Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/949290
maltatoday SUNDAY 4 MARCH 2018 4 News JAMES DEBONO A large number of 17-year-old stu- dents are sitting for exams in the September exam session before even starting their second year at Junior College. A report by the Matsec exami- nations board reveals that the September session, designed for students to re-sit the exams they failed in the May session, was now being used by first-year Sixth form- ers to "get subjects out of the way" – in the words of Matsec chairman Frank Ventura. The increased number of 17-year- olds sitting 'early' for their Inter- mediates was made possible after a change in regulations in 2012 that turned the re-sit exams into a sepa- rate session from the May session. In September, the number of 17-year-olds sitting for their In- termediate level exams was over twice the number of 18-year-olds. The majority of registrations for Advanced level subjects were from 18-year-olds. Ventura said the increase in 17-year-olds sitting for the exam and the need to publish results before the end of September had made "the manageability of the ex- amination very challenging". The rise in September sittings had particularly increased the ad- ministrative load for language ex- aminations, which have oral and aural components besides written papers, and subjects with a course- work or project component which require an interview with individu- al candidates about their work. In Advanced and Intermediate English alone, more than 900 oral sessions were conducted in Sep- tember. According to Ventura a signifi- cant number of first-year Sixth formers are also opting to sit for one or two Intermediate subjects before completing the course at school. "It is reported that this practice is causing management difficulties in the post-secondary schools and colleges". Four in every 10 sit for A-levels In 2017, 42% of second-year 18-year-olds registered for Ad- vanced Level and Intermediate Level examinations. Yet only 30% of this specific cohort managed to qualify for the matriculation certif- icate which allows them to proceed to university. Ventura says the high number of students failing to get their ma- triculation certificate suggests that a number of students will only obtain the necessary 'A' and 'Int' passes to join tertiary courses in in- stitutions other than the University of Malta. Another interpretation is that the passes satisfying the criteria for matriculation is unnecessarily too tough. "This statistic alone high- lights the issue that educational opportunities at post-secondary and tertiary level have changed considerably since the introduc- tion of the Matriculation Certifi- cate over 20 years ago." This change in the educational context has still not been reflected in the way exams are conducted. But a review of the system is in the offing. This review "will hopefully lead to the necessary changes to address the needs of all young per- sons seeking further education and training on completion of compul- sory education." jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MARIA PACE A system of continuous assessment will replace mid-year exams inside state schools, which will see pu- pils graded on all the work they do throughout the year. In the past weeks, parents – and their children – won some relief after completing their last session of mid-year exams. The change is part of a sectoral agreement set to come into effect later in the year for students in the fourth, fifth and sixth primary years, as well as form 1 and 2. For older students, the mid-year exams are to be phased out gradually. "The idea is that instead of stu- dents being graded on just exams, they would work all throughout the year. In this way, we are giving teaching more value," the educa- tion ministry's permanent secre- tary Frank Fabri said. "While before children did home- work just for the sake of finishing it, they would now work harder as it would affect their final grade," Fabri added. Fabri believes this mode of as- sessment can be more easily adapted to the needs of specific classrooms and individual stu- dents. At the end of the term, a report would show the children's abilities and strengths, giving more value to their work through- out the year. This would mean that teachers would gain a better idea of children's understanding and abilities. The weight of the continuous as- sessment is however still being dis- cussed: Fabri said that marks ob- tained in years 4 and 5 would also contribute to the final grade at year 6. Surely enough, it's no black-and- white marking system. But what do parents think? Glo- rianne Borg Axisa, the president of the Maltese association of state school students (MAPSSS), said the impact of such a change can only be fully understood after all details were revealed. "While some parents believed that the change is a positive step forward, others are a bit more sceptical about the reform… the situation is not as straightforward, and the impact of the change will only be fully understood once all factors are known." Borg Axisa says there are still ques- tion marks on how the assessment will be exactly implemented, and whether there is a guarantee that the assessment is the same across all state schools. "It is a complex system which will determine the livelihood of a new generation of children. The impor- tant thing is that educators, parents, and students are all well-informed about the changes that will take place, the validation progress and moderation. At the end of the day, the change also requires changing people's mentalities and that means that everyone would be part of the process." Frank Fabri said teachers will be given training to better understand the different ways of assessment and on how to guide their class through the process. "In this way, while teachers would have the same subjects and syllabi, they would be able to adapt the top- ics depending on their students' needs." Fabri also said parents will be given information sheets explaining the new assessment. Uniformity of assessment will in- deed be one of the new challenges for educators. Borg Axisa thinks that the process will need clear supervi- sion. "What type of moderation will be in place to make sure that the chil- dren are assessed fairly?" she said, pointing out the possibility of dis- crepancy between one teacher and another. But Fabri is confident that the "same training and guidelines" for all teachers will properly guide chil- dren's assessments. Added to that is a plan for a national homework policy, that lays down a clear frame- work of homework throughout each school. "We are moving to a situation where before, teachers would cre- ate their own exam papers, so there still was inconsistency between one paper and another. The difference is that now we are focusing on deep learning instead of focusing on just on a single exam at the end of the term," Fabri said. mpace@mediatoday.com.mt Parents still scratching their heads over removal of mid-year exams Continuous assessment sounds like a good idea, but parents want teachers to exercise uniformity in their marking Sixth form students sitting for exams eight months early 17-year-olds sit for their Intermediate level exams a year earlier to 'get them out of the way' and focus on harder 'A' levels in the May session