Another Path - part IV

[321zyx]

Apologies if I've done this wrong! I seemed to have filled up the last thread, hopefully the abbreviated title is ok!

@BigWoollyJumpers

Looking at History for Cambridge, similar application rates over the five years, including this year, however, slightly more offers made LAST year, and a startling 40 more acceptances LAST year. THIS year, 40 less offers. Kind of says it all really.

This is heartbreaking for 2021 applicants. Absolutely brutal and unfair. What a year for these young people.

The Cambridge data is interesting reading. A breakdown between unconditional offers to those with grades in hand and offers to this years Y13 cohort would be interesting.

Sorry to say that it's now obvious from a chat with another parent that dd's school have provided extra assessments opportunities for the A/A students who haven't demonstrated their A grade level or A grade level in the assessments actually sat by the whole subject cohort.

Guess which students were "invited" to sit the extra assessments ? Yes, that's right, those with offers requiring such grades e.g. from O or C or med/vet/dent offer holders plus other prestigious course/Unis offer holders.

So, with the cut off point being higher for such courses this year, less people with offers, the offer holders themselves are then being given
an extra opportunity to provide evidence that they deserve A or A grade in that subject. Given that the schools can't award everyone top grades without serious questions being asked, this does seem doubly unfair on other potential A students who simply don't have an A/A requirement offer. Whether they will get their A/A this year remains to be seen.

It will come across as sour grapes on my part, given dd's situation but I have now lost faith in the whole system.

That is not sour grapes. You are describing a very unfair distribution of assessed grades. Would you consider dobbing them in?

That's disgraceful, @SATSmadness - extra assessment opportunities, if offered at all, should be offered to everyone. My sons haven't been offered them in any subject - it's the only thing their school has been consistent about.

It doesn't come across as sour grapes at all. I feel like our school is being really honourable about it all; I can totally believe that other schools won't be.
My dd doesn't believe that the school knows their exact grade requirements - which might be naive - but I would be really angry if my child and those with "prestigious" offers were given more leeway than those who didn't.
But I totally believe it would happen in some schools.
Can you contact the governors?

@SATSmadness does not sound like sour grapes at all. Everyone should be offered further assessments if that is available. You should take it up with the school

Absolutely not sour grapes @SATSmadness. Our schools are playing a straight bat but I have no doubt other schools will be playing the system.Can you start with Head of 6th Form and then escalate to Governors if necessary. If this is really what's happening, it's compromising the integrity of the school and they should know.

I have other children in the school and I'm reluctant to cause trouble at this stage.

I'm not saying that I won't be networking a little and adding to the info I already have if possible, ready to form part of any appeal against dd's grades if they aren't as anticipated.

It seems to have been a relatively brutal and unfair process applying for Uni this year, compared to a normal year and even more so when compared to last year's cohort's outcomes. Coupled with family hassles it's been just one thing after another so I confess I am mentally drained and wary of picking a large battle.

I really really really don't believe that no other school will be doing something similar, dressed up in some way as totally fine for one reason or another.

I understand that SATS. It is difficult when you have other DC in the school. Could DD maybe speak informally to the Head of 6th form just to put a marker in the sand and say that she is a bit concerned as she has heard that some other people have had the opportunity for further assessment opportunities and that she hasn't and that she really needs to be doing her absolute best as she can as her heart set on Medicine next year. If this is the system they are working to, then at least they will have no doubt that her grades are every bit as important as DC who have offers this year. Easier to make that crystal clear now than have to put DD through the uncertainty of appeals.

Oh SATS, I am at a loss for words and wish things were more positive for you and you DD. I hope you can get some satisfaction from school that your DD won't be disadvantaged because of their willingness to ensure positive outcomes for peers. In a month of Sundays, nobody could make this year of woes up.

@SATSmadness that’s absolutely appalling, I am furious on your behalf. I understand you don’t want to kick up a fuss with other children at the school but maybe you could ask for clarification in an enquiring rather than complaining way? Or report them to the JCQ, our school have said they are being guided by them.

www.jcq.org.uk/summer-2021-arrangements/

That's definitely not OK. If you remember, DD's school did offer another assessment for one of the subjects, but to the whole cohort, which we were annoyed about at the time, as those who did well first time round, may have been disadvantaged if they did less well the second time. Season confirmed this is acceptable, as the whole cohort is sitting the assessment at the same time, and can therefore be submitted as evidence. I can't see how your school can be keeping within the rules then?

DD's school are doing something interesting. They are getting each DC in, for a meeting with HOY, to set out which pieces of work are being submitted, and get the students agreement. They will not be given any grades, or indication of attainment, purely what will be submitted. The student then has to sign and agree. They also have to agree they have been given equal consideration for any educational issues, and confirm they had no extenuating circumstances, and sign those off too. I am assuming this means there will be little room for appeal. This has been made clear to parents too, and this, I assume may be because there has been a lot of pointy elbowed parents making waves in the background.

SATSMadness

Yours is not the only school where this it seems that this may be happening.

Some schools value their image/reputation for various reasons and with the attention grabbing courses/University names offer numbers noticeably down already at some schools, offer holders not making the required grades would dent the stats even further.

The worry for me is that any investigation in respect of potentially "inflated" grades could lead to some students becoming collateral damage as far as correcting the situation is concerned in the same way that some of last year's Year 13 ended up having to re-take in the Autumn to try and get the grades they believed they should have been awarded in the first place.

Making sure that grades don't appear inflated in total but top grades distributed to achieve the best overall outcomes for the cohort as a whole would be one way of maximising the school's stats in comparison to others but without popping up on the radar of the authorities.

Wow SATS. What your DD’s school are doing sounds unethical (and possibly breaking the guidelines for TAGs)?

I have 3 in three different schools - one Year 13 obviously, one Year 11 and one Year 8 (but I know parents with DC in exam years in that school) and I confirm there have been no extra assessments for anyone in any circumstances.

In DS’ school, their last day is today. They have been told there will be an email after half-term with info on which elements will be used to determine grades in the various subjects. That’s it.

I’m just wondering SATS - could it be that your DD has already done so well in the assessments so far, she doesn’t need to provide any extra evidence and this is why she’s not been called to sit more tests? Even then, the fact that some are being given second chances is not fair in principle, but at least your DD is on the right side if it. How does she think the exams went?

@SATSmadness far easier to do something now rather than appeal. How does DD feel? If she feels she needs "another shot" at an assessment too then can she go and ask and if they say no she can ask how come others have the opportunity?

It really does make you feel sick to your stomach when you realise that grades are being awarded in an unfair way in some schools. @Satsmadness it's not sour grapes at all and we know from the med threads how testing this year has been, without this too.

I thought that papers were anonymous with only candidate numbers being seen by the marker? So teachers wouldn't know whose paper was whose therefore an accurate an unbiased grade would be awarded. To give those with offers of As an extra chance at success is just unspeakable.

I'd consider as a PP says, maybe your DD did well and has no need to verify that she's capable of getting the A/A star.

[quote chopc]@SATSmadness far easier to do something now rather than appeal. How does DD feel? If she feels she needs "another shot" at an assessment too then can she go and ask and if they say no she can ask how come others have the opportunity? [/quote]
That sounds like a good plan. What a mare though.

I haven’t really found another school taking DS’s schools approach.

1-14 May, full set of A levels (called A level assessments), mirroring exact number/format of papers that would have been sat. Covering all of yr12/13 content. Been told these results will pretty much form the TAGS, because 1. They are the most recent/accurate ‘performing at’ assessment 2. Taken under high control 3. They cover whole syllabus. A list of other evidence to be used has been sent - from yr12 and 13, though students told it is likely this will only be used where the A level assessment grade is significantly different to most recent evidence. Any coursework which would normally be used to make up part of a grade (eg History/English), will also be used.

So DS has pretty much sat his A levels.

@Justanotherday3
Our school has done more or less the same. (I have one in year 11 and one in year 13). Two sets of exams in fact, a few weeks apart, with study leave, external invigilators, exams in exam hall. The entire course was covered for year 13s - slightly reduced content for some of year 11 subjects.
I feel as though they have done proper A levels and GCSEs. Despite initially feeling annoyed by the fact that they both have many friends whose schools are doing things very differently (and some in ways that I perceive as absolutely outrageous) they now both feel that they have had the best chance of really doing / showing their best. The school was good during lockdown and they covered the syllabus so they feel like this is fair to them (although in the context where nothing is fair!)
It's a selective school and there is very little variation year on year in results to be honest so I also think that this is a pretty good way for the school to be able to make a reasonably assessment of who would actually have got the 9s/8s/7s (I think easier for them to predict the lower grades as those are relatively fewer at their school if that makes sense).

If other schools are also acting unethically, I dress to think what will happen come 10th August. The s* will hit the fan for some students ☹️

*dread

Gosh @SATSmadness.. that is dreadful!
I agree that it would make sense to flag it up now somehow rather than wait to (potentially) appeal.

I've been quite vocal on here about the way some schools have cheated the system by blagging inflated CAGS last year. They will do the same again with TAGS this year.

I've just chanced on a table that highlights who some of those culprits are - well some of the independent ones anyway. The grade inflation from 2019 to 2020 at most schools ranked 25th and below is eyewatering!!

www.best-schools.co.uk/uk-school-league-tables/list-of-league-tables/top-100-co-ed-boarding-schools-by-a-level