aim of the Slovenian model of the general upper secondary programme is to provide general education for students and prepare them for university education, enabling admittance into various university courses.

The orientation to general education is ensured by a combination of compulsory and optional subjects, guaranteeing the extent and quality of knowledge necessary for university education.

The three compulsory subjects in the Matura in Slovenia are: the Mother Tongue, the Foreign Language and Mathematics.

Two optional subjects enable each student to demonstrate his or her knowledge of the subjects which he or she prefers and chooses as his or her 'strong points', while achieving at least the standard level of knowledge of compulsory subjects (Note 2).

2.2. Breadth vs. depth of the examination

The question whether the number of compulsory subjects represents an obstacle for their in-depth comprehension is a permanent issue in all curricula. The Matura deals with it by means of the above-mentioned combination of compulsory and optional subjects and the introduction of examination levels in Mathematics and the Foreign Language, thus maintaining appropriate equilibrium between the depth and breadth of the examination. The possibility of the individual's choice of the depth and breadth of particular subjects represents further development of the differentiated preparation for different examination levels of the subjects. The proposal of the Matura Act recommends a separate preparation for each level of Mathematics and the Foreign Language in the final year.

2.3. The role of Mathematics and Foreign Language(s)

The Matura is based on the supposition that the 'maturity' and readiness for university education should be demonstrated by profound knowledge of the mother tongue, the foreign language and mathematics at least on the standard level.
The reasons for choosing these subjects are:

• a high-quality knowledge of the mother tongue is a necessary prerequisite for academic studies;
  
• the knowledge of foreign languages is of utmost importance for a two-million nation (the scientific literature in foreign languages, the exchange of knowledge and experience);
  
• mathematics has earned its place among compulsory subjects owing to the mathematisation of all branches of science, the elements of imparting logical and abstract thinking, problem solving, and an organised approach to knowledge.

• on the one hand, only one compulsory subject is suggested instead of two;
  
• on the other, two compulsory subjects are suggested, but without their actual 'differentiation' in two levels during the preparation for the Matura.

Issue 3: Assessment and certification of achievement

3.1. The definition of national standards (if defined)

National standards in the upper secondary education in Slovenia are regulated by the (general, classical, technical, arts) gymnasium curricula. Teaching is based on subject teaching syllabuses (Note 4) which comprise aims, content, activities, intersubject relations, didactic recommendations etc.

The Matura assessment is conducted in approximately 30 four-year (or four-year equivalent) Matura subjects, some of them are compulsory and the rest are optional. The required examination knowledge is guided by the subject examination syllabuses (Note 4) containing aims of assessment, the content of examination knowledge, the examination level, the examination structure and specific rules.

The subject examination syllabuses are prepared for each year separately and are published 2 years in advance. The requested examination knowledge is defined as a selection of the curriculum knowledge.

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

In the Matura examination, the knowledge of different taxonomic categories of educational objectives is assessed. A 3-level scale has been adopted:

• 1st level: knowledge, e.g. facts, data, concepts, definitions, formulae
  
• 2nd level: comprehension and application, e.g. theory, cause-effect relations, problem solving
  
• 3rd level: knowledge proficiency, e.g. independent problem solving, generalisation and abstraction, interpretation and judgements

• experimental (laboratory, field) work, e.g. in Science, Geography, etc.
  
• seminar (project) work, e.g. in Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, technical subjects etc.
  
• various kinds of research projects.

• subjects examined on two optional examination levels (Mathematics, 6 foreign languages, Latin)
  
• other subjects (approximately 30 in number) examined on one examination level

• standard
  
• higher
  

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

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

• The 'external' examination: written tests, which are prepared, marked and supervised by experts from outside the school. Examinations are being taken on the same day at the same time in all schools. The students' scripts are identified only by the numerical code. A well-trained external examiner, who does not know the particular student, marks each written examination.
  
• The 'internal' examination: (i) oral examinations in front of the board of teachers (the 'school commission') from the student's own school (the principal examiner is the student's teacher), but the questions are standardised; (ii) project work, field or laboratory work, which are all marked by the teacher who has been the student's mentor; (iii) musical performance. These parts of examinations all lie within the competence of schools; however, the examination rules and procedures are externally established and equal for all schools.

• The combination of external and internal examinations follows the idea to encompass two crucial but different elements of knowledge assessment. The teacher can evaluate the student's knowledge in class over a longer period of time. There are components of the student's knowledge, skills and abilities that are known only to the teacher and only he or she can fully evaluate them. The internal part of the student's grade gives credibility, autonomy and authority to the teacher in class, the one who knows the student best. The grades given by the teacher are taken into account to a certain degree in case of the numerus clausus. While recognising the value of the teacher's grading in secondary school it is necessary to obtain an externally evaluated mark which permits each student (and also each teacher) to check his or her knowledge in relation to national standards. By means of the external examination greater objectivity and lower bias in assessment are secured. Candidates are marked under equal and well-known conditions and they all have equal opportunities to apply for admission to higher education. The external examination also provides an objective and reliable comparison of the Matura to the upper secondary school-leaving examinations in other countries and makes the education system transparent.
  
• The external examination gives the government the opportunity to gain insight into differences between schools in reaching national standards. This mechanism enables particular schools where standards are not fully met to make additional steps in order to reach the standards required. However, this is confidential information; publishing the rating lists of schools according to their students' achievements in the Matura examination and consequently making differences in school budgets is prohibited by law.
  
• No part of the final mark in the Matura is essentially internal. The so-called 'internal' marking always represents the consensus of the members of the examination commission in which the student's teacher is the head examiner (in oral examination or in performance), or who must follow externally established precise marking rules (for practical or project work).
  

• In the Matura knowledge is partly externally and partly internally assessed in most cases. Usually the examination consists of a written and an oral exam (e.g. Mathematics, Foreign Languages, the Mother Tongue) or a combination of a written exam and field/laboratory work, or project work, or performance (e.g. Music).
  
• The average ratio between external and internal assessment is 80 % : 20 %, in some subjects 75 % : 25 % (Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology), and in the minority of subjects only the written exam is set. Music is the exception, where the internal assessment of singing or instrumental performance represents 70 % of the exam and in ballet 80 %. The ratio ensures equity and expedience of examination, although there are some suggestions of lowering the external part of assessment in the Matura examination.
  
• The external/internal ratio is below the average of the examination ratios in other European countries, but the Matura marks are only one part (60 %) of the criterion for entering the University if admission is restricted. 40 % of the criterion is composed of the (internally assessed) school grades obtained in the last two years of school. Therefore the ratio in case of the numerus clausus is more balanced.
  

• The advantage of the internal examination is that personal contact and communication are established between the student and the teacher. It enables the examination of particular educational goals, which cannot be assessed in an external written exam. The examiner is able to assess the processes, not only the products. The competence and authority of the teacher are preserved.
  
• The advantage of the external examination is the control of measurement characteristics of assessment (validity, reliability, objectivity, discriminability, difficulty of test items and tests as a whole). This permits (i) evaluation and gradual improvement of equity and expedience of assessment, (ii) positive effects on the quality of the teaching process, (iii) equalising the quality of education across schools, (iv) comparison of the quality of our school system to those in other countries, and (v) more equitable sorting and classification of the students standing as candidates for university studies with restricted admission.
  
• It is important to make internal and external examinations better by (i) improving the quality of examination questions, (ii) improving the marking procedures, (iii) improving the precision of the analytical work in the data analyses, and (iv) recruiting external examiners and training them to become experts not only in the subject but also in the techniques and processes of assessment.
  

• Some teachers think that the proportion of external assessment reduces their autonomy and authority. Others claim that the external examination leads to better teaching as it enables them to compare their work to the work of their colleagues teaching the same subject in other schools.
  
• The entire Matura process has encouraged more consistent implementation of the school curricula, the lessons are given more precisely, more time is allocated for the consolidation and revision of the material. The Matura has also introduced new methods of examination, which are consequently used in classroom. Teachers take part in in-service teacher training; as a result, the quality of their teaching has improved and the starting points for students in the preparation for the Matura examinations are more equilibrated.
  
• The external Matura gives the students the sense of equality of circumstances and equity. It is also strenuous experience, not only the examination itself but also the process of the preparation for the Matura examination. As a serious and demanding examination, the Matura is an important educational instrument, which prepares students for university.
  
• The student and the teacher share a mutual interest in the Matura: they both want the student to prove himself or herself good. It is the teacher's responsibility not just to give the student a good or a bad grade but to prepare him or her to acquire profound knowledge. Some teachers became more rigorous in grading their students in class, especially those teachers who realised, on the basis of the Matura results, that their standards (and in consequence their grading criteria) were too low. Many teachers think that it is also the merit of the Matura examination that the level of the students' knowledge is higher than in the recent past.

Issue 5: The organisation of the final examination

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

There are two examination sessions: one in June and one in September. The first one starts around 10 June, the written part is finished by the end of the month, the results are issued by 25 July. There is one exception: the Mother Tongue essay is written in May, allowing markers to mark it in time. The September session is more condense: the examination starts on 1 September, finishes in 5 days and the results are issued by 21 September. With the changes which will have been introduced by year 2000 the examination will start on 2 June, the written part of the examination will end on 12 June and the results will be issued by 10 July, which will help schools to better co-ordinate the school and examination timetables and obtain the results earlier.

5.2. The design of question papers

Three or four different sets of question papers for each subject are written each year by members of National Subject Commissions. After they have been co-ordinated, the papers are designed and printed by the National Examinations Centre. For each question paper the marking sheet and marking schemes are prepared too.

5.3. The time available for marking the papers

Question papers are marked after candidates have taken their exams. It takes normally two to three weeks to complete marking, depending on the subject, the number of candidates and the type of question paper. In cases of group marking, the activity is normally finished in less than a week. The marking of Mother Tongue essays takes over a month.

5.4. Regulations for sitting examinations and the invigilation of examinations

Regulations for sitting examinations are set by the National Matura Commission and are similar to regulations in other countries with a longer tradition of external examinations. In addition, examinations are invigilated in the examination room by two invigilators (one of them can be external to the school).

5.5. Is grading part of teachers' workload or is it paid separately (If so, how much - in Euros)?

Markers sign a contract for their work with the National Examinations Centre. They are paid by the amount of work they do; the length of question papers and the time needed to mark the scripts are taken into account. Markers are paid a small fee (around 7 Euros per hour).

5.6. The role of external assessors (experts, teachers, university teachers …)

The Matura is an external examination. Experts from different levels of education (secondary-school teachers, university teachers) are part of this process at different stages: as members of national subject commissions, school commissions, markers, reviewers and evaluators, working hand in hand with the National Examinations Centre in order to assure high quality at all stages.

5.7. Regulations and provision for students with special needs

Candidates with special needs are given special attention. Examination procedures are reviewed and appropriate measures taken to allow these candidates to demonstrate their knowledge regardless of their handicap (e.g. Braille for blind candidates, the prolongation of examination time for candidates with reading/writing disabilities).

5.8. Students' rights to complain and complaint procedures

Candidates have the right to see their question paper on their request and after paying a fee, or make a complaint to the National Matura Commission. When the complaint is filed, the candidate's examination paper is reassessed by an expert and in case of mistake or incorrect mark the mark (or grade) is corrected.

Dr. Joško Budin (josko.budin@fe.uni-lj.si)
President of the National Matura Commission
Dr. Sergij Gabršček (sergij.gabrscek@guest.arnes.si)
Director of the National Examination Centre

Note 1 - In the eighties, secondary education was characterised by the absence of the final examination of any kind; at the same time there was no division between general and technical/vocational education. In 1991, the Zakljucni izpit was introduced to general as well as technical and vocational secondary schools; the preparatory work for the introduction of the Matura started simultaneously. The trial Matura was introduced in 1994 on a sample of schools and it has been part of the system since 1995.

Note 2 - Optional subjects from which students are able to choose: foreign languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian (one is considered compulsory); classical languages: Latin, Greek; 'general subjects': physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, sociology, philosophy, psychology; 'technical subjects': economics, law, building materials, mechanics, electrotechnology, computer science, etc.; 'arts subjects': art, history of art, music. From school year 2001/2002, 'technical subjects' will be: economics, electrotechnology, computer science, mechanics, biotechnology, and materials.

Note 3 - 'Nearly-pass': The student passes the Matura even when he or she fails one subject, but has achieved at least 80 % of points necessary for the pass in this subject and, at the same time, having passed all other subjects, has received at least the grade 'well' in at least two of the remaining four subjects. If these two requirements are met, the student passes the examination in this subject.

Note 4 - Approved by the Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education