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Sergij Gabrøœek George Bethell Matura Examinations in Slovenia Case Study of the Introduction of an External Examinations System for Schools

Matura Examinations in Slovenia

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Sergij Gabrøœek

George Bethell

Matura Examinations in SloveniaCase Study of the Introduction of an ExternalExaminations System for Schools

––

CIP – Kataloæni zapis o

publikaciji

Narodna in univerzitetna

knjiænica, Ljubljana

371.274/.276:373.5

GABRØŒEK, Sergij

Matura examinations in

Slovenia : case study of the

introduction of an external

examinations system for

schools / Sergij Gabrøœek,

George Bethell. – Ljubljana :

National Examinations

Centre, 1996

ISBN 961-6120-49-2

1. Bethell, George

61917696

Sergij Gabrøœek1

George Bethell2

Matura Examinations in Slovenia

––

Case Study of the Introduction of an ExternalExaminations System for Schools

1 Dr. Sergij Gabrøœek,

Director,

National Examinations

Centre,

Podmiløœakova 25,

1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

2 George Bethell,

Educational Consultant,

17 Orchard Avenue,

Cambridge CB4 2AQ,

United Kingdom

Abstract

Background to Slovenia

History of the Development of Matura

Description of Matura and Comparison with the School-Based ‘Final Examination’

Developing Subject Catalogues for Matura

Development of Question Papers

Preparing for Matura: Trial Examinations

Preparing for Matura: Gaining Support

The National Examinations Centre

Future Activities

Conclusions and Analysis

Contents

–––––––––––

7

9

11

21

25

29

33

41

45

53

57

The place of assessment and certification of learnerachievement continues to be of great interest throughoutthe world. However, in eastern and central Europe there isa particular urgency about the debate as newlyindependent states review and reform their educationsystems in the light of changing social and economicconditions.

Slovenia is currently in the middle of a developmentprogramme which will eventually affect all parts of itseducation system. In July 1995, a major feature of theprogramme became reality when the first Matura, orgraduation examination, was successfully conducted on anational scale. The new Matura is based on examinationswhich are set and marked externally to the schools wherethe students study. This represents a radical departurefrom previous practice whereby school-based tests and awide range of university faculty entrance examinationscontrolled access to higher education.

This paper describes the background to this key reform, andoutlines the difficulties encountered and the steps taken toovercome them.

Abstract

7

Slovenia is a small country (20,251 sq km) with a populationof just over two million. Formerly part of Yugoslavia, itbecame independent in 1991. It is bordered by Italy,Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and by a tiny (42 km) strip of theAdriatic Sea.

3 As at August 1994 – up

from 4.7% in 1990

Background to Slovenia

9

Hungary

CroatiaItaly

Adriatic Sea

Austria

The national language is Slovene. There is an Italian-speaking minority concentrated on the coast and aHungarian-speaking minority in the north-eastern part ofthe country. English is by far the most popular foreignlanguage studied in schools.

In the past, Slovenia’s economy, and hence job market, waslargely based on heavy industry, particularly in the north-east of the country. However, with the loss of formermarkets and faced with competition from more efficientcompetitors, much of this has now gone. This contributesto an overall unemployment level of 14.4%3, with higherfigures in agriculture and in industrial towns such asMaribor. Steps are being taken to increase thecontributions made by the service industries and, inparticular, tourism but it is unlikely that these will make asignificant impact on unemployment in the near future.Lack of job opportunities has caused an increase indemand for university places.

In the 1980’s, Slovenia operated what was known as ‘careereducation’ in its secondary schools. This was meant toprovide both general, academic education for thoseaspiring to higher education, and vocational/occupationalpaths for the others. Towards the end of the decade therewas a growing awareness that career education was notmeeting the needs of society and so, in 1989, a decisionwas made to re-introduce a bifurcated secondary system.This comprises ‘Gimnazija’ or grammar schools, andtechnical/professional schools. New programmes of study(curricula) were prepared by the Ministry’s Board ofEducation and were introduced in 1990-91.

Under the old career education model there had been no‘final examination’ at the end of secondary schooling. Allassessment was based on teacher-made tests. Grades 1–5were awarded on the basis of the distribution of markswithin a single classroom. As a consequence, studentswere often taught and assessed only on very limitedportions of the approved curriculum leading to incompleteand fragmented understanding. In addition, no directcomparison of standards could be made among studentscoming from different schools... or even different classes!

Students wishing to enter university had to take the entrancetests of all the faculties to which they applied. Facultiesused a variety of approaches including entranceexaminations and aptitude tests. Notwithstanding anyconcerns about the quality of these selection instruments,students generally found the process stressful and aconsiderable burden.

History of the Development of Matura

11

Under normal circumstances such a system may provetolerable. However, the universities of Slovenia were alsosuffering from extremely high drop-out rates. The averagepass rate at the end of the first year of university wasabout 46%. At the end of the second year it was about 68%and even at the end of the third year it was only 62%. Theoverall rate of non-completion (allowing for repetition) wasestimated to be about 55%.

It was therefore felt that systematising the schoolassessment process would help to improve the quality anduniformity of secondary education and allow universities toselect more suitable applicants – both of these factorshelping to reduce the drop-out rate and, hence, increasethe efficiency of the university system.

In 1989, a Ministry working group recommended that aMatura, or graduation examination, be re-introduced4 aspart of the new education system.

In 1991, an attempt was made to impose an internal ‘finalexamination’ in four subjects. This provoked studentprotests and strikes. Students argued, with somejustification, that they had not been informed about thisexamination when they had started their courses. Theconflict was resolved by restricting the final examination totwo subjects in the first year, increasing to four in thefollowing year. This experience led many to doubt whetherMatura could ever be introduced, whilst others recognisedthat any major reform in the field of student assessmentwould take time and would need very careful planning.

In January 1992, regulations for the Matura were published.These confirmed the date for the first examination (1995)and set a deadline (1st September 1993) for the publicationof ‘catalogues5’, or syllabuses for all Matura subjects. Theregulations also provided for a committee structure to bearresponsibility for the Matura.

In March 1992, the National Matura Commission (Republiøkamaturitetna komisija) was established. This has overallresponsibility for the Matura and determines the rules andprocedures for all stages of the examination process.

4 Forms of Matura had

existed prior to the

introduction of the career

education model. However,

these were based on internal

assessment.

5 The term ‘katalog’ is used

in Slovenia for the document

which sets out for teachers

details of the curriculum and

the assessment process in

each subject. In some

countries this would be the

‘examination syllabus’, in

others the ‘curriculum

document’. This paper uses

‘catalogue’ throughout.

12

The Commission comprises representatives of:

Universities of Ljubljana and Maribor

Secondary Schools

Ministry of Education and Sport

National Committee for Education

Slovene Academy of Science and Arts.

The Director of the National Examinations Centre (seebelow) also serves on the Commission.

Subject-specific work is carried out by the National SubjectCommissions (Republiøke predmetne komisije). These arecomposed of representatives of universities, secondaryschools, and, in some cases, the Board of Education.

Key responsibilities include:

development of subject catalogues;

preparation of question papers and marking schemes;

marking of student scripts; and,

recommending grade thresholds (cut-offs) to the National MaturaCommission.

Responsibility for the conduct of examinations in schools isheld by School Matura Commissions (Øolske maturitetnekomisije). These act under the leadership of the Principal ofeach school.

There are also School Subject Commissions (Øolskepredmetne komisije). These conduct the oral examinationsand any other examination components which areorganised internally (e.g. laboratory work in sciencesubjects). They also discuss professional questions withintheir subject areas and submit proposals to the MaturaSubject Commissions.

–––––

––––

13

At the same time that the Matura committee structure wasbeing established, four representatives were sent to the UKto study various aspects of the theory and practice ofeducational assessment.

Some Subject Commissions had already developed someexpertise in the writing of test items. For example, theMathematics Commission had made progress inintroducing common final examination papers to a clusterof interested schools. However, the general level ofexpertise and experience was, not surprisingly, low. Inorder to assist the Commissions with the immediate task ofwriting catalogues, a two-week seminar was held in thetown of Økofja Loka. The seminar and workshops were ledby four trainers from the University of Cambridge LocalExaminations Syndicate in the UK.

The focus was on the general subject areas of:

Mother Tongue (Slovene, Italian, Hungarian)

Foreign and Classical Languages (English, Italian, French, German,Spanish, Latin)

Humanities (History, Geography, Economics, Philosophy, Sociology,Psychology)

Natural Sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry)

Mathematics.

The principal aim of the seminar was to assist the SubjectCommissions in the preparation of draft catalogues. Thisinvolved identifying aims and assessment objectives forsubjects, defining examination content, and designingappropriate assessment instruments. However, theseminar had an equally important side effect – it allowedSubject Commissions which hitherto had worked inisolation to come together and discuss common concernsand views on the best format for Matura. Towards the endof the seminar, an open and frank discussion took placebetween the representatives of Subject Commissions, theNational Matura Commission, and the Ministry. It was thismeeting which confirmed that Matura would be based onexaminations set and administered externally to schools.

–––––

14

The Økofja Loka seminar catalysed the Matura developmentprogramme. Firstly, it allowed the Subject Commissionsinvolved to produce draft catalogues6. Secondly, ithighlighted the professional expertise and theadministrative capacity which would have to be developedfor Matura to succeed.

One direct consequence was a decision to establish theNational Examinations Centre (Dr`avni izpitni center) as anindependent body. (It had originally been envisaged as apart of the Board of Education.) The necessary legislationwas enacted in June 1993.

The National Examinations Centre’s first responsibilities included:

preparing and maintaining the Matura7 information system;

matters relating to Subject Working parties and examiners;

printing and distributing examination material;

preparing and analysing results data.

Whilst the responsibilities of the National ExaminationsCentre may appear to be largely administrative, it has, inpractice, come to play a pivotal role in all aspects of theexamination process. It provides support to the SubjectCommissions and exerts an additional level of control overthe quality of question papers. It also provides informationand technical advice to the National Matura Commission inmatters of policy.

6 A second workshop for

technical subjects was

carried out in May 1993.

7 In fact the National

Examinations Centre will be

responsible for all external

examinations taken in

schools in Slovenia. These

will include a series of

‘National Assessment Tests’

to be introduced at key

stages of primary and

secondary education.

––––

15

Key partners in the delivery

of Matura

16

–MSCn –SSC1 –SSC2 SSCn–. . . . . . . . .

...

– ––

...

...

...

...

––MSC1

MSC2

National MaturaCommission

National ExaminationsCentre

School SubjectCommission

Mat

ura

Su

bje

ctC

om

mis

sio

n

The relationships and flow of information among the keypartners in the delivery of Matura are showndiagramatically below.

In July 1993, all 32 subject catalogues were approved by theNational Council for Education. These were printed anddistributed to schools in September, two years in advanceof the first examinations as required by the MaturaRegulations.

a) Teacher preparedness was achieved through aseries of in-service teacher training seminarsorganised by the Board of Education anddelivered by members of the SubjectCommissions. These were designed to clarifythe requirements of the catalogues and to givegreater information as to what the examinationwould be looking for. This was particularlyimportant where the catalogue had placedemphasis on new skills. For example, in EnglishLiterature, complete works were to be read andstudied rather than the abstracts which had beenused in the past. In addition, teachers weremade aware of the format and levels of Maturapapers through a series of ‘trial Matura’.

The trial and pilot examinations were conductedduring 1994 and early 1995. The preparation ofthese placed additional pressures on the SubjectCommissions and on the National ExaminationsCentre. However, the role of the trials inshowing teachers and students exactly what wasrequired, in providing the National MaturaCommission and the Subject Commissions withinformation on appropriate standards, and inallowing the National Examination Centre to testand review its procedures, proved crucial in theimplementation of Matura. Further details aregiven in the section ’Preparing for Matura: TrialExaminations‘.

Following the publication of catalogues, the Matura developmentprogramme had four main objectives:

to train teachers so that they would be better able to preparestudents;

to raise public awareness of the new system;

to develop and test the necessary administrative systems; and,

to prepare the ‘live’ examination papers for 1995.

––––

a

b

c

d

17

b) Wider public awareness of the impendingchanges was brought about by a publicityprogramme of newspaper articles and televisionbroadcasts, and a poster campaign. A newcartoon character was even developed to get themessage across.

8 The September

examination is a full Matura

examination. However, many

of the candidates will be

retaking one or more

subjects in order to pass or

improve their grades. Some

candidates, for example the

handicapped, have the right

to take their Matura over two

examination periods.

18

Candidate Rick, new Matura

cartoon character

c) The administrative systems for the examinationwere prepared at the National ExaminationsCentre but Subject Commissions were alsoactive in planning marking procedures for theirpapers. All these systems were tried and testedin the trial Matura examinations. Wherenecessary, new procedures and technologieswere introduced in readiness for the largervolumes expected for the live examination.

d) Throughout all this, the Subject Commissionsmet on a regular basis in order to prepare thequestion papers, not only for the June 1995examination but also for the Septemberexamination8. A further set was also required tobe used in the event of leakage. To support theCommissions in their work, item-writing andmoderation workshops were held in December1994. Once again these were led by trainersfrom the UK.

abolition of the traditional Matura, introduction of finalexaminations

last year in which candidates took final examination

Ministry working group proposes introduction of an externalMatura

legal basis for Matura as admission condition for University

re-introduction of final examinations

introduction of renewed programs for Matura in secondary schools

publication of Regulations for Matura, nomination of Commissions

seminar for National Subject Commissions

establishment of the National Examinations Centre

publication of examinations catalogues

Act on Higher Education

first generation starts preparation for the Matura examination

first pre-testing for selected schools (years 3 and 4)

second pre-testing for selected schools (years 3 and 4)

trial Matura for selected schools

pre-testing for the whole 4 year population

pre-testing for selected 3 year population

first external Matura examination – spring term

Matura examination – autumn term

58

84/85

89

89

91

91/92

Jan. 92

Sep. 92

June 93

Aug. 93

Dec. 93

93/94

Jan. 94

Apr. 94

June 94

Jan. 95

Apr. 95

June 95

Sep. 95

–––––––––––––––––––

19

Finally, in June 1995, about 7600 students in Slovenia (andone in the United States!) took the Matura examination.

Marking and data processing were completed by 20 July andresults approved by the National Matura Commission on21 July according to the agreed schedule.

The key events in the Matura development programme aregiven in the table below.

The Matura examination system is now the only route touniversity for students studying at school. It is a ‘groupcertificate’ which requires students to surpass minimumlevels in a prescribed combination of subjects.

Matura in Slovenia consists of five subjects. The threecompulsory subjects are: Mother Tongue, Mathematics,Foreign Language. Two optional subjects (electives) mustbe chosen from a wide range of natural sciences, foreignand classical languages, humanities, social sciences,technical and vocational subjects. (A complete list is givenin the Appendix I.) Mathematics and Foreign Languages(including Latin) are available at two separate levels; higherand basic. Success at the higher level gains extra points(see Table 2.). Mother Tongue subjects are only availableat one level but the grading system allows for the award ofbonus points. All other subjects are available at one levelonly.

All subjects are externally assessed. The written part of theexamination accounts for between 80–100% of the finalmark9. In addition to the written papers the naturalsciences include experimental work; Psychology,Sociology, Philosophy and some technical subjects includeproject work; and other subjects include oral examinationsconducted within schools (Appendix II.)

In common with school-based tests and the internal finalexamination, each Matura subject is graded on a five-pointscale: 1 is considered a negative or failing grade with 2, 3,4, and 5 as positive grades.

In order to pass Matura, a student must achieve a positivegrade in all five subjects10.

Description of Matura and Comparisonwith the School-Based ‘Final Examination’

9 Music is likely to break this

pattern by placing 70% of the

marks on “performance”.

10 In fact a compensatory

system operates for students

who fall short of the pass

mark in just one subject but

who have achieved a

minimum proportion (80%)

of the passing mark in that

subject and at least two

grade 3s in other subjects.

These ‘near pass’ students

are awarded a positive grade

(2) in the failed subject.

21

Successful students also receive a point score derived fromthe sum of their subject grades11. If a subject has beenpassed at the higher level, then up to three points areadded to the student’s score. This gives a maximumpossible Matura points score of 34.

11 This system mirrors that

of the internal final

examination which awards

an ‘overall grade’ in addition

to subject grades. The

difference is that the internal

overall grade is on the

ubiquitous five-grade scale

whereas the Matura points

total ranges from 5-34.

For example:

Student Maths 5 (Higher level) 5+3Slovene 5+ 5+3English 5 (Higher level) 5+3History 5 5Chemistry 5 5

Total = 34

Student Maths 4 (Basic level) 4Slovene 4– 4+1French 2 (Higher level) 2+1Geography 4 4Philosophy 2 2

Total = 18

Student Maths 3 (Basic level) 3Slovene 3– 3German 3 3Biology 3 3Chemistry 3 3

Total = 15

22

TotalPoints Score

A

–B

–C

University entrance will depend upon total points score and,for certain faculties, the scores gained in individualsubjects.

Whilst the Matura is now the only ‘ticket’ to a universityplace, there are alternative opportunities in, for example,professional schools, where Matura is not a prerequisite. Inthese cases, the internal ‘final examination’ mark may beused. This examination, which is the parallel alternativeexamination at the end of the secondary school, leads toemployment or studies at professional higher educationinstitutions where the access is offered to both categoriesof candidates, those with Matura and those with the finalexamination.

The final examination consists of compulsory and elective parts.The compulsory part consists of the following subjects:

Mother Tongue;

Mathematics or Foreign Language, selected by the student.

The elective part consists of:

a basic (core) disciplinary subject (which can in exceptional cases beone of the general subjects if it is vital for the profession);

a paper or product or project work and its presentation or anotherdisciplinary subject.

The final examination is an internal examination, preparedby candidates’ own teachers in schools so directcomparison among candidates coming from differentschools or even from different classes in the same schoolis not possible.

––

––

23

Subject catalogues were developed during the periodSeptember 1992 to July 1993. They include the keyelements of an examination syllabus: subject aims,assessment objectives, subject content, and a descriptionof the assessment procedures. In addition, they includesample questions or even complete sample questionpapers. Many Subject Commissions also chose to includeadditional notes for teachers. (In a perhaps somewhatexcessive case, the Italian catalogue runs to 300 pages!)

Since this was not a curriculum reform exercise, all subjectcatalogues had to be compatible with the existing nationalcurriculum. This was adhered to as a general principle, butsome subject groups took this opportunity to rationalisethe curriculum and to redirect the emphasis within it. Forexample, at the first Økofja Loka seminar the ForeignLanguages groups agreed to develop their catalogueswithin a uniform framework in order to promote acommon approach towards teaching and testing based onthe use of language in context. The emphasis on discretepoints of grammar was reduced and the skill of writingelevated to play a more important part.

The natural science groups also took the opportunity toinfluence classroom practice by developing an‘experimental science’ component to be conducted byteachers but moderated externally. This componenteffectively forces teachers to pay due attention to theexperimental work which was included in the nationalcurriculum but ignored in many schools.

Developing Subject Catalogues for Matura

25

Each draft catalogue was reviewed by at least two reviewers– one from a university and the other from a secondaryschool. In addition, the Board of Education had to checkeach catalogue and confirm that it was compatible with thenational curriculum.

Even though the content of the Matura catalogues was takenfrom the existing curriculum, their publication causedsomething of a stir since they revealed ‘holes’ in what wasbeing taught in many schools. It appears that in theabsence of any external checking mechanisms, teachershad, over the years, allowed some topics to drop out oftheir teaching programmes. For example, the Mathematicscatalogue included assessment of statistics – a topic whichmany teachers had chosen to ignore in the past. Thisconfirmed earlier assumptions about the unevenness ofpreparation of university applicants.

26

Question Paper Preparation

Subject Commissions are responsible for the preparation ofquestion papers and marking schemes. Some have tried toengage teachers in submitting questions for item banks butit remains true that nearly all the expertise in item-writingand test development resides within the SubjectCommissions. The National Examinations Centre hasrecently appointed some professional ‘SubjectCoordinators’ to support the Subject Commissions and toincrease the Centre’s control over question paper quality.This will become more effective as they are trained and asthey gain experience.

Development of Question Papers

29

The general procedure is:

National Examinations Centre nominates Chief Examiner

The Chief Examiner organises the preparation of draft questionpapers and marking schemes from materials submitted byCommission members

Subject Commission ‘moderates’ (checks) all aspects of thequestion papers and marking schemes

Subject Commission passes the draft question paper, on diskette, tothe National Examinations Centre

National Examinations Centre produces desktop published masterversion

Chief Examiner and the Chairman of the Commission check themaster version at the National Examinations Centre

Revisions made and master version re-checked

Final version held at the National Examinations Centre prior toprinting.

Whilst this procedure has worked well so far, it placestremendous pressures on the limited human resources ofthe Subject Commissions. It also leaves all aspects ofchecking to those who have been intimately involved withthe paper’s development and so cannot look at it with fresheyes. This is widely recognised and one of the next stepswill be to identify and develop additional expertise so thatthe Subject Commissions and the National ExaminationsCentre can delegate responsibilities without losingprofessional control.

––

––––––

30

Printing, Storage and Despatch

Printing of question papers and other examination materialsis the responsibility of the National Examinations Centre.

For the first Matura examination, all this work was carriedout in-house. This included desktop publishing, printing,and packing. The security that this brings proved a greatasset when an unfounded rumour circulated just before thefirst examination that copies of Matura question papershad been thrown in waste bins by the printers andsubsequently found and leaked!

After printing, question papers are packed in tamper-proofsecurity bags and stored ready for packing according to therequirements of each school and, eventually, despatch.

Boxes of question papers and other examination materialsare delivered by a commercial courier according to a strictschedule.

31

Newspaper cartoon

As has been mentioned above, preparation for theintroduction of Matura was given much attention.

There was a need:

to avoid student protest (memories of the student strikes of 1991were still fresh in people’s minds);

to gain teacher support (reports of teachers’ boycotts of nationalassessments in the UK reached Slovenian newspapers); and,

to ensure that the National Examinations Centre could cope with theworkload (the introduction of a new examination (GCSE) in the UKin 1988 encountered potentially catastrophic problems asExamination Boards buckled under the pressure of work).

Perhaps the most important element in this preparatoryphase was the decision to run a series of trial and pilottests.

The trial Matura took place between 21 May and 13 June1994. A total of 26 schools and 960 students volunteered totake part. In the event, 618 students took the examinationin five subjects. 76% of these passed and it was generallyagreed that the results had met the expectations of schoolsand students. However, the trials had revealed severalimportant issues which had to be addressed prior to thelive examination.

Preparing for Matura: Trial Examinations

33

–––

Grading Procedures for Matura

In the absence of any objective or empirical evidence on‘standards’, the grading of the trial Matura was clearly ofvital importance. It was impossible to apply earlier systemsbecause these had been based on arbitrary and ill-definedcriteria. For example, in internal examinations, 50% wasconsidered the pass mark regardless of the level ofdifficulty of the questions or the distribution of studentscores12. So, for the trial Matura, Subject Commissions settheir minimum acceptable standard for passing (thresholdfor Grade 2) and for ‘excellent’ (threshold for Grade 5) byanalysing their question papers and the scripts producedby students against their own ‘expert judgement’ ofstandards to be expected in Slovenian secondary schools.Where possible, statistical evidence (e.g. from school oralgrades and ‘year grades’) was also taken into account. Thisprocedure reflects that used by examining agencies in theUK and by the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

Once these key grade thresholds had been set, theintermediate mark range was divided to give equal(approximately) bands for Grades 2, 3, and 4.

All Subject Commissions recognised the importance of thiswork and acted professionally in considering all theevidence available to them before presenting theirrecommendations. However, when the aggregated resultswere prepared for the National Matura Commission theconsequences of correlation effects between subjectsbecame clear: firstly, the combined failure rate was muchhigher than for any individual subject and secondly; theproportion of students failing in just one subject wasrelatively high (about 66% of all failures).

Acting on the statistical evidence available, the NationalMatura Commission made some adjustment of the Grade 2threshold in key subjects such as Mathematics and Sloveneand, in doing so, set approximate statistical norms13 forthe guidance of Subject Commissions for the liveexamination.

34

12 Interestingly, some

Subject Commissions have

tried, with some success, to

transfer this concept to their

Matura examinations by

building papers where the

minimum acceptable level of

achievement gains

approximately 50% of the

marks available. This leads to

negatively skewed mark

distributions and some

restriction of the inter-

quartile mark range but it

does produce papers which

reflect fairly closely the

perceptions of teachers and

students.

13 It should be noted that

these ‘norms’ are for

guidance in large, stable

subjects only and were not

imposed on the Subject

Commissions. The grading

process remains grounded in

criteria-related standards

rather than being norm-

referenced.

In addition, the regulations for passing Matura were formallyamended to allow compensation for the ‘nearly passing’(i.e. those who fail in just one subject). Under the newregulations, such students are awarded a passing grade (2)in the subject they have failed provided that they haveachieved at least 80% of the pass mark in that subject andhave achieved at least two grades 3’s in the other subjects.

The quantitative and qualitative evidence gained during thetrialling was made available to the Subject Commissionswhen they considered student achievement at the first fullMatura grading meetings. The result was that the NationalMatura Commission was able to confirm, withoutadjustment, all the grade threshold recommendationsmade by the Subject Commissions for the 1995 Matura.

After adjusting results for near-passing candidates, anoverall pass rate of approximately 85% was achieved. Thedistribution of Matura points is shown below.

35

Distribution of overall grade

in Matura 1995 spring

examinations

–800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

––––––––n

o.

of

can

did

ates

overall grades

Distribution of overall gradesSpring examinations

Resources Required for Marking Scripts andProcessing Results

The National Examinations Centre’s data processing systemworked well for the trial Matura but it was quite clear thatthe much larger numbers expected for the live Matura andthe very short period available for marking and processingwould put the whole system under pressure. A particularcause for concern was the marking of English Languageessays where the work of approximately 7000 candidateswould have to be marked over a three-week period andwhere the number of trained markers was likely to belimited14.

To increase its internal efficiency, the National ExaminationsCentre adapted many of its administrative systems to makeuse of automated technologies. For example, wherepossible, question papers were designed so that examinermarks could be directly scanned from candidate answersheets even for non-objective questions. In addition, a bar-coding system effectively eliminated manual entry ofcandidate and examiner information. (More details aregiven in Section 9 below.)

Issues of Question Paper Quality

The trial Matura also brought home to Subject Commissionsthe importance of setting error-free question papers. It istrue that the general level of accuracy was high butCommissions who allowed papers to be printed withtypographical errors, a missing diagram, and an incorrectmultiple-choice item quickly learnt that teachers havemuch higher expectations of external examination papersthan they have of their own tests! Subject Commissionswere more thorough in their checking of papers for the liveexamination, and the National Examinations Centre addedanother level of checking and proof-reading to its ownquality control procedures. No significant errors werereported in the live examination.

14 In the event, five full days

of training and

standardisation seminars

were organised by the

English Subject Commission

in the build up to the

examination period giving a

total of 101 markers (100

women and one man!).

36

The trial Matura and other pilot tests revealed another veryimportant point to Subject Commissions: that whatever theactual level of difficulty of a question paper as determinedby the marking scheme and the grade thresholds, theperceived difficulty of the question papers is extremelyimportant. During the trials some of the major SubjectCommissions were widely criticised for setting unrealistictasks. Fortunately, they had the expertise to take this intoaccount during the preparation of the live Matura papers.As is always the case, some subjects were still perceivedas being ‘tough’ but the general level of criticism was low.

The hardest lesson was learnt by the Subject Commissionfor Mathematics which, having set a very reasonable set ofpapers for the trial Matura, set an extremely difficult pilotexamination in January 1995 in a misguided attempt ‘toshow students what they should be striving for inMathematics’. The outcry from teachers was angry andjustified. Fortunately the Mathematics Commissionimmediately understood the consequences of their actionsand re-worked their live Matura papers. The markdistribution achieved in the live examination (see below)shows that the papers were much more appropriate to thetarget population.

37

Distribution of marks in

Mathematics (spring 1995

examination)

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

0 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95

––––––––n

o.

of

can

did

ates

marks

Distribution of marks in mathematics

The organisation of the trial and pilot examinations leadingup to the first full Matura examination were expensive bothin terms of financial cost and human effort. However, it isclear that this was a very important phase in thedevelopment programme and one which should not beignored by those wishing to implement similar reforms.

38

The introduction of any reform in education meets withresistance: the introduction of any reform in examinationsmeets with extremely strong resistance. Slovenia was noexception to this rule and those committed to theintroduction of Matura had to work to overcome oppositionand to gain support. The main groups to be convincedwere universities, teachers, students, and the generalpublic.

The universities were quick to recognise the advantages ofthe introduction of a more reliable system of assessmentwhich they could use as a selection instrument. If they hadvoiced strong opposition or had not agreed to the use ofMatura scores as the sole criterion for university entrance,then Matura would have been seriously undermined. TheUniversities of Ljubljana and Maribor were givenrepresentation on the National Matura Commission and, atleast initially, played a dominant role in SubjectCommissions15. The universities were also involved inidentifying and approving subjects which they consideredappropriate for Matura.

The teachers were, not surprisingly, much more wary ofchange. One of the main reasons appears to have been areluctance to accept external measures of ‘standards’ intoschools which hitherto had been used to internalregulation. Whilst it is not the intention in Slovenia topublish ‘league tables’ of school results or to linkexamination results to teacher appraisal, suspicion of suchthings is to be expected.

15 The Chairperson of each

Subject Commission is a

university representative and

initially, some appeared to

dominate proceedings.

However, as the

development work proceeded

a much more balanced

dialogue developed and now

in all Commissions school

representatives play a

decisive role in determining

examination content.

Preparing for Matura: Gaining Support

41

A second objection stemmed from the belief of manyteachers that they, and their students, would not be readyfor the introduction of the new system. For many, Maturameant a reappraisal of their teaching programmes both interms of content and of the standards expected ofstudents. In addition, some of the assessment techniquesspecified in subject catalogues, whilst widely used in otherparts of the world, were largely unfamiliar in Slovenia.

In order to familiarise teachers with the subject-specificdemands of Matura, a programme of in-service teachertraining was conducted for all secondary school teachers inall Matura subjects during the academic year 1993/94. Thebasic model was five-days of training delivered in two orthree parts. Information was given about assessment forMatura and guidelines were given as to possibleimplementation strategies. The seminars were organisedby the Board of Education with Subject Commissionmembers leading the sessions. In all, about 130 seminarswere conducted and about 3700 teachers were trained.

During the last two years of the preparation for theexamination a lot of energy and time was used to discussthe new examination with students. Regional andindividual meetings with students, their leaders andopinion leaders were organised where all questions wereopenly discussed. Some of the meetings were quite“lively”. Many of the participants complained of a lack ofinformation or ambiguous information given by theirteachers. We were able to reassure them to a great extent.Such meetings were good opportunities to identify issueswhich were not clear enough. A leaflet “Matura – All youwanted to ask about it but never did?” was delivered to allstudents at the end of the primary school and all those atthe end of the second year of secondary schools whichwere taking the decision to go to for Matura or the finalexamination.

42

Finally, a public awareness-raising campaign was conductedby the Ministry and by the National Examinations Centre inorder to make sure that no-one in Slovenia remainedunaware of the impending changes. Television, radio, andnewspapers were all used to convey information about thedevelopment of Matura. For example, following the trialMatura a press report, including a brief analysis of themajor results, and television interviews kept the publicinformed.

Of course, the press also carried stories criticising variousaspects of the proposed changes and, closer to theexamination, rumours of problems with examinationsecurity. However, in general, the Ministry was able toconvey a positive image of Matura and to reassure thepublic that this was a well-prepared project with greatemphasis placed on integrity and professionalism.

On a lighter note, the National Examinations Centredesigned and conducted a public relations campaign usingleaflets, posters, T-shirts, and even Matura postcards:

Matura postcard

43

The National Examinations Centre

45

Since the reintroduction of Matura was first suggested in1989, its purposes and nature have evolved considerably.For example, what was originally envisaged as a universityselection instrument only has developed into anexamination where certification for school leavers is ofconsiderable importance. In addition, whereas therelationship between school-based assessment and formalexamination was at first unclear, the external controls arenow well established.

As the nature of Matura became clearer, the role of aNational Examinations Centre changed accordingly. Thefirst step in this process was to remove the Centre frominside the Ministry’s Board of Education where conflictsbetween curriculum and teaching issues on the one hand,and assessment issues on the other, were already startingto create tensions16. The establishment of an independentCentre was central to the success of the project.

16 Curriculum, instruction,

and assessment are

inextricably linked but the

prime functions of curriculum

agencies and assessment

authorities are not the same,

nor are their methods. In a

healthy system, there will, of

course, be strong links

between all key partners in

education. For example, close

cooperation between the

Matura Subject Commissions

and the Board of Education in

the field of teacher in-service

training has been important.

Whilst the Examinations Centre is independent, it does nothave responsibility for Matura policy since this rests withthe National Matura Commission. Nor does it, in theory,have responsibility for Matura question papers since thesehave to be produced by Subject Commissions. Indeed, theCentre was originally constituted to be a service centre,supporting Matura Commissions on administrativematters. However, such a demarcation of responsibility isunworkable and, in practice, the Examinations Centre hasbecome the focal point of Matura. It offers evidence andadvice to policy makers, develops all the administrativesystems without which Matura would collapse, andprovides professional support to Subject Commissions.This blurring of constitutional responsibilities has beenallowed to occur because it works. Indeed the pressures ofhaving to work together to produce Matura according totight and inflexible deadlines has improved therelationships between the key partners!

An important factor in the development of the Examinations Centrehas been the recognition of the need to establish:

a corporate identity;

a reputation for professionalism and reliability; and,

a philosophy based on providing the best possible service toeducation.

Good communication is a key success factor in all phases ofdelivering an examination. The National ExaminationCentre has carefully prepared and conducted a series ofactivities to ensure communication with “end users”:candidates, teachers, schools and public. Beside writtencommunication, regular meetings were also organised withheadteachers of schools and Matura coordinators insecondary schools who became partners in the wholeprocess. The positive image of the Centre as the focal pointof all activities for the examination has been created, basedmainly on the constant work of keeping schools informedand giving them the feedback they needed.

–––

46

The earliest evidence of some aspects of this can be foundin the production of the Matura catalogues; the first task ofthe newly established independent Centre in 1993. Ratherthan just printing uninspiring documents, a designer wasengaged to design each of the catalogues. The result was aseries of colourful books which, notwithstanding anycriticism of the contents, looked new and professional.17

A similar approach was adopted for the design of theExamination Centre’s logo reproduced below. The image ittries to create is one of newness and youth as opposed tostaid tradition. It also, albeit in a small way, puts somecolour back into education.

17 For some this may seem

like an expensive

extravagance but in Slovenia

art and design are considered

to be extremely important.

Ljubljana is, for example,

home to the largest biennial

exhibition of graphic design in

Europe. In addition, the cost of

using a professional designer

is low when calculated as a

proportion of overall

production costs.

47

Catalogue for History of Art

(cover)

The Centre’s motto, Scientia Est Potentia is also felt toconvey a message about the Examination Centre’scommitment to promoting knowledge rather than justmeasuring it.

––––––––

48

National Examination

Centre’s logo

Nat iona l Examinat ions Centre

The National Examinations Centre’s philosophy isincorporated in a system of basic principles, values andrules, which has been accepted by the Centre’s employeesas the guideline for their work.

The Centre’s values and principles are:

Our basic value is knowledge.

We serve candidates and society.

We respect the highest standards of ethics.

We are accountable to candidates, teachers, schools, employers andsociety.

We welcome feedback on our work.

We are committed to research that creates knowledge andconditions for development in the field of assessment.

We co-operate with all who are willing to contribute theirknowledge to developing this field.

In the centre of our work is the individual.

Of course corporate image and mission statements meannothing without the ability to fulfil one’s responsibilities,and so the Centre has tried to develop a staffing structure,physical resources, and procedures which will enable it tomeet its commitments. However, it must be stressed thatthe Examinations Centre is, and is likely to remain, a smallorganisation.

The structure of the National Examinations Centre reflects itsactivities and will change as the new legislation brings newexams to it, but the basic structure will remain the same.Activities are conducted in different sectors whichcooperate closely with each other.

Information Technology SectorThis sector is responsible for the information and

examination processing system which has beenset up for the Matura examination and will beupgraded for other examinations as well. Itprovides a high level information technologyservice for all activities. It is responsible formaintaining the Centre’s leading role inimplementing new technologies in educationaladministration.

Logistic Support Sector The logistics sector is responsible for delivering the

examination: packing question papers,dispatching them to schools and otherexamination centres, delivery back to the Centre,organisation of marking, preparing anddistributing certificates, as well as all otheractivities during the preparation of theexamination. External examinations arelogistically very demanding because they must beconducted on a very tight time schedule.

49

Subject Areas SectorSubject Area Coordinators give support to the

Subject Commissions which prepare examinationmaterials. Together with other experts from theCentre they provide information and technicaladvice to the Subject Commissions in matters ofexamination policy. They are also intended toconduct research and propose new developmentsin areas they cover.

Publishing SectorPublishing and public relations are important parts

of the Centre’s activities. The Publishing Sectorprepares examinations catalogues for externalassessment, sets of examinations question papersand other standard publications for this particularfield of activity. An important part of itsoperations is the distribution of information onexaminations administered by the Centre tocandidates, teachers and to the public. ThePublishing Sector offers expert publishing supportto all subject areas.

Research and Development SectorResearch and development work is essential for a

dynamic assessment agency. Analysis ofexamination data, comparative studies, researchinto education and studies of different and newforms of assessment are main aims for thisSector. Subject Area Coordinators are expected tocontribute to this activities.

From the beginning the National Examinations Centre triedto build up and develop expertise in the field that did notexist before. Training and development work are for thisreason very important issues. A good balance of peoplewith different professional backgrounds and experiences,not only from teaching or education, is proving to be verysuccessful.

50

International cooperation

Assessment is a very broad and fluid field in whichexchange of information and expertise is extremelyimportant. The National Examinations Centre hasdeveloped an extensive network of contacts andcooperates with examinations centres around the world(UCLES from Cambridge, UK, SIEC from Paris,International Baccalaureate Organisation ExaminationsCentre in Wales, New Zealand Qualification Authority fromWellington) and with international organisations (OECD,the Council of Europe). Through this cooperation bothsides learn from each other. The Slovenian examinationsystem is of great interest for many countries which arechanging or plan to change their education andassessment systems. The National Examinations Centrecan offer the benefit of it experience and help in manyareas, basing solutions on local needs and educationaltraditions.

Financing

In Slovenia, school examinations are free from fees. TheNational Examinations Centre does not charge schools orcandidates. Its main source of financing is fromgovernment allocation from the Ministry of Education andSports budget. (Research funds make a small, additionalcontribution.)

Under the new Education Act, the National ExaminationsCentre will assume responsibility for some examinations inthe field of adult education. This will allow funds to beraised from other sources including, perhaps, candidatefees.

51

Future Activities

53

The presentation to students of the first Matura certificates was alandmark in the Slovenian education development programme.However, the lessons learnt during the past three years mean thatthere is still much to do. Key objectives for the NationalExamination Centre include:

publication of reports on the performance of candidates;

further analysis of the performance of the examination;

further research and analysis on the performance of the educationsystem;

evaluation of the impact of Matura;

improvement of systems and procedures within the NationalExaminations Centre.

Reports for Teachers

One of the most immediate tasks facing SubjectCommissions and the National Examinations Centre is theproduction of reports for teachers on the performance ofstudents in each Matura subject. Some reports will includebasic statistical data, for example, item statistics forobjective questions, but the emphasis will be on providinghelpful, qualitative information for teachers. Feedback ofthis sort will always be important but in the first few yearsof the young Matura it will be essential.

–––––

Research and Analysis

The rules for Matura have evolved over time, and‘standards’ have been set for the first time. It is thereforeessential that the National Examinations Centre conductfurther analysis of the results to provide SubjectCommissions and the National Matura Commission withempirical evidence on which to base policy decisions.

Topics for further study include:

the consequences of applying the regulation concerningcompensation for ‘near-pass’ candidates;

the consequences of the various grading procedures for subjectsoffered at higher and basic levels;

the relative level of difficulty of subjects; and,

the relationship between school-based components and externalpapers.

Slovenia has two types of secondary school: gimnazija andtechnical schools. There appear to be significantdifferences in the performances of these schools but thepattern of differences is not clear. Analysis of Maturaresults may provide valuable information to educationalplanners and policy makers.

Evaluating the impact of Matura

There is already evidence to suggest that Matura is havingan impact on the way teachers are delivering thecurriculum in the classroom. The presence of the Maturacatalogues has made subject teachers give due attention toall parts of the curriculum. In addition, the standards ofMatura which have been conveyed through the trialexaminations and teacher training sessions appear to beinfluencing the standards set in some schools duringinternal assessment. However, much of the evidence isanecdotal and there is a need to conduct a systematicstudy of impact, both on quality of teaching/learning andon the attitudes of teachers and students.

54

––––

Similarly, there is some anecdotal evidence that since theintroduction of the Matura students are doing better atuniversity but there is no firm, empirical evidence. It will beimportant for the Examinations Centre, in collaborationwith the universities, to track the progress of ‘Matura’students and to monitor any impact on retention rates.

Setting new standards in administrativeprocedures

The National Examination Centre prides itself on having setnew levels of professionalism in its work. However, it aimsto do more and, in the process, meet internationalstandards as defined by ISO 9000. Once achieved, theCentre plans to set up a formal recognition/accreditationsystem for schools wishing to act as examination centres.

The National Examinations Centre has already started toanalyse all activities and procedures within the centre inorder to set up an evaluation system and to obtain ISO9000 certificate. All activities are carefully analysed andregistered and detailed documentation is now beingprepared. The system which is being set up allows theExamination Centre to control not only his but alsoactivities of its partners and to ensure the highest quality inall its activities. This will help to build up confidence in thepublic examination system.

55

Conclusions and Analysis

57

The principal conclusion of this paper is that major reformsin educational assessment can be implemented withoutserious problems and that, in particular, externalexaminations can be introduced in countries where theyhave not existed in the past. However, all those involved inexaminations and other forms of assessment know thatsuch reforms are usually extremely difficult to bring aboutand in some countries prove almost impossible. The keyquestion is therefore ‘Why was such a reform successful inSlovenia?’

There are clearly many factors, but the most important are:

local recognition of a significant need for change;

sustained political commitment to change;

willingness to allocate adequate financial resources;

sufficient potential for the development of expertise

willingness to draw on the experiences of other systems and to useexternal expertise;

recognition of the need for good communications and strongrelationships with the public and other partners in education.

Local recognition of a significant need for change

Reforms are more likely to be successful when they addressa need which has been identified by the society concerned,rather than by outsiders, and when that need is felt to beimportant.

––––––

In the case of Slovenia, problems with the career educationmodel and growing concerns over an alarmingly highattrition rate at the universities led Slovenianeducationalists to a propose the reintroduction of Matura.It does not matter that the form of Matura was not clearlyenvisaged at that stage; the important thing is that this wasa Slovenian proposal to solve a Slovenian problem18.

Since that time, there have been significant internationalinputs to the development of Matura. However, theirinfluence has always been restricted to the areas wherethey met a Slovenian need. For example, it would havebeen tempting for foreign ‘experts’ to link the Maturareform with an overhaul of the curriculum but this wasnever seriously discussed. Quite simply, the existingcurriculum was not seen as an immediate problem –assessment was.

Sustained political commitment to change

Educational reforms are complex and often meet with strongopposition. In order to be successful they need politicalsupport and this support has to be consistent; it has to besustained throughout the implementation period. Practicalsupport is required in a commitment to speedy legislativereform where necessary, and in a willingness to fight forsufficient and timely budgetary resources. Finally, successis much more likely when politicians are willing to showtheir commitment by speaking out in defence of reform –especially when the inevitable problems emerge.

Slovenia was extremely fortunate in this respect. The majorpart of the project took place following independence in1991. Since the first nominations for the SubjectCommissions, the same Minister has been in post and hehas been a constant advocate of Matura. This tookconsiderable courage since a disaster in the firstexamination would have damaged his reputationconsiderably.

58

18 Projects where outsiders

identify educational

assessment as a problem but

where the ‘recipients’ are not

convinced that the existing

system is flawed are likely to

meet great resistance and

make slow progress.

Access to adequate financial resources

Sohisticated assessment systems, like the one chosen forMatura, are neither cheap to develop nor to maintain.Costs include: payment to Commission members: paymentfor assessment seminars; payment for internationalconsultants; payment for overseas training and studytours; payment for teacher training; payment forExamination Centre staff; payment for printing; paymentfor distribution; payment for markers; payment forequipment; payment for office overheads ... and all beforethe first national examination takes place!

Not only is the overall budget requirement large, butexamination projects need immediate access tocontingency funds when unforeseen difficulties arise. Forexample, if a question paper is leaked, money must beavailable to print the backup paper immediately. There isno time to follow standard procurement procedures.

In Slovenia, these needs were recognised and, whilst moneywas not limitless, adequate funds were allocated, not justto provide the minimum but to ensure that quality could bemaintained. For example, the Examinations Center hasbeen able to invest in high-tech solutions to the problem ofprocessing examination data in a very short time withlimited human resources. This is already proving a wiseinvestment, but initial capital costs were high.

Sufficient potential to develop the necessaryexpertise

Good question papers are at the heart of a good assessmentsystem. It does not matter what theories and models ofassessment are used, nor how sophisticated thetechnology employed: if the questions are bad, then theexam is bad!

All major projects in the field of assessment includeelements of training for examination professionals anditem-writers. In many, the general quality of output and thenumber of successful trainees fall below expectations.

59

In Slovenia, the general level of experience in the field ofitem writing and question paper construction was initiallylow. Some groups, for example Mathematics and theNatural Sciences, had started to develop their skills andhad made progress, but their experience was still limited.

However, there were three major factors in the considerable successachieved in developing item writing skills:

the level of general competence of the trainees – there was anextremely high degree of subject knowledge and a ready ability tocomprehend new techniques and approaches;

the ability of the international trainers19 employed not only tocommunicate and demonstrate the ‘rules’ of good assessment butalso to enthuse the trainees; and,

the fact that those involved in writing catalogues and questionpapers were central to, and constantly involved in, the developmentprocess rather than being ‘tools’ used occasionally.

The most significant indicator of success is the progressmade by those Subject Commissions, such as History andMother Tongue, which not only started from a very lowbase but were also trying to introduce new approaches intheir question papers. In these subjects, whilst there is stillfar to go, the present question papers are agreed to be ofmuch higher quality than those produced at the start of theproject, and the members show a far greaterunderstanding of the principles underlying their papersand the statistical evidence that they produce.

Willingness to draw on the experiences of othersystems and to make use of external expertise

Matura was designed to meet the needs of Slovenia and isstrongly defended as a Slovenian initiative. However, rightfrom the start there was a willingness to learn from othersystems and to transplant the most appropriate modelsand technologies.

19 Teams of trainers from

the UK visited on four

occasions conducting

workshops of up to two

weeks duration. In addition,

the English Language

Subject Commission was,

and continues to be,

supported by a British

Council sponsored expert.

60

After studying a range of European systems, it was decidedthat experiences and methodologies from the British20

General Certificate of Education (GCSE) and Advancedlevels (A-levels) could be used as part of the developmentprocess. To facilitate this a cooperative link was formedwith the University of Cambridge Local ExaminationsSyndicate (UCLES).

In addition, two prestigious schools in Slovenia had, since1989, been successfully using the InternationalBaccalaureate (IB). This had made a strong impression onthose involved and, in many ways, helped to prepare theground for Matura as an external examination. IB21 ideaswere therefore also included in the design of Matura.

Recognition of the need for good communicationsand strong relationships with public and partnersin education

In Slovenia, the dangers of failing to ‘sell’ the concept ofMatura to all interested parties was recognised from thestart. The extensive (and expensive) teacher trainingexercises and the public relations campaign wereimportant in gaining the cooperation of teachers andallaying some of the fears of parents and students.

The trial and pilot examinations were also important inrevealing exactly what Matura was going to look like andwhat was to be expected of students.

Finally, the involvement of Subject Commissions in thetraining of school teachers should not be underestimated.

20 Strictly speaking, this

refers to the GCSE and A-

level systems of England,

Wales, and Northern Ireland

but not Scotland.

21 Whilst the structure of IB

is very different to that used

in the UK, the assessment

techniques involved and the

question paper production

and marking procedures are

remarkably similar.

61

Concluding remarks

A new system of external examinations has been introducedin Slovenian secondary schools with surprisingly fewproblems. The situation in a small, European country withrelatively good resources may not be typical, but many ofSlovenia’s experiences will be of value to those planningsimilar reforms.

Matura is not a Dragon

anymore

62

levels No. of question duration % of marks papers of examination from written

(minutes) part of examMother Tongues with LiteratureSlovenian S 2 240 80Italian S 2 240 80Hungarian S 2 240 80

Mathematics B, H 1+1 135 (+90) 80

Foreign LanguagesEnglish B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80French B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80German B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80Hungarian (for minorities) B, H 3+1 185 (+45) 80Italian B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80Russian B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80Slovenian (for minorities) B, H 3+1 200 (+40) 80Spanish B, H 3+1 180 (+60) 80

Classical languagesLatin B, H 2+1 180 (+60) 80

Natural SciencesBiology and Ecology B 2 180 80Chemistry B 2 180 80Physics B 2 180 80

Humanities/Social SciencesGeography B 2 240 100History B 2 180 100History of Art B 1 120 60Philosophy B 2 240 80Psychology B 2 240 80Sociology B 2 240 80

Technical/Professional SubjectsArt and Design Theory B 1 240 70Civil Engineering B 1 180 100Computing B 1 180 70Economics B 2 180 100Electrical Engineering B 1 180 100Geodesy B 1 240 100Law B 1 120 100Mechanics B 2 180 80Mining B 3 240 80Nautics B 2 190 100Woodworking B 2 180 80

Appendix I: Matura subjects – examination details

written oral experimental project paper exams work work

Mother Tongues with LiteratureSlovenian ■ ■

Italian ■ ■

Hungarian ■ ■

Mathematics ■ ■

Foreign LanguagesEnglish ■ ■

French ■ ■

German ■ ■

Hungarian (for minorities) ■ ■

Italian ■ ■

Russian ■ ■

Slovenian (for minorities) ■ ■

Spanish ■ ■

Classical languagesLatin ■ ■

Natural SciencesBiology and Ecology ■ ■

Chemistry ■ ■

Physics ■ ■

Humanities/Social SciencesGeography ■

History ■

History of Art ■ ■ ■

Philosophy ■ ■

Psychology ■ ■

Sociology ■ ■

Technical/Professional SubjectsArt and Design Theory ■ ■

Civil Engineering ■

Computing ■ ■

Economics ■

Electrical Engineering ■

Geodesy ■

Law ■

Mechanics ■ ■

Mining ■ ■

Nautics ■

Woodworking ■ ■

Appendix II: Matura examination – subject structure

Produced by

National Examinations Centre

AD&D

Eduard Œehovin

DTP

Studio Signum

Printed by

Studio Print

Impressions

1000 copies

First edition

Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1996

Sergij Gabrøœek

George Bethell

Matura Examinations in SloveniaCase Study of the Introduction of an ExternalExaminations System for Schools

––