Jo\xad Anne Baird, Director of Department\xa0of\xa0 Education, University of Oxford and Dennis Opposs, Ofqual, give a seminar for the Department of Education public seminar series. Processes\xa0of\xa0standard\xa0setting\xa0and\xa0maintaining\xa0within\xa0 curriculum\xad related\xa0assessments\xa0form\xa0a\xa0key\xa0strand\xa0of\xa0educational\xa0assessment\xa0policies\xa0and\xa0programmes,\xa0and\xa0 debates\xa0about\xa0standards\xa0are\xa0often\xa0at\xa0the\xa0heart\xa0of\xa0 educational\xa0reform. Many\xa0countries\xa0use\xa0curriculum\xad related\xa0examinations\xa0to\xa0select\xa0 learners\xa0for\xa0higher\xa0education,\xa0work\xa0and\xa0other\xa0study options.\xa0 Some\xa0countries\xa0also\xa0use\xa0these\xa0examinations\xa0as\xa0tools\xa0to\xa0 measure\xa0school\xa0system\xa0performance. \n\nGiven\xa0the\xa0high\xa0stakes\xa0nature\xa0of\xa0these\xa0examinations,\xa0it\xa0is\xa0 surprising\xa0that\xa0the\xa0ways\xa0in\xa0which\xa0examination\xa0standards\xa0are\xa0 conceptualised\xa0and\xa0operationalised\xa0differently\xa0across\xa0nations\xa0 has\xa0not\xa0been\xa0given\xa0sufficient\xa0attention.\xa0This\xa0is\xa0an\xa0interesting\xa0 area\xa0because\xa0globalisation\xa0has\xa0begun\xa0to\xa0impinge\xa0on\xa0 examination\xa0systems,\xa0but\xa0public\xa0examination\xa0standards\xa0are\xa0 still\xa0largely\xa0a\xa0bastion\xa0of\xa0the\xa0local.\xa0The\xa0meaning\xa0of\xa0standards\xa0 varies\xa0between\xa0countries\xa0and\xa0the\xa0stated\xa0value\xa0positions\xa0and\xa0 processes\xa0relating\xa0to\xa0examination\xa0standards\xa0differ\xa0markedly.\xa0 Additionally,\xa0the\xa0processes\xa0used\xa0to\xa0set\xa0examination\xa0standards\xa0 vary\xa0greatly\xa0between\xa0countries. The\xa0public\xa0seminar\xa0will\xa0present\xa0some\xa0of\xa0the\xa0findings\xa0from\xa0a\xa0 joint\xa0project\xa0on\xa0Setting\xa0and\xa0Maintaining\xa0standards\xa0in\xa0national\xa0 examinations.\xa0As\xa0part\xa0of\xa0the\xa0project,\xa0a\xa0three\xad day\xa0symposium\xa0 was\xa0held\xa0in\xa0Brasenose\xa0College,\xa0Oxford\xa0in\xa0March\xa0of\xa0this\xa0year.\xa0 Experts\xa0from\xa0around\xa0the\xa0world\xa0came\xa0together\xa0to discuss\xa0the\xa0 setting\xa0and\xa0maintaining\xa0of\xa0standards\xa0in\xa0national\xa0 examinations.\xa0The\xa0project\xa0aims\xa0to\xa0illuminate\xa0similarities\xa0and\xa0 differences\xa0in\xa0conceptual\xa0bases\xa0and\xa0operational\xa0approaches\xa0to\xa0 examination\xa0standards.\xa0In\xa0this\xa0presentation,\xa0we\xa0will\xa0focus\xa0 upon\xa0the\xa0different\xa0ways\xa0in\xa0which\xa0examination\xa0standards\xa0have\xa0 been\xa0defined\xa0and\xa0outline\xa0current\xa0work\xa0on\xa0an\xa0ecological\xa0model\xa0 that\xa0shows\xa0promise\xa0in\xa0making\xa0the\xa0current\xa0literature\xa0more\xa0 coherent.