American Councils Holds Talks with Ukrainian First Deputy Minister of Education and Senior Higher Education Delegation

From December 9-10, 2011, Dr. Dan Davidson, President of American Councils for International Education, met with Yevgen Sulima, the Ukrainian First Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Youth, and Sports, to discuss the role of standardized testing in university admissions in Ukraine. First Deputy Sulima and a delegation of Ukrainian government officials visited the American Councils Washington, D.C. office during a U.S. State Department-funded International Visitor Leadership Program trip to the U.S.

Discussions focused on the functions of the new Ukrainian testing systems and the role of standardized testing in the university admissions process in the U.S. and in other countries where American Councils works. While recognizing that each country's education system is unique, Dr. Davidson and First Deputy Sulima noted the importance of objective testing, not only in identifying students of exceptional talent, but also in providing access to students who might not have otherwise pursued higher education. Reflecting on the meeting, Dr. Davidson commented that "Ukraine has had remarkable success in creating and implementing an entirely new system of national testing for university admissions and scholarship selection. As the national testing system matures, important new issues such as the impact of standardized testing on high school curricula and teaching, as well as the use of test scores for advanced placement at the university level, are surfacing in public debates in Ukraine."

The meetings also focused on larger efforts by the Ukrainian and U.S. governments to combat corruption in higher education. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and administered by American Councils, the Ukrainian Standardized External Testing Initiative (USETI) is performing an in-depth analysis of the university admissions process in Ukraine and, correspondingly, is working on admissions policy reform. USETI supports test development as vital to the fair admissions process and is working with the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA) to develop a standardized, national examination to be used in university admissions. USETI is also working to establish high standards for test security, including improved systems of quality control, and external monitoring of national testing.

Dr. Davidson and First Deputy Sulima talked about the potential for collaboration between top U.S. and Ukrainian universities, as well as between U.S. and Ukrainian businesses. Such collaboration could include joint research initiatives, joint evaluation of Ph.D. candidates, and other ways to support the commercialization of university-based intellectual property in Ukraine. Dr. Davidson and First Deputy Sulima plan to explore a potential agreement that would address these goals and others. First Deputy Sulima invited Dr. Davidson to visit the Ukraine in early 2012 to continue their discussions on cooperation.

Click here to learn more about American Councils and USETI:
http://www.americancouncils.org/projectsUSAID.php
http://www.useti.org.ua/en/pages/11/about-useti.html