USETI Legacy Alliance – Quarter 8 DEC Report

Agency for International Development. The Agreement aims to build a sustainable strengthened Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA) capable of independently and transparently developing and implementing secure tests that meet international standards. The project also seeks to secure a legislative basis for testing and higher education admission, and institutionalize a partnership between business, higher education, and policymakers. Throughout Year 2 Quarter 4 of project implementation, project activities centered on support for scoring, scaling, and reporting of scores, as well as effective item banking for UCEQA. Technical assistance was delivered in several areas, including scoring, scaling, and reporting of scores, item writing and test development, and effective item banking. USETI Alliance consultants presented a multi-point item analysis based on 2011 external testing data for UCEQA, advised UCEQA management on external test quality assurance, and discussed preparation for the 2012 testing. In addition, USETI Alliance consultants delivered technical assistance in the areas of item writing and test development, supporting UCEQA modern foreign languages specialists with the 2012 Modern Foreign Language tests. They also provided continuous support in implementing advanced psychometrics in test construction, setting performance standards, data analysis, equating, and scaling procedures. Furthermore, USETI Alliance consultants assisted UCEQA in effective item banking, providing support in implementation of advanced psychometrics in test construction, setting performance standards, data analysis, equating, and scaling procedures. The project also focused on securing the legislative basis for testing and higher education admission, and institutionalizing a partnership between business and education. USETI Alliance, in cooperation with the Union of Rectors of Ukraine, held a meeting on ways to improve the use of external testing results in the admissions and enrollment process. The meeting participants discussed external testing weighted coefficients, multi-level tests, and cut scores. USETI Alliance also presented plans for operation of the "Konkurs" web-based admissions system during the 2012 admissions campaign. The project also aimed to transform public support for testing into a proactive contemporary public expectation. The sixth meeting of USETI Alliance Partners was held in Kyiv, where representatives of leading universities, experts, and the USAID discussed how external testing should be developed to promote equal access to higher education. Media monitoring was conducted, and 1772 articles related to external independent testing and equal access to quality higher education in Ukraine were published during the reporting period. The project also facilitated informed test preparation demand and a professional test prep industry. USETI Alliance partner FAKT Publishing House's affiliated NGO developed an online practice test system for the career website (www.timo.com.ua). Prospective test takers have an opportunity to try the tests – Ukrainian Language & Literature, Math, Ukrainian History, and English – online. The website users can also become familiar with Ukrainian normative base on external testing and admissions process and HEIs base including list and description of majors, test takers' guide, etc. The project made significant progress in supporting UCEQA item and test development training and planning for ongoing learning. USETI Alliance consultants created recommendations for UCEQA on institutionalizing item and test development trainings. UCEQA subject specialists and item writers were trained in measuring high-order thinking skills, and their item and test development capacity was increased. The quality of items was ensured through targeted technical assistance and item review. The quality of tests was increased through ongoing support for test construction. USETI Alliance consultants supported UCEQA in reliability of multiple test forms, and the reliability of multiple test forms was ensured through regular support in developing multiple test forms. USETI Alliance consultants also consulted UCEQA on pilot test practices, data analysis, and psychometric evaluation for 2011 testing.