Key Policy Areas for Student Assessment Statuswbgfiles.worldbank.org/documents/hdn/ed/saber/supporting_doc/Co… · 2014 Key Policy Areas for Student Assessment Status 1. Classroom

Solomon Islands

STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER Country Report 2014

Key Policy Areas for Student Assessment Status

1. Classroom Assessment In the Solomon Islands, several official documents are used to inform and guide classroom assessment. For example, the “Solomon Islands Policy Statement and Guidelines for Learners’ Assessment in Schools” includes guidelines for classroom assessment and its use. In general, classroom assessment practices are viewed as being of moderate quality. At the same time, there are few resources available to teachers for conducting classroom assessment activities, and limited formal mechanisms, such as pre- and in-service teacher training options, to ensure that teachers develop competencies in classroom assessment.

2. Examinations The Solomon Islands National Form Six Certificate examination is administered annually to Year 12 students in English, Mathematics, and optional subjects. There is regular funding for the examination, allocated at the discretion of the government and partners. Students are also required to pay a fee to take the examination. The National Examinations and Standards Unit (NESU) has been in charge of the examination since 2012. While NESU has up-to-date computers and top-level security, it does not have adequate storage facilities, computer servers, or communication tools. Some formal mechanisms are in place to ensure the quality of the examination, including a standardized manual that provides instructions for examination administration and data processing.

3. National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA) The Solomon Islands Standardized Tests of Achievement (SISTA) was first introduced in 2003, and has been implemented every three years since then to all students in Years 4 and 6. Funding for SISTA comes from internal sources as well as donor agencies. SISTA is directly based on the national curriculum and well-aligned with official learning goals. While there is a common understanding that the assessment will take place every three years, there is no formal policy document that authorizes SISTA. In addition, the team working on the assessment is inadequately staffed.

4. International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) In 2012, the Solomon Islands took part for the first time in the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA). 14 countries in the Pacific region participated. There were minimal quality problems with the administration of PILNA in the Solomon Islands. The country complied with all required technical standards; therefore, it is expected that the country’s results will be presented in the main section of the final international report.

SOLOMON ISLANDS ǀ STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2014

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 2

Introduction The Solomon Islands has focused on increasing student learning outcomes by improving the quality of education in the country. An effective student assessment system is an important component of efforts to improve education quality and learning outcomes because it provides the necessary information to meet stakeholders’ decision-making needs. In order to gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of its existing assessment system, the Solomon Islands decided to benchmark this system using standardized tools developed under The World Bank’s Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) program. SABER is an evidence-based program to help countries systematically examine and strengthen the performance of different aspects of their education systems.

What is SABER-Student Assessment? SABER-Student Assessment is a component of the SABER program that focuses specifically on benchmarking student assessment policies and systems. The goal of SABER-Student Assessment is to promote stronger assessment systems that contribute to improved education quality and learning for all. National governments and international agencies are increasingly recognizing the key role that assessment of student learning plays in an effective education system. The importance of assessment is linked to its role in: (i) providing information on levels of student

learning and achievement in the system; (ii) monitoring trends in education quality over

time; (iii) supporting educators and students with real-

time information to improve teaching and learning; and

(iv) holding stakeholders accountable for results.

SABER-Student Assessment methodology The SABER-Student Assessment framework is built on the available evidence base for what an effective assessment system looks like. The framework provides guidance on how countries can build more effective student assessment systems. The framework is structured around two main dimensions of assessment systems: the types/purposes of assessment activities and the quality of those activities. Assessment types and purposes Assessment systems tend to be comprised of three main types of assessment activities, each of which serves a different purpose and addresses different information needs. These three main types are: classroom assessment, examinations, and large-scale, system level assessments. Classroom assessment provides real-time information to support ongoing teaching and learning in individual classrooms. Classroom assessments use a variety of formats, including observation, questioning, and paper-and-pencil tests, to evaluate student learning, generally on a daily basis. Examinations provide a basis for selecting or certifying students as they move from one level of the education system to the next (or into the workforce). All eligible students are tested on an annual basis (or more often if the system allows for repeat testing). Examinations cover the main subject areas in the curriculum and usually involve essays and multiple-choice questions. Large-scale, system-level assessments provide feedback on the overall performance of the education system at particular grades or age levels. These assessments typically cover a few subjects on a regular basis (such as every 3 to 5 years), are often sample based, and use multiple-choice and short-answer formats. They may be national or international in scope. Appendix 1 summarizes the key features of these main types of assessment activities.



Quality drivers of an assessment system The key considerations when evaluating a student assessment system are the individual and combined quality of assessment activities in terms of the adequacy of the information generated to support decision making. There are three main drivers of information quality in an assessment system: enabling context, system alignment, and assessment quality. Enabling context refers to the broader context in which the assessment activity takes place and the extent to which that context is conducive to, or supportive of, the assessment. It covers issues such as the legislative or policy framework for assessment activities; institutional and organizational structures for designing, carrying out, or using results from the assessment; the availability of sufficient and stable sources of funding; and the presence of trained assessment staff. System alignment refers to the extent to which the assessment is aligned with the rest of the education system. This includes the degree of congruence between assessment activities and system learning goals, standards, curriculum, and pre- and in-service teacher training. Assessment quality refers to the psychometric quality of the instruments, processes, and procedures for the assessment activity. It covers issues such as design and implementation of assessment activities, analysis and interpretation of student responses to those activities, and the appropriateness of how assessment results are reported and used. Crossing the quality drivers with the different assessment types/purposes provides the framework and broad indicator areas shown in Table 1. This framework is a starting point for identifying indicators that can be used to review assessment systems and plan for their improvement.

Table 1: Framework for building an effective assessment system, with indicator areas

The indicators are identified based on a combination of criteria, including: professional standards for assessment; empirical research on the characteristics of effective

assessment systems, including analysis of the characteristics that differentiate between the assessment systems of low- versus high-performing nations; and

theory — that is, general consensus among experts that it contributes to effective assessment.

Levels of development

The World Bank has developed a set of standardized questionnaires and rubrics for collecting and evaluating data on the three assessment types and related quality drivers. The questionnaires are used to collect data on the characteristics of the assessment system in a particular country. The information from the questionnaires is then applied to the rubrics in order to judge the development level of the country’s assessment system in different areas. The basic structure of the rubrics for evaluating data collected using the standardized questionnaires is summarized in Appendix 2. The goal of the rubrics is to provide a country with some sense of the development level of its assessment activities compared to best or recommended practice in each area. For each indicator, the rubric displays four development levels—Latent,



Emerging, Established, and Advanced. These levels are artificially constructed categories chosen to represent key stages on the underlying continuum for each indicator. Each level is accompanied by a description of what performance on the indicator looks like at that level.

Latent is the lowest level of performance; it represents absence of, or deviation from, the desired attribute.

Emerging is the next level; it represents partial presence of the attribute.

Established represents the acceptable minimum standard.

Advanced represents the ideal or current best practice.

A summary of the development levels for each assessment type is presented in Appendix 3. In reality, assessment systems are likely to be at different levels of development in different areas. For example, a system may be Established in the area of examinations, but Emerging in the area of large-scale, system-level assessment, and vice versa. While intuition suggests that it is probably better to be further along in as many areas as possible, the evidence is unclear as to whether it is necessary to be functioning at Advanced levels in all areas. Therefore, one might view the Established level as a desirable minimum outcome to achieve in all areas, but only aspire beyond that in those areas that most contribute to the national vision or priorities for education. In line with these considerations, the ratings generated by the rubrics are not meant to be additive across assessment types (that is, they are not meant to be added to create an overall rating for an assessment system; they are only meant to produce an overall rating for each assessment type). The methodology for assigning development levels is summarized in Appendix 4. Education in Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands is a lower-middle-income country consisting of a large number of islands situated in the southwest Pacific. GDP per capita is $1,835, with annual growth of almost 4 percent in 2012. The Solomon Islands faces significant challenges due to geographic dispersion, a largely rural population, and its vulnerability to natural hazards. Delivering adequate education services in such

a context is both challenging and costly. Despite these challenges, the Solomon Islands has made significant progress in education, allocating 20 to 30 percent of government expenditure to education every year, which is higher than most countries at comparable income levels. Over the last decade, the net primary enrolment rate increased from 75 to 93 percent and the secondary enrollment rate increased from 20 percent to more than 40 percent. However, access remains an issue, particularly in isolated areas, for females, and for secondary students from poor households. The Solomon Islands also faces significant challenges related to the quality of education. The education system suffers from a lack of qualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms in urban areas, low enrolment in rural areas, and shortages of materials and textbooks. In addition, high rates of youth unemployment occur alongside a lack of development in work and life skills. The Education Strategic Framework 2007-2015 provides the long-term strategic direction and oversight for the Solomon Islands’ education system. The principal goals of this framework are to: (i) provide equitable access to quality basic education for all children in the Solomon Islands; (ii) provide access to community, technical, vocational, and tertiary education that will meet individual, regional, and national needs for a knowledgeable, skilled, competent, and complete people; and (iii) manage resources in an efficient, effective, and transparent manner. Detailed information was collected on the Solomon Islands’ student assessment system using the SABER-Student Assessment questionnaires and rubrics in 2014. It is important to remember that these tools primarily focus on benchmarking a country’s policies and arrangements for assessment activities at the system or macro level. Additional data would need to be collected to determine actual, on-the-ground practices in the Solomon Islands, particularly by teachers and students in schools. The following sections discuss the findings for each assessment type, accompanied by suggested policy options. The suggested policy options were determined in collaboration with key local stakeholders based on the Solomon Islands’ immediate interests and needs. Detailed, completed rubrics for each assessment type in Solomon Islands are provided in Appendix 5.



Classroom Assessment Level of development

In the Solomon Islands, there is no one specific document that provides comprehensive guidelines for classroom assessment. Instead, there are several official documents authorized by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), which are used to inform and guide classroom assessment. The Solomon Islands Policy Statement and Guidelines for Learners’ Assessment in Schools (2010) provides information on the general functions and types of assessments used in the classroom. It is not specific to classroom assessment, but rather covers all forms of assessment. The National Curriculum Statement, Solomon Islands (2011) and the National Assessment & Reporting Policy (2010) documents provide in-depth information on the national curriculum standards as well as guidance on competency-based classroom assessment approaches and effective recording, monitoring, and reporting systems. For both primary and secondary education, the National Curriculum Statement document outlines the subjects to be taught at different levels and the expected learning outcomes for each subject. The national syllabus provides suggested assessment exercises that correspond to these specified learning outcomes. In addition, each subject is accompanied by a Learner’s Book that contains classroom assessment activities for each chapter. In the Solomon Islands, classroom assessment is required for diagnosing student learning issues, providing feedback to students on their learning, informing parents about their child's learning, planning next steps in instruction, and reviewing school programs of learning. There are minimal formal mechanisms in place in the Solomon Islands to ensure that teachers develop competencies in classroom assessment. While a “Curriculum and Assessment” course is offered as part of pre-service teacher training, it is not specific to classroom assessment and instead focuses on all types of assessments. The Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and other providers, such as the University of the

South Pacific, offer in-service teacher training courses, which address competencies in assessment. The National Curriculum Statement document notes that teachers must calculate a progressive achievement level for individual learners. Student performance in all subject areas must be reported on school report cards and during teacher-parent meetings. During their visits to schools, school inspectors ensure that students have received their results and reports from classroom assessment activities, that reports are saved in the students’ portfolios, and that parents receive a copy of the report. Overall, classroom assessment practices are known to be of moderate quality. Parents tend to be well informed about their children’s grades. However, it is common for classroom assessment activities to be mainly about recalling information and to rely on multiple-choice/selection-type questions. Few mechanisms are in place to monitor the quality of classroom assessment practices. While classroom assessment is a required component of a teacher's performance evaluation and of school inspection, there is no external moderation system that reviews the difficulty of classroom assessment activities, appropriateness of scoring criteria, etc. There is also no government funding for research on the quality of classroom assessment activities and how to improve them. Suggested policy options:

1. Ensure that teachers develop competencies in classroom assessment. For example, work with teacher training programs to include classroom assessment topics and courses in their curriculum.

2. Improve the quality of classroom assessment practices by training teachers to use assessment methodologies that go beyond the multiple-choice format and the recall of information. For example, train teachers to assess student competencies using open-ended questions and scoring rubrics.

3. Introduce mechanisms to monitor the quality of classroom assessment practices. For example, form moderation panels of teachers that review the difficulty of classroom assessment activities and the appropriateness of scoring criteria.



Examinations Level of development

The Solomon Islands National Form Six Certificate (SINF6C) has been carried out since 1989. Until 2012, it was called the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate. The SINF6C is administered annually to Year 12 students in English and Mathematics as well as a number of optional subject areas, which include Accounting, Economics, Agriculture, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Computer Studies, Design Technology, Development Studies, Geography, and History. The examination is used for certification of secondary school completion and student selection for tertiary education. The examination is also used for informing teachers and pedagogical practices, and for monitoring education quality. While there is no specific policy on SINF6C, the Policy Guidelines for Learner's Assessment in Schools, authorized in 2010 by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), includes guidelines for SINF6C. The National Examinations and Standards Unit (NESU) within the MEHRD provides leadership for the examination. Regular funding for the examination is provided through the Ministry of Education budget and is allocated at the discretion of the government and partners. Students are also required to pay a fee to take the examination. Funding covers examination design, administration, data analysis, and data reporting. The examination is fully standardized. A variety of procedures are in place to ensure that assessment design, administration, scoring, and reporting are the same for all students taking the examination. Examination papers are the same or equivalent for all students, examination administrators are trained to ensure all students take the examinations under the same conditions, and the same scoring criteria are used to correct the examination papers. Other formal mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of the examination include the numbering of all test booklets, double data scoring, and training of scorers to ensure high inter-rater reliability. A comprehensive

technical report is circulated to all schools and is available to parents and other stakeholders upon request. There are some opportunities for teachers to learn about the examinations. In recent years, NESU staff have visited schools to facilitate trainings and workshops on the examinations. Furthermore, teachers who are part of the grading panel have the opportunity to learn about marking the examination, and are required to review the marking rubrics and answer schemes. Teachers are actively involved in some examination-related tasks, such as administering and scoring the examination. They are not involved in selecting the questions or creating the scoring guides, in part due to concerns that teachers who know the exam questions will teach to those questions. All students in Year 12 are eligible to take the examination. Results are perceived as credible and are internationally recognized. There is no national policy or requirements to make preparation material on the examinations available to students; however, all schools have electronic copies of past years’ examination papers. Subject teachers are expected to provide students with copies of past years’ examination papers and students can request past years’ examination papers from NESU. In addition, information on how to prepare for the examination, the framework document explaining what is measured on the examination, and a report on past student performance on the examination are available to students. While students who do not perform well on the examination may opt for less selective tertiary education institutions, they do not have the option of retaking the examination. Suggested policy options:

1. Ensure greater opportunities for teachers to learn about the examination by, for example, involving teachers in the design of the examination. Teachers could also be contracted to perform specific examination-related tasks.

2. Introduce options for students who do not perform well on the examination, including the ability to retake the examination (if a student did not perform well) and the option of attending remedial courses.



National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA) Level of development

The Solomon Islands Standardized Tests of Achievement (SISTA) was first introduced in 2004 and has been implemented every three years since then to all students in Years 4 and 6. The assessment is administered to monitor education quality at the country level, support schools and teachers, and inform policy design, evaluation, and decision making. There is no policy document specific to SISTA; however, the Policy and Guide to Learner's Assessment in Schools (2010) and the National Curriculum Statement (2011) both describe SISTA and its purpose. Funding for SISTA comes primarily from the country's internal funding sources, including the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) as well as donor agencies, including the New Zealand Aid Programme and Australian Aid Programme. Funding for SISTA covers assessment design, administration, data analysis, and data reporting. SISTA is developed directly from the Years 4 and 6 curricula and is thus sufficiently aligned with the content, skill areas, and pedagogical approaches of the official learning goals. In addition, there is a regular internal review to ensure alignment between SISTA and the curriculum. Textbooks and other learning resources, as well as teacher lessons, provide students with sufficient exposure to the type of content and skills measured by SISTA. The National Examinations and Standards Unit (NESU) within the MEHRD is nationally recognized as an authority in student assessment in the Solomon Islands and has been in charge of SISTA since 2004. Although the NESU lacks sufficient staff to carry out SISTA, no quality problems have been identified with the performance of the team. The Solomon Islands offers few regular opportunities to learn about the SISTA. There are university courses offered by the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) on assessment. As part of pre-service training, all

students take a “Curriculum and Assessment” course. In addition, education authorities have organized workshops for teachers during which NESU staff present SISTA results. Furthermore, based on SISTA reports, the NESU has organized provincially-based workshops on ARTTLe (Assessment Resource Tools for Teaching and Learning) for teachers in all 10 provinces. There are various formal mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of the NLSA, including training scorers to ensure high inter-rater reliability, carrying out a pilot before the main data collection, training all proctors according to protocol, providing a standardized manual for SISTA administrators, double scoring and processing data, and introducing internal and external reviewers. However, other mechanisms, such as numbering all booklets and conducting an external certification or audit are not in place.

While SISTA reports are available to stakeholders upon request, at the time of data collection, SISTA results had not been actively disseminated. However, SISTA results have informed decision making at the country level; for example, they have been used to establish the Literacy Project Management Unit (LPMU) which manages several literacy projects focusing on current practices in literacy and vernacular in the early grades.

Suggested policy options:

1. Introduce a formal policy document that provides

authorization for SISTA and make it publicly available online.

2. Ensure the availability of a variety of opportunities in

the Solomon Islands to learn about SISTA, especially for incoming and existing NESU staff. For example, provide funding for attending international programs or workshops on student assessment and introduce professional development courses on student assessment. Additionally, establish internships or short-term employment opportunities in assessment units, such as the NESU, in order to develop expertise for carrying out the SISTA.



International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA) Level of development

In 2012, the Solomon Islands took part for the first time in the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA), in which 14 countries in the Pacific region participate. There is currently no country-level policy document that addresses participation in PILNA, although the importance of ILSAs is noted as priority Number 7 of the National Assessment Policy. However, in 2006, the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA; now known as the Education Quality and Assessment Programme, or EQAP), a regional body to which the Solomon Islands belongs, received a mandate from the Pacific Forum Education Ministers Meeting (FEdMM) to develop PILNA. Funding for PILNA was allocated by the Australian Aid Programme and SPBEA, and covered some core activities, including implementation of PILNA and processing and analyzing data collected from its administration. Funding also covered attendance at international meetings. In order to implement PILNA, a national coordinator was appointed. A school coordinator was identified to manage the administration at the school level for selected schools, and test supervisors (teachers) administered the assessment at the classroom level in the selected schools. For each assessment area - literacy and numeracy - a panel was responsible for marking the assessment results. Although the 2012 PILNA administration was the first time that the PILNA team was in charge of an ILSA, there were no quality problems identified with the carrying out of PILNA in the Solomon Islands. The NESU held presentations on PILNA for ILSA team members and assessment specialists. Key personnel also participated in workshops organized by SPBEA for all PILNA-participating countries. In addition, SPBEA provided in-country training to scorers.

PILNA was sufficiently aligned with the Solomon Island’s learning goals. Classroom lessons, textbooks, and learning resources cover content similar to the content covered by PILNA. As a result, students had extensive previous exposure to the type of content and skills measured by PILNA. PILNA was also consistent with the national large-scale assessment (SISTA) in the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands has complied with all technical standards for PILNA, and it is expected that its results will be presented in the main section of the international report, “Solomon Islands PaBER-PILNA Report, 31st July 2013.” Suggested policy options: 1. Establish and make widely available a variety of

opportunities to learn about PILNA in the Solomon Islands. For example, organize workshops or meetings on using PILNA databases, which are available to staff directly involved in implementing PILNA, assessment specialists, university teachers, students, and other educators.



Appendix 1: Assessment Types and Their Key Differences

Classroom Large-scale assessment Surveys

Examinations

National International Exit Entrance Purpose

To provide immediate feedback to inform classroom instruction

To provide feedback on overall health of the system at particular grade/age level(s), and to monitor trends in learning

To provide feedback on the comparative performance of the education system at particular grade/age level(s)

To certify students as they move from one level of the education system to the next (or into the workforce)

To select students for further educational opportunities

Frequency Daily For individual subjects offered on a regular basis (such as every 3-5 years)

For individual subjects offered on a regular basis (such as every 3-5 years)

Annually and more often where the system allows for repeats

Annually and more often where the system allows for repeats

Who is tested?

All students Sample or census of students at a particular grade or age level(s)

A sample of students at a particular grade or age level(s)

All eligible students

All eligible students

Format Varies from observation to questioning to paper-and-pencil tests to student performances

Usually multiple choice and short answer

Usually multiple choice and short answer

Usually essay and multiple choice

Usually essay and multiple choice

Coverage of curriculum

All subject areas Generally confined to a few subjects

Generally confined to one or two subjects

Covers main subject areas

Covers main subject areas

Additional information collected from students?

Yes, as part of the teaching process

Frequently Yes Seldom Seldom

Scoring Usually informal and simple

Varies from simple to more statistically sophisticated techniques

Usually involves statistically sophisticated techniques





Appendix 2: Basic Structure of Rubrics for Evaluating Data Collected on a Student Assessment System

Dimension

Development Level

LATENT (Absence of, or deviation from,

attribute)

EMERGING (On way to meeting minimum standard)

ESTABLISHED (Acceptable

minimum standard)

ADVANCED (Best practice) Justification

EC—ENABLING CONTEXT EC1—Policies EC2—Leadership, public engagement

EC3—Funding EC4—Institutional arrangements EC5—Human resources

SA—SYSTEM ALIGNMENT SA1—Learning/quality goals SA2—Curriculum SA3—Pre-, in-service teacher training

AQ—ASSESSMENT QUALITY AQ1—Ensuring quality (design, administration, analysis)

AQ2—Ensuring effective uses



Appendix 3: Summary of the Development Levels for Each Assessment Type

Assessment Type LATENT EMERGING ESTABLISHED

ADVANCED

Absence of, or deviation from, the attribute

On way to meeting minimum standard

Acceptable minimum standard

Best practice

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

There is no system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.

There is weak system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.

There is sufficient system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.

There is strong system-wide institutional capacity to support and ensure the quality of classroom assessment practices.

EXAMINATIONS

There is no standardized examination in place for key decisions.

There is a partially stable standardized examination in place, and a need to develop institutional capacity to run the examination. The examination typically is of poor quality and is perceived as unfair or corrupt.

There is a stable standardized examination in place. There is institutional capacity and some limited mechanisms to monitor it. The examination is of acceptable quality and is perceived as fair for most students and free from corruption.

There is a stable standardized examination in place and institutional capacity and strong mechanisms to monitor it. The examination is of high quality and is perceived as fair and free from corruption.

NATIONAL (OR SYSTEM-LEVEL) LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT

There is no NLSA in place.

There is an unstable NLSA in place and a need to develop institutional capacity to run the NLSA. Assessment quality and impact are weak.

There is a stable NLSA in place. There is institutional capacity and some limited mechanisms to monitor it. The NLSA is of moderate quality and its information is disseminated, but not always used in effective ways.

There is a stable NLSA in place and institutional capacity and strong mechanisms to monitor it. The NLSA is of high quality and its information is effectively used to improve education.

INTERNATIONAL LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT

There is no history of participation in an ILSA nor plans to participate in one.

Participation in an ILSA has been initiated, but there still is need to develop institutional capacity to carry out the ILSA.

There is more or less stable participation in an ILSA. There is institutional capacity to carry out the ILSA. The information from the ILSA is disseminated, but not always used in effective ways.

There is stable participation in an ILSA and institutional capacity to run the ILSA. The information from the ILSA is effectively used to improve education.



Appendix 4: Methodology for Assigning Development Levels 1. The country team or consultant collects information about the assessment system in the country. 2. Based on the collected information, a level of development and score is assigned to each dimension in the rubrics:

Latent = 1 score point Emerging = 2 score points Established = 3 score points Advanced = 4 score points

3. The score for each quality driver is computed by aggregating the scores for each of its constituent dimensions. For example: The quality driver, ‘Enabling Context,’ in the case of ILSA, has 3 dimensions on which a hypothetical country receives the following scores: Dimension A = 2 points; Dimension B = 2 points; Dimension C = 3 points. The hypothetical country’s overall score for this quality driver would be: (2+2+3)/3 = 2.33 4. A preliminary level of development is assigned to each quality driver. 5. The preliminary development level is validated using expert judgment in cooperation with the country team and The World Bank Task Team Leader. For scores that allow a margin of discretion (i.e., to choose between two levels of development), a final decision has to be made based on expert judgment. For example, the aforementioned hypothetical country has an ‘Enabling Context’ score of 2.33, corresponding to a preliminary level of development of ‘Emerging or Established.’ Based on qualitative information not captured in the rubric, along with expert judgment, the country team chooses ‘Emerging’ as the most appropriate level.

6. Scores for certain key dimensions under ‘Enabling Context’ (in the case of EXAM, NLSA, and ILSA) and under ‘System Alignment’ (in the case of CLASS) were set as ceiling scores, i.e., the overall mean score for the particular assessment type cannot be greater than the score for these key dimensions. These key variables include formal policy, regular funding, having a permanent assessment unit, and the quality of assessment practices.

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LIN

G CO

NTE

XT A

ND

SYS

TEM

ALI

GNM

ENT

1:

Sett

ing

clea

r gu

idel

ines

for

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t Th

ere

is no

coun

try-

leve

l doc

umen

t tha

t pr

ovid

es g

uide

lines

for c

lass

room

as

sess

men

t.

Ther

e is

an in

form

al o

r dra

ft co

untr

y-le

vel d

ocum

ent t

hat p

rovi

des g

uide

lines

fo

r cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t.

Ther

e is

a fo

rmal

coun

try-

leve

l doc

umen

t th

at p

rovi

des g

uide

lines

for c

lass

room

as

sess

men

t, bu

t the

doc

umen

t is n

ot

avai

labl

e on

line

to a

nybo

dy in

tere

sted

. 1

Ther

e is

a fo

rmal

coun

try-

leve

l doc

umen

t th

at p

rovi

des g

uide

lines

for c

lass

room

as

sess

men

t, pu

blicl

y av

aila

ble

onlin

e to

an

ybod

y in

tere

sted

. EN

ABLI

NG

CON

TEXT

AN

D S

YSTE

M A

LIGN

MEN

T 2:

Al

igni

ng cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent w

ith c

ount

ry le

arni

ng g

oals

Th

ere

are

no co

untr

y-w

ide

reso

urce

s for

te

ache

rs fo

r cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t.

Ther

e ar

e ve

ry fe

w co

untr

y-w

ide

reso

urce

s for

teac

hers

for c

lass

room

as

sess

men

t. 2

Ther

e ar

e so

me

coun

try-

wid

e re

sour

ces

for t

each

ers f

or cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent.

Ther

e ar

e a

varie

ty o

f cou

ntry

-wid

e re

sour

ces f

or te

ache

rs fo

r cla

ssro

om

asse

ssm

ent.

Ther

e is

no o

fficia

l cur

ricul

um o

r st

anda

rds d

ocum

ent.

Th

ere

is an

offi

cial c

urric

ulum

or

stan

dard

s doc

umen

t, bu

t it i

s not

clea

r w

hat s

tude

nts a

re e

xpec

ted

to le

arn.

Ther

e is

an o

fficia

l cur

ricul

um o

r st

anda

rds d

ocum

ent t

hat s

pecif

ies w

hat

stud

ents

are

exp

ecte

d to

lear

n, b

ut th

e de

sired

leve

l of p

erfo

rman

ce is

not

clea

r.

Ther

e is

an o

fficia

l cur

ricul

um o

r st

anda

rds d

ocum

ent t

hat s

pecif

ies w

hat

stud

ents

are

exp

ecte

d to

lear

n an

d th

e de

sired

leve

l of p

erfo

rman

ce. 3

EN

ABLI

NG

CON

TEXT

AN

D S

YSTE

M A

LIGN

MEN

T 3:

H

avin

g ef

fect

ive

hum

an r

esou

rces

to ca

rry

out c

lass

room

ass

essm

ent a

ctiv

ities

Th

ere

are

no fo

rmal

coun

try-

leve

l m

echa

nism

s to

ensu

re th

at te

ache

rs

deve

lop

com

pete

ncie

s in

class

room

as

sess

men

t.

Ther

e ar

e ve

ry m

inim

al fo

rmal

coun

try-

leve

l mec

hani

sms t

o en

sure

that

te

ache

rs d

evel

op co

mpe

tenc

ies i

n cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t. 4

Ther

e ar

e so

me

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel

mec

hani

sms t

o en

sure

that

teac

hers

de

velo

p co

mpe

tenc

ies i

n cla

ssro

om

asse

ssm

ent.

Ther

e ar

e a

varie

ty o

f for

mal

cou

ntry

-le

vel m

echa

nism

s to

ensu

re th

at

teac

hers

dev

elop

com

pete

ncie

s in

class

room

ass

essm

ent.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 16

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y Q

ualit

y of

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t des

ign,

adm

inist

ratio

n, a

naly

sis a

nd u

se.

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 1:

En

suri

ng th

e qu

alit

y of

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t Cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent p

ract

ices

are

ver

y w

eak,

or t

here

is n

o in

form

atio

n av

aila

ble

on cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent

prac

tices

.

Clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t pra

ctic

es a

re

know

n to

be

wea

k.

Clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t pra

ctic

es a

re

know

n to

be

of m

oder

ate

qual

ity. 5

Clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t pra

ctic

es a

re

know

n to

be

of h

igh

qual

ity.

Ther

e ar

e no

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel

mec

hani

sms t

o m

onito

r the

qua

lity

of

class

room

ass

essm

ent p

ract

ices.

Ther

e ar

e m

inim

al fo

rmal

coun

try-

leve

l m

echa

nism

s to

mon

itor t

he q

ualit

y of

cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t pra

ctice

s. 6

Ther

e ar

e so

me

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel

mec

hani

sms t

o m

onito

r the

qua

lity

of

class

room

ass

essm

ent p

ract

ices.

Ther

e ar

e va

ried

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel

mec

hani

sms t

o m

onito

r the

qua

lity

of

class

room

ass

essm

ent p

ract

ices.

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QUA

LITY

2:

Ensu

ring

effe

ctiv

e us

es o

f cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t Th

ere

are

no re

quire

d us

es o

f cla

ssro

om

asse

ssm

ent.

Ther

e ar

e m

inim

al re

quire

d us

es o

f cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t. T

here

are

var

ied

requ

ired

uses

of

class

room

ass

essm

ent. 7

Th

ere

are

varie

d re

quire

d us

es o

f cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t, in

cludi

ng it

s use

as

an

inpu

t for

sele

ctio

n or

cert

ifica

tion.

Scho

ols a

re n

ot re

quire

d to

repo

rt

info

rmat

ion

on in

divi

dual

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce.

At le

ast s

ome

scho

ols a

re re

quire

d to

re

port

info

rmat

ion

on in

divi

dual

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce.

All s

choo

ls ar

e re

quire

d to

repo

rt

info

rmat

ion

on in

divi

dual

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce to

par

ents

. 8

All s

choo

ls ar

e re

quire

d to

repo

rt

info

rmat

ion

o n in

divi

dual

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce to

par

ents

and

oth

er k

ey

stak

ehol

ders

. In

form

atio

n on

stud

ent p

erfo

rman

ce is

no

t req

uire

d to

be

repo

rted

. M

inim

al in

form

atio

n on

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce is

requ

ired

to b

e re

port

ed.

Som

e in

form

atio

n on

stud

ent

perfo

rman

ce is

requ

ired

to b

e re

port

ed

in sc

hool

repo

rt ca

rds. 9

A va

riety

of i

nfor

mat

ion

abou

t stu

dent

pe

rform

ance

is re

quire

d to

be

repo

rted

in

scho

ol re

port

card

s.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 17

Clas

sroo

m A

sses

smen

t: Developmen

t-level rating j

ustifications

1. In

Sol

omon

Isla

nds,

the

Min

istry

of E

duca

tion

and

Hum

an R

esou

rces

Dev

elop

men

t (M

EHRD

) is t

he a

utho

rizin

g bo

dy fo

r all

docu

men

ts p

rovi

ding

gui

delin

es fo

r cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t. T

here

is n

ot o

ne sp

ecifi

c doc

umen

t tha

t pro

vide

s com

preh

ensiv

e gu

idel

ines

for c

lass

room

ass

essm

ent.

Rat

her,

ther

e ar

e se

vera

l do

cum

ent u

sed

to in

form

and

gui

de cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent.

The

Sol

omon

Isla

nds P

olicy

Sta

tem

ent a

nd G

uide

lines

for L

earn

ers’

Asse

ssm

ent i

n Sc

hool

s (20

10)

prov

ides

gen

eral

func

tions

and

type

s of a

sses

smen

t whi

ch u

nder

scor

es th

e fo

rmat

ive

and

diag

nost

ic as

sess

men

ts in

the

class

room

. How

ever

, thi

s doc

umen

t is

not s

pecif

ic to

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t, bu

t rat

her c

over

s all

type

s of a

sses

smen

t. Th

e Na

tiona

l Cur

ricul

um S

tate

men

t, So

lom

on Is

land

s (20

11) c

ompl

emen

ts th

e Na

tiona

l Ass

essm

ent &

Rep

ortin

g Po

licy

(201

0) a

nd p

rovi

des a

n ov

ervi

ew o

f the

re

quire

men

ts o

f the

nat

iona

l cur

ricul

um o

f Sol

omon

Isla

nds.

The

Polic

y do

cum

ent i

nfor

ms t

each

ers,

inst

ruct

ors a

nd e

duca

tion

prov

ider

s of t

he st

anda

rds o

f the

na

tiona

l cur

ricul

um. T

he S

tate

men

t foc

uses

on

achi

evem

ent a

nd co

mpe

tenc

y-ba

sed

asse

ssm

ent a

ppro

ache

s and

effe

ctiv

e re

cord

ing,

mon

itorin

g an

d re

port

ing

syst

em. T

he S

tate

men

t also

pro

vide

s tea

cher

s with

gui

danc

e an

d ex

ampl

es o

n: a

sses

sing

stud

ent a

chie

vem

ent;

reco

rdin

g st

uden

t ach

ieve

men

t; m

akin

g ju

dgm

ent a

bout

stud

ent a

chie

vem

ent;

and

repo

rtin

g to

par

ents

and

gua

rdia

ns.

All d

ocum

ents

/pol

icies

not

ed a

bove

are

ava

ilabl

e to

key

stak

ehol

ders

, but

not

onl

ine.

Har

d co

pies

are

pro

vide

d to

Edu

catio

n Au

thor

ities

(who

man

age

and

oper

ate

scho

ols)

, and

to sc

hool

lead

ers a

nd te

ache

rs. A

larg

e pe

rcen

tage

of s

choo

ls do

not

hav

e ac

cess

to th

e In

tern

et a

nd a

s suc

h on

line

is no

t an

effe

ctiv

e di

strib

utio

n m

etho

d.

2. D

ocum

ents

whi

ch o

utlin

e w

hat s

tude

nts a

re e

xpec

ted

to le

arn

and

to w

hat l

evel

of p

erfo

rman

ce in

diff

eren

t sub

ject

are

as a

t diff

eren

t gra

de le

vels

are

avai

labl

e to

teac

hers

in S

olom

on Is

land

s. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

Natio

nal C

urric

ulum

Sta

tem

ent o

utlin

es th

e su

bjec

ts to

be

taug

ht a

t diff

eren

t lev

els a

nd th

e ex

pect

ed

outc

omes

for e

ach

subj

ect.

Mor

e sp

ecifi

cally

, the

re is

a sy

llabu

s for

eac

h su

bjec

t for

bot

h pr

imar

y an

d se

cond

ary

leve

ls. T

he n

atio

nal s

ylla

bus p

rovi

des s

ugge

sted

as

sess

men

t exe

rcise

s tha

t cor

resp

ond

to th

e sp

ecifi

c lea

rnin

g ou

tcom

es.

Asso

ciate

d w

ith e

ach

sylla

bus i

s a T

each

er's

Guid

e, w

hich

det

ails

the

lear

ning

out

com

es

and

expe

ctat

ions

. Ea

ch su

bjec

t is a

lso a

ccom

pani

ed b

y Le

arne

r’s B

ook

that

cont

ains

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es fo

r eac

h ch

apte

r. 3.

The

Nat

iona

l Cur

ricul

um S

tate

men

t, th

e na

tiona

l syl

labu

s and

the

Teac

her’s

Gui

de sp

ecify

wha

t stu

dent

s are

exp

ecte

d to

lear

n an

d th

e de

sired

leve

l of

perfo

rman

ce fo

r eac

h su

bjec

t are

a.

4. S

olom

on Is

land

s Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity (S

INU)

offe

rs in

-ser

vice

teac

her t

rain

ing

cour

ses i

n Te

ache

r Edu

catio

n w

hich

add

ress

es co

mpe

tenc

ies i

n as

sess

men

t. A

s pa

rt o

f the

pre

-ser

vice

trai

ning

, all

teac

hers

take

a “C

urric

ulum

and

Ass

essm

ent"

cour

se, h

owev

er th

e co

urse

is n

ot sp

ecifi

c to

class

room

ass

essm

ent,

but r

athe

r fo

cuse

s on

all t

ypes

of a

sses

smen

t. 5.

Cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t pra

ctice

s are

kno

wn

to b

e of

mod

erat

e qu

ality

. In

pra

ctice

, par

ents

are

usu

ally

wel

l inf

orm

ed a

bout

stud

ents

' gra

des.

How

ever

, the

us

e of

mul

tiple

-cho

ice/s

elec

tion-

type

que

stio

ns is

com

mon

and

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es a

re m

ainl

y ab

out r

ecal

ling

info

rmat

ion.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 18

6. C

lass

room

ass

essm

ent i

s a re

quire

d co

mpo

nent

of a

teac

her's

per

form

ance

eva

luat

ion

and

of sc

hool

insp

ectio

n. A

s par

t of t

each

er e

valu

atio

n, th

e sc

hool

in

spec

tion

inst

rum

ent i

nclu

des a

com

pone

nt w

hich

focu

ses o

n fo

rmat

ive

class

room

ass

essm

ent.

In a

dditi

on, a

t the

seco

ndar

y le

vel,

the

Head

of S

ubje

ct

Depa

rtm

ent (

HoD)

coor

dina

tes a

n as

sess

men

t pro

gram

that

inclu

des a

n an

nual

ass

essm

ent c

ycle

/sch

edul

e.

7. T

he N

atio

nal C

urric

ulum

Sta

tem

ent s

pells

out

the

purp

ose

and

requ

ired

uses

of c

lass

room

ass

essm

ent i

nfor

mat

ion.

In S

olom

on Is

land

s, cla

ssro

om a

sses

smen

t is

requ

ired

to b

e us

ed in

dia

gnos

ing

stud

ent l

earn

ing

issue

s, pr

ovid

ing

feed

back

to st

uden

ts o

n th

eir l

earn

ing,

info

rmin

g pa

rent

s abo

ut th

eir c

hild

's le

arni

ng,

plan

ning

nex

t ste

ps in

inst

ruct

ion

and

revi

ewin

g of

scho

ol p

rogr

ams o

f lea

rnin

g.

8. In

Sol

omon

Isla

nds,

all s

choo

ls ar

e re

quire

d to

repo

rt o

n in

divi

dual

stud

ent p

erfo

rman

ce.

The

Natio

nal C

urric

ulum

Sta

tem

ent (

2011

) sta

tes t

hat t

each

ers m

ust

calcu

late

a p

rogr

essiv

e ac

hiev

emen

t lev

el fo

r ind

ivid

ual l

earn

ers.

Scho

ol In

spec

tion

visit

s ens

ure

that

stud

ents

hav

e re

ceiv

ed th

eir r

esul

ts/r

epor

ts, t

he re

port

s are

sa

ved

in th

e st

uden

t's p

ortfo

lios,

and

that

par

ents

hav

e a

copy

. 9.

Stu

dent

per

form

ance

in M

athe

mat

ics, L

angu

age

and

in a

ll ot

her s

ubje

ct a

reas

is re

quire

d to

be

repo

rted

in sc

hool

repo

rt ca

rds a

nd d

urin

g te

ache

r-pa

rent

m

eetin

gs.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 19

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAN

DS

Exam

inat

ions

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 20

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT

Ove

rall

fram

ewor

k of

pol

icies

, lea

ders

hip,

inst

itutio

nal a

rran

gem

ents

, fisc

al a

nd h

uman

reso

urce

s in

whi

ch th

e as

sess

men

t act

ivity

take

s pla

ce in

a co

untr

y, a

nd

the

exte

nt to

whi

ch th

at fr

amew

ork

is di

rect

ly co

nduc

ive

to, o

r sup

port

ive

of, t

he a

sses

smen

t act

ivity

. LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 1

:

Sett

ing

clea

r po

licie

s for

the

exam

inat

ion

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion.

T

he e

xam

inat

ion

has b

een

oper

atin

g on

an

irre

gula

r bas

is.

The

exam

inat

ion

has b

een

oper

atin

g re

gula

rly. 1

Th

is op

tion

does

not

app

ly to

this

dim

ensio

n

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

is n

o po

licy

pert

aini

ng to

the

exam

inat

ion.

The

re is

an

info

rmal

or d

raft

polic

y th

at

auth

orize

s the

exa

min

atio

n; o

r the

re is

a

form

al p

olicy

that

is n

ot a

vaila

ble.

2

Ther

e is

a fo

rmal

pol

icy th

at a

utho

rizes

th

e ex

amin

atio

n, a

vaila

ble

upon

requ

est

or w

ith re

stric

ted

acce

ss.

Ther

e is

a fo

rmal

pol

icy th

at a

utho

rizes

th

e ex

amin

atio

n, p

ublic

ly a

vaila

ble

onlin

e to

any

one

inte

rest

ed.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

he

exam

inat

ion

is no

t sta

ndar

dize

d.

The

exam

inat

ion

is pa

rtia

lly

stan

dard

ized.

Th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

fully

or p

artia

lly

stan

dard

ized,

with

at l

east

som

e pr

oced

ures

in p

lace

to e

nsur

e st

anda

rdiza

tion.

The

exam

inat

ion

is fu

lly st

anda

rdize

d,

and

a va

riety

of p

roce

dure

s are

in p

lace

to

ens

ure

stan

dard

izatio

n.3

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 2

: H

avin

g le

ader

ship

for

the

exam

inat

ion

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

he co

untr

y do

es n

ot h

ave

lead

ersh

ip fo

r the

ex

amin

atio

n.

The

coun

try

has w

eak

lead

ersh

ip fo

r the

ex

amin

atio

n.

The

coun

try

has s

tron

g le

ader

ship

for t

he

exam

inat

ion,

from

an

indi

vidu

al p

erso

n or

from

a st

akeh

olde

r bod

y.

The

coun

try

has s

tron

g le

ader

ship

for t

he

exam

inat

ion

from

bot

h an

indi

vidu

al

pers

on a

nd a

per

man

ent s

take

hold

er

body

. 4

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 21

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 3

: H

avin

g re

gula

r fu

ndin

g fo

r th

e ex

amin

atio

n Th

ere

is no

exa

min

atio

n, o

r the

re is

no

fund

ing

allo

cate

d fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n.

Ther

e is

irreg

ular

fund

ing

for t

he

exam

inat

ion,

or t

he fu

ndin

g is

not

allo

cate

d by

law

or r

egul

atio

n. 5

Ther

e is

regu

lar f

undi

ng fo

r the

ex

amin

atio

n th

at is

allo

cate

d by

law

or

regu

latio

n.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

is n

o fu

ndin

g co

min

g fro

m th

e go

vern

men

t, st

uden

t fee

s, or

don

ors.

The

fund

ing

for t

he e

xam

inat

ion

com

es

prim

arily

from

don

ors o

r loa

ns.

The

fund

ing

for t

he e

xam

inat

ion

com

es

prim

arily

from

the

gove

rnm

ent o

r st

uden

t fee

s. 6

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

is n

o fu

ndin

g to

cove

r act

iviti

es.

Ther

e is

fund

ing

to co

ver a

t lea

st so

me

of

the

core

act

iviti

es.

Ther

e is

fund

ing

to co

ver a

ll or

mos

t cor

e ac

tiviti

es. 7

Th

ere

is fu

ndin

g to

cove

r all

core

ac

tiviti

es, p

lus r

esea

rch

and

deve

lopm

ent.

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 4

: H

avin

g in

stitu

tiona

l cap

acit

y fo

r th

e ex

amin

atio

n Th

ere

is no

exa

min

atio

n, o

r the

re is

no

exam

inat

ion

unit.

Th

ere

is a

tem

pora

ry u

nit,

or a

uni

t with

m

inim

um e

xper

ienc

e, in

char

ge o

f the

ex

amin

atio

n.

Ther

e is

a pe

rman

ent u

nit w

ith so

me

expe

rienc

e in

char

ge o

f the

exa

min

atio

n.

8

Ther

e is

a pe

rman

ent u

nit w

ith v

ast

expe

rienc

e in

char

ge o

f the

exa

min

atio

n.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or i

t is n

ot cl

ear

to w

hich

bod

y th

e ex

amin

atio

n un

it is

acco

unta

ble.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

e ex

amin

atio

n un

it is

acc

ount

able

to a

cle

arly

reco

gnize

d bo

dy.9

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

he

exam

inat

ion

unit

does

not

hav

e fa

ciliti

es

to ca

rry

out t

he e

xam

inat

ion.

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has o

nly

a fe

w o

f th

e re

quire

d fa

ciliti

es to

carr

y ou

t the

ex

amin

atio

n. 1

0

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has a

ll of

the

requ

ired

facil

ities

to ca

rry

out t

he

exam

inat

ion.

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has u

p-to

-dat

e ve

rsio

ns o

f all

requ

ired

faci

litie

s to

carr

y ou

t the

exa

min

atio

n.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 22

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 5

:

Hav

ing

hum

an r

esou

rces

for

the

exam

inat

ion

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

is n

o st

aff a

lloca

ted

to th

e ex

amin

atio

n un

it.

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has a

n in

adeq

uate

nu

mbe

r of s

taff

to ca

rry

out t

he

exam

inat

ion.

11

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has a

n ad

equa

te

num

ber o

f sta

ff to

carr

y ou

t the

ex

amin

atio

n, w

ith so

me

qual

ity

prob

lem

s.

The

exam

inat

ion

unit

has a

n ad

equa

te

num

ber o

f sta

ff to

carr

y ou

t the

ex

amin

atio

n, w

ith n

o qu

ality

pro

blem

s.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

he co

untr

y of

fers

no

annu

al o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o le

arn

abou

t the

exa

min

atio

ns.

The

coun

try

offe

rs v

ery

few

ann

ual

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t the

ex

amin

atio

ns.

The

coun

try

offe

rs so

me

annu

al

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t ex

amin

atio

ns to

the

exam

inat

ion

staf

f. 12

The

coun

try

offe

rs a

wid

e ra

nge

of

annu

al o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o le

arn

abou

t ex

amin

atio

ns. T

hese

opp

ortu

nitie

s are

av

aila

ble

to a

bro

ad a

udie

nce,

inclu

ding

th

e ex

amin

atio

n st

aff.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

each

ers

have

no

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t the

ex

amin

atio

n, a

nd a

re n

ot in

volv

ed in

ex

amin

atio

n-re

late

d ta

sks.

Teac

hers

hav

e at

leas

t som

e op

port

uniti

es to

lear

n ab

out t

he

exam

inat

ion,

or a

re in

volv

ed in

at l

east

so

me

exam

inat

ion-

rela

ted

task

s.

Teac

hers

hav

e at

leas

t som

e

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t the

ex

amin

atio

n, a

nd a

re in

volv

ed i

n at

leas

t so

me

exam

inat

ion-

rela

ted

task

s.13

Teac

hers

hav

e op

port

uniti

es to

lear

n ab

out d

iffer

ent a

spec

ts o

f the

ex

amin

atio

n, a

nd a

re in

volv

ed in

mos

t ex

amin

atio

n-re

late

d ta

sks.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 23

SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent i

s coh

eren

t with

oth

er co

mpo

nent

s of t

he e

duca

tion

syst

em.

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T 1:

Al

igni

ng th

e ex

amin

atio

n w

ith le

arni

ng g

oals

Th

ere

is no

exa

min

atio

n, o

r the

ex

amin

atio

n is

not a

ligne

d w

ith o

fficia

l le

arni

ng g

oals

or cu

rricu

lum

.

The

exam

inat

ion

is w

eakl

y al

igne

d w

ith

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or c

urric

ulum

, or

ther

e ar

e no

regu

lar r

evie

ws t

o en

sure

al

ignm

ent. 1

4

The

exam

inat

ion

is at

leas

t suf

ficie

ntly

al

igne

d w

ith o

fficia

l lea

rnin

g go

als o

r cu

rricu

lum

, and

ther

e ar

e re

gula

r re

view

s of t

he e

xam

inat

ion

take

pla

ce to

en

sure

alig

nmen

t.

The

exam

inat

ion

is fu

lly a

ligne

d w

ith

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or c

urric

ulum

, and

re

gula

r ext

erna

l rev

iew

s tak

e pl

ace

to

ensu

re a

lignm

ent.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

the

mat

eria

l to

prep

are

for t

he e

xam

inat

ions

is

avai

labl

e to

a sm

all n

umbe

r of

stud

ents

at m

ost.

The

mat

eria

l to

prep

are

for t

he

exam

inat

ions

is a

cces

sible

to a

t lea

st

som

e st

uden

ts.

Ther

e is

com

preh

ensiv

e m

ater

ial t

o pr

epar

e fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n th

at is

ac

cess

ible

to m

ost s

tude

nts.

Ther

e is

com

preh

ensiv

e m

ater

ial t

o pr

epar

e fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n th

at is

w

idel

y ac

cess

ible

to a

ll or

alm

ost a

ll st

uden

ts. 1

5 Th

ere

is no

exa

min

atio

n, o

r the

ex

amin

atio

n is

not c

onsis

tent

with

oth

er

asse

ssm

ent a

ctiv

ities

. 16

The

exam

inat

ion

is m

inim

ally

con

siste

nt

with

oth

er a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

The

exam

inat

ion

is su

ffici

ently

cons

isten

t w

ith o

ther

ass

essm

ent a

ctiv

ities

. Th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

fully

cons

isten

t with

ot

her a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 24

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent m

eets

tech

nica

l sta

ndar

ds, i

s fai

r, an

d is

used

in a

n ef

fect

ive

way

. LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 1:

En

suri

ng th

e qu

alit

y of

the

exam

inat

ion

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

are

no

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

exa

min

atio

n.

Ther

e ar

e m

inim

al fo

rmal

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to e

nsur

e th

e qu

ality

of t

he

exam

inat

ion.

Ther

e ar

e so

me

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

ex

amin

atio

n. 17

Ther

e ar

e a

varie

ty o

f for

mal

m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

exa

min

atio

n.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

is n

o do

cum

enta

tion

abou

t the

tech

nica

l as

pect

s of t

he e

xam

inat

ion.

Ther

e is

som

e do

cum

enta

tion

abou

t the

te

chni

cal a

spec

ts o

f the

exa

min

atio

n.

Ther

e is

a co

mpr

ehen

sive

tech

nica

l re

port

abo

ut th

e ex

amin

atio

n av

aila

ble

upon

requ

est o

r with

rest

ricte

d ac

cess

. 18

Ther

e is

a co

mpr

ehen

sive

tech

nica

l re

port

abo

ut th

e ex

amin

atio

n pu

blicl

y av

aila

ble

onlin

e.

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 2:

En

suri

ng fa

irne

ss

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

he m

ajor

ity

of th

e st

uden

ts m

ay n

ot ta

ke th

e ex

amin

atio

n be

caus

e of

lang

uage

, ge

nder

, or o

ther

equ

ival

ent b

arrie

rs.

A sig

nific

ant p

ropo

rtio

n of

stud

ents

may

no

t tak

e th

e ex

amin

atio

n be

caus

e of

la

ngua

ge, g

ende

r, or

oth

er e

quiv

alen

t ba

rrie

rs.

A sm

all p

ropo

rtio

n of

stud

ents

may

not

ta

ke th

e ex

amin

atio

n be

caus

e of

la

ngua

ge, g

ende

r, or

oth

er e

quiv

alen

t ba

rrie

rs.

All s

tude

nts c

an ta

ke th

e ex

amin

atio

n;

ther

e ar

e no

lang

uage

, gen

der o

r oth

er

equi

vale

nt b

arrie

rs. 19

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or s

tude

nt

resu

lts a

re n

ot co

nfid

entia

l, or

in

appr

opria

te b

ehav

ior s

urro

undi

ng th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

high

.

Stud

ent r

esul

ts a

re co

nfid

entia

l.

Stud

ent r

esul

ts a

re co

nfid

entia

l, an

d in

appr

opria

te b

ehav

ior s

urro

undi

ng th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

low

.20

Stud

ent r

esul

ts a

re c

onfid

entia

l, an

d th

ere

is no

inap

prop

riate

beh

avio

r su

rrou

ndin

g th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

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-STU

DENT

ASS

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ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

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4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

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TIO

N RE

SULT

S 25

LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 3:

En

suri

ng a

ppro

pria

te u

ses o

f the

exa

min

atio

n Th

ere

is no

exa

min

atio

n, o

r stu

dent

re

sults

are

not

per

ceiv

ed a

s cre

dibl

e, o

r ar

e no

t rec

ogni

zed

by a

ny b

road

er

cert

ifica

tion

or se

lect

ion

syst

em.

Stud

ent r

esul

ts a

re p

erce

ived

as c

redi

ble

by a

t lea

st so

me

stak

ehol

ders

. St

uden

t res

ults

are

per

ceiv

ed a

s cre

dibl

e by

mos

t sta

keho

lder

s, an

d ar

e na

tiona

lly

reco

gnize

d.

Stud

ents

’ res

ults

are

per

ceiv

ed a

s cr

edib

le b

y m

ost s

take

hold

ers,

and

are

inte

rnat

iona

lly re

cogn

ized.

21

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

are

no

optio

ns in

the

educ

atio

n sy

stem

for

stud

ents

who

do

not p

erfo

rm w

ell o

n th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

Ther

e ar

e ve

ry fe

w o

ptio

ns in

the

educ

atio

n sy

stem

for s

tude

nts w

ho d

o no

t per

form

wel

l on

the

exam

inat

ion.

22

Ther

e ar

e so

me

optio

ns in

the

educ

atio

n sy

stem

for s

tude

nts w

ho d

o no

t per

form

w

ell o

n th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

Ther

e ar

e a

varie

ty o

f opt

ions

in th

e ed

ucat

ion

syst

em fo

r stu

dent

s who

do

not p

erfo

rm w

ell o

n th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

Ther

e is

no e

xam

inat

ion,

or t

here

are

no

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to m

onito

r the

ex

amin

atio

n.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

ere

are

som

e m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

m

onito

r the

exa

min

atio

n. 2

3 Th

ere

are

a va

riety

of m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

mon

itor t

he e

xam

inat

ion.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

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TIO

N RE

SULT

S 26

Exam

inat

ions

: Developmen

t-level rating j

ustifications

1. T

he S

olom

on Is

land

s Nat

iona

l For

m S

ix Ce

rtifi

cate

(SIN

F6C)

was

firs

t im

plem

ente

d as

the

Pacif

ic Se

nior

Sec

onda

ry C

ertif

icate

in 1

989

and

beca

me

a na

tiona

l ex

amin

atio

n an

d kn

own

as th

e SI

NF6C

in 2

012.

It i

s adm

inist

ered

eve

ry y

ear t

o Ye

ar 1

2 st

uden

ts in

Eng

lish

and

Mat

hem

atics

and

oth

er o

ptio

nal s

ubje

cts w

hich

in

clude

: Acc

ount

ing,

Eco

nom

ics, A

gricu

lture

, Che

mist

ry, B

iolo

gy, P

hysic

s, Co

mpu

ter s

tudi

es, D

esig

n Te

chno

logy

, Dev

elop

men

t Stu

dies

, Geo

grap

hy, a

nd H

istor

y.

It is

used

for p

urpo

ses s

uch

as st

uden

t cer

tifica

tion

for g

rade

com

plet

ion

and

stud

ent s

elec

tion

for t

ertia

ry e

duca

tion.

2.

The

re is

no

spec

ific p

olicy

on

SINF

6C, h

owev

er th

e Po

licy

Guid

elin

es fo

r Lea

rner

's As

sess

men

t in

Scho

ols,

auth

orize

d in

201

0 by

the

Min

istry

of E

duca

tion

and

Hum

an R

esou

rces

Dev

elop

men

t out

lines

the

SINF

6C.

This

docu

men

t is d

istrib

uted

to sc

hool

s and

is a

lso a

vaila

ble

to th

e pu

blic

and

othe

r sta

keho

lder

s upo

n re

ques

t. 3.

The

exa

min

atio

n is

fully

stan

dard

ized.

As

sess

men

t des

ign,

adm

inist

ratio

n, sc

orin

g an

d re

port

ing

are

the

sam

e fo

r all

stud

ents

taki

ng th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

In

addi

tion,

ther

e ar

e a

varie

ty o

f pro

cedu

res i

n pl

ace

to e

nsur

e th

e st

anda

rdiza

tion.

For

exa

mpl

e, e

xam

inat

ion

pape

rs o

r tas

ks a

re th

e sa

me

or a

re e

quiv

alen

t for

al

l stu

dent

s, ex

amin

atio

n ad

min

istra

tors

are

trai

ned

to e

nsur

e al

l stu

dent

s tak

e th

e ex

amin

atio

ns u

nder

the

sam

e co

nditi

ons,

and

the

sam

e sc

orin

g cr

iteria

are

us

ed to

corr

ect t

he e

xam

inat

ion

pape

rs a

nd ta

sks.

4. T

he M

EHRD

, whi

ch co

nsist

s of a

per

man

ent b

ody

of st

akeh

olde

rs, p

rovi

des l

eade

rshi

p fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n. T

he M

EHRD

has

pus

hed

for t

he d

evel

opm

ent o

f th

e ex

amin

atio

n an

d ha

s inf

luen

ce a

nd p

ower

in d

eter

min

ing

the

exam

inat

ion

agen

da in

the

coun

try.

5.

Fun

ding

for t

he e

xam

inat

ion

allo

cate

d at

the

disc

retio

n of

the

gove

rnm

ent a

nd p

artn

ers.

6.

The

re is

regu

lar f

undi

ng fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n is

prov

ided

thro

ugh

Min

istry

of E

duca

tion

budg

et.

Stud

ents

are

also

requ

ired

to p

ay a

fee

to ta

ke th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

7. F

undi

ng a

lloca

ted

for t

he e

xam

inat

ion

cove

rs e

xam

inat

ion

desig

n an

d ad

min

istra

tion,

and

dat

a an

alys

is an

d re

port

ing.

8.

The

Nat

iona

l Exa

min

atio

n an

d St

anda

rd U

nit (

NESU

) has

bee

n in

char

ge o

f the

SIN

F6C

since

201

2. H

owev

er, i

t has

carr

ied

out a

num

ber o

f key

exa

min

atio

n re

spon

sibili

ties s

ince

197

8 re

late

d to

mar

king

, sam

ple

mod

erat

ion,

mar

k pr

oces

sing,

and

rele

ase

of re

sults

to sc

hool

s and

Edu

catio

n au

thor

ities

. 9.

The

NES

U is

dire

ctly

acc

ount

able

to T

he N

atio

nal E

xam

inat

ion

and

Asse

ssm

ent B

oard

. 10

. The

exa

min

atio

n un

it ha

s up-

to-d

ate

com

pute

rs a

nd to

p-le

vel s

ecur

ity fo

r the

bui

ldin

g.

How

ever

, it d

oes n

ot h

ave

adeq

uate

stor

age

facil

ities

, com

pute

r se

rver

s or c

omm

unica

tion

tool

s. 11

. The

NES

U te

am h

as a

n in

adeq

uate

num

ber o

f sta

ff to

carr

y ou

t the

SIN

F6C.

The

Aus

tral

ian

Coun

cil fo

r Edu

catio

nal R

esea

rch

(ACE

R) re

cent

ly co

nduc

ted

an

"Inst

itutio

nal C

apac

ity A

naly

sis fo

r Nat

iona

l Edu

catio

n As

sess

men

t Sys

tem

” (So

lom

on Is

land

s) a

nd fo

und

that

the

NESU

requ

ires a

hig

her n

umbe

r of s

taff

to

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

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PORT

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4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

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FOR

BETT

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SULT

S 27

man

age

the

wor

kloa

d. S

ever

al q

ualit

y pr

oble

ms h

ave

been

iden

tifie

d w

ith th

e pe

rform

ance

of t

he N

ESU

inclu

ding

err

ors i

n te

st d

esig

n an

d ex

amin

atio

n qu

estio

ns, a

nd d

elay

s in

adm

inist

erin

g th

e ex

amin

atio

n. .

12. T

he S

olom

on Is

land

s Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity (S

INU)

offe

rs co

urse

s in

Teac

her E

duca

tion

and

pre-

serv

ice tr

aini

ng in

clude

s a "C

urric

ulum

and

Ass

essm

ent"

cour

se.

The

NESU

also

hos

ts a

nnua

l wor

ksho

ps fo

r tea

cher

s, ex

amin

ers a

nd m

oder

ator

s whi

ch fo

cus o

n th

e ex

amin

atio

ns.

13. T

here

are

som

e op

port

uniti

es fo

r tea

cher

s to

lear

n ab

out t

he e

xam

inat

ions

. In

rece

nt y

ears

, NES

U st

aff h

ave

cond

ucte

d sc

hool

visi

ts to

facil

itate

trai

ning

s and

co

nduc

t wor

ksho

ps fo

r tea

cher

s abo

ut th

e ex

amin

atio

ns. F

urth

erm

ore,

teac

hers

who

are

par

t of t

he g

radi

ng p

anel

hav

e th

e op

port

unity

to le

arn

abou

t mar

king

an

d gr

adin

g th

e ex

amin

atio

n, a

nd a

re re

quire

d to

revi

ew th

e m

arki

ng ru

brics

and

ans

wer

sche

mes

prio

r to

the

exam

inat

ion.

Tea

cher

s are

invo

lved

in so

me

exam

inat

ion-

rela

ted

task

s, su

ch a

s in

adm

inist

erin

g an

d sc

orin

g th

e ex

amin

atio

n. T

hey

are

not i

nvol

ved

in se

lect

ing

the

ques

tions

, cre

atin

g th

e sc

orin

g gu

ides

or

supe

rvisi

ng e

xam

inat

ion

proc

edur

es, i

n pa

rt d

ue to

conc

erns

that

teac

hers

who

kno

w th

e ex

am q

uest

ions

will

teac

h to

thes

e qu

estio

ns.

14. T

here

is cu

rren

tly n

o na

tiona

l cur

ricul

um in

the

Solo

mon

Isla

nds f

or Y

ear 1

2. P

rior t

o 20

12, S

olom

on Is

land

s wer

e pa

rt o

f the

Pac

ific S

enio

r Sec

onda

ry

Cert

ifica

te (P

SSC)

, whi

ch h

as it

s ow

n su

bjec

t pre

scrip

tions

that

app

ly to

all

part

icipa

ting

coun

trie

s, an

d ar

e no

t cou

ntry

-spe

cific.

The

SIN

F6C,

impl

emen

ted

for

the

first

tim

e in

201

2, st

ill re

lies o

n th

e PS

SC co

nten

t as t

here

is st

ill n

o na

tiona

l cur

ricul

um fo

r Yea

r 12.

15

. The

re is

no

natio

nal p

olicy

or s

et o

f req

uire

men

ts to

mak

e m

ater

ial o

n ex

amin

atio

ns a

vaila

ble

to st

uden

ts; h

owev

er, a

ll sc

hool

s hav

e el

ectr

onic

copi

es o

f pas

t ye

ars’

exam

inat

ion

pape

rs.

Subj

ect t

each

ers a

re e

xpec

ted

to p

rovi

de st

uden

ts w

ith co

pies

of p

ast y

ears

’ exa

min

atio

n pa

pers

and

stud

ents

can

requ

est p

ast

year

s’ ex

amin

atio

n pa

pers

from

NES

U. In

add

ition

, inf

orm

atio

n on

how

to p

repa

re fo

r the

exa

min

atio

n, th

e fra

mew

ork

docu

men

t exp

lain

ing

wha

t is m

easu

red

on th

e ex

amin

atio

n, a

nd a

repo

rt o

n pa

st st

uden

t per

form

ance

on

the

exam

inat

ion

are

avai

labl

e to

alm

ost a

ll st

uden

ts.

16. I

t is n

ot p

ossib

le to

tell

whe

ther

the

SINF

6C is

fully

cons

isten

t with

the

larg

e-sc

ale

asse

ssm

ents

in th

e co

untr

y be

caus

e th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

adm

inist

ered

at t

he

seco

ndar

y le

vel,

whi

ch th

e la

rge-

scal

e as

sess

men

ts a

re a

dmin

ister

ed a

t the

prim

ary

leve

l. A

t the

sam

e tim

e, si

nce

class

room

ass

essm

ent p

ract

ices a

re v

arie

d ac

ross

scho

ols,

it is

uncle

ar w

heth

er th

e ex

amin

atio

n is

cons

isten

t with

such

pra

ctice

s. 17

. The

re a

re so

me

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

exa

min

atio

n. F

or e

xam

ple,

all

proc

tors

or a

dmin

istra

tors

are

trai

ned

acco

rdin

g to

pr

otoc

ol.

In a

dditi

on, t

he S

PBEA

dev

elop

ed a

stan

dard

ized

man

ual f

or e

xam

inat

ion

adm

inist

rato

rs.

All b

ookl

ets a

re n

umbe

red,

ther

e is

doub

le d

ata

scor

ing

and

scor

ers a

re tr

aine

d to

ens

ure

high

inte

r-rat

er re

liabi

lity.

18

. The

re is

a co

mpr

ehen

sive

tech

nica

l rep

ort w

hich

is ci

rcul

ated

to a

ll sc

hool

s and

Edu

catio

n Au

thor

ities

and

is a

vaila

ble

to p

aren

ts a

nd o

ther

stak

ehol

ders

upo

n re

ques

t.

19. A

ll st

uden

ts in

Yea

r 12

are

elig

ible

to si

t SIN

F6C

exam

inat

ion

but r

esul

ts a

re w

ithhe

ld fo

r stu

dent

s who

did

not

pay

exa

min

atio

n fe

es.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

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DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

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TIO

N RE

SULT

S 28

20. O

nly

the

stud

ent a

nd p

erso

ns w

ith a

legi

timat

e, p

rofe

ssio

nal i

nter

est i

n th

e te

st ta

ker c

an k

now

the

resu

lts.

The

re a

re so

me

inap

prop

riate

beh

avio

rs th

at

dim

inish

the

cred

ibili

ty o

f the

exa

min

atio

n in

clude

copy

ing,

usin

g un

auth

orize

d m

ater

ials

such

as p

repa

red

answ

ers a

nd n

otes

, and

issu

ing

of fo

rged

cert

ifica

tes

or a

lterin

g re

sults

info

rmat

ion.

21

. Res

ults

are

per

ceiv

ed a

s cre

dibl

e by

mos

t sta

keho

lder

gro

ups a

nd a

re in

tern

atio

nally

reco

gnize

d.

22. W

hile

stud

ents

who

do

not p

erfo

rm w

ell o

n th

e ex

amin

atio

n m

ay o

pt fo

r les

s sel

ectiv

e sc

hool

s, un

iver

sitie

s, or

trac

ks, t

hey

do n

ot h

ave

the

optio

n of

re

taki

ng th

e ex

amin

atio

n or

att

end

rem

edia

l edu

catio

n.

23. T

he N

atio

nal E

xam

inat

ion

and

Asse

ssm

ent B

oard

is in

pla

ce to

mon

itor t

he e

xam

inat

ion

in te

rms o

f im

pact

, acc

epta

nce

and

cred

ibili

ty.

In a

dditi

on, S

PBEA

pr

ovid

es co

ntin

uous

tech

nica

l sup

port

to N

ESU

in d

ealin

g w

ith c

apac

ity co

nstr

aint

s. H

owev

er, t

here

are

no

expe

rt re

view

gro

ups o

r fun

ding

for i

ndep

ende

nt

revi

ew a

nd a

udit

of th

e ex

amin

atio

n.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

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TIO

N RE

SULT

S 29

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAN

DS

Natio

nal (

or S

yste

m-L

evel

) Lar

ge-S

cale

Ass

essm

ent (

NLSA

)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

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-STU

DENT

ASS

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ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 30

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT

Ove

rall

fram

ewor

k of

pol

icies

, lea

ders

hip,

inst

itutio

nal a

rran

gem

ents

, fisc

al a

nd h

uman

reso

urce

s in

whi

ch th

e as

sess

men

t tak

es p

lace

in a

coun

try,

and

the

exte

nt to

whi

ch th

at fr

amew

ork

is di

rect

ly co

nduc

ive

to, o

r sup

port

ive

of, t

he a

sses

smen

t act

ivity

. LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 1

:

Sett

ing

clea

r po

licie

s for

the

NLSA

No

NLS

A ha

s tak

en p

lace

in th

e co

untr

y.

The

NLSA

has

bee

n op

erat

ing

on a

n irr

egul

ar b

asis.

Th

e NL

SA h

as b

een

oper

atin

g re

gula

rly. 1

Th

is op

tion

does

not

app

ly to

this

dim

ensio

n.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o po

licy

docu

men

t per

tain

ing

to N

LSA.

2

Ther

e w

as a

n in

form

al o

r dra

ft po

licy

docu

men

t tha

t aut

horiz

ed th

e NL

SA.

Ther

e w

as a

form

al p

olicy

doc

umen

t tha

t au

thor

ized

the

NLSA

, ava

ilabl

e up

on

requ

est o

r with

rest

ricte

d ac

cess

.

Ther

e w

as a

form

al p

olicy

doc

umen

t tha

t au

thor

ized

the

NLSA

that

is p

ublic

ly

avai

labl

e on

line

to a

nyon

e in

tere

sted

.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o as

sess

men

t sch

edul

e fo

r fut

ure

NLSA

s.

Ther

e w

as a

com

mon

, inf

orm

al

unde

rsta

ndin

g th

at th

ere

wou

ld b

e an

NL

SA in

the

futu

re. 3

Ther

e w

as a

n of

ficia

l ass

essm

ent

sche

dule

for f

utur

e NL

SAs,

albe

it la

ckin

g in

det

ails.

Ther

e w

as a

pub

licly

ava

ilabl

e of

ficia

l as

sess

men

t sch

edul

e fo

r fut

ure

NLSA

s, sp

ecify

ing

whe

n (y

ear)

, who

(gra

de le

vel)

and

wha

t (su

bjec

t are

as) w

ould

be

asse

ssed

. EN

ABLI

NG

CON

TEXT

2:

Hav

ing

lead

ersh

ip fo

r th

e NL

SA

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

coun

try

did

not h

ave

lead

ersh

ip fo

r the

NLS

A.

The

coun

try

had

wea

k le

ader

ship

for t

he

NLSA

. Th

e co

untr

y ha

d le

ader

ship

for t

he N

LSA

from

an

indi

vidu

al p

erso

n or

from

a

stak

ehol

der b

ody.

4

The

coun

try

had

lead

ersh

ip fo

r the

NLS

A fro

m b

oth

an in

divi

dual

per

son

and

a pe

rman

ent s

take

hold

er b

ody.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

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-STU

DENT

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ENT

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R CO

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Y RE

PORT

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STEM

S AP

PRO

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LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 3

: H

avin

g re

gula

r fu

ndin

g fo

r th

e NL

SA

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o fu

ndin

g fo

r the

NLS

A.

Ther

e w

as fu

ndin

g fo

r the

NLS

A. 5

Th

ere

was

regu

lar f

undi

ng fo

r the

NLS

A th

at w

as a

lloca

ted

by la

w o

r reg

ulat

ion.

Th

is op

tion

does

not

app

ly to

this

dim

ensio

n.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o fu

ndin

g fo

r the

NLS

A fro

m in

tern

al o

r ex

tern

al so

urce

s.

The

fund

ing

for t

he N

LSA

cam

e on

ly o

r pr

imar

ily fr

om lo

ans o

r ext

erna

l don

ors.

Th

e fu

ndin

g fo

r the

NLS

A ca

me

prim

arily

or

onl

y fro

m th

e co

untr

y's i

nter

nal

fund

ing

sour

ces.

6

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o fu

ndin

g.

Ther

e w

as fu

ndin

g to

cove

r at l

east

som

e m

inim

um co

re a

ctiv

ities

of t

he N

LSA.

Th

ere

was

fund

ing

to co

ver a

ll or

mos

t co

re a

ctiv

ities

of t

he N

LSA.

7

Ther

e w

as fu

ndin

g to

cove

r all

core

ac

tiviti

es, p

lus r

esea

rch

and

deve

lopm

ent.

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 4

: H

avin

g in

stitu

tiona

l cap

acit

y fo

r th

e NL

SA

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o NL

SA te

am.

Ther

e w

as a

uni

t or t

eam

with

at l

east

on

e pe

rson

in ch

arge

of t

he N

LSA.

Th

ere

was

a p

erm

anen

t tea

m, a

t lea

st

natio

nally

reco

gnize

d, w

ith a

t lea

st so

me

expe

rienc

e in

NLS

A. 8

Ther

e w

as a

per

man

ent t

eam

, in

tern

atio

nally

reco

gnize

d, w

ith v

ast

expe

rienc

e in

NLS

A.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r it i

s unc

lear

to

whi

ch b

ody

the

NLSA

uni

t was

ac

coun

tabl

e.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

e NL

SA u

nit w

as a

ccou

ntab

le to

a

clear

ly re

cogn

ized

body

. 9

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

NLS

A un

it di

d no

t hav

e fa

ciliti

es to

carr

y ou

t the

as

sess

men

t.

The

NLSA

uni

t had

onl

y a

few

of t

he

requ

ired

facil

ities

to ca

rry

out t

he

asse

ssm

ent. 1

0

The

NLSA

uni

t had

all

of th

e re

quire

d fa

ciliti

es to

carr

y ou

t the

ass

essm

ent.

The

NLSA

uni

t had

up-

to-d

ate

vers

ions

of

all r

equi

red

facil

ities

to ca

rry

out t

he

asse

ssm

ent.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

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-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

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R CO

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PORT

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LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 5

:

Hav

ing

hum

an r

esou

rces

for

the

NLSA

Th

ere

was

no

NLSA

, or t

here

was

no

NLSA

staf

f. Th

e NL

SA te

am h

ad a

n in

adeq

uate

nu

mbe

r of s

taff

to ca

rry

out t

he N

LSA.

11

The

NLSA

team

had

an

adeq

uate

num

ber

of st

aff t

o ca

rry

out t

he N

LSA,

with

som

e qu

ality

pro

blem

s.

The

NLSA

team

had

an

adeq

uate

num

ber

of st

aff t

o ca

rry

out t

he N

LSA,

with

out

qual

ity p

robl

ems.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

coun

try

did

not o

ffer a

nnua

l opp

ortu

nitie

s to

lear

n ab

out N

LSA.

The

coun

try

offe

red

very

few

ann

ual

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t NLS

A. 1

2 Th

e co

untr

y of

fere

d so

me

annu

al

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t NLS

A, a

lbei

t on

ly to

the

NLSA

team

mem

bers

.

The

coun

try

offe

red

a w

ide

rang

e of

an

nual

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

lear

n ab

out

NLSA

. The

se o

ppor

tuni

ties w

ere

avai

labl

e to

a b

road

aud

ienc

e, in

cludi

ng th

e NL

SA

team

mem

bers

. Th

ere

was

no

NLSA

, or t

each

ers d

id n

ot

have

ann

ual o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o le

arn

abou

t th

e NL

SA. 1

3

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Te

ache

rs h

ad a

nnua

l opp

ortu

nitie

s to

lear

n ab

out t

he co

nten

t and

skill

s m

easu

red

by th

e NL

SA.

Teac

hers

had

ann

ual o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o le

arn

abou

t diff

eren

t asp

ects

of t

he

NLSA

.

SOLO

MO

N IS

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SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent i

s coh

eren

t with

oth

er co

mpo

nent

s of t

he e

duca

tion

syst

em.

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T 1:

Al

igni

ng th

e NL

SA w

ith le

arni

ng g

oals

Th

ere

was

no

NLSA

, or t

he co

untr

y di

d no

t hav

e of

ficia

l lea

rnin

g go

als o

r cu

rricu

lum

, or t

he N

LSA

was

not

alig

ned

with

the

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or

curr

iculu

m.

The

NLSA

was

min

imal

ly a

ligne

d w

ith

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or c

urric

ulum

. Th

e NL

SA w

as su

ffici

ently

alig

ned

with

of

ficia

l lea

rnin

g go

als o

r cur

ricul

um, a

nd

a re

gula

r int

erna

l rev

iew

took

pla

ce to

en

sure

alig

nmen

t. 14

The

NLSA

was

fully

alig

ned

with

offi

cial

lear

ning

goa

ls or

cur

ricul

um, a

nd a

re

gula

r ext

erna

l rev

iew

took

pla

ce to

en

sure

alig

nmen

t.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r stu

dent

s had

no

prev

ious

exp

osur

e to

the

type

of c

onte

nt

and

skill

s mea

sure

d by

the

NLSA

.

Stud

ents

had

lim

ited

prev

ious

exp

osur

e to

the

type

of c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills

mea

sure

d by

the

NLSA

.

Stud

ents

had

suffi

cien

t pre

viou

s ex

posu

re to

the

type

of c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills

mea

sure

d by

the

NLSA

. 15

Stud

ents

had

ext

ensiv

e pr

evio

us

expo

sure

to th

e ty

pe o

f con

tent

and

skill

s m

easu

red

by th

e NL

SA.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

NLS

A w

as n

ot

cons

isten

t with

oth

er a

sses

smen

t ac

tiviti

es.

The

NLSA

was

min

imal

ly co

nsist

ent w

ith

othe

r ass

essm

ent a

ctiv

ities

. Th

e NL

SA w

as su

ffici

ently

cons

isten

t with

ot

her a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es. 16

Th

e NL

SA w

as fu

lly co

nsist

ent w

ith o

ther

as

sess

men

t act

ivit i

es.

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MO

N IS

LAND

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PORT

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ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent m

eets

tech

nica

l sta

ndar

ds, i

s fai

r and

is u

sed

in a

n ef

fect

ive

way

. LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 1:

En

suri

ng th

e qu

alit

y of

the

NLSA

Th

ere

was

no

NLSA

, or t

here

wer

e no

m

echa

nism

s to

inclu

de a

ll st

uden

t gr

oups

in th

e NL

SA.

Ther

e w

ere

info

rmal

or a

d ho

c m

echa

nism

s to

inclu

de a

ll st

uden

t gr

oups

in th

e NL

SA.

Ther

e w

ere

som

e fo

rmal

mec

hani

sms t

o in

clude

all

stud

ent g

roup

s in

the

NLSA

. 17

Ther

e w

ere

a va

riety

of f

orm

al

mec

hani

sms t

o in

clude

all

stud

ent g

roup

s in

the

NLSA

.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

ere

no

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

NLS

A.

Ther

e w

ere

very

few

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

pla

ce to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

NL

SA.

Ther

e w

ere

som

e fo

rmal

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to e

nsur

e th

e qu

ality

of t

he N

LSA.

Th

ere

wer

e a

varie

ty o

f for

mal

m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

ens

ure

the

qual

ity o

f the

NLS

A. 1

8

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

as n

o te

chni

cal d

ocum

enta

tion

abou

t the

NL

SA.

Ther

e w

as so

me

docu

men

tatio

n ab

out

the

tech

nica

l asp

ects

of t

he N

LSA.

Th

ere

was

a co

mpr

ehen

sive

tech

nica

l re

port

for t

he N

LSA,

ava

ilabl

e up

on

requ

est o

r with

rest

ricte

d ac

cess

.19

Ther

e w

as a

com

preh

ensiv

e te

chni

cal

repo

rt fo

r the

NLS

A, p

ublic

ly a

vaila

ble

onlin

e.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

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R CO

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PORT

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S 35

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 2:

En

suri

ng e

ffect

ive

uses

of t

he N

LSA

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r cou

ntry

resu

lts

and

info

rmat

ion

wer

e no

t diss

emin

ated

. Co

untr

y re

sults

and

info

rmat

ion

wer

e di

ssem

inat

ed u

sing

som

e co

mm

unica

tion

stra

tegy

. 20

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

diss

emin

ated

usin

g a

varie

ty o

f co

mm

unica

tion

stra

tegi

es, i

nclu

ding

di

ssem

inat

ion

to so

me

scho

ols.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

diss

emin

ated

usin

g a

varie

ty o

f co

mm

unica

tion

stra

tegi

es, i

nclu

ding

di

ssem

inat

ion

to m

ost s

choo

ls.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r NLS

A re

sults

and

in

form

atio

n w

ere

not c

over

ed b

y th

e m

edia

.

NLSA

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n ha

d ha

rdly

an

y co

vera

ge in

the

med

ia. 21

NL

SA re

sults

and

info

rmat

ion

wer

e co

vere

d by

som

e m

edia

out

lets

. NL

SA re

sults

and

info

rmat

ion

wer

e co

v ere

d by

a w

ide

varie

ty o

f med

ia.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r res

ults

from

the

NLSA

wer

e no

t use

d to

info

rm d

ecisi

on

mak

ing

in th

e co

untr

y.

Resu

lts fr

om th

e NL

SA w

ere

min

imal

ly

used

to in

form

dec

ision

mak

ing

in th

e co

untr

y.

Resu

lts fr

om th

e NL

SA w

ere

used

in

som

e w

ays t

o in

form

dec

ision

mak

ing

in

the

coun

try.

22

Resu

lts fr

om th

e NL

SA w

ere

used

in a

va

riety

of w

ays t

o in

form

dec

ision

m

akin

g in

the

coun

try.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re w

ere

no

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to m

onito

r the

NL

SA.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

ere

wer

e so

me

form

al m

echa

nism

s in

plac

e to

mon

itor t

he N

LSA.

23

Ther

e w

ere

a va

riety

of f

orm

al

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to m

onito

r the

NL

SA.

Ther

e w

as n

o NL

SA, o

r the

re is

no

clear

ev

iden

ce o

r con

sens

us a

bout

the

posit

ive

impa

ct o

f the

NLS

A on

edu

catio

n qu

ality

.

24

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

ere

is a

gene

ral c

onse

nsus

abo

ut th

e po

sitiv

e im

pact

of t

he N

LSA

on e

duca

tion

qual

ity.

Ther

e is

evid

ence

of t

he p

ositi

ve im

pact

of

the

NLSA

on

educ

atio

n qu

ality

.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 36

Natio

nal (

of S

yste

m-L

evel

) Lar

ge S

cale

Ass

essm

ent (

NLSA

): Developmen

t-level rating j

ustifications

1. T

he S

olom

on Is

land

s Sta

ndar

dize

d Te

sts o

f Ach

ieve

men

t (SI

STA)

was

firs

t int

rodu

ced

in 2

003

and

is im

plem

ente

d ev

ery

thre

e ye

ars t

o al

l stu

dent

s in

year

s 4

and

6. T

he a

sses

smen

t is a

dmin

ister

ed to

mon

itor e

duca

tion

qual

ity a

t the

coun

try

leve

l, su

ppor

t sch

ools

and

teac

hers

, and

info

rm p

olicy

des

ign,

eva

luat

ion,

or

decis

ion

mak

ing.

2. T

here

is n

o fo

rmal

pol

icy d

ocum

ent p

erta

inin

g to

the

SIST

A.

3. W

hile

ther

e is

no o

fficia

l sta

tem

ent f

or fu

ture

adm

inist

ratio

n of

SIS

TA, t

here

is a

com

mon

und

erst

andi

ng th

at th

e as

sess

men

t will

take

pla

ce in

the

futu

re.

4. T

he M

inist

ry o

f Edu

catio

n an

d Hu

man

Res

ourc

es D

evel

opm

ent (

MEH

RD) a

nd p

artic

ular

ly th

e Na

tiona

l Exa

min

atio

ns a

nd S

tand

ards

Uni

t (NE

SU),

repr

esen

t the

re

cogn

ized

lead

ers f

or S

ISTA

. 5.

The

re w

as fu

ndin

g fo

r SIS

TA.

6. F

undi

ng fo

r SIS

TA ca

me

prim

arily

from

the

coun

try'

s int

erna

l fun

ding

sour

ces,

inclu

ding

the

MEH

RD a

s wel

l as d

onor

age

ncie

s, in

cludi

ng th

e Ne

w Z

eala

nd A

id

Prog

ram

me

and

Aust

ralia

n Ai

d Pr

ogra

mm

e.

7. F

undi

ng fo

r SIS

TA co

vers

ass

essm

ent d

esig

n, a

dmin

istra

tion,

dat

a an

alys

is, a

nd d

ata

repo

rtin

g.

8. T

he N

atio

nal E

xam

inat

ions

and

Sta

ndar

ds U

nit (

NESU

) with

in th

e M

EHRD

, whi

ch is

nat

iona

lly re

cogn

ized

as a

n au

thor

ity in

stud

ent a

sses

smen

t in

Solo

mon

Isl

ands

, has

bee

n is

in ch

arge

of t

he S

ISTA

sinc

e 20

03.

9. T

he N

ESU

is di

rect

ly a

ccou

ntab

le to

The

Nat

iona

l Exa

min

atio

n an

d As

sess

men

t Boa

rd.

10. T

he N

LSA

unit

has u

p-to

-dat

e co

mpu

ters

for a

ll te

chni

cal s

taff,

top-

leve

l sec

urity

for i

ts fa

ciliti

es, a

nd u

p-to

-dat

e co

mpu

ter s

erve

rs.

It do

es n

ot h

ave

adeq

uate

st

orag

e fa

ciliti

es o

r com

mun

icatio

n to

ols.

11. T

he N

LSA

team

has

an

inad

equa

te n

umbe

r of s

taff

to ca

rry

out t

he S

ISTA

. Th

e Au

stra

lian

Coun

cil fo

r Edu

catio

nal R

esea

rch

(ACE

R) re

cent

ly co

nduc

ted

an

"Inst

itutio

nal C

apac

ity A

naly

sis fo

r Nat

iona

l Edu

catio

n As

sess

men

t Sys

tem

” (So

lom

on Is

land

s) a

nd fo

und

that

the

NESU

requ

ires a

hig

her n

umbe

r of s

taff

to

man

age

the

wor

kloa

d. H

owev

er, t

here

hav

e be

en n

o qu

ality

pro

blem

s ide

ntifi

ed re

late

d to

the

perfo

rman

ce o

f the

NES

U in

carr

ying

out

the

SIST

A, su

ch a

s er

rors

or d

elay

s in

the

prin

ting

of th

e te

st b

ookl

ets.

12. T

here

are

uni

vers

ity co

urse

s offe

red

by th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s Nat

iona

l Uni

vers

ity (S

INU)

on

asse

ssm

ent.

As p

art o

f the

pre

-ser

vice

trai

ning

, all

stud

ents

take

“C

urric

ulum

and

Ass

essm

ent “

cour

se. I

n ad

ditio

n, e

duca

tion

auth

oriti

es h

ave

orga

nize

d w

orks

hops

for t

each

ers t

o w

hich

NES

U st

aff a

re in

vite

d to

pre

sent

SIS

TA

resu

lts.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 37

13. T

here

are

no

oppo

rtun

ities

ava

ilabl

e fo

r tea

cher

s to

lear

n ab

out t

he co

nten

t and

skill

s mea

sure

d by

the

SIST

A.

14. T

he S

ISTA

is d

evel

oped

dire

ctly

from

Yea

r 4 a

nd Y

ear 6

curr

iculu

m.

It is

alig

ned

with

the

cont

ent a

nd sk

ill a

reas

, and

ped

agog

ical a

ppro

ache

s of t

he o

fficia

l le

arni

ng g

oals

or cu

rricu

lum

. In

add

ition

, the

re is

a re

gula

r int

erna

l rev

iew

to e

nsur

e al

ignm

ent b

etw

een

the

SIST

A an

d th

e cu

rricu

lum

.

15. T

extb

ooks

or o

ther

lear

ning

reso

urce

s cov

ered

sim

ilar c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills t

o th

ose

cove

red

by th

e NL

SA.

In a

dditi

on, t

each

ers c

over

ed si

mila

r con

tent

and

sk

ills i

n th

eir c

lass

es to

thos

e co

vere

d by

the

NLSA

, and

stud

ents

wer

e ex

pose

d to

mor

e ad

vanc

ed co

nten

t and

skill

s tha

n th

ose

cove

red

by th

e NL

SA.

16. T

he S

ISTA

is co

nsist

ent w

ith IL

SAs i

n So

lom

on Is

land

s. H

owev

er, i

t is u

ncle

ar w

heth

er th

e SI

STA

is co

nsist

ent w

ith cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ent s

ince

clas

sroo

m

asse

ssm

ent i

s div

erse

ly p

ract

iced

acro

ss sc

hool

s. T

he S

ISTA

is co

nsist

ent w

ith th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s Sec

onda

ry (S

ISE)

exa

min

atio

n ad

min

ister

ed a

t Yea

r 6.

17

. Spe

cial p

lans

wer

e m

ade

to e

nsur

e th

at th

e NL

SA w

as a

dmin

ister

ed to

stud

ents

in h

ard-

to-re

ach

area

s and

the

NLSA

was

offe

red

in th

e la

ngua

ge o

f in

stru

ctio

n fo

r alm

ost a

ll st

uden

t gro

ups.

18

. The

re a

re se

vera

l for

mal

mec

hani

sms i

n pl

ace

to e

nsur

e th

e qu

ality

of t

he N

LSA,

inclu

ding

trai

ning

scor

ers t

o en

sure

hig

h in

ter-

rate

r rel

iabi

lity,

car

ryin

g ou

t a

pilo

t bef

ore

the

mai

n da

ta c

olle

ctio

n ta

kes p

lace

, tra

inin

g al

l pro

ctor

s acc

ordi

ng to

a p

roto

col,

prov

idin

g a

stan

dard

ized

man

ual f

or S

ISTA

adm

inist

rato

rs, d

oubl

e sc

orin

g an

d pr

oces

sing

of d

ata,

and

intr

oduc

ing

inte

rnal

and

ext

erna

l rev

iew

ers

or o

bser

vers

. How

ever

, oth

er m

echa

nism

s, su

ch a

s nu

mbe

ring

all b

ookl

ets

and

cond

uctin

g an

ext

erna

l cer

tifica

tion

or a

udit,

are

not

in p

lace

. 19

. The

re w

as a

com

preh

ensiv

e te

chni

cal r

epor

t ava

ilabl

e on

the

SIST

A, a

lthou

gh a

cces

s to

the

repo

rt is

ava

ilabl

e on

requ

est b

y st

akeh

olde

rs.

20. S

ISTA

resu

lts w

ere

rele

ased

by

the

Solo

mon

Sta

r med

ia o

utle

t and

wer

e al

so co

mm

unica

ted

thro

ugh

a ra

dio

broa

dcas

t. 21

. Res

ults

rece

ived

lim

ited

med

ia co

vera

ge.

22. R

esul

ts w

ere

used

to in

form

dec

ision

mak

ing

at th

e co

untr

y le

vel,

inclu

ding

trac

king

the

impa

ct o

f ref

orm

s on

stud

ent a

chie

vem

ent l

evel

s, an

d in

form

ing

curr

iculu

m im

prov

emen

t, te

ache

r tra

inin

g pr

ogra

ms,

othe

r ass

essm

ent a

ctiv

ities

in th

e sy

stem

, and

reso

urce

allo

catio

n. S

ISTA

resu

lts in

fluen

ced

the

esta

blish

men

t of t

he Li

tera

cy P

roje

ct M

anag

emen

t Uni

t (LP

MU)

whi

ch m

anag

es li

tera

cy p

roje

cts i

n th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s foc

used

on

the

early

gra

des a

nd

vern

acul

ar.

23. T

here

is a

per

man

ent o

vers

ight

com

mitt

ee, t

he N

atio

nal E

xam

inat

ion

and

Asse

ssm

ent B

oard

, to

mon

itor t

he S

ISTA

. 24

. Sin

ce th

e SI

STA

was

upd

ated

in 2

013

and

base

line

data

was

colle

cted

at t

hat t

ime,

it is

too

early

to a

sses

s the

impa

ct o

f the

ass

essm

ent o

n ed

ucat

ion

qual

ity

in th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 38

SO

LOM

ON

ISLA

ND

S In

tern

atio

nal L

arge

-Sca

le A

sses

smen

t (IL

SA)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 39

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT

Ove

rall

fram

ewor

k of

pol

icies

, lea

ders

hip,

inst

itutio

nal a

rran

gem

ents

, fisc

al a

nd h

uman

reso

urce

s in

whi

ch th

e as

sess

men

t tak

es p

lace

in a

coun

try,

and

the

exte

nt to

whi

ch th

at fr

amew

ork

is di

rect

ly co

nduc

ive

to, o

r sup

port

ive

of, t

he a

sses

smen

t act

ivity

. LA

TEN

T EM

ERGI

NG

ESTA

BLIS

HED

AD

VAN

CED

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 1

:

Sett

ing

clea

r po

licie

s for

the

ILSA

Th

e co

untr

y ha

s not

par

ticip

ated

in a

n IL

SA in

the

last

10

year

s.

The

coun

try

has p

artic

ipat

ed in

, but

not

co

mpl

eted

, an

ILSA

in th

e la

st 1

0 ye

ars.

1

The

coun

try

has c

ompl

eted

one

ILSA

in

the

last

10

year

s.

The

coun

try

has c

ompl

eted

two

or m

ore

ILSA

s in

the

last

10

year

s.

The

coun

try

is no

t cur

rent

ly p

artic

ipat

ing

in a

n IL

SA o

r has

not

take

n co

ncre

te

step

s to

part

icipa

te in

an

ILSA

in th

e ne

xt

5 ye

ars.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

e co

untr

y is

curr

ently

par

ticip

atin

g in

an

ILSA

or h

as ta

ken

conc

rete

step

s to

part

icipa

te in

at l

east

one

ILSA

in th

e ne

xt 5

yea

rs. 2

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Ther

e w

as n

o co

untr

y-le

vel p

olicy

do

cum

ent t

hat a

ddre

ssed

par

ticip

atio

n in

the

ILSA

. 3

Ther

e w

as a

n in

form

al o

r dra

ft co

untr

y-le

vel p

olicy

doc

umen

t tha

t add

ress

ed

part

icipa

tion

in th

e IL

SA.

Ther

e w

as a

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel p

olicy

do

cum

ent t

hat a

ddre

ssed

par

ticip

atio

n in

the

ILSA

that

was

ava

ilabl

e up

on

requ

est o

r with

rest

ricte

d ac

cess

.

Ther

e w

as a

form

al co

untr

y-le

vel p

olicy

do

cum

ent t

hat a

ddre

ssed

par

ticip

atio

n in

th

e IL

SA th

at w

as p

ublic

ly a

vaila

ble

onlin

e to

any

one

inte

rest

ed.

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 2

: H

avin

g su

ffici

ent f

undi

ng fo

r th

e IL

SA

Ther

e w

as n

o fu

ndin

g fo

r par

ticip

atio

n in

th

e IL

SA, d

iscre

tiona

ry o

r oth

erw

ise. 4

Fu

ndin

g fo

r the

ILSA

act

iviti

es w

as

prim

arily

allo

cate

d at

the

disc

retio

n of

th

e co

untr

y's g

over

nmen

t.

Fund

ing

for t

he IL

SA a

ctiv

ities

was

pr

imar

ily a

lloca

ted

by la

w o

r reg

ulat

ion.

Th

is op

tion

does

not

app

ly to

this

dim

ensio

n.

Ther

e w

as n

o fu

ndin

g fro

m lo

ans,

exte

rnal

don

ors,

or in

tern

al so

urce

s.

Ther

e w

as fu

ndin

g on

ly o

r prim

arily

fro

m lo

ans o

r ext

erna

l don

ors.

5 Th

ere

was

fund

ing

prim

arily

from

the

coun

try'

s int

erna

l fun

ding

sour

ces.

Th

ere

was

fund

ing

only

from

the

coun

try'

s int

erna

l sou

rces

.

Ther

e w

as n

o fu

ndin

g fo

r cor

e ite

ms o

r re

sear

ch a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.

The

ILSA

fund

ing

cove

red

at le

ast

min

imum

core

item

s of t

he IL

SA. 6

The

ILSA

fund

ing

cove

red

mos

t cor

e ite

ms.

The

ILSA

fund

ing

cove

red

mos

t cor

e ite

ms,

plus

rese

arch

and

dev

elop

men

t.

(CO

NTIN

UED)

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

S ǀ S

ABER

-STU

DENT

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SABE

R CO

UNTR

Y RE

PORT

|201

4 SY

STEM

S AP

PRO

ACH

FOR

BETT

ER E

DUCA

TIO

N RE

SULT

S 40

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ENAB

LIN

G CO

NTE

XT 3

: H

avin

g ef

fect

ive

inst

itutio

nal a

nd h

uman

cap

acity

for

the

ILSA

Th

ere

was

no

ILSA

uni

t or t

eam

. Th

ere

was

at l

east

one

per

son

in ch

arge

of

the

ILSA

. 7 Th

ere

was

a re

cogn

ized

unit

or te

am

with

at l

east

som

e ex

perie

nce

in

inte

rnat

iona

l ass

essm

ents

that

carr

ied

out t

he IL

SA in

an

effe

ctiv

e w

ay.

Ther

e w

as a

n in

tern

atio

nally

-rec

ogni

zed

unit

or te

am w

ith v

ast e

xper

ienc

e in

in

tern

atio

nal a

sses

smen

ts th

at ca

rrie

d ou

t the

ILSA

in a

n ef

fect

ive

way

. Th

ere

was

no

ILSA

uni

t, or

the

unit

did

not h

ave

the

requ

ired

facil

ities

to ca

rry

out t

he IL

SA.

The

ILSA

uni

t had

onl

y a

few

of t

he

requ

ired

facil

ities

to ca

rry

out t

he IL

SA. 8

The

ILSA

uni

t had

all

of th

e re

quire

d fa

ciliti

es to

carr

y ou

t the

ILSA

. Th

e IL

SA u

nit h

ad u

p-to

-dat

e ve

rsio

ns o

f al

l of t

he re

quire

d fa

ciliti

es to

carr

y ou

t th

e IL

SA.

The

coun

try

offe

red

no o

ppor

tuni

ties t

o le

arn

abou

t ILS

As.

The

coun

try

offe

red

min

imal

op

port

uniti

es to

lear

n ab

out I

LSA.

9

The

coun

try

offe

red

adeq

uate

op

port

uniti

es to

lear

n ab

out I

LSA.

Th

e co

untr

y of

fere

d ad

equa

te

oppo

rtun

ities

to le

arn

abou

t ILS

A to

a

broa

d au

dien

ce, i

nclu

ding

the

ILSA

team

an

d ed

ucat

ors.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

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S 41

SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent i

s coh

eren

t with

oth

er co

mpo

nent

s of t

he e

duca

tion

syst

em.

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

SYST

EM A

LIGN

MEN

T 1:

Al

igni

ng th

e IL

SA w

ith le

arni

ng g

oals

for

the

coun

try

The

ILSA

was

not

alig

ned

with

the

coun

try'

s offi

cial

lear

ning

goa

ls, o

r the

co

untr

y di

d no

t hav

e of

ficia

l lea

rnin

g go

als.

The

ILSA

was

par

tially

alig

ned

with

the

coun

try'

s offi

cial

lear

ning

goa

ls.

The

ILSA

was

suffi

cient

ly a

ligne

d w

ith th

e co

untr

y's o

ffici

al le

arni

ng g

oals.

10

The

ILSA

was

fully

alig

ned

with

the

coun

try'

s offi

cial

lear

ning

goa

ls.

Stud

ents

wer

e no

t pre

viou

sly e

xpos

ed to

th

e ty

pe o

f con

tent

and

skill

s mea

sure

d by

the

ILSA

.

Stud

ents

had

lim

ited

prev

ious

exp

osur

e to

the

type

of c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills

mea

sure

d by

the

ILSA

.

Stud

ents

had

suffi

cien

t pre

viou

s ex

posu

re to

the

type

of c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills

mea

sure

d by

the

ILSA

. 11

Stud

ents

had

ext

ensiv

e pr

evio

us

expo

sure

to th

e ty

pe o

f con

tent

and

skill

s m

easu

red

by th

e IL

SA.

The

ILSA

was

not

cons

isten

t with

the

coun

try'

s oth

er a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

The

ILSA

was

min

imal

ly co

nsist

ent w

ith

the

coun

try'

s oth

er a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

The

ILSA

was

gen

eral

ly co

nsist

ent w

ith

the

coun

try'

s oth

er a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

12

The

ILSA

was

fully

cons

isten

t with

the

coun

try'

s oth

er a

sses

smen

t act

iviti

es.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

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S 42

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y De

gree

to w

hich

the

asse

ssm

ent m

eets

tech

nica

l qua

lity

stan

dard

s, is

fair

and

is us

ed in

an

effe

ctiv

e w

ay.

LATE

NT

EMER

GIN

G ES

TABL

ISH

ED

ADVA

NCE

D

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 1:

En

suri

ng th

e te

chni

cal q

ualit

y of

the

ILSA

Th

e co

untr

y di

d no

t mee

t suf

ficie

nt

tech

nica

l sta

ndar

ds to

hav

e its

dat

a pr

esen

ted

in th

e in

tern

atio

nal r

epor

t or

an a

nnex

.

The

coun

try

met

suffi

cien

t tec

hnica

l st

anda

rds t

o ha

ve it

s dat

a pr

esen

ted

bene

ath

the

mai

n di

spla

y of

the

inte

rnat

iona

l rep

ort o

r in

an a

nnex

.

The

coun

try

met

all

tech

nica

l sta

ndar

ds

requ

ired

to h

ave

its d

ata

pres

ente

d in

th

e m

ain

disp

lays

of t

he in

tern

atio

nal

repo

rt. 1

3

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

ASSE

SSM

ENT

QU

ALIT

Y 2:

En

suri

ng e

ffect

ive

uses

of I

LSA

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

not d

issem

inat

ed in

the

coun

try.

14

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

diss

emin

ated

usin

g at

leas

t one

co

mm

unica

tion

stra

tegy

.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

diss

emin

ated

usin

g so

me

com

mun

icatio

n st

rate

gies

.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

diss

emin

ated

usin

g a

varie

ty o

f co

mm

unica

tion

stra

tegi

es, i

nclu

ding

di

ssem

inat

ion

to m

ost s

choo

ls.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

not c

over

ed b

y m

edia

in th

e co

untr

y.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

cove

red

by o

ne m

edia

out

let i

n th

e co

untr

y.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

cove

red

by so

me

med

ia o

utle

ts in

the

coun

try.

Coun

try

resu

lts a

nd in

form

atio

n w

ere

cove

red

by a

var

iety

of m

edia

out

lets

in

the

coun

try.

Resu

lts fr

om th

e IL

SA h

ave

not b

een

used

to in

form

dec

ision

mak

ing.

Re

sults

from

the

ILSA

hav

e be

en u

sed

in

a ve

ry li

mite

d w

ay to

info

rm d

ecisi

on

mak

ing

in th

e co

untr

y.

Resu

lts fr

om th

e IL

SA h

ave

been

use

d in

so

me

way

s to

info

rm d

ecisi

on m

akin

g in

th

e co

untr

y.

Resu

lts fr

om th

e IL

SA h

ave

been

use

d in

a

varie

ty o

f way

s to

info

rm d

ecisi

on

mak

ing

in th

e co

untr

y.

Ther

e is

no cl

ear e

vide

nce

or c

onse

nsus

ab

out t

he p

ositi

ve im

pact

of t

he IL

SA o

n ed

ucat

ion

qual

ity.

This

optio

n do

es n

ot a

pply

to th

is di

men

sion.

Th

ere

is a

gene

ral c

onse

nsus

abo

ut th

e po

sitiv

e im

pact

of t

he IL

SA o

n ed

ucat

ion

qual

ity.

Ther

e is

evid

ence

of t

he p

ositi

ve im

pact

of

the

ILSA

on

educ

atio

n qu

ality

.

SOLO

MO

N IS

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S 43

Inte

rnat

iona

l Lar

ge S

cale

Ass

essm

ent (

ILSA

): Developmen

t-level rating j

ustifications

1. S

olom

on Is

land

s has

par

ticip

ated

in, b

ut n

ot co

mpl

eted

, an

ILSA

in th

e pa

st 1

0 ye

ars

2. S

olom

on Is

land

s is c

urre

ntly

par

ticip

atin

g in

the

Pacif

ic Isl

ands

Lite

racy

and

Num

erac

y As

sess

men

t (PI

LNA)

for 2

012,

in w

hich

14

coun

trie

s in

the

Pacif

ic re

gion

pa

rtici

pate

. 3.

The

re w

as n

o co

untr

y-le

vel p

olicy

doc

umen

t in

Sol

omon

Isla

nds

that

add

ress

ed p

artic

ipat

ion

in t

he IL

SA; h

owev

er, t

he S

ecre

taria

t of

the

Pacif

ic Bo

ard

for

Educ

atio

nal A

sses

smen

t (SP

BEA)

, a re

gion

al b

ody,

rece

ived

a re

gion

al m

anda

te fr

om th

e Pa

cific

Foru

m E

duca

tion

Min

ster

s Mee

tings

(FEd

MM

) in

2006

to d

evel

op

the

PILN

A.

4. T

here

was

fund

ing

allo

cate

d by

don

ors.

5.

Fun

ding

was

allo

cate

d by

the

Aust

ralia

n Ai

d Pr

ogra

mm

e an

d Se

cret

aria

t of t

he P

acifi

c Boa

rd fo

r Edu

catio

nal A

sses

smen

t (SP

BEA)

. 6.

The

ILSA

fund

ing

cove

red

som

e co

re it

ems,

inclu

ding

impl

emen

tatio

n of

the

asse

ssm

ent e

xerc

ise in

the

coun

try,

and

pro

cess

ing

and

anal

yzin

g da

ta c

olle

cted

fro

m im

plem

enta

tion.

In

addi

tion,

fund

ing

cove

red

atte

ndan

ce a

t int

erna

tiona

l mee

tings

. IL

SA fu

ndin

g di

d no

t cov

er re

port

ing

and

diss

emin

atin

g th

e re

sults

in

the

coun

try,

inte

rnat

iona

l par

ticip

atio

n fe

es, r

esea

rch

and

deve

lopm

ent,

or st

aff s

alar

ies.

7. T

here

was

a n

atio

nal c

oord

inat

or fo

r the

PIL

NA in

Sol

omon

Isla

nds w

ho is

loca

ted

in N

ESU,

a sc

hool

coor

dina

tor w

ho m

anag

ed th

e ad

min

istra

tion

at th

e sc

hool

le

vel f

or s

elec

ted

scho

ols,

and

test

sup

ervi

sors

who

adm

inist

er th

e as

sess

men

t at t

he c

lass

room

leve

l in

sele

ct s

choo

ls. I

n ad

ditio

n, fo

r eac

h as

sess

men

t are

a,

liter

acy

and

num

erac

y, th

ere

was

a p

anel

resp

onsib

le fo

r mar

king

the

asse

ssm

ents

. Al

thou

gh th

is w

as th

e fir

st ti

me

that

this

team

was

in ch

arge

of t

he IL

SA, t

here

w

ere

no q

ualit

y pr

oble

ms i

dent

ified

with

carr

ying

out

the

PILN

A in

Sol

omon

Isla

nds.

8.

The

ILSA

uni

t has

up-

to-d

ate

com

pute

rs fo

r all t

echn

ical s

taff,

suffi

cient

com

pute

r ser

vers

, and

top-

leve

l sec

urity

for b

uild

ing.

It d

oes n

ot h

ave

adeq

uate

stor

age

facil

ities

or c

omm

unica

tion

tool

s. 9.

ILSA

tea

m m

embe

rs a

nd t

each

ers

invo

lved

in t

he s

corin

g of

the

ass

essm

ent

wer

e ab

le t

o be

nefit

fro

m s

ome

oppo

rtun

ities

to

lear

n ab

out

PILN

A du

ring

pres

enta

tions

cond

ucte

d by

NES

U. K

ey p

erso

nnel

also

par

ticip

ated

in w

orks

hops

org

anize

d by

SPB

EA fo

r all

PILN

A pa

rtici

patin

g co

untr

ies.

In a

dditi

on, t

he S

PBEA

pr

ovid

ed in

-cou

ntry

trai

ning

on

scor

ing,

dat

a co

llect

ion

met

hodo

logy

, and

qua

lity

assu

ranc

e pr

otoc

ol to

pan

el le

ader

s and

pan

el m

embe

rs.

10. T

he P

ILNA

was

alig

ned

with

the

cont

ent a

nd s

kills

are

as o

f Sol

omon

Isla

nd's

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or

cur

ricul

um.

In a

dditi

on, t

he P

ILNA

was

alig

ned

with

pe

dago

gica

l app

roac

hes o

r act

iviti

es co

mpa

tible

with

the

Solo

mon

Isla

nd's

offic

ial l

earn

ing

goal

s or c

urric

ulum

. 11

. In

Solo

mon

Isla

nds,

text

book

s and

lear

ning

reso

urce

s, as

wel

l as t

each

ers,

cove

r sim

ilar c

onte

nt a

nd sk

ills t

o th

ose

cove

red

by th

e PI

LNA.

Fur

ther

mor

e, st

uden

ts

are

expo

sed

to m

ore

basic

cont

ent a

nd sk

ills t

han

thos

e co

vere

d by

the

PILN

A.

SOLO

MO

N IS

LAND

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12. I

t is u

ncle

ar w

heth

er th

e IL

SA is

cons

isten

t with

clas

sroo

m a

sses

smen

t sin

ce cl

assr

oom

ass

essm

ents

are

cond

ucte

d at

the

scho

ol le

vel a

nd ca

n be

div

erse

acr

oss

scho

ols.

The

ILSA

is c

onsis

tent

with

exa

min

atio

ns, p

artic

ular

ly th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s Sec

onda

ry E

ntra

nce

(SIS

E) e

xam

inat

ion

adm

inist

ered

at Y

ear 6

, at w

hich

leve

l th

e PI

LNA

is al

so a

dmin

ister

ed. T

he IL

SA is

also

fully

cons

isten

t with

the

natio

nal l

arge

-sca

le a

sses

smen

t (SI

STA)

in S

olom

on Is

land

s. 13

. Sol

omon

Isla

nds h

as co

mpl

ied

with

all

tech

nica

l sta

ndar

ds, a

nd it

is e

xpec

ted

that

its r

esul

ts w

ill b

e pr

esen

ted

in th

e m

ain

sect

ion

of th

e in

tern

atio

nal r

epor

t.

14. S

ince

PIL

NA re

sults

hav

e no

t yet

bee

n ap

prov

ed b

y th

e FE

dMM

, the

y ha

ve n

ot b

een

diss

emin

ated

in th

e So

lom

on Is

land

s.

SOLOMON ISLANDS ǀ SABER-STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2014

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS

45

Acknowledgements This report was prepared by the World Bank SABER-Student Assessment team in collaboration with Clark Matthews (World Bank Consultant). The report benefitted from the data collection efforts and insight of Adrian Alamu (PaBER Assessment Officer, South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment) and Seema Prasad (PaBER Assessment Officer, South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment), as well as input from the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.

References Clarke, M. 2012. “What Matters Most for Student Assessment Systems: A Framework Paper.” READ/SABER Working Paper Series. Washington, DC: World Bank. Government of Solomon Islands. 2007. Education Strategic Framework 2007-2015. Honiara, Solomon Islands. Data retrieved from: http://www.paddle.usp.ac.fj/collect/paddle/index/assoc/sol031.dir/doc.pdf on January 9, 2014. World Bank. 2012. Solomon Islands Country Indicator Data. Washington, DC: World Bank. Data retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/ on January 9, 2014. ---. 2013. Solomon Islands- Country Partnership Strategy for the Period FY2013-2017. Report No. 76349 SB. Washington, DC: World Bank.

SOLOMON ISLANDS ǀ SABER-STUDENT ASSESSMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2014

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS46

The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country's education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of student assessment.

This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

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