GCSEs 2020

[DrManhattan]

Hey what do you all think about the way the government are grading GCSEs this year.

I have been told by school that there is no point in my 16 year old doing any more work. They wont take it into account
Is this fair?
They have worked so hard since their mock exams and they are going to be penalised now.

I'm a little worried that one of the three things they are marking students on is how well the students of that school did in previous years. Last year's 6th form did quite horribly at my school. This year are AMAZING. The best year we have ever had. I really don't want them to do badly because they think that they are anything like the last couple of year's worth of students. We only have a couple of dozen of students maximum from year to year, so the variation can be quite enormous.

@Sassparilla

They cannot and will not take into account any work done after schools were closed.

Cannot - not true, guidance says can use that work, but needs to be treated with caution.

Will not - not true, the two schools I have some knowledge of will be making use of the window up to late May.

@nellodee - guidance says that the statistical exercise will look at the past performance of that cohort, ie how they did in their GCSEs.

I am not entirely happy with the situation. Ds didn't do particularly well in his mocks at the end of year 10. But he did ok (6's/7's) On school reports they get attainment level...that is based on year 6 SATS and get an expected grade based on that. Ds's report just says 6+ for all subjects. At the last parents evening in feb. all the teachers I saw said he has worked so hard this school year and they expect much better results than the mocks. So I've no idea what results they will give. Ds's year were told on the last Monday at school that they had mock GCSEs on the last Friday in science, maths and English. So they squeezed in 4 exams in one day (2 science) so far he has only had the science results and he got 9's. Yet attainment says 6+ so we just have to wait and see. But for those who stepped up work in year 11 may not get as good a grade as they could have. But ds is happy if he just gets the 6's as he can still do A levels in the subjects he wants. Of course he could re take if he really wants.

As for work...I really wish he'd been set some sort of work. He's delighted at 5 and a half months with no school work.

Your school are wrong - our school sent the ofqual guidance out, and it CAN be taken into account. So they’re carrying on pretty much as normal online. That’s not to say I’m happy with how it’s all being done...

We've set post 16 preparation challenges for our Yr11s. Really, preparing them for the next step is the only thing we can do.

I am a head of department and I am currently working on my approach to awarding grades under the direction of our SLT. The approach will be based on the evidence I have for each pupil. For my subject, each pupil has already completed two lots of NEA and I have (un-moderated) marks for the NEA. Based on previous years, I can theorize that my marks for the NEA are unlikely to have been changed as my marks have always been upheld in the past. Then, I will look at a range of data - classwork, tests, mocks etc - to try and work out what they pupils would have got in the exam. I also need to take into account my predictions for previous cohorts - how close were my predictions to actual grades? I tend to be slightly cautious, so I will need to make an allowance for that.
I will then put them into rank order and the grades will then be scrutinised and standardized by our SLT before being submitted.

It is honestly such a complex process, before it even gets to exam board level. The thing is, each school will be desperate to get this right - not just for the kids in this cohort, but also in fairness to pupils in previous cohorts and those yet to come. Please try not to worry and trust the process.

I'm a little worried that one of the three things they are marking students on is how well the students of that school did in previous years

Same

I did see your post dad

But I’m still a little worried 😀

We've had nothing from our school for year 11!

It's good to see some schools have set work. Those returning for A levels and further education could do with keeping their brains active.

I think how they are doing it is pretty fair.

If this year's school cohort is stronger than the last couple of years, then the school should have data to show that.

If a pupil has been idle for y10 & y11 and only started working after mocks, then the school will have evidence from recent work that attainment is improving. However in my opinion coasting for 2 years will impact all but the very brightest as they will be starting their peak revision from a lower point. And remember, the steady hard workers also increase their workload after mocks. it's not like the lazy ones suddenly start and everyone else slacks off.

What wouldn't be fair would be allowing a pupil to leapfrog in ranking order over another for work they have done since lockdown. Some pupils will not have home situations conducive to home working, and others will get 'guidance' from parents or older siblings.

Where schools 'allow a pupil to show his true ability' after lockdown, and then leapfrog in the rankings, they are de facto disadvantaging those that are jumped. Which they have been told not to do.

My son is resitting his math GCSE. He has resumed online classes and has math twice a week (two two hour lessons). I think the teachers are pretty aware of where they are at and from experience can judge how they might have done.
However I think it's a disadvantage for kids who get a wake up call after mocks and would traditionally do alot of revision just before exams - they might not have the chance to demonstrate that now.

I completely trust the school to give my dd the grades she deserves. What worries me is that these grades won't necessarily be the ones given by the school due to the standardisation process which I believe is related to SAT results from feeder schools. Well one of the feeder schools was in special measures.
My other concern is no right of appeal on the standardisation process.
Also I have heard that it may not even be possible to sit all exams in the Autumn. Certainly my dd wants to resit some if she doesn't grt the grades she feels she deserves. Perhaps anyone who knows for sure can clarify please.

Ours has not set any work nor suggested doing or submitting any.

Re op dds school has been mainly giving them A level prep packs that she has been working through so not doing much GCSE work.

Found this

Northern They will know the 'progress8' for the school in the past few years. So they will know the level of progress kids at the school tend to make. One of the feeder primaries being in special measures 5 years ago shouldn't pull your DD's grades down.

The standardisation is to stop schools who usually get say 80% at grade 4 suddenly claiming 80% would get a grade 6.
Now this could be possible if the cohort ability was way better than usual (which they can justify from SATs/CATs) and if the school's progress 8 has been on a rapid rise (seen from last 2/3 years of progress 8 data). But it is highly unlikely.
This is why they have to rank. So if a school over predicts they know which grade 5s to bump to a 4, or whatever.

I think it is right that you can't appeal on an individual basis. The school is doing the ranking, they know your child best. It's in line with recent changes re 'remarks' anyway.

teen I have complete faith in the teachers assesments and would not wish to appeal on those grounds. My concern is over the standardisation process.
I believe tbe school has good progress 8 figures so thst is reassurring at least.

Thanks @TeenPlusTwenties

Our SLT have said it still isn't clear how the SATs data will be used - there is a consultation open until 29th April. Our school have suggested the bigger impact will be the the schools previous performance at GCSE. The grades awarded this year will be expected to be similar to the schools previous performance, so that this years progress is inline with previous years. This makes sense - if previous results were poor, it wouldn't be accepted that suddenly, that school would have a year of outstandingly high results for all pupils.
Our school has achieved 'well above' national average results for the past few years. However, we still see a range of grades from 1-9 across subjects. Therefore, we should still see a range this year. In my subject, I have established a bit of a trend for weaker pupils doing considerably better than their sats data projects. Therefore, when I enter a 4 for a child whose SATs results projected a 2, I'm hopeful that grade will be upheld by my SLT because it is something that consistently happens in my department. I dont know that it will be upheld when standardised nationally, but no one does just yet.

@MyHipsDontLieUnfortunately

This is why attitude to learning throughout the course is so important.

And yet this will penalise those like my son, whose autism means that he sees school as school and home as home and most of the time getting him to do schoolwork at home is on a par with pushing water uphill (where's RainyPuddles when you need her! ) Therefore his attitude to learning scores are poor, when in fact his attitude to learning whilst at school is exemplary within the limits of his autism. Plus, he didn't get his diagnosis and access to a scribe until the end of year 10, so his grades across the years prior to that have been about three or four grades below his ability.

He is definitely one whose performance in the final exams should have finally been a true reflection of what he is capable. However, provided he gets high enough grades to get onto the A Levels he wants to do, he won't be sitting any exams in the autumn. We and he will just have to draw a line under this and move on from it.

Sitting exams? In November?

"If you think he could do much better, then he can sit the exams in November or next summer and both grades will be valid. "

But both of those options are disadvantages, harder options.

Sit GCSE's whilst doing A'level s?

I hate the way people present that (November exams) as a reasonable option.

Say someone had had mocks in feb this year. Realised they needed to study more. And did. Were just about to sit their exams. Would have done well.

But if you honestly think any student will do as well, in November, having had no formal schooling for 9 months, compared to what they could have achieved in the actual June exams, you gotta be kidding, right?

Cansu:

"Lotkell That is quite honestly ridiculous. They will not give your ds high grades based on the fact that he has been working harder for the last month before the schools closed. His grade will be decided on his performance thus far. If he has not produced much quality work or performed well in assessments thus far, it would be ridiculous to award him grades based on the fact that he worked hard in KS3. Of course he can retake the exams in November if you think his grades are unfair or that he could achieve higher marks now he is studying."

Why is it ridiculous?
Many students perform well from day 1 of school.
But many kids are crammers. They get predicted a 6 or a 7. And then cramm and pull it off at the end. And get an 8.

I wasn't like this. I worked hard Or throughout school and I had to work hard in order to get a grade B. Which I was very proud of. In those days a B at GCSE and A'level was very respectable .

But although I wasn't a Crammer. There's no Appreciation on this thread for those many students who are.

Sittibg exams in November may not even be sn option except fir normal resits.

Why might sitting exams in Nov not be an option?

I don't know how to explain it.
Of course it's an option.
But children who cram would have done well in June.

Trying to sit them in November, after 9 months of no schooling, and whilst sitting A'level , I doubt those crammer students would do aswell.

Yes. They are seriously disadvantaged.