This year we were delighted to speak at the Beyond Multiple Choice conference, a three day virtual event where assessment leaders from around the world shared ideas on innovating and improving all areas of testing.
David Haggie, assessment enthusiast and Managing Director of GradeMaker, ran a session investigating the barriers to innovation that plague so many high-stakes assessment providers, and how stagnant authoring processes are often the root cause.
Organisations wanting to implement innovations in their assessments need to start by establishing good authoring processes.
Whether you want to enhance the quality and security of your processes, lay a strong foundation for print and digital testing, or just want to improve the efficiency of your production, a solid authoring system is crucial to success.
The National Centre for External Evaluation of Education (NCEEE) is responsible for the conduct of examinations in Croatia. The NCEE is preparing a new examination and looked to the introduction of e-authoring technology to improve working processes, especially during the Covid pandemic. They were also looking to drive improvements overall in the quality, security and efficiency of their test development operations. More details coming soon.
The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) is an internationally accredited examinations board responsible for high stakes school assessments. Zimsec is at the heart of Zimbabwe’s education sector, and is widely regarded as a centre of excellence within Africa. The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) wanted to strengthen the security and increase the quality and efficiency of its examination production processes. The Zimsec Board and Senior Management therefore decided to use an electronic item banking system to deliver better quality examination content, reduce the risk of leakages and ensure tighter operational control over exam authoring. They are now in their fifth […]
The Independent Schools Examinations Board is best known for producing the Common Entrance exams – taken to enter independent schools in the UK and overseas. The examinations are set by highly qualified and experienced teachers and are seen as the gold standard for assessment at 11+ and 13+. Already a long time customer of Stephen Austin (part of our group) for its secure exam printing , ISEB was keen to innovate and move its authoring processes online. Now in our fifth year, our partnership is very strong and we continue to work together to get the best results.
Developing a high-stakes exam is a logistical challenge – a challenge that continues long after the exam is written. The final typesetting and design process may eat into months of your production cycle and take a large proportion of your budget.
We have been hearing for years that this is a huge issue for testing organisations, slowing everything down and putting extra pressure on production teams.
If these issues sound familiar, then instant typesetting is for you.
Our development team build new features in line with the way you actually work. We believe that the best technology doesn’t force people into adopting new ways of working but fits around the ways they currently operate.
We are delighted to announce that AQA, one of the UK’s largest exams publishers, has decided to extend its use of GradeMaker exam authoring software for another two years.
The CXC provides exams for 16 countries within the Caribbean region. It’s vision is to have a digitally transformed enterprise providing quality, relevant and globally recognised educational services. Working with GradeMaker has enabled CXC to bring its exam authoring online.
Data is a vital tool for focusing the school improvement effort. Working with GradeMaker, the Ministry for Education in Guyana has introduced a national data portal, bringing new insight to school leaders, regional officials and national planners. Read the full case study
