Key Ideas

KEY PERSONNEL Personnel costs associated with assessment activities will largely depend on whether the agency responsible for conducting the assessment has the necessary expertise. In some cases, assessment agencies may rely on consultants for specialized work that staff cannot perform. Consultants and advisers may need to be hired on a full-time or part-time basis, which will affect the project budget (Greaney and Kellaghan 2012).

MATERIALS AND FACILITIES In addition to offices and facilities that full-time and part-time staff require, assessment organizations must have secure space for storing, organizing, and packing test materials before test administration and for processing test booklets and questionnaires upon completion of the assessment. The costs and resources needed to ensure secure storage of materials is often underestimated in budget calculations. There also should be common space for team meetings and coordination activities; staff will need access to office supplies, computers, and specialized software to support statistical analysis, graphic design, and report publication.

Key Ideas

• The value of the information collected through national large-scale assessments depends on the quality of design and implementation; assessment quality also requires that these activities be appropriately planned and resourced. • The MoE establishes regulations and guidelines for national large-scale assessments and provides policy guidance to those who are developing and administering them. • An NSC comprising technical experts and representatives of key stakeholder groups typically guides implementation; provides oversight, guidance, and feedback during the planning phase of an assessment; and ensures that design decisions support stated goals and meet information needs of key stakeholders. • The national large-scale assessment team comprises a diverse group of technical experts who manage and conduct development and implementation activities. • The money that countries save as a result of implementing changes to their educational systems based on national large-scale assessment findings exceeds the cost of investing in these assessments.