Our university hosted a regional workshop dedicated to Outcomes of External Independent Evaluation in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The event has drawn teaching professionals and scholars across several eastern regions of Ukraine – Zaporizhzhya, Kharkov and Dnipropetrovsk. Such crucial issues as External Evaluation specifics for 2012, approaches to attract persons willing to take the test, strategies to assess knowledge level of school students and graduates were discussed at the workshop.
In her invitation address vice rector for science, teaching and education Natalia Grozovska
has highlighted it was an honour to welcome teaching experts across the regions of Ukraine, as they are first who assess our prospective students and later university students.
Special attention was drawn to the problem of knowledge level changes among school students in Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Following the results of Ukrainian and international investigations in studying knowledge level of school students, school students in Ukraine can not apply the knowledge acquired in Mathematics and Natural Science in their everyday life. The teaching experts are supposed to resolve the intricate situation.
Workshop participants have stressed that External Independent Evaluation ensures equal access to higher education in Ukraine, making an essential constituent of education system functioning and providing control over national education standards fulfillment. Also, significant role was given to preparing for the next 2012 External Independent Evaluation.
This year a number of the test disciplines have been reduced to four (to compare: five in 2011) with the scores growing up to 140 in a core discipline, selected by the examinee. 
The experts have been working in two sections at the workshop, thus having the opportunity to gain overall support and advice from professionals and scholars. The event was also represented with the stalls of books in methodology and textbooks selected by the Scientific Library in ZNU.
Natalia Logvinenko
