Research report by Oxford University shows that exam system is robust. Why is Michael Gove changing it?

[squeezedatbothends]

Read this via //www.debrakidd.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/calling-all-parents and it suggests that our exam system is not failing our children and that the questions are not easier. So why is Michael Gove shifting the goal posts? Cambridge don't want the new changes either. Also a link here to a great article which looks at Gove's claims and the reality.

[noblegiraffe]

He wants to change it because it's not the same as what he did when he was at school.

As far as I can tell.

[thecatfromjapan]

I'm going to read that when I am a bit stronger. Frankly, I am completely unsurprised.

My thinking: Gove spouts a lot of bile about New Labour and exam dumbing down; people believe it and forget New Labour pumped a load of money into schools, and introduced federation initiatives - and that helped improve things; and people will be running around in circles about all the changes and won't notice that the school finding cuts coming along are huge . The cuts by the Conservatives under La Thatcher were also huge, and so are these ones.

Cutting spending in state sector education does not improve education. Spending money (wisely) does.

But perhaps you really can hide all of that by dissing the current exam system, without any evidence to substantiate that.

[pointythings]

Simple answer: Gove is changing everything because he is an attention-seeking little sh*t who wants to be Prime Minister.

[squeezedatbothends]

My ds goes into Year 10 next year. When his brother did Geography, four years ago, he needed 60 % to get a c. My younger one will need 72%. And to do so without any opportunity to do modules and bank marks as he goes along. His older brother was able to earn 20% of marks for English through speaking and listening, but he won't. If he manages to get the grades for Uni, he'll pay three times for than his brother. Any child under the age of 15 has been betrayed by this government.

[ILoveOnionRings]

Well said pointy - I came on to say because he is an arse but I think what you said said was far better.

[hardboiled]

It is an overall long term plan to undermine confidence in state education planting the idea in people's minds that it doesn't work - so we all put our confidence in the independent sector instead - and that the "dumb" youngsters should not aspire to higher education anyway. They are doing the same with the NHS. By the time they are done "fixing them" they will hardly exist anymore so nobody will moan when they axe them both. Simple.

[Elibean]

God knows why (I doubt Gove knows why, he doesn't seem inclined to self-analysis ) but just confirms my already set opinions.

Aaargh.

[MustTidyUpMustTidyUp]

Because he is a wanker.

[anniesw]

Has anyone tried to do a higher level maths paper - it's not an easy ride

[Hulababy]

Because he is trying to desperately justify why he is paid so much to do his job???

He seems incapable of actually finding out what really happens in UK schools (or even in other countries, including those he thinks we should be like) or of actually listening to anyone who actually knows anything about education. He just seems to spout out loud the random mumblings and ideas he has, with no real consideration of what he is saying or how it could even be applied.

[prh47bridge]

The OU paper is highly debatable. For example, they manage to reach the conclusion that the existence of grade inflation at GCSE has not been established without once referring to the leading work on the subject by Durham University. This analysed data stretching back to 1988 and showed that there has been consistent grade inflation since then.

This and other omissions lead me to the conclusion that this study cannot be regarded as a dispassionate examination of the evidence.

That does not, of course, mean that Gove is right or that his reforms will achieve the outcome he desires.