TOWARDS THE STATE MATURA: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF COUNTRIES THAT ALREADY HAVE ESTABLISHED A NATIONAL MATURA?

What challenges did the education systems in Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic face during the introduction of the national matura, how did they respond to them, and what would be the recommendations to the Serbian education system preparing to introduce the state matura - questions answered at the workshop "Exchange of international experiences" which was held on February 27, 2020, in Belgrade.

Experts from four European Union countries presented the national matura systems of their countries to the participants, representatives of Serbian educational institutions, with particular reference to the tasks and responsibilities of individual institutions, methodology of preparation of examination materials, assessment method, enrollment conditions, budget and data management. Through short presentations by Hrvoje Mladinić, Head of the Information and Computer Department at the National Center for External Evaluation of Croatian Education, Darko Zupanc, Director of the State Examination Center of Slovenia, Marcin Smolik, Director of the Central Examination Commission of Poland and Martin Ulovec, Member of the House of Representatives, participants got a picture of these systems, an impression of what connects them and what distinguishes them.

In the continuation of the workshop, two panel discussions were organized. The topic of the first discussion was the methodology of the state matura. It discussed how to achieve the relevance of exam questions for different high school programs, how to achieve high-quality exam questions and tests, how to ensure the quality of assessment of open questions, whether to pass the threshold, how to build trust students, parents and faculty in the Matura exam. The answers to these questions arrived at the right time, because some of the described solutions will help make some decisions about which there are still dilemmas in Serbia.

The topic of the second panel discussion was enrollment in higher education. The relationship between matura and higher education is seen through the answers to the questions of how and by what the education system was improved by introducing the national matura, which are key indicators of enhancing the quality of education and how it is measured, what were the biggest dilemmas and difficulties of the faculty when it comes to entrance exams, which is the recommended good relationship between different indicators of student achievement.

Different systems have faced similar challenges and problems - mistrust and resistance during the introduction of final exams, but they have all achieved their goal and significantly improved the quality of education, the workshop concluded. The education system in Serbia is developing a model of final exams that will take into account all the specifics of our education. Still, it is already clear that success requires the cooperation of professional and dedicated professionals, that it is desirable to share experiences with other systems and learn from them. Exams should be as simple as possible, and flexible and cost-effective solutions and models should be sought. Once the state matura is introduced into the system, sustainability must be strengthened through capacity building of education staff, and the process must be monitored and evaluated to align with needs.

More information about the workshop is available on the state matura portal: https://matura.edu.rs/vesti/dobre-prakse-evropskih-matura-na-radionici-razmene-znanja-u-beogradu/?lang=lat