June 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
| IEAMail, Issue 11 | June 2007 |
|
|
|
|
Welcome Welcome to IEAMail, the topical monthly members e-newsletter, carrying news and views from the Institute of Educational Assessors (IEA). Content:
Institute News - Institute welcomes first wave of Members and Fellows
Institute News - Institute welcomes first wave of Members and Fellows This week the IEA Membership Upgrade Panel convened for the first time and approved the first wave of Member and Fellow applications. The Panel consisted of four IEA Examiner Advisory Panel Members who all practice as senior examiners for the major awarding bodies, and have a wealth of assessment skills and Knowledge. Over 40 applications were received by the IEA Membership Department, of which 25 were complete. I.e. forms fully completed and accompanied by the correct supporting documents. These applications were given to the Panel to assess and a total of 3 Members and 13 Fellows were approved. If you are practising as a senior examiner and would like to establish if you are eligible to apply for Member or Fellow status please visit the new online membership upgrade identification tool located on the IEA website. The tool will ask you some very simple questions to establish whether or not you meet the set criteria, and if so will direct you to the correct online application form. If you have any membership upgrade queries please email info@ioea.org.uk.
Institute News - IEA website improvements If you have recently logged in to the Member area on the IEA website you will notice that not only can you see your name and membership grade in the top right corner of your screen, but now you can also see your membership number. Other planned additions to the website in the near future include:
Institute News - IEA response to the testing and assessment enquiry The IEA welcomes the opportunity to submit evidence to the select committee on education and skills. For the full response from Kathleen Tattersall please download the pdf below.
Institute News - Stakeholder consultations - Proposals to revise the current GCSE criteria The government is committed to developing education for 14- to 19-year-olds so that it matches the best worldwide. It should give young people the opportunity to learn in ways that motivate and engage them and, through hard work, to qualify themselves for success in life. Reforms of the 14-19 phase of education aim to make this possible. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the regulators for Wales (DELLS) and Northern Ireland(CCEA) advise the government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively on curriculum and qualifications issues. They work closely with the awarding bodies that design and deliver new and established qualifications to ensure that every accredited qualification contains the skills people need to be successful at work and throughout their lives. Recent work on the secondary curriculum review in England, parallel curriculum developments in Wales and Northern Ireland, and the development of new qualifications, including Diplomas, have provided an opportunity to revise GCSE qualifications significantly. The regulators want to:
QCA is conducting a national consultation exercise to obtain feedback on its proposals to revise the GCSE criteria. The criteria form a set of rules that will be used by awarding bodies to develop GCSEs. Revised GCSEs will be available to schools from September 2008 for teaching from 2009. We are contacting you as an IEA member to encourage you to participate in the consultation and give them your views on the proposals. The consultation comprises a questionnaire survey on proposed changes to the GCSE qualification and subject criteria, available at: Read more ... The survey is open from 13 June until 14 September 2007. The questionnaire is one element of the consultation, there will also be a number of focus group meetings with key stakeholders representing teachers, awarding bodies and subject communities. The final version of the criteria will be available on the QCA website by the end of October.
Institute News - Chartered Educational Assessor Update The Department for Education and Skills has agreed to sponsor the Institute's petition for a Royal Charter. A letter has now been sent to the Privy Council requesting that the petition be formally considered at the next meeting of the Council in July. We will keep you informed of the outcome of the meeting.
Institute News -Summative Assessment - Your recommendations could win you a £20 M&S voucher This month we are asking you to share your summative assessment-related top tips, advice, good practice and ideas on preparing for assessment. We are keen to hear your suggestions for the following functions:
Two examples of good advice for 'design the assessment specification' have been outlined below to get you started: Internal Assessor Example - Good advice when designing an assessment specification would be to check for any changes to the specification that may impact on any proposed assignment. A related resource recommendation might be the National Curriculum in Action website. External Assessor Example - Good advice when designing an assessment specification would be to maintain coverage and range of subject whilst meeting the requirements of the regulatory body. E.g. QCA, A related resource recommendation might be research papers and articles on the IEA website. To submit your advice or resource recommendation, and to enter into our £20 M&S voucher competition simply follow this link Read more ...
Institute News - Enjoying your membership so far? Why not recommend a colleague and win an IEA-branded pen-drive worth £9.99? The IEA is a firm believer in personal recommendations and that is why we are offering you the opportunity to recommend membership to a friend or colleague. We believe that personal recommendations should not go unrewarded so we are giving away 20 IEA-branded pen-drives (worth £9.99 each) - ideal for storing assessment-related documents. There is no limit to the number of times you can enter and the more entries you have the more likely you are to win!
Institute News - IEA Media Coverage Since the launch of the IEA in May 2006, the Institute has seen an increase in the amount of coverage in the media. The increase in media coverage demonstrates that the Institute is developing a voice on behalf of and in the interest of its members. The IEA has compiled a document that contains some of the key articles captured in the media. If you would like to read some of the articles then please follow the link below.
Institute News -The Examination Process Explained Stage 5 - Assessment Assessment can take place either internally or externally, all under the supervision of the awarding bodies. Internal assessment is carried out within schools by Teacher Assessors who are then subject to moderation from the awarding bodies' Moderators. External assessment on the other hand sees exam scripts posted or sent out electronically to specially appointed and trained Examiners and Markers to mark. Examiners and Markers Examiners and markers assess candidates' work in accordance with agreed mark schemes and procedures. They normally have teaching experience but must not be connected with the school, college or students whose scripts they are marking. With up to 400 scripts to mark, each examiner and marker attends a standardisation meeting and undergoes regular checks to ensure accuracy and consistency.
CPD - Events and Training Course Calendar Each month the IEA communicates educational assessment focused events and training courses that are taking place around the UK. Communicate-ed Assessment related training courses Communicate-ed is a company specialising in the training of education professionals who work in the area of special needs. The IEA has negotiated a 15% discount for members. Please download the appropriate form for the Communicate-ed website Read more ... Please return your application clearly marked 'IEA discount' with your membership number. Please note that the discount only applies to the standard rate and cannot be used with any other offer. SQA Assessment related workshops SQA Workshop - Making verification work for you: Dalkeith, 30th October 2007 Training providers. Please contact info@ioea.org.uk if you would like to promote your courses within this section of IEAMail. Members should be aware that the IEA is only communicating these events to its members and not endorsing them.
The Independent, 28 June 2007 New leader, new promises. The IEA is welcoming the news that the New Prime Minister Gordon Brown has put education as one of his main priorities and that he aims to create a "world class education service". The IEA will continue to campaign for assessment to be high on the governments agenda.
Let us know what you think of the e-newsletter and any features you'd like to see in future issues. If you're feeling creative and would like to contribute an article, please send an email to info@ioea.org.uk. Until next time...
JOIN NOWRecommend membership to a friend or colleague
Unsubscribe If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter then please email unsubscribe@ioea.org.uk |
|
| © Institute of Educational Assessors 2007 / Privacy policy / Terms conditions of use / Copyright |
|