From the Times today:
"Scottish exams face being cancelled for a second year in a row, with ministers expected to drop National 5 tests as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, under plans being considered by John Swinney, the education secretary, a scaled- back version of Highers would still go ahead.
The prospect of further disruption has angered campaigners, with one parents’ group saying it would amount to a “betrayal”.
Swinney is expected to make an announcement on the shape of the exam diet before the October break three weeks from now, reflecting the extent to which pupils fell behind during the lockdown and fears of further disruption.
It will be informed by the findings of a review into this year’s exam fiasco, conducted by Stirling University professor of education Mark Priestley and expected by the end of this month. The long-overdue Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) report on the future of exams is also imminent.
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One insider said: “Cancelling next year’s National 5s, many of which are continuously assessed, would be a least-worst option. However, retaining Higher exams, albeit based on a shorter school year with fewer areas of some subjects being covered, would be a better outcome for teachers and pupils under the circumstances.”
However Jo Bisset, of parent group UsForThem Scotland, said: “Parents will not accept this kind of surrender from the government and failure of leadership. Children lost out more than anyone during lockdown and their education and prospects were completely neglected.
“Schools need to stay open and all exams must go ahead as normal. Anything less would be a betrayal of a generation of Scottish children.”
Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said Swinney must clarify how National 5s will be assessed if exams are to be scrapped, and how scaled-back Highers and Advanced Highers would be fairly assessed and graded. He said: “All the stops must be pulled out to deliver a full exam diet next year where possible.
“If that is not happening, then the onus is on John Swinney to explain to parents, pupils and teachers why he can’t do that.”
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Scottish Labour’s Iain Gray said: “The legacy of the results debacle must be that any changes for next year are clearly communicated to pupils and teachers as quickly as possible. If there are to be alterations to the curriculum, additional coursework requirements or amended exam plans, then these must be confirmed as a matter of urgency.
“Above all, pupils and teachers must know exactly what evidence they need to gather for assessments if exams do not happen. We cannot have another fiasco like this year’s.”
Ministers are also coming under pressure from educationalists and trade unions to move away from traditional exams in the longer term, following claims that they disadvantage children from more deprived backgrounds and do not always reflect ability.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of Scottish teachers’ union the EIS, warned that next year would not mark a return to normal. He said: “Working towards a normal diet of exams seems hopelessly optimistic, given even the current levels of disruption being
faced in schools, let alone the threat of a second wave of the virus, so changes will be required.”
Earlier this year there was an outcry when the SQA awarded grades based on a computer algorithm that saw 120,000 pupils marked down from what teachers estimated they would have achieved. The results were crudely based on the previous performance of children at the schools pupils attended, benefiting those attending schools in more affluent areas.
Following the backlash, the Scottish government intervened to reverse the awards, and reverted to grades being based on teacher assessments.
Swinney told Holyrood’s education committee last week that he faced a dilemma over whether next year’s exams should go ahead because of further coronavirus disruption.
The Scottish Greens called for next year’s exams to be scrapped to give teachers time to prepare for awarding qualifications, and there is pressure for assessments to replace traditional exams permanently.
Pauline Walker, rector of Edinburgh’s Royal High School and chair of the 20-strong Bosch group of head teachers, believes the current system is outdated. She said: “The current system is not inclusive and doesn’t show students at their best.”
But Lindsay Paterson, professor of education at Edinburgh University, cautioned against scrapping traditional exams, arguing that they help ensure children are assessed fairly and equally.