20 YEARS OF UNIFIED NATIONAL TESTING
Today, the National Testing Center is holding an international scientific and practical conference "20 years of the UNT: the transformation of education through testing".
The conference is attended by the leadership of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, heads and representatives of the world's leading companies in the field of testing - Educational Testing Service, ETS (USA), AQA (UK), National Foundation For Educational Research (NFER) (UK), Dutchtestologis (Netherlands), the TÖMER Center (Turkey), Vantage Labs (USA), representatives of the Eurasian Association for Educational Quality Assessment, representatives of the state examination centers of Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Armenia and domestic scientists, specialists in the field of assessment technologies and pedagogical measurements.
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan Sayasat Nurbek, emphasizing the importance of the conference, noted that this is a unique project aimed at discussing creative ideas, forecasting the future, as well as sharing best practices and knowledge.
"UNT is an important part of the educational process. Today we are faced with the task not only to preserve the achieved results, but also to strive to conquer new heights. We live in an era of new approaches to knowledge assessment and dynamic technology development, so it is important to meet the requirements of the time and be ready for challenges," the minister said.
In his speech, Director of the National Testing Center Bolatbek Abdrasilov spoke about the landmark achievements and important projects over the 20 years of the history of the UNT.
"The testing introduced in 2004 has radically changed the approach to assessing the knowledge of secondary school graduates and has become the main mechanism for admission to higher education institutions in the country. The UNT is a key element of the educational system of Kazakhstan, which embodies significant changes and reforms in approaches to knowledge assessment and student selection. Over two decades, the UNT has transformed into a complex and multifaceted system based on modern technologies and scientific approaches, and has become an integral part of the educational system of Kazakhstan," Bolatbek Serikbayevich said.
Within the framework of the event, the former heads of the center, who have managed it since its foundation, were awarded commemorative badges. In addition, during the event, memoranda were signed with representatives of the examination centers of the USA, Russia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which are aimed at supporting and developing mutual cooperation in the field of assessment and development of education.
The conference aims to bring together international experts in the field of educational assessment to share their experiences and achievements. The focus is on improving the quality of education, the introduction of artificial intelligence and new technologies in educational assessment.
During the breakout sessions of the conference, leading domestic and foreign experts presented their cases and shared their unique experiences with the participants of the event.
The conference will continue on October 31 with two important round tables. The first round table with the participation of foreign experts will discuss current challenges and opportunities in the field of educational quality assessment, and the second – representatives of universities offering training programs in the field of pedagogical measurements, will discuss current challenges and prospects for training specialists in the field of testology.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/sci/press/news/details/874400