In an article published by Twinkl Educational Publishing on 22nd March 2022, John discussed how school leaders can improve the exam experience for their students and staff, after the enforced hiatus due to the pandemic. John put together his top 5 tips for anyone running exams to help ensure that the assessment process runs smoothly for both staff and students:
Examscreen: Supporting the Assessment Process - Twinkl
1. Create a calm atmosphere – Exams are a high-pressure time for everyone involved, but no one bears the brunt of this more than the team managing the process. Yet, one of their main jobs is to keep everyone else as calm as possible. This is incredibly difficult because there is so much riding on it for so many people, and they are taking on a lot of responsibility and a lot of other people’s anxieties. They may also have to manage a large team of invigilators who will often have diverse backgrounds and levels of experience. Staying calm under pressure is not easy, but a sense of perspective helps: viewing the exam season as a marathon, not a sprint, and one in which remaining calm and keeping others calm is a major marker of success.
2. Plan for change – Planning exams is a complex logistical task that starts months before the students sit down and open their papers. Being well prepared and having very strong attention to detail means you are ready to be flexible when curveballs are thrown.
Changes to your planning that are outside of your control will happen; it is inevitable in a school environment. The better prepared you are from the start, the easier it will be to absorb these changes and not become overwhelmed by them.
3. Balance ‘systems’ with your own knowledge and instinct – As with any logistical operation, exam organisation requires well-designed and defined systems and processes. However, it is best not to simply rely on systems and suspend your own judgement when it comes to the crunch.
Knowledge that goes beyond your planning tools is essential to the job, in my opinion. Think about which invigilators work well together, which invigilator might best deal with a student who is anxious and whether you need to move a student to a different location at the last minute. Don’t be overly tied to the rota or the seating plan.
4. Cultivate relationships – The exams team will need to network very widely in order to do their job successfully. They should try their best to cultivate good relationships with senior management, heads of subject, teaching staff and support staff.
Treating invigilators like integral members of the school staff, rather than simply casual workers, is a simple and hugely beneficial thing that all exams teams can manage. Invigilators who feel valued and are treated with respect are more likely to be confident in the work they do, and show initiative and loyalty to the school.
5. Students first – With all the complexity and stress of exams it is easy to lose sight of who we are doing it for and whose success is the ultimate goal. Being an exams officer is a true ‘public service’ job which is largely done behind the scenes, and where they often have to set aside their own convenience and preference for the benefit of the students.
What has made Examscreen stand out as a product, is the fact that its design puts students front and centre and considers their experience to be the most important thing – it has been heartening that so many exams teams want to use it for that very reason.