Introduction of External, Independent Testing in “New Countries”: Successes and Defeats of the Introduction of Modern Educational Assessment Techniques in Former Soviet and Socialist Countries

A particular trait of the educational system under socialist reign was accountability at the input side—appropriate facilities, centrally decided curriculum, approved text-books, and uniformly trained teachers—but no control on the output. It was simply assumed that it met the agreed standards, which was, in turn, proven by the statistics provided by authorities. The introduction of professional testing methods for national large-scale assessment efforts and participation in international surveys such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) unveiled the myth of the traditional “all is good” message spread by the former party rulers. But another aspect of the introduction of external independent testing has probably even had a bigger impact: the fight against the pervasive corruption in student admission it became part of. If any, the successful use of independent external testing in this struggle has done a lot to have its methods accepted by the audience at large. The article describes the experiences of the author as a senior consultant to ministries and newly established testing institutes in former Soviet and socialist republics.