Fragment str. 21-22

Grażyna Miłkowska

Current Tendencies in the Assessment System in Poland

Along with the curriculum reform, current trends in both theory and

practice of thinking about assessment constitute the major element of school

reform in Poland.

The change in the philosophy of assessment arises from the criticism of

the previous system in which assessment consisted in the evaluation of efficient

reproduction of factual knowledge in front of the teacher. This kind of

approach results from the philosophy of education focused on transmission

of knowledge. Thus memorization of information followed by subsequent

transfer of information triggered by the desire to obtain the maximum grade

possible constituted the major motivating factor for the student. Education

understood in such terms did not cater for the development of the individual

– students did not study in order to learn more but in order to obtain

the best grade possible. Such approach did not take into account individual

abilities of particular learners.

Another reason for which the system of assessment and examining had

to undergo reform consisted in the fact that no uniform and clear criteria

of assessment were used. It had already been shown in the past that grades

on schools certificates are not comparable both in a micro- (at the level of

one school or among teachers) and consistently in macro-scale i.e. across the

country. It had been suggested for many years that all schools certificates, including

the Secondary Education Certificate should specify students’/graduates’

competences relevant for future training, education or job requirements

in Poland. These suggestions became particularly important when

Poland joined the European Union. The aim of the Ministry of Education

is to guarantee that school certificates are compatible with EU standards so

that they could offer young people a wider range of options in terms of further

education or employment throughout Europe.

Thus one of the assumptions of the reform in education was to introduce

a new, consistent and objective s y s t e m  of a s s e s s m e n t. Its aim is

to guarantee the quality of the teaching process in the situation of free access

to various syllabuses and course-books as well as providing reliable information

about the compatibility between the contents taught in schools and approved

school curricula. The major assumption of the system consists in its capability to verify the attempts of introducing efficient ways of supporting student development and improving the quality of teaching in schools.

Since 1999 S c h o o l Cu r r i c u l u m was the principal document on

which the teaching process was based. It is a major educational document

which has to implemented by all teachers. It includes all educational aims

and integrated contents obligatory at particular levels, depending on whether

teaching is subject, block or skills focused, as well as abilities students are

supposed to acquire and general school educational aims. The aims are reflected

in particular syllabuses and allow for establishing both school-internal

as well external exam requirements. The document allows for developing

both school level as well as more general syllabuses used throughout the

country and gives the teacher a lot of freedom in terms of means of syllabus

implementation and achieving particular aims. School Curriculum is thus

a starting point for developing syllabuses for particular subjects, blocks of

subjects or educational projects including general education. School Curriculum

specifies the aims of school education and shows that teaching should

cater for student development rather than focus on transmission of knowledge.

It contains the principal list of contents – specifies what abilities students

should obtain in the process of teaching and indicates what attitudes

school instruction and education should shape.

School Curriculum is an obligatory educational document which connects

teaching contents with general education. These in turn constitute the

starting for developing syllabuses and internal, school assessment systems.

Ex a m s p e c i f i c a t i o n s are also based on the School Curriculum.

Exam specifications are a relatively new concept in Polish education.

The need for developing such documents arises from the necessity to develop

a school external system of assessment which could standardize requirements.

For the first time exam specifications were published by the Minister

of National Education in the Regulation from February 21st, 2000 on

Standardization of Tests and Exams. The specifications were developed by

special teams appointed by the Central Exam Committee and were subject

to general consultation. As they specify exam requirements for the 2nd, 3rd

and 4th educational stage, they constitute the basis for developing external

tests for Secondary Junior School Final Exams, Secondary Education Exams

as well as Professional Qualifications Exams…

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