Thread 8 Carry on Corona Cohort: GAV give us the CAG?

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 8th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort the Corona Cohort!

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. It is hoped this will continue. Going forward we intend to stay in secondary so any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find.

From now on our DS/DD may go down various paths so we decided not to be exclusionary and stay right here in Secondary until HQ chuck us
At this precise moment in time we are awaiting GCSE results that seem to have been produced by an algorithm that also takes very little account of Teacher Centre Assessed Grades. There is an appeal process but it was changed yesterday to include mock results and coursework, then taken down again for review.
Trying to protect our young people's mental health.during this shit show , which the government claims is their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...

first ever thread

previous thread

Just seen announcement from college reassuringly they written to feeder schools to confirm will accept CAGs except in place of Maths and English where apparently funding rules required the calculated grade to be used.

Perhaps we might be able to catch up on sleep..at least for a day or so.

Weird how in NI the CAGs announcement only applies to GCSE. I'd be very upset if I were a NI A level student!

Labour need to sort out Wales PDQ !

conservative MPs told to expect an announcement re: exam grades at 4pm

@singingstones I wonder how much movement there is outside of NI to higher ed/apprenticeships and if it is something they could manage locally ?

Agree @OrangeCinnamon1!
Might have to march on the Senedd if not! Actually there was a demo there on Saturday I think but I didn't know until afterwards.

It’s clear whichever way they do it is unfair. But using CAGs is the least unfair. So a few slip through the net, so what? My son got his A level result and letting them have CAGs will devalue his result but even I think it’s fair to give out the CAG grades. Why? Do I want a generation of lucky, engaged with education students? Yes I do! I don’t want a disengaged bunch of people who feel like losers and all the stress and mental health issues that will follow. Give us the CAGs!!!!!

Hmm yes I don't know @OrangeCinnamon1, that may have something to do with it

SHIT

I've just been looking at ds's schools data and it reminded me of something. The year before last the school made the disastrous decision to enter the entire Year 10 cohort for English Language a year early. It was a total disaster, in the entire cohort of around maybe half a dozen kids passed it and everyone had to re-take the following year.

Now this data isn;t included on the goc.uk website as it only reports tne end of KS4, but will it be included in the exam board data.

Also from lobby briefing:

GCSE results will not be delayed, the PM's spokesman confirmed.

NEW:
PM's official spokesman says he has full confidence in Gavin Williamson and Ofqual

PM and Williamson spoke this morning.

PM's spokesman repeatedly did not rule out at U-turn.

Separately Tory MPs have told Sky News they are expecting announcement at 4pm.

It's a thousand things like that, that make the whole thing so meaningless Comefromaway.

I realised on Saturday night that, historically, DS's school made RE a compulsory subject for everyone. In DS's year they only made it compulsory for the top 75% of the year (bottom 25% got extra study periods/intervention classes etc.). So, based on only the more able students being entered, you'd expect RE results to be way higher in DS's year. Trouble, is, no one has told "the algorithm".

Monkey and singing, we’re reading off the same page. 👌

My previous posts were really in response to neutral’s suggestions that only giving CAGs was acceptable now, and that what you’ve described is an unacceptable compromise.
My further point was that Ofqual must have carried out the process they originally suggested was going to happen to teacher’s CAGs, and found that it was too favourable, which means it would be positive for students if they now choose to go back to that.

The stress of this is unbelievable. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but even if they do make a positive announcement...will it last?

I was happy for CAGs to be moderated - naively I thought they would still use them as the basis of grades with only a few at the boundaries shuffling up or down. When it became clear that that was not what was going to happen - that they were going to be slaves to the algorithm regardless of the impact on individual fairness, I started to worry. The more I read, the more I worried. And here we are.

Just hoping and praying they do the right thing by the A-levels and the GCSE students this afternoon.

@Comefromaway it should be OK, they only use the Y11 data

I hope they don't delay them, I've worked all through COVID (nurse) and have booked this week off specifically to spend time with Dd and get results on Thursday. I wonder if they go with CAGS will the school already have them all on file?

DS1 got his A level CAG today - predicted AAA - got AAA.

Looking at the ranking within the grades, he was placed 1st for one A*, 20th for the other - one definitely not borderline, the other more of a "good day" result, though he has history for pulling it out the bag on the day, so potentially realistic. College have said to hang fire on appeals.

DD is so anxious about her results now.

THis announcement if it happens better cover both A level and GCSE

👍 Also

@Monkey2001

But if A levels get CAGs and Scotland and NI get CAGs, the momentum will be overwhelming.

Scotland isn't as straight forward as got CAGs.

Better schools got upgraded, deprived areas got CAG reinstated too late after losing uni places, while better schools kept their upgrades and uni places.

If England go ahead with GCSE results on Thursday through algorithm they will have the same unfair outcome.

Phew. Still not great for Ds as he is bottom set in a low achieving school but hey ho.

DD’s school have confirmed that they will use CAGs for Internal and external entrance into their 6th form.

Card from Granny this morning, saying how proud she is of all DD’s hard work and enclosing some money and instructions to ‘spend it frivolously’! DD has obediently headed off to get her nails done!

Good article on BBC website, massive momentum. www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-53804323

I need to tidy kitchen, family are laughing at me and saying "don't mention results"!

Dd has a reply from local mp, Tory. He basically said don’t worry you can use a valid mock to appeal or resit in October... the government is working hard on this for the best possible outcome.... she wrote back please explain the valid mock option as Ofqual have deleted the policy over the weekend and also retakes would mean missing out on starting course in September etc etc..

Also school got back and said ok we are looking at things and will see if we can issue CAG at the same time as results. However they won’t let us know until Wednesday if this is possible, incase government changes mind again...

Finally, 6th form have announced they are happy to take CAG, so now we just need to get our hands on them for enrolment on Thursday, fingers crossed!