Scottish grades to be based only on the teacher assessments.

I think people will write off 2020 grades as the COVID year.
Don’t think it matters long term.
But it affects which University and/or course you are accepted onto which has the potential to be prospects/life altering.

That’s why I’m happy for them to just go with the Teacher assessments.

Whether or not you agree with taking teacher assessments at face value, is it unreasonable to expect the English teachers assessments to be reinstated?
Surely, by not following suit, the British government is saying that English teachers aren't as honest/professional as their Scottish counterparts, which of course is nonsense.

This year's results are awarded by quota and not ability.

DD has been downgraded but, fortunately, it didn't affect her Uni place. Many of her friends weren't so lucky and some were downgraded by 3, in no way reflecting the levels at which they were working throughout the sixth form. Hopefully, they will be allowed to appeal but I'm not sure I have any faith in the appeals process (whatever that turns out to be) to come to a fair decision.

I just hope that this mess is not allowed to become buried in the rather convinient lifting of certain English Covid guidelines on Thursday evening.

sashagabadon

Regulating it is what the SQA tried to do but they messed it up by knocking kids down with no real science behind which kids to knock down .

Then they had no time to sort the screw ups and do thousands of appeals.
It also can't be easy for teachers to estimate the kids who are borderline ie A/B or a B/C or C/D fail.

My ds's friend did his Nat 5s in 3rd year and highers in 4th year because he is very bright. Even at the younger age he performed better than others doing the exams with him. Children would only be doing highers at 15 if they fall into this type of category - the school would have to be very confident they would do very well so I would expect results of this age group to be high.

The schools will ask for extra funds I assume. They will all be ‘outstanding’ too. It’s just silly and there’s no ‘fair’ way - every year there is the argument that some students don’t so well in exams and hayfever knocks some students for six too.

I understand why it seems fairer for this years students but I think Scot Gov, Heads and teachers should be worried - as next year when the grades in some schools drop by 20% again - it will be obvious which schools/ teachers have inflated their students grades.
Those schools that didn't and genuinely had great grades will also stick out.
What will the Gov / Head teachers say next year to explain the inevitable drop in grades - ah yes, but of course, that is because we overestimated last year .
Cohorts do change of course but never by 20%

I started school early. I was a precocious brat. Not that it did me any good whatsoever.

SerenityNowwwww how did you end up doing Highers at 15 in 5th year, most people would have turned 16 by the end of February before sitting the exams in May. With the older kids having turned 17.

[quote MumW]@TheDrsDocMartens
I think people will write off 2020 grades as the COVID year.
Don’t think it matters long term.
But it affects which University and/or course you are accepted onto which has the potential to be prospects/life altering.[/quote]
That’s why I’m happy for them to just go with the Teacher assessments.

I did my first lot at 15 then stayed in for a year to do some further ones because I had an unconditional offer but they wouldn’t take me until the following year (that was a skooshy 6th year).

That table is fascinating. The under 15s doing Highers do better than those between 15 and 18.

Is that because their are very few under 15s do Highers?
I imagine under 15s are only entered if they are likely to do well.

[quote ny20005]@SerenityNowwwww [/quote]
That table is fascinating. The under 15s doing Highers do better than those between 15 and 18.

Is that because their are very few under 15s do Highers?

@TheDrsDocMartens
I think people will write off 2020 grades as the COVID year.
Don’t think it matters long term.
But it affects which University and/or course you are accepted onto which has the potential to be prospects/life altering.

The issue is with the way they did it in the first place - evidence should have had to submitted for every estimated grade to ensure accurate awards were made in the first place.

There were so many kids incorrectly downgraded that the pass rate was going to go up once the appeals were worked through anyway. Although they might have been better able to sweep that under the carpet by the time they got through the process months down the line...

What a shambles.

Bloody stupid and irresponsible. They've basically just rewarded all the schools that unrealistically inflated grades and penalised those which tried to do the right thing and make realistic predictions. It's also going to lead to lots of parents whose children attend schools in the latter category now directing the ire at their kids' schools/teachers for not giving them higher predictions. DSis is a teacher who works at a (private) school which really tried hard to play by the rules and make realistic predictions, and she's dreading this happening in England, because she knows they'll get a massive backlash from parents if it does.

Thanks for letting me know that!

They've said they won't downgrade any results

I think people will write off 2020 grades as the COVID year.
Don’t think it matters long term.

Will the regrade downgrade any of the results?

I wonder if this whole thing is actually highlighting some systematic disadvantages for pupils in deprived areas, because of the difference in "over marking" between areas. Is it highlighting a bigger problem?

Are pupils in deprived areas being taught by weaker teachers who just make too many mistakes?
Are pupils in deprived areas less likely to do well under exam pressure ?
Are they More likely to have disruptions in their revision time, so not all live up to expectation once they get to the exams ?

Is this an opportunity to find out what going wrong for disadvantaged children?

Oh, I see. Thanks for that.

So some schools took the chance and inflated the scores and it was bleeding obvious, so everyone was marked down and others suffered. Now it’s been put back to ‘you all get a gold star’, with the pupils in the most deprived areas getting a 20% uplift?

I think once individual school results are published it will be clear where or if overestimates have been made. Personally I think they should have considered individual appeals, which would have had to have some evidence - but I guess the system couldn't have coped with level of appeals?

A 20% increase in A-C is ridiculous even the 10% increase in the less deprived areas is ridiculous. If a school got a couple of percent increase on a normal year they'd be celebrating!

@SerenityNowwwww

I wonder how the gcse and a level results will pan out.