At AlphaPlus we have extensive experience of designing and developing OSCEs across a range of clinical and healthcare contexts. In this article, Assessment Manager Gemma O’Brien discusses some of the … Designing effective Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
Heather Venis, AlphaPlus’ Senior Project Manager (Qualifications), gives practical guidance for awarding organisations looking to develop a qualification. What’s in a qualification? When embarking on a qualification project, one of … Should my learning programme be a qualification?
1. Introduction Training is crucial in many education and assessment organisations: AQA AlphaPlus is recognised as a leading provider of training related to assessment, e-assessment and associated processes. We have delivered … Empowering Educators: Effective Assessment Training for Staff
What is the International Early Learning Study? The International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) is an international survey that assesses children at age 5 who attend Early Childhood … Understanding the development of empathy in childhood
The challenges of closing the virtuous circle of teaching, learning and formative assessment
November 27, 2023
Dave Mellor, AlphaPlus’ Director of Assessment shares his thoughts on the challenges of closing the virtuous circle of teaching, learning and formative assessment. When teachers plan their lessons, they set … The challenges of closing the virtuous circle of teaching, learning and formative assessment
Unconscious bias: a prejudice or stereotype individuals hold about certain groups of people that they aren’t consciously aware of having. We are all guilty of it. Born with a predisposition … Key lessons from an evaluation exploring unconscious bias
At AlphaPlus we develop a range of assessments for different clients. Each assessment produces indications of a learner’s performance; this article discusses two common approaches we use to help learners … What are standardised and age standardised assessment scores?
John Winkley Director of Business Development shares his thoughts about on-screen formative assessments. Formative assessment is the process used by a teacher or learner to review and check learning, with … What are on-screen formative assessments?
Professional standards and national assessments Professional standards set out the skills, knowledge and behaviours that represent technical and ethical competence for a profession and support professional growth. Professional standards can: … Challenges Facing Professional Organisations
Hannah Rowe and Priya Dutta, Assessment Managers at AlphaPlus, talk about their experience working with the Department for Education on the National Assessment Accreditation System (NAAS). Background AlphaPlus worked with … Developing assessments for the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS)
Ben Rockliffe, AlphaPlus’s Deputy Director of Assessment explains how to ensure assessment content is inclusive of culture, equality and diversity. As an international education services company specialising in assessment, AlphaPlus … Culture, equality and diversity within assessment content
No matter who is sitting an assessment – whether they are learners in a school or candidates for a professional assessment – it is crucial that inclusion and accessibility have … Inclusion & accessibility in assessment design
Demand for remote invigilation (or remote proctoring – the two terms are used interchangeably) has grown significantly during the current pandemic, as awarding organisations (AOs) have been forced to find new solutions … Remote invigilation – lessons learned during the pandemic
Sarah Maughan has stepped down as Director of Assessment after almost seven years at AlphaPlus. Below, she shares some of her thoughts about her time here. At the end of April I … Sarah Maughan: My time at AlphaPlus
Priya Dutta, Assessment Manager, introduces two common approaches to assessment. At AlphaPlus, we work closely with clients to build the most suitable assessment programmes for their needs. It is useful, … Criterion- and norm-referenced tests
Dave Mellor, Deputy Director of Assessment at AlphaPlus, shares his thoughts on the summer 2021 GCSE and A-level exam session. Over the last few months Ofqual have published their decisions on changes … Why is it so hard to change the GCSE & A-Level assessments for 2021?
Dave Mellor, Deputy Director of Assessment at AlphaPlus, shares his thoughts on the proposed autumn exam series for GCSEs and A-levels. Covid-19 has meant that GCSE and A-level assessments have been cancelled … Covid-19: should an autumn exam series be delivered for GCSEs and A-levels?
Remote proctoring (or remote invigilation [1] – the two terms can be and are used interchangeably) is becoming more commonly used in all areas of assessment, and allows candidates to take … Remote Proctoring
Setting the pass mark is a key stage in the development of many assessments. For many high-stakes assessments, it is crucial that when a candidate passes an exam, the certification … Setting and maintaining standards
John Winkley, AlphaPlus’ Director of Sales, shares his thoughts on assessment validity. In this short blog, I want to talk about two aspects of assessment that have come up in … Assessment Validity
