Calling all Scottish Secondary School Parents Worried About New Exams

[wigglybeezer]

Time to get a new thread going on this important subject that is still not being talked about, We are potentially sleepwalking to disaster.

Has anybody had any new information about the new National exams?

Anybody happy at all with how the new COFE is working out in practice.

My doubts are increasing, for instance, DS1 does not seem to have any textbooks, just photocopied sheets with a few clip art illos, not easy for a disorganised teen to keep in good order. He seem to be watching a lot of DVDs.
Yet he attends a school with a good rep.

An old friend, who"s is a secondary teacher, recently told me that the COFE is based on an educational system introduced in New Zealand that was abandoned after 10 years due to poor results.

This could make the Edinburgh Tram debacle look like a minor hiccup.

[aleene]

Will watch this thread with interest. I am in primary education.
Can I ask how old your DS is?

[wigglybeezer]

DS is 13, in second year, the "guinea pig year", and his brothers are in P7 and P3.

I have just looked up the New Zealand exam system, can't find any evidence of their new national exams being abandoned as my friend implied but implementation was marked by delays and they do seem to be tinkering with it a lot!

I am actually not that worried about DS1 and exams, internal assessment will probably suit him as he is not academic/university material, however, the cross curricular working is confusing IMO, and it is very difficult for parents and pupils to work out what they are actually working towards in a particular subject at any given time (which makes it difficult to help at home, something which DS1 sometimes needs.)

I think the COFE works fairly well in primary by the way, (apart from the reports).

It may be elitist to compare childrens' results with each other but it makes it easy for parents to work out how well they are doing and if they are rising or slipping. (not clear at all in the new report cards).

[AgentProvocateur]

I have one doing highers and one doing standard grades this year, so I'm not directly affected, but I will watch this thread with interest, because I have a lot of friends who are teachers, and it's usually the subject of discussion on a night out. (FWIW, the primary ones are happy with it, while the secondary ones are still on the fence.).

[Annunziata]

There was a big thread about this a few weeks ago, it was really very informative.

My youngest is in S2 so will do the new exams. I'm really quite worried about the whole thing, no one knows what is happening. She is at present making lots of posters and doing lots of group work- but very little actual learning.

[wigglybeezer]

I think I know the thread you mean Annunziata, I am hoping we can all keep sharing any info we actually get.

I fear DS1 is not actually learning much, he has not moved on from P7 really and gets less homework than he did in primary.

I think the gap between him and his peers in our local private school will widen, they seem to be carrying on with a syllabus relatively unchanged so far.