Head of NCETM recommends binning current maths GCSE format for 3 tiers

BubblesBuddy I fear you don't understand/have a clue. I think I'm right that your Dd's went to boarding schools.
How many, non SEN, private schools do you know which regularly got U,G,F,E and D's or will get 1,2 or 3's in (I)GGSE's, none around us.
The Tat that is Gove and his Bullington chums in government deliberately made GCSE's hard to please Private & Grammar school heads( and their parents)*
My youngest is on cause for 3/4 at both English and Maths, thanks to Mr Gove, my wife would love 10 minutes with him, he may not wish it happens. He is a lovely caring hardworking boy, who hates to fail, but he will and need to sit 2 years of subjects he grow to hate we know 6 FE lecturers who do resit maths/English at FE colleges locally, all say the same. Why because he is a lower ability student.
I think we should return to something like CSE and GCE for Maths/English or the once muted 16plus
Definitely cut out enforced resits or teach level 1/2 functional maths/English. Some may later come back to maths if they don't get turned off it at 18.
I did CSE maths in 1985( I'm old) head teacher said it was what lowest 2 sets needed. I have never been unemployed and now earn £44000.
So no not ever child needs higher maths, typical Tory policy, only for the top 15-20%, stuff the rest

The suggestion is there are 3 papers Aragog.

Paper 1 - Foundation
Paper 2 - intermediate
Paper 3 - higher

Pupils would either be entered for 1 and 2 or 2 and 3. Everybody would have to take paper 2.

It’s sort of a mixture between the old 3 tier system and whichever board used to have a legacy syllabus where each paper covered a grade (or possibly 2) and students were entered for two papers depending on the level they were working at.

Taking two tiers would be good. TBH if each had two papers, then one of the papers could possibly overlap too.

There was a massive government consultation on GCSE maths reforms just a few years ago, before the current (new) format was finalised. They had expert reviews etc, and I bet this organisation made similar points then. It would be interesting to compare the suggestions in this article with those made at the time, and the government responses.

The issue with tiers was that the government ideally wanted no entry tiers, so that no ceiling was set on the potential grade a candidate could achieve when they took the exam. This is surely laudable, especially for those children who are borderline between the Foundation / Higher grades. But after the consultation responses, it was felt that this just wasn't workable for maths.

The three tiers would need more overlap to work. Otherwise selecting which paper to do becomes even more difficult.

So, for example: Foundation 1-4 (focusing more on functional skills), Intermediate 3-7, Higher 5-9

Or an option of taking more than one tier.

It isn’t sat by everyone though. Though it’s probably a better test of literacy than the GCSE.

Not sure if really gets away from the fact that the current (and the past) GCSEs are trying to do fulfil too many roles at one and aren’t doing any of them well.

There's an English functional skills level 1 and 2 available as well.

I really don't understand why the number of maths exams was increased from 2 to 3 for the new GCSE. I don't think this works for the Foundation students and increases stress for high flyers too.

When you put it like that it sounds simple.

I do think a basic numeracy and/or literacy test sat by everyone would be useful. I don’t suppose the new GCSEs are any better at discriminating those things from other skills than the old ones were.

hah! that sums it up well Rafa.

We’ll let you know by the end of May, Teen.

That gives us plenty of time to not follow our planned timetable for release and you get a least a couple of months to write the new scheme of work. Sample exam papers should be ready be the end of the Autumn term.

I'd be happy with two tiers I. English. Lower ability kids take one look at the huge amount of pre 20th c unseen text and give up - let a lo n e get to the bits where they evaluate the writer's methods.

I think 3 tiers and taking 2 of the tiers sounds excellent.
Please can we introduce it read for Sept 18? That will give enough time for the teachers to adjust I'm sure.

Sorry, should say that as I understand it the expectation is that pretty much everyone sits Numeracy, with most but not all also taking Mathematics.

I think there is a strong case for an exam showing the functional maths and one preparing for further study as per users suggestion.

I am from the really posh SE! but our local secondary is one of the worst in the country as pointed out in several newspapers recently.

It really bothers me that the whole education system is geared up to and funded towards to 30% or so that head to university. The rest have an system that isn't fit for purpose.

There is a Functional Skills Maths (and English reading/writing) test already, Level 2 is accepted for most FE courses.

"Maths needs to be split into functioning maths, and the maths needed to prepare children for maths and science a levels."

We have exactly that here in Wales - two GCSEs, one in Numeracy, and the other in Mathematics (and 3 tiers in both, though I don't know the grades available on the lowest tier). Still very new, but hopefully it will provide an example for the English DfE to look at once it's bedded in?

Whether it’s 3 tiers or not really depends on whether you can accurately know what tier/papers a child should take. Some parents may be unhappy if children don’t get a chance to do the 7/9 paper for example.

Everyone having to sit two tiers would really minimise that problem though, wouldn't it? I think that's a brilliant idea, genius in its simplicity and "why aren't we already doing that?"-ness.

User: I do not entirely see that the current system keeps grammar and Private school parents happy. You seem to assume that all Private school children are good at Maths. This is plainly not the case. The problem is what to do nearer the bottom of the pile and that affects children wherever they live.

Please don’t assume children are less bright in the North. I suspect if they had better teaching, the children would be more engaged and do better. We cannot assume these children should have dumbed down Maths because they are in the North.

Neither should it be dumbed down (simplified) for retakes. By all means offer another exam but it’s not fair to offer the same qualification a year later, call it the same name, but reduce the content. A new exam - Functional Maths - would be fine for the retake or genuine low achievers.

Whether it’s 3 tiers or not really depends on whether you can accurately know what tier/papers a child should take. Some parents may be unhappy if children don’t get a chance to do the 7/9 paper for example.

Maybe the “pass” threshold for some FE courses should be a 3? Not for degree courses though. Would that help user?