Teacher Involvement in the Russian National Exam in Foreign Languages: Experience and Perspectives

Abstract

The Russian National Examination (RNE) in English is part of the RNE system, which includes examinations in all school subjects. Taking the RNE is almost the only way to obtain a place in a higher educational institution, which makes the RNE a High-Stakes exam.

Due to the size of the country and the number of examinees, the system of independent examiners and specially organized examination centers has proved to be both unprofitable and inefficient. Since the very first years when the RNE was introduced, schoolteachers and university lecturers have played the role of assessors. The widespread involvement of schoolteachers requires training courses for assessors to achieve the required level of objective evaluation throughout the country. Every year more and more teachers are involved in the assessment procedures, which triggers both positive and negative processes and consequences. This chapter describes these consequences in the national context and examines measures taken by the Federal Institute of Pedagogical Assessment, the major provider of methodological assistance to examination boards, to minimize the negative consequences of the RNE and to promote positive effects.