Assessment issues in Maltese secondary schools

Abstract

In the Maltese context, assessment is closely linked to an examination system that is dominated by certification and selection. This is due to the high stakes examinations that are found at the two ends of secondary education: • The Junior Lyceum Entrance Examination and the Common Entrance Examination, which take place at the end of Primary school, form part of the assessment experiences of many Maltese children. Both examinations have a high profile and are considered to be extremely important in the eyes of the public. The former qualifies candidates (males and females) for entry into State Junior Lyceums and the latter qualifies male candidates for entry into Church Schools. This selection process at age 11+ is based on the children’s performance on these one-off examinations. It has significant life-long implications for those candidates who make it as well as for those who do not. • At the end of their secondary schooling, students from the three Sectors (State, Private and Independent Schools) sit for Secondary Education Certificate examinations, set by the local MATSEC Examinations Board and other foreign boards. These external certifications also provide another process of selection because currently, passes in six subjects (English, Maltese, Mathematics, a science subject, a foreign language and any another subject) in practice constitute the compulsory entry requirements into post-secondary education. Other assessment practices feature in the five-year period that characterises our local secondary education system. The list that is presented below is taken from a document prepared by the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of the National Minimum Curriculum (2000): • Teacher Assessment is recognised and is recorded in reports for parents alongside examination results. However, school policies on Teacher Assessment do not appear to be clearly defined. • Informal tests in class are one of the more evident instruments that teachers use in their assessment practices. These tests are used as a diagnostic tool. • End-of-year examinations are more formal, particularly in the final years of Primary schooling and during the Secondary School years. • It appears that most of these formal examinations are pen and paper exercises. However, an aural/oral component features in languages, and practical sessions in certain subjects such as Art and Home Economics also take place. • The weight given to coursework in school assessment is not uniform throughout schools. Generally, coursework is considered more of a component of Teacher Assessment than as a set component of formal end-of-year examinations. (Working Group 03, p.6) The same document also makes reference to the school-leaving certificate, which is based on the performance of the Form Five annual examinations and the Record of Achievement, which is used in some secondary schools for subjects in which there is no formal final examination.