Exams cancelled

[noblegiraffe]

Alternative arrangements will be made.

How stressful to announce that with no details about what will happen.

So if they’re meant to be sat in school in May/June they could realistically sit the real deal in June/July with grade boundaries. I’d have thought there’d be enough data showing ‘which kids’ and ‘where’ had missed schooling and that some sort of mitigation could be put in place for those kids. Surely?

I have done the survey as a parent. I have said that I would rather the kids sat the actual exams with format and content they are familiar with rather than new assessments.

I also said that I think kids potentially sitting exams anywhere but in controlled exam conditions is a dreadful idea. Also if they are going to be sitting exams they all have to sit the same paper on the same day at the same time.

If not I would just prefer a teacher assessment.

I am very worried about how this is going to go. My dd is going onto do a vocational course, so these exams are very important as she won't be continuing an academic route so won't have a chance to prove herself with A levels etc when your GCSEs then start to become less important

Well then if they can be in school to sit mini assessments, why can't they be in school to sit exams?

The whole issue with exams was that kids who have missed out content due to isolation etc would be disadvantaged, yet the Ofqual consultation does nothing to address this. Teachers are expected to assess the level that students are currently performing at (which is a nonsense concept that I've been banging on about for years on here) which would be lower for kids who've missed out on teaching.

So why cancel the exams?

I’m also quite surprised (but shouldn’t be) that this consultation period wasn’t done last summer/autumn so that we had plan B already planned incase needed. It was inevitable kids were going to be in & out of school.

I agree @noblegiraffe so I’m not missing anything. Kids that have missed schooling are at a disadvantage and the mini exams won’t change that disadvantage. But given you don’t believe teacher assessments would work either what would work in your opinion? Mitigation for those particular kids? Could they be identified? If kids miss school in normal times due to illness it’s hard luck, isn’t it? That doesn’t feel right in this situation though.

But given you don’t believe teacher assessments would work either what would work in your opinion?

I don't think there's any right or fair answer, it's a mess.

But my preference for maths would be for the kids to sit the exams as normal with grade boundaries adjusted as they normally are to ensure the usual distribution of grades. In order to compensate in a small way for missed teaching, I would want the special consideration process to be used to give a percentage boost to students who have had to isolate since September, depending on how many weeks missed.

Anything before September I think is just too difficult to mitigate.

I agree wholeheartedly with noble

If they sit exams, and the grade boundaries are set where they normally are, so that (made up figure!) 70% of kids get a 7 or above - then, this year, across the country, the standard required to get a 7 will be lower than in, say, 2019. This advantages those who haven’t missed much schooling but does also help those who have.

But this looks like teachers are supposed to assess what level students are working at now - so, “if this was 2019, you’d probably get a 6”. Which seems unfair.

And that question didn’t have a comment box; it looked like they assumed everyone would just agree.

That sounds fair (or as near as possible) noble. I see you agree MrsHamlet are you also maths? I’m wondering if your English/drama giving your username but assumptions can be way off. I’m wondering if that’s what we need to be saying in the consultation forms. I’ve not done it yet so not sure of the layout. Quite often these consultations don’t lend themselves to free expression. As a non-teaching parent I want to back whatever teachers think should happen. They must be best placed to see the whole picture. No one else has.

Is there no grade boundary curve with what they’re proposing?

Grade boundaries depend on the performance on the paper.
So I give you 76/80 on my paper but that's the highest mark across all 500,000 candidates so that's where 9 will fall.
Special consideration is done by the board so if Bob gets 68/80 but has missed x % of the year due to covid then in theory an extra % of his Mark could be applied. That would be reasonable.

No, NotDonna I'm the opposite of maths!! I teach English 😂

Well then if they can be in school to sit mini assessments, why can't they be in school to sit exams?

Numbers? Uncertainty about the use of exam halls?
In formal exams Invigilators can't be the classroom teacher (they can't be in the room), desks have to be so far apart, exam materials are kept under lock and key, all exams start/end at the same time?
Splitting formal exams up into classrooms would be a logistical nightmare.

@NotDonna

Is there no grade boundary curve with what they’re proposing?

I think it will be a mess. Moderators will be expected to enforce standards, but there are no standards and never have been.

The standards are set by how the kids perform in the exams against their peers nationally. There is no 'this is a grade 4 piece of work'. Certainly not in maths. There's only 'we need 70% of kids to pass maths nationally, same as last year, which means that having looked at the results we need to set the grade 4 boundary at 56% on Foundation and 17% on higher to achieve that.'

Splitting formal exams up into classrooms would be a logistical nightmare.

But that's what is being expected here.

I’m also quite surprised (but shouldn’t be) that this consultation period wasn’t done last summer/autumn so that we had plan B already planned incase needed. It was inevitable kids were going to be in & out of school

BJ and friends said over and over and over with absolute certainty that schools would not close again. There was no plan B.

Interesting that you both agree.

@noblegiraffe

Splitting formal exams up into classrooms would be a logistical nightmare.

But that's what is being expected here.

Controlled assessments (as done in the past) are less formal. They can be done at any time, the teacher can be present etc.

Controlled assessments were often anything but controlled.

@TheFallenMadonna

Controlled assessments were often anything but controlled.

Very true... The main reason they were abolished.

@Goodbye2020Hello2021 I wrote that on the survey. I said I was amazed that we were in this position and that plans should have been put in place last March even if they never needed to be used instead of claiming that schools would stay open and exams would go ahead.

It is not fair but I cannot see how they are going to make this fair.

Whatever is decided will be second rate to formal exams.

[quote treeeeemendous]@Goodbye2020Hello2021 I wrote that on the survey. I said I was amazed that we were in this position and that plans should have been put in place last March even if they never needed to be used instead of claiming that schools would stay open and exams would go ahead.

It is not fair but I cannot see how they are going to make this fair. [/quote]
They couldn't make a plan B. It would have totally gone against the government's rhetoric that schools are safe, they won't close again, children don't transmit the disease etc. etc...

I know that there are posters like @piggywaspushed who are in favour of teacher assessment and maybe there are arguments to be made for certain subjects who have a history of controlled assessments and NEAs.

But a blanket approach across all subjects isn't going to work and we are running out of time (have already run out of time tbh) to come up with a nuanced approach.

@NotDonna

So if they’re meant to be sat in school in May/June they could realistically sit the real deal in June/July with grade boundaries. I’d have thought there’d be enough data showing ‘which kids’ and ‘where’ had missed schooling and that some sort of mitigation could be put in place for those kids. Surely?

Well, that's what I think. It's not perfect but the least bad option. Firstly ask how many students want to take the proper exams (with perhaps some modifications) given they now know the alternative plan. Then find out how many will need extra support to fill in gaps, then put some support in place to fill those gaps.

Plus where is all this private tutoring the government promised? That could be going on now with some subjects. Either one to one or small group additional tutoring online. Or if vulnerable children are in schools/6th forms put it in place there.

If I am perfectly honest, that's what I thought the government was going to help schools to do after the last summer holidays.

When I say they/them I mean the government not schools.