| 09:00 |
Registration and Coffee |
| 09:45 |
Chair's Welcome Address
John Dunford, Chair, Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors (CONFIRMED) |
| 09:55 |
Morning Keynote: Maintaining Standards, Driving Innovation
- Balancing innovation and the drive to maintain standards
- The future prospects for E-Assessment and on-demand testing
- Developments in the curriculum and how this impacts on the examination system
- Comparability of examination standards over time - maintaining public, employer and higher education confidence in examinations
- Implementing the A* grade - how has this impacted on learners and higher education?
Glenys Stacey, Chief Executive, Ofqual (CONFIRMED) |
| 10:15 |
Questions and Answers |
| 10:30 |
The Impact of Examinations on Learners
- The impact of the examination process on learners and learning
- Ensuring schools and colleges give learners appropriate advice on GCSE, AS and A-level choices
- Does the examination process have a detrimental impact on learning?
- Should national testing be streamlined?
- The next stage for e-assessment - learner confidence in examinations
- Strategies needed to support all learners through exams
Jack Lewars, Trustee, English Secondary Students' Association (CONFIRMED) |
| 10:50 |
Questions and Answers |
| 11:05 |
Coffee and Networking |
| 11:35 |
Developments in Examinations
- How is the examination sector working to develop e-assessment and on demand testing?
- A consideration of the security aspects of national testing
- What challenges does on-demand testing pose to examination organisation?
- Ensuring examinations meet the needs of learners and support the admissions process to higher education
- Delivering standards - ensuring examinations accurately reflect learners ability
Tim Oates, Group Director, Assessment Research & Development, Cambridge Assessment (CONFIRMED) |
| 11:55 |
Public Confidence in National Testing
- Value for money and the cost of national testing
- A consideration of the impact of government education policy on examination reform
- The impact of examinations and league tables on standards of learning
- Balancing academic and vocational learning - meeting the needs of learners
- The role of national testing in school accountability
- The expected impact of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate on exams in schools
- Comparability across qualifications - GCSE's, iGCSE's and vocational education
Dale Bassett, Research Director, Reform (CONFIRMED) |
| 12:15 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 12:40 |
Chair's Closing Remarks |
| 12:45 |
Lunch and Networking |
| 13:45 |
Afternoon Chair's Welcome Address
Graham Herbert, Deputy Head, Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors (CONFIRMED) |
| 13:55 |
Developments in Qualifications
- The relationship between politics and qualifications reform - how does the process impact on students?
- Impact of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate
- Disparities between the private education sector and state-maintained schools - does the exam system offer the same opportunities to all learners?
- Is there an over-emphasis on testing in schools?
- How are education providers developing teaching methods to accommodate new examination policies?
- Does the qualifications system equip learners with the skills to succeed in higher education and the workplace?
- Teaching to the test - does the examination system offer learners a broad education?
Professor Jannette Elwood, Professor of Education, School of Education, Queen's University Belfast (CONFIRMED) |
| 14:15 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 14:30 |
Supporting Qualification Reform
- Supporting candidates through the examinations process
- Providing quality advice and information to higher education candidates on AS and A-Level options
- Improving access to higher education - supporting learners through university admissions
- How are colleges responding to qualification reform?
- Managing national testing in further education
Karen Robinson, Head, Education and Equality Department, NUT (CONFIRMED) |
| 14:50 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 15:00 |
Examinations and the Admissions Process
- How is UCAS responding to developments in qualifications?
- Reform of HE finance - how is this affecting candidates choices?
- Developments in university admissions - supporting candidates
- Ensuring qualifications and examinations provide universities with accurate information on candidates ability
- A move towards admissions exams - how does this impact on different social-economic groups
- Arguments for and against moving towards post-results admissions
Mary Curnock Cook OBE, Chief Executive, UCAS (CONFIRMED) |
| 15:20 |
Questions and Answers Session |
| 15:30 |
Chair's Closing Remarks |
| 16:00 |
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