Ofqual to review reliability of assessment system

16 May 2008 02:27 PM

Ofqual has formally launched, announcing a new programme of work to look at the reliability of assessment.

Speaking at the launch event at the National Motorcycle Museum in the West Midlands, the new Chair, Kathleen Tattersall, said:

"Confidence in our system is based on results being comparable, valid and reliable. By "reliable" I mean satisfying questions like these - Would a student have received the same result if she happened to have taken a different version of the examination? On a different day? With a different examiner marking her work? How reliable are the assessments made by teachers of work undertaken under controlled conditions during the course?

"As the regulator of qualifications in England, I believe that it is essential for all of us to understand better the reliability of assessments in our national systems - whether they are conducted by examiners in an awarding body’s examinations or by teachers in the learning environment - and how reliable we should expect them to be. Ofqual will undertake an in-depth programme of work - call it a health check - on the reliability of tests, examinations and teacher assessments, in this country. We intend to put this at the forefront of our agenda and we shall shortly appoint an expert panel to oversee the work.

"Ofqual will do this in an open way that will involve listening to learners, parents, teachers, awarding bodies, research experts, employers, higher education and the wider public. We shall set out the issues as clearly as we can for the public to judge and we shall speak as we find. Qualifications, exams and tests can open doors for learners in ways that can transform their lives. So it is right that the public is involved in work led by their new regulator to make sure that assessments in our national system are as good as they can be.

"This work together with the work we will do on an ongoing basis to ensure that qualifications are rigorous, reliable and fair will, I hope, go a long way to gaining the trust of all parties, particularly the public."

Notes to editors

1. A copy of Kathleen Tattersall's speech can be downloaded from the Speeches section on this site.

2. Details of the launch event can be found on our website.

3. Ofqual in its interim form is a part of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). On 2 April 2008 Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, announced that the government intended to legislate to make Ofqual a separate statutory authority reporting directly to Parliament.

4. Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, announced the appointment of Kathleen Tattersall as Chair of Ofqual on 2 April 2008. Prior to legislation being passed to establish Ofqual on a statutory basis, Kathleen Tattersall is a QCA Board member and Chair of its Ofqual committee.

5. To find out more about Ofqual, visit our website www.ofqual.gov.uk.

6. For further information please contact the Ofqual press office Newsdesk on 0300 303 3342 or the out-of-hours duty press officer on 07798 924 552. Members of the public should contact the Ofqual helpline on 0300 303 3346. Alternative ways to contact Ofqual can be found in the 'contact us' section of our website.