Exams cancelled

[noblegiraffe]

Alternative arrangements will be made.

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

I responded that a limit of six months should be put when considering performance. Many DC only pull it all together in the last few months. The improvement between DS1 mock GCSE's and his real grades two years ago was astounding.
If students last year who missed approx 10% of their course were awarded grades based on what they would have got "on a good day", then surely Year 11 and 13's who have missed almost 40% or far more, had repeated self isolation and teacher absenteeism due to sickness, should be given grades on what they would have achieved 'on an absolutely outstanding top of their game day'.
High grades will be far far greater earned than in any year gone before.

I said there shouldn't be a limit.
Before lockdown DD was doing work at a 4/5/6 level.
For science & RE they started the syllabus in y9.
If they limit to 6 months she hasn't a hope...

I said to go back as far as necessary - no limits. I think they should be able to get data from ‘their best’. Whenever their best may be. If some children have been performing really well and there’s evidence of that but then they’ve plummeted due to mental health, or other reasons more recently or do so in the last month, that also seems unfair. There’ll be so many variables it seems very unfair just to count a month or so prior.

@ginajaffacake - I’ve just seen you start a new thread about iGCSEs and that your ‘school has said that they’ve asked the board about submitting teacher assessments and they’ve rejected this saying all students must sit the exams.’
I’m curious which board this is and if it’s a U.K. school?

@NotDonna, yes, we’re in uk at an independent school. My daughter is a day pupil on a scholarship. I believe it’s Pearson Edexcel. School wrote to say they’d inquired about submitted centre assessed grades instead as their pupils had missed so much due to Y11 having 3 periods of self isolation last term. They were informed that wasn’t an available option and that it was exams or no certification.

Hoping you can help me out but, sorry, I haven't RTFT.

Does anyone know exactly when Gav W is going to announce the arrangements for (non) exams? Has a date been set? I know that the consultation period ends today.

22nd Feb @kit

When I did GCSE Eng literature back in the dark ages, it was 100% coursework. We wrote many essays over the two years and chose our best ten to count for our grade. English lang was similar but it was only 50% coursework so we chose our best five essays for that.

I think the GCSE and A level assessment should be done in a similar way - choosing a pupils's best work, not testing everything done in April or May. I know it's what happens with exams, but we're not doing exams and the longer lockdown goes on, the more some kids are losing motivation. It's easy for the "perfect" to say "well tough they should be more resilient" but wrong. We should make it as easy for pupils to get the best grades they are capable of as possible.

If students last year who missed approx 10% of their course were awarded grades based on what they would have got "on a good day", then surely Year 11 and 13's who have missed almost 40% or far more, had repeated self isolation and teacher absenteeism due to sickness, should be given grades on what they would have achieved 'on an absolutely outstanding top of their game day

I'd hope so but I am worried that if a child is borderline they'll be given the lower grade this year eg if they are B/C borderline it will be a C. Teachers were attacked for being too generous last year so they will probably go to the other extreme this year, except maybe with Eng lang and Maths GCSEs as they'll want to give the kids the benefit of the doubt for the 4 they need to not have to resit.

@redsquirrelfan

When I did GCSE Eng literature back in the dark ages, it was 100% coursework. We wrote many essays over the two years and chose our best ten to count for our grade. English lang was similar but it was only 50% coursework so we chose our best five essays for that.

I think the GCSE and A level assessment should be done in a similar way - choosing a pupils's best work, not testing everything done in April or May. I know it's what happens with exams, but we're not doing exams and the longer lockdown goes on, the more some kids are losing motivation. It's easy for the "perfect" to say "well tough they should be more resilient" but wrong. We should make it as easy for pupils to get the best grades they are capable of as possible.

In an ideal world this would be good, but if done at home there is always the danger an older sibling or parent could have done it, or they could have used the internet to help.

In our days we didn’t have google to help us....

@redsquirrelfan

If students last year who missed approx 10% of their course were awarded grades based on what they would have got "on a good day", then surely Year 11 and 13's who have missed almost 40% or far more, had repeated self isolation and teacher absenteeism due to sickness, should be given grades on what they would have achieved 'on an absolutely outstanding top of their game day

I'd hope so but I am worried that if a child is borderline they'll be given the lower grade this year eg if they are B/C borderline it will be a C. Teachers were attacked for being too generous last year so they will probably go to the other extreme this year, except maybe with Eng lang and Maths GCSEs as they'll want to give the kids the benefit of the doubt for the 4 they need to not have to resit.

I hope so too, but as you say some were over generous I think. Others missed out though depending on the schools past performance.

I suppose normally some kids would have an off day on the exam day but it’s impossible to predict who, so they gave the benefit of the doubt. I think this was done a lot in private schools but that is purely anecdotal, and I have no evidence of this....

I suppose we have to wait for the recommendations at the end of feb before passing judgement.

Redsquirrelfan, I disagree and I prefer exams. This is because mine only turn it on in EOY exams; they falter throughout the year prior to exams. That being said, we are prepared for all eventualities😩

mine only turn it on in EOY exams

That is because that is a culture we have created, though. I taught the lovely 100% coursework and effort was much more even and consistent and self esteem and MH were better, honest!

Obviously, we have made our own beds now and can't reinvent that era at this late stage.

The NAHT have called the Ofqual proposals ‘unworkable’ which is pretty damning.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-ofqual-and-dfe-gcse-grading-plan-unworkable-say-heads

Consultation ends tonight.

I have many an issue with exam only as a method of testing a persons ability but a key one especially in todays society is the fact they don't reflect real life. Can you imagine if we all performed shit in our jobs all year and then "turned it on" for appraisal time. It just wouldn't work so why teach kids that this is how they should be assessed?
On a personal note, like me, my DD doesn't cope well with exam revision (not the stress of the exam itself) but performs better throughout the year with coursework and I believe this demonstrates a better longterm performance and understanding. I did a Chemistry degree part time while working via day release, the final grade was made up of coursework, practical assessments and exams - I think this type of system would be fairer for pretty much all children.

Do any unis even do 100% exam any more?

Indeed piggy, they’re predominantly as per goodbye’s experience - a good mix of everything. This reflects most working environments and suits all learning styles.

Well that’s the consultation period over. What are they going to do? Heads have said it’s unworkable. I know maths submissions have been that it’s unworkable.

I don’t actually know what they’re going to do. Plough ahead?

But what is workable @noblegiraffe? Nothing suits all the teens in every scenario.

Why do heads think it is unworkable? Is it workload ?

Education Policy Institute don’t seem too keen either.
www.tes.com/news/gcses-and-levels-2021-5-risks-ofqual-and-dfe-plan

Heads say “ Ofqual suggests that grades should reflect the standard at which students are performing. Although a good principle, it is unworkable in reality," its consultation response says.

"The wording presupposes a system for awarding grades which does what the normal system of exams does; exams demonstrate the standard at which students are performing on a given day or days, grade boundaries are set and results awarded.

"This year, grades will reflect students’ performance over a longer period of time, potentially over the period of the course. In addition, this proposal does not account for the circumstances in which we are now operating with students having been taught different content and varying proportions of the specification."

Basically because Ofqual are expecting to implement a totally new way of assessing pupils that will accurately reflect the results from a completely different way of assessing pupils.

So 1. It doesn't address the issues 2 it adds further complexity?

@NotDonna

But what is workable *@noblegiraffe*? Nothing suits all the teens in every scenario.

My proposal was basically that we need the maths exams back on.

If they’re not, we’ll hopefully get all the kids back for proper mocks and use previous grade boundaries to cobble something together. But knowing that those mocks are now extremely high stakes will, despite best efforts, lead to kids looking up the papers beforehand.

And have all yours covered the full maths curriculum?
cobble something together is slightly concerning. Especially if different schools are cobbling differing things together.
There’s also the issue of missed learning and being up to speed for the next stage. I’m sure the affluent kids with interested parents will be fine (and likely the ones not to have missed too much anyway) but what about those that struggle to engage at the best of times, through no fault if their own? They’ll be forgotten.