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

Very tough on teachers who never normally have to decide whether someone gets to college or passes their English or whatever and did not know that CAGs would be used in this way. I'm sure schools will be glad to have a good reason not to have parents there on results day.

Teacher here - just wanted to pop in to say that if your DC's CAG isn't what you expected, there's a fair chance the final grade submitted hasn't come directly from their teacher. Most schools will have moderated grades from teachers through Heads of Department and then SLT - in fact, I've no clue what the grades I initially submitted to my HoD ended up as!

It is total transparency and full visibility of what your DC teachers think of them.
No different to reports, predicted grades though. Part of the job, just never to this extent.

Well ladies, it has been an interesting few days, thanks for all the interesting sharing! Hope you can all report good news on Thursday and the CAGs are all you hoped they might be.

I agree that it is going to be tough for teachers as they will be held accountable by some parents. Hope we can all remember how much the teachers on here have done their best for their students and be kind to those who gave the CAGs.

Just caught up with a friend whose son did A levels - his school gave him predictions good enough to get an offer from Bristol, which he firmed, but then gave him CAGs a grade lower than he needed. I'd be a bit miffed about that I think - they basically trashed his plans before the algorithm even got its trousers on!

@Fancyaruck

Teacher here - just wanted to pop in to say that if your DC's CAG isn't what you expected, there's a fair chance the final grade submitted hasn't come directly from their teacher. Most schools will have moderated grades from teachers through Heads of Department and then SLT - in fact, I've no clue what the grades I initially submitted to my HoD ended up as!

Good point. The grades would have gone to an SLT and moderated internally. I understand and accept that. I think we were being slightly jokey but also appreciating that it might be an eye-opener.

Part of the job, just never to this extent.

Yes and never with stakes this high and never usually done without understanding where their predictions / reports are going and what they'll be used for.

@singingstones

Just caught up with a friend whose son did A levels - his school gave him predictions good enough to get an offer from Bristol, which he firmed, but then gave him CAGs a grade lower than he needed. I'd be a bit miffed about that I think - they basically trashed his plans before the algorithm even got its trousers on!

Actually I would expect the CAGs to be lower than the UCAS predictions for many students. Only 20% of students achieve their UCAS predictions or better, they are very much an optimistic prediction.

CAGs could be lower than mocks, especially in subjects with coursework.

To give an example , a girl in my year 11 got a 9 in her mock . I knew statistically/expected that Ofqual would only allow me one 9. I rank ordered her second after much hand wringing. In fact my first two in the ranks all had lower coursework marks than numbers 3 - 6! They are just very good at exams. The coursework is 30%. So, my two top exam students went first and second in the ranks and only number 1 (who also got a 9 in the mock) was the one with a CAG of 9.

Another thing to bear in mind about mocks is that no teacher knows grade boundaries for this year in advance or what the 'standard' would have been so mock marking is variable. It does get moderated , but everyone is pretty much guessing an din one teacher subjects that is always interesting!

@Monkey2001 I get that and it's a system that works fine normally when it's good to be aspirational and then up to the student to make their grades, but it feels a little less comfortable when the school is deciding that someone now has no chance of getting into their choice of university. It's a weird old time.

Gosh well whatever phew argh etc.

Does anyone know about the iGSCE results from last week? DS was (I'm guessing) downgraded two or even three grades. Will they also be adjusted?

And the FSMQ additional maths? Not that we were given them as school held them back - presumably due to A level results on same day (or because they were shit show).

I was definitely being tongue in cheek.
And I agree that DD’s CAGs could be lower in some subjects (science mock was 9/9, and totally unexpected) and some may be higher - I guess that’s how the dice rolls.

@Alsoplayspiccolo

I was definitely being tongue in cheek. And I agree that DD’s CAGs could be lower in some subjects (science mock was 9/9, and totally unexpected) and some may be higher - I guess that’s how the dice rolls.

Yes my ds dis the same in science mocks.

And actually I checked all appear and mocks against grade boundaries to tell ds if he was secure, a just or ripping into higher grade to help guide him.

Ds was well within science 9. But it shocked us all so I don't know if teachers would have given him a CAG of 9.

I agree re the teachers. What a responsibility!

What I hope is that there will be so much relief from parents at the change in direction, not to mention sympathy for all those teachers who had had all their hard work ditched by Ofqual (up until 4pm this afternoon, anyway!) that it will mitigate their responses somewhat.

I do agree about mocks higher than CAGs but there will also be parents (myself included) who will willingly acknowledge that a one off good performance in a mock does not actually mean student deserves that as a CAG. Classic example being my DS’s 9 In physics - he is no way a 9 student and I’m absolutely not expecting to see a 9 on his results slip if I’m honest.

I’m mentally exhausted from this rollercoaster.

Some saying being able to pick between moderates and CAGS are only for A-level students and some saying it applies to GCSE.

No one knows how they’ll be presented on Thursday. My brain is frazzled.

CAG/moderated choice has been given in Wales for GCSE I think - so it's only right to do in England too.

Some English pupils will apply to Welsh universities and Welsh pupils also apply to English universities. And total GCSE score does count, especially at the top universities and most sought after courses.

I’m exhausted too. Feel like living in quicksand.

@Piggywaspushed are you a teacher? Could you answer my question about whether teachers were factoring in a student working towards the main event? Or could they only grade based on what they'd seen before lockdown? Thanks

@Confusedbutheyho

I’m mentally exhausted from this rollercoaster.

Some saying being able to pick between moderates and CAGS are only for A-level students and some saying it applies to GCSE.

No one knows how they’ll be presented on Thursday. My brain is frazzled.

It does seem a bit surreal and also theoretical since our DC haven't even got any results yet. Still don't really know what to expect on Thursday. The whole 'you have been graded based on continuous assessment but you never knew it and now you get that grade' thing is worrying to me.

Since without coronavirus, the pupils would have been judged solely on the exam (plus NEA, but pupils knew the NEA counted), I naively thought the teachers would base predictions on expected exam performance only.
It does seem wrong to retrospectively change the rules and say that the pupils have to have a sort of continuous assessment grade 2 years after starting a course.

Apologies, probably sounds like I am someone who's never going to be happy. I am happy with the CAG. That is why I have been posting in favour of CAGs for many days.
I was just agreeing with a pp who said we still don't know what our DC will open on Thursday. It's not over yet, not even begun for our DC!

@PatienceVirtue - DS2's (Year 10 - one early GCSE) school has just written and confirmed that currently nothing has changed for IGCSEs of FSMQ Ad Maths.

frustration .teachers could only grade work seen and marked before lockdown. that isn't the same as saying we didn't factor in work they would have done had they carried on going (ie how much difference a couple more months would make ). We were supposed to think about more than juts mocks, to gain a complete picture of the students since, at that point it time, Ofqual seemed to be aware that mocks did not give a full, or even accurate, picture!

It really honestly wasn't just finger in the air stuff!

Yes also thanks to all the teachers!

With Dd anxiety issues im just glad we can be 90% sure we can move onto the next stage. We won't take this next stage of education for granted. She is doing subjects she loves at a fab college just round the corner, whilst she can attend I think she is going to really enjoy it.

She is especially looking forward to getting her student card

I should add that coursework was allowed to be marked after lockdown, so long as submitted beforehand.