Accreditation Manual >
Chapter IV.
Revision and control
Revision of accreditation (Article 12 of Hungarian Government Decree No. 137/2008) is a planned and coordinated control process which consists of several steps and which can be either scheduled, extraordinary, thematic or ad hoc. Based on the relevant legislation, a scheduled revision takes place within two years following the attainment of accreditation or within two years following the closure of the previous revision. The revision committee (RC) establishes the focal points and the special operational questions to be examined during the individual revisions and works through these during the process. The revision can investigate the following: (1) the validity and reliability of the language exam system and the exam tasks (the correlation of the exam material to the CEFR, the presence of the test specification in the actual exam material, the methodology of exam development); further (2) the internal operation of the language examination centre (the organisation and conduct of exams, the activities of the language centre connected to administration and information); and finally (3) the operation of the language examination centre’s examination locations. The planned timeframe of a scheduled revision is 6 months, and long enough to span at least one examination period. During the revision, at least 20 per cent of the examination locations of a given language exam system have to be examined.
An extraordinary revision can be ordered if the operation of an accredited language examination centre shows problems or irregularities, or if the Educational Authority (EA) deems it necessary for any other reason. The content and methodology of an exrtaordinary revision is established by the RC in an individualised way and with respect to the questions to be examined.
The EA can order so-called thematic revisions which affect several language exam systems. In these cases the RC examines the highlighted topics which are common in several exam systems simultaneously. Extraordinary and thematic revisions do not affect the timing of scheduled revisions. The language centre has to be informed of the start and of the content of both scheduled and extraordinary revisions.
Extraordinary revisions are the same as ad hoc revisions, but the latter can be ordered without prior notification of the language centres.
The experts participating in the control can, during the course of the revision, gain access to material related to the professional operation of the language examination centre and of the examination locations, they can participate at the exams and ask questions from the examiners and examinees. During the revision the EA can request filled-in written exam materials from the language examination centre.
1. The process of the scheduled revision
1.1. The nomination of the revision committee
The revision is ordered by the EA by nominating the chairperson and the members of the RC. The chairperson of the RC is the member of the Hungarian Accreditation Board for Foreign Language Examinations responsible for the given language exam system. The RC consists of members of the Hungarian Accreditation Board for Foreign Language Examinations and of invited external experts. In the case of a revision of a technical purposes language exam system and language examination centre, one representative of the relevant profession, independent from the language centre to be controlled, can be an additional member of the committee. The chairperson of the RC, in consultation with the EA, prepares a schedule for the revision in a way that actual exams can be visited. The EA establishes and trains a network of external experts in order to guarantee the professional implementation of on-the-spot visits.
1.2. Examination of the revision’s documents
The basic documents of the revision include the following: the valid language exam specification, the document containing the internal operational rules of the language examination centre, the report following the conclusion of the previous revision. The language centre has to possess an internal operational order and a valid language exam specification which also contains the reported changes introduced after accreditation.
1.3. On-the-spot visits
1.3.1. On-the-spot visit to a language examination centre
The visiting committee (consisting of at least two persons, the chairperson of the RC and one expert) holds an on-the-spot check at the language examination centre at a previously negotiated appointment. Minutes are prepared from the visit.
1.3.2. On-the-spot visit to individual examination sites
The visitor and the invited expert hold on-the-spot checks at examination locations. The aim of the visit is to ascertain whether the examination at the given examination location takes place according to the rules of the language examination centre’s internal operational order. Minutes are prepared from the visit.
1.3.3. Visiting exams – participation at oral and written exams
The aim of the visit is to ascertain whether the examination in the given examination location takes place according to the rules of the language examination centre’s internal operational order. The visitor and the invited expert participate in the oral, written and listening comprehension parts of the examination at the given examination location. Minutes are prepared from the visit.
2. The evaluation of the scheduled, extraordinary, thematic and ad hoc revisions
The chairperson of the RC prepares the summarised revision report which is then subject to vote by the members of the Hungarian Accreditation Board for Foreign Language Examinations. The EA informs the language examination centres about the closure of the revision process and sends them a copy reporting their findings. The EA sets a deadline and orders the language examination centre to correct any shortcomings uncovered. The EA requests a written report on the correction of the deficiencies and verifies that action has been taken.
The EA is entitled to suspend or revoke the accreditation in the following cases: if the successful implementation of the revision/control activity was hindered; if legislation was not respected; if, since the accreditation or since the last revision, the exam shows a decline in quality; if the valid internal operational order of the language exam system was not respected; or if the tests were not formulated in line with the specification.
The schedule and the phases of revision
Schedule: The Accreditation Centre for Foreign Language Examinations and the Hungarian Accreditation Board for Foreign Language Examinations implement a scheduled revision at least every two years in connection to a given language examination centre, its language exam systems and its examination locations. The planned timeframe of a revision is 6 months (180 days). The revision is scheduled in a way that, if possible, spans the exam periods of all the language systems and languages at the language examination centre.
In special cases the planned phases can be subject to modification.
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