Administration and Logistics Julia Todorinova Copyright ALTE 2015
ALTE Quality Standards Associated with Administration and Logistics Pre-conditions and Responsibilities for Examination Centres Maintaining Confidentiality and Secrecy of Examination Materials upon Delivering to the exam centres and returning back Support Systems for Exam Centres and Candidates Protection of the Security and Confidentiality of Examination Results and Certificates Arrangements for Candidates with Special Needs to ensure fairness 2 Copyright ALTE 2015
Examination Centres Selection criteria and procedures Documents provided in relation to examination administration: Examination regulations Guidelines for examination administration Handbook for supervisors/administrators and/or instructions to invigilators Registering for the examination and entry requirements for candidates Training for administrators, invigilators and supervisors Procedures for checking irregularities during the examination administration Quality control of service: Monitoring procedures Inspection system 3 Copyright ALTE 2015
Examination Materials Delivering examination materials to exam centres Maintaining confidentiality and secrecy of examination materials: Before the examination During the examination After the examination/post-examination arrangements Procedures for checking on the quality of materials before the examination Regulations on returning and/or destroying materials after the examination Controlling the quality, in case the examination centres have some responsibility for processing some component of the examination 4 Copyright ALTE 2015
Support Systems Support system for exam centres before, during and after the examination: Training for staff responsible for administering and/or processing of the examination Hot-line and/or help-line All the necessary documentation: exam administration regulations, guidelines, instructions, etc. Communication channels with exam centres on administrative matters: One-to-one communication Telephoning or fax Online (intranet system, websites, e-mails, videoconferencing, electronic forms of data transfer, etc.) Social media Support system for candidates before the examination: Support materials for candidates including information on how to prepare for the examination and sample papers, how results are reported and how to register for the exam, exam dates and examination centres Prior training and/or counseling on the examination format, timing, content, etc. Communication channels with candidates before, during or after the examination: In-person communication Telephone lines or fax Online (e-mail, websites, etc.) Social media (chat, forum, etc.) 5 Copyright ALTE 2015
Examination results and certificates Procedures to guarantee security and confidentiality of all materials at the exam centres or in transit: Secure storage facilities Password protected database Data protection procedures to guarantee the security and confidentiality of the exam results, all associated data/materials and certificates: Confidentiality procedures for releasing examination results and maintaining all related data storage in accordance to the local data protection law Special regulations or administrative procedures for accessing data, data archive and copying documents Password system Procedures for issuing and handing out the certificates to guarantee protection against impersonation and illegal copying Procedures for dealing with fraud and malpractice Candidates rights concerning their access to the examination results, seeing their exam papers, re-taking of the examination, storage of their personal information, usage of their exam results for research purposes, etc. 6 Copyright ALTE 2015
Candidates with special needs Special examination arrangements for candidates: With long-term/permanent physical disability or illness With temporary disability at the time of assessment With learning disability or difficulty Under confinement (hospital, in prison or in religious orders) Special assessment adjustments which may be provided: Modified examination materials (Braille modifications, enlarged or coloured, etc.) Assistance (an oral language modifier, a sign language interpreter, a reader, a lipreader, voice activated software, etc.) Additional time Rest periods or supervised breaks Separate accommodation Special furniture Presentation of responses, etc. Informing candidates about their rights Informing exam centres about special needs provision, access and procedures 7 Copyright ALTE 2015
ALTE membership and especially QMS greatly assisted the Standardized Test in Bulgarian to improve Test Centre was established to: Assure the quality of examination administration Provide assistance and methodological help Train and certify all the staff involved in the assessment Conduct qualitative and quantitative research Examination Board of the Standardized Test in Bulgarian as a Foreign Language was founded in order to: Constitute the policy of testing Regulate, monitor and control the assessment administration Deal with all the administrative issues related to the exam administration Both conducted ALTE audits as well as the application of the ALTE QMS procedures contributed to successfully address the requirements and improve the: Quality of service at our 5 operating examination centres abroad Training intended for administrators and invigilators Support and communication systems intended for candidates and for exam centres Procedures for confidentiality and security of all examination materials, examination results and certificates Provision of special arrangements at the examination for candidates with special needs 8 Copyright ALTE 2015
Improvement of the quality of service of our examination centres abroad Clear criteria and procedures were established for: Selection and contracting Effective co-operation Ensuring that candidates have complete access to all the information and materials needed regardless the country where they take Standardized Test in Bulgarian as a Foreign Language Examination Regulations were elaborated so as to describe in detail: Examination administration procedures Organisational guidelines for administrators, supervisors and invigilators Guidance for exceptional situations Training provided to the staff working for the examination centres is: Compulsory Carried on a regular basis Intended for administrators, supervisors and invigilators Monitoring procedures and inspection system were installed: To check and/or correct irregularities To offer additional training, if needed Roles and responsibilities of supervisors, administrators and invigilators in relation to exam administration 9 Copyright ALTE 2015
Improvement of the training targeted to the staff from our examination centres Annual review of our exam centres performances was introduced Face-to-face training is held once a year at the exam centre and/or in Sofia Training is provided to administrators and invigilators on how to administer the exam Special training is provided to supervisors Materials for use are provided when training administrators and invigilators Support visits are provided for new examination centres during their first examination session 10 Copyright ALTE 2015
Quality improvement of the support we provide to the examination centres and candidates All the necessary documentation is supplied to the examination centres One mobile hot-line is available during examination administration Another telephone line is available throughout working hours Support visits for new examination centres during their first examination administration Free training is provided to the staff from the examination centre Support materials for candidates are available in leaflets and on the website Prior training and face-to-face counseling on the examination level, format, timing, content, etc. are provided in Sofia and, if possible, at the examination centre or online 11 Copyright ALTE 2015
Improvement and enhancement of the support provided to candidates with special needs Widening the range of special arrangements provided to candidates with special needs: Provision of braille modification Provision of enlarged print Provision of low vision aids A sign language interpreter or a lip-speaker Alternative accommodation Time arrangements Contractual relationships with the specialized schools and institutions for people with special needs were established 12 Copyright ALTE 2015
Thank you for your attention Sofia University, Bulgaria juliatodorinova@hotmail.com Copyright ALTE 2015