Examinations - a quality-development instrument

Dear readers,

Final examinations not only measure what trainees have achieved, but are also always an indicator of the quality of output of the vocational education and training system. In this regard, dual initial vocational training fulfils two important principles: it operates on the basis of uniform standards, which are laid down in training and examination regulations, and furthermore, examinations are not carried out by those who are responsible for training. To safeguard this principle, the competent bodies for vocational education are put in charge of organising examinations. And precisely this principle differentiates vocational education and training from other segments of the German education system.

Requirements for good examinations

Final vocational examinations should assess the level of learning attained and give reliable information about a young person's vocational competences. Good examinations must

• reflect characteristic requirements from occupational practice,
• give examinees the opportunity to demonstrate their occupational proficiency,
• make it possible to reach a differentiated assessment of attainment,
• have transparent and fair procedures, criteria and assessments, with results that are independent of the examiners,
• be legally sound and withstand legal re-examination, but at the same time be practicable to implement with a reasonable commitment of resources.

Permanently good examinations demand quality assurance. In the first instance, this calls upon the writers of examination tasks, and the examiners themselves, to reflect on and continuously develop their work. Nevertheless, quality development is also a task for research and politics. It is important to evaluate examination practice regularly and to pilot new instruments.

Goal conflicts and new requirements

It is barely possible to fulfil all these requirements in equal measure, for there are systematic goal conflicts - particularly between the requirements for examinations to be both reliable and economical, as the articles in this issue of BWP vividly clarify. It is therefore an important precept to combine different types of tasks and examination instruments with one another.

In past years the German vocational examinations system has undergone a series of changes. Probably the most important innovation has been the introduction of strong practical and practice-oriented examination elements. Examples of such components are the workplace task, the customer dialogue, the case-specific or situational professional dialogue, and presentations. These instruments have brought about greater acceptance of examinations in the companies. At the same time, the examinations require more effort to implement and make heavier demands upon examiners.

Recruiting and supporting examiners

Every year in Germany around half a million final and journeyman's examinations in recognised training occupations are taken. Added to these are intermediate and advanced vocational training examinations.
The achievements of examiners, who work on a voluntary basis, can never be overestimated; their commitment is absolutely vital for the stability of the examination system. Having them released by their employers is posing an increasing problem for the competent bodies, however.

In recognition of the more stringent requirements, examiners must be provided with greater support and encouragement - by means of information and further training, exchanging experience, supervision and evaluation.

BIBB's portal for examiners at www.prueferportal.org offers a host of ideas on the subject.

 

REINHOLD WEIß
Professor Dr., Deputy President and Head of the Research at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Bonn

Translation from the German original (published in BWP 3/2014): Deborah Shannon, Academic Text & Translation, Norwich