Developing assessments that make the grade in the Maldives
There is an art and science to crafting assessment questions: especially when those exams need to capture local context and assess 21st century skills. That was the challenge facing the Ministry of Education in the Republic of the Maldives. They had recently recruited item writers to develop questions and mark schemes for the National Assessment of Learning Outcome exams (NALOs) that students sit at the end of Key Stage 3. But time was short.
The new team needed to collectively create up to 100 items for each of their English Language, Maths and Science assessments, ready for the 2024 exam season. That’s where we came in. The Ministry asked us to partner with the National Institute of the Maldives (NIE) to support writers to prepare pilot exams. Together, we worked with the Ministry and a team of International Assessment Specialists to move from planning to pilot in just 10 weeks.
Weeks 1-4: Planning
To make sure everyone knew what to expect, we created an inception report for the Ministry detailing our approach to the project. Thanks to our work in the Maldives in recent years, we were already familiar with local culture and context. We leaned on experts in the NIE to test our assumptions and refine our report and training programme. This helped us build a practical course that was completely bespoke.
Weeks 5-6: Training
Our practical, in-person workshops covered:
the principles of assessment
subject-specific training on how to write higher order thinking multiple choice items
advice on linking items to 21st century skills
activities to help trainees reflect on their learning and start applying it.
We ran three workshops concurrently (one for each subject). The trainees then stayed on site to set their own assessment items, while we were on hand remotely to help them review and revise each item.
When the items were ready, we also advised trainees on how to effectively combine the items into three pilot exams.
Weeks 7-10: Preparing the pilot
It was time to assess the assessments. To do it, we worked with the Ministry’s Quality Assurance Department (QAD) to review each pilot and create double entry mark sheets for each one.
The Ministry managed the pilot. A set of students sat the exams, and the QAD team marked them.
When the Ministry had compiled all the marked papers, we reviewed the results. In a final report, we recommended which items to keep, which to improve and which to cut from the live NALO papers.
By the end of the process, participants agreed we’d helped the Ministry reach its goal. It left the QAD team and item writers with increased confidence and lasting skills to write exam items in future years and for future administrations.
“I’m glad to have had this opportunity as I have learnt a lot more which added to my existing knowledge of science and assessment in science. Very useful workshop where I gained knowledge and skills, I am excited to share with my colleagues in the science faculty at school.”
Science subject participant
“I am grateful for all the knowledge gained from the trainers. It helped me a lot to improve my understanding towards assessment. I look forward to having more sessions like these.”
Mathematics subject participant
“The facilitator was extremely knowledgeable and conducted the sessions in a very friendly manner. Had a fun time learning about the fundamentals of preparing good MCQs.”
English subject participant
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If you’re working to improve the quality of your country’s assessment system, then please contact us to find out how we can help you achieve your goals.
