New Era Assessment

16 Aug 2021

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

Dame Alison Peacock is writing in a personal capacity and all views are her own.

• Outdated system related to school leaving age from a former era
• Unfair because of the ‘snapshot’ nature of exams
• Stressful – anxiety builds over labelling and ranking of young people, both for the individuals and their families
• Limiting future opportunities for those told they have ‘failed’
• Unnecessary end-stop during an ongoing education process
• Costly – how much better to invest the millions currently...

16 Aug 2021

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

Dame Alison Peacock is writing in a personal capacity and all views are her own.

• Outdated system related to school leaving age from a former era
• Unfair because of the ‘snapshot’ nature of exams
• Stressful – anxiety builds over labelling and ranking of young people, both for the individuals and their families
• Limiting future opportunities for those told they have ‘failed’
• Unnecessary end-stop during an ongoing education process
• Costly – how much better to invest the millions currently spent with powerful exam boards on enriching the curriculum instead

There is no longer a valid reason for high stakes exams at age 16. We need an assessment system that evaluates progress across a broad curriculum from primary school onwards. This is not about ‘dumbing down’. Precisely the opposite, this is about keeping the door open, constantly demanding better, offering students the chance to relentlessly challenge themselves to improve, develop, master new skills. We should refuse to treat education as if it were a racetrack.

The racetrack metaphor speaks of young people ranking one another, judging what is ‘worth’ their time in lessons related to perceived future exam attainment. It means winners and losers. It also feeds the divide between schools. Instead of wringing our hands about the glittering results of the independent sector compared with secondary schools more generally, we should be seeking to develop a shared collaborative ethos between all schools that is about providing endless inclusive opportunities for choice and challenge.

We need to agree what the purpose of assessment is. If it is primarily to provide feedback, to consolidate learning and to enable future choices to be made, assessment methodology needs to be broad, wide-ranging and continuous. The entire curriculum should be rich, diverse and ever-changing. We need an intelligent multi-modal approach to assessment that supports and encourages progress across the curriculum, instead of a curriculum shaped and driven by examinations rubric. The ‘high stakes’ nature of GCSEs purports to be about individual success, but in reality masks a measure of schools that feeds league tables for accountability. We should decide whether our young people matter more than the set of results they can produce from a limited, timed, written diet.

If the total aim of terminal assessments at eighteen is to rank youngsters for the next stage of their lives it is wholly unnecessary to foreshadow this with GCSEs. Let us instead ensure that routes before and beyond the age of sixteen lead to a collective sense of achievement, wellbeing and intrinsic motivation. If society demands accountability maybe this should be judged by the life choices and satisfaction levels of young people beyond schooling age. If we seek to encourage, nurture and inspire an ambitious future generation we could do better than judging success on a narrow set of exam results.

In summary, if education is to move beyond the ‘racetrack’ we need system reform:

1. Remove the pass/fail boundary at age sixteen and replace it with ongoing formative assessment that supports decision making about pathways for future achievement.
2. Keep the ‘door open’ for every young person to continue learning into adulthood.
3. Recognise life achievements along the way via methodology such as a digital passport.
4. Broaden society’s view of what counts as ‘success’ at sixteen and eighteen.
5. Take a longer term view of the value of schooling, replacing crude league tables with honest, collaborative and intelligent accountability.

Dame Alison Peacock

12 Aug 2021

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

All students and educators alike have faced an assessment period under the toughest of circumstances and they all deserve huge credit for their efforts.

However, the exam results from this year and last year follow from a pre-pandemic system that was already not fit for purpose.

It is time for a New Era underpinning how we assess our young people and how we prepare them for their life after school.

The controversy last year shone a light on the left behind, and no matter how hard some young...

12 Aug 2021

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

All students and educators alike have faced an assessment period under the toughest of circumstances and they all deserve huge credit for their efforts.

However, the exam results from this year and last year follow from a pre-pandemic system that was already not fit for purpose.

It is time for a New Era underpinning how we assess our young people and how we prepare them for their life after school.

The controversy last year shone a light on the left behind, and no matter how hard some young people try they are destined to fail and leave school without meaningful qualifications.

This year has shown that with proper resources and support in place teacher assessment can help improve the current system, which often works against those already most disadvantaged and leaves many young people stressed about qualifications and disinterested in learning.

To be clear, this year’s results should be seen more as a grade correction, not grade inflation.

The Independent Assessment Commission is committed to change. We have taken swathes of evidence and will publish our interim report soon. The pandemic and the exam process and outcomes have exposed flaws in the current system, but these flaws pre-date the pandemic.

The current system is not working for far too many people - not for parents, teachers, employers and most importantly not for far too many of our young people.

The IAC wants more for young people in England and more for the future of England. The current system fails to inspire too many pupils, is seen as limiting by many teachers and schools and does not meet the needs of society and the wider economy.

We should use this moment to challenge the current system, we have a generational opportunity to work together to create a system that works for all.

21 Jun 2021

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

Almost all parents agree that a good education goes beyond exam results. The figure was 88% in our most recent Annual Parent Survey - a snapshot of parental opinion from a large sample of 1,500 parents. Only 2% disagreed and the rest lay somewhere in between. That's only a tiny portion who believe that good exam results is the primary goal of their child's time at school.

Clearly, parents value education for its influence on their child's character and life for more than the grades that they ta...

21 Jun 2021

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

Almost all parents agree that a good education goes beyond exam results. The figure was 88% in our most recent Annual Parent Survey - a snapshot of parental opinion from a large sample of 1,500 parents. Only 2% disagreed and the rest lay somewhere in between. That's only a tiny portion who believe that good exam results is the primary goal of their child's time at school.

Clearly, parents value education for its influence on their child's character and life for more than the grades that they take away with them into the next phase of their education or career. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic raised many concerns. In our March 2020 poll, parents scored an average of 6.8/10 on a scale of how worried they were about the impact of the pandemic on their child’s education, but this was as high as 8.3/10 for parents of children taking their GCSEs that year. Other than the immediate fear about their child falling behind or missing out on learning, uncertainty over arrangements for exams emerged as parents’ biggest anxiety. Broken down by year group, it was the top issue for 81% of Year 11 parents and 76% of Year 13s. Even though parents hypothetically don’t think exam results represent the sum total of a good education, they still want their child to reach their academic potential within the existing system.

Then came summer 2020, and the outrage students and parents alike felt when young people were offered grades that they’d had no autonomy to influence. Once the disruption settled down, and the word ‘algorithm’ blessedly departed from newspaper headlines, attention quickly turned to the arrangements for exams in 2021. In an October 2020 poll, still within the aftershock of 2020’s results days, more than nine out of ten parents (most having children in GCSE and A-level cohorts) said they were concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their child’s preparedness for exams. Acknowledging lost learning, only 3% wanted exams to be based on the full curriculum, and the favoured option – even before the government settled on its contingency arrangements – was for exams to be cancelled and teacher assessed grades to be used instead. Along with parents, we welcomed the decision in early 2021 to move to teacher assessed grades for this year’s students. After all, teachers know children’s academic strengths and weaknesses the best.

The rapidly changing circumstances in which education has been delivered and grades have been determined offer an ideal opportunity for reflection. What is the best way for our young people to be educated? How should their level of understanding and competence in certain subjects and skills be measured, and fairly rewarded? How do we ensure that young people leave education with the qualifications they need to thrive, either in the next phase of their learning or in the workplace? How do we ensure that children don’t start their professional lives feeling crushed by failure because of low academic attainment, when they still have plenty of offer employers and society in ways that play to their strengths?

There are many conversations to be had, and multiple viewpoints to be listened to in attempting to answer any of these questions. Yet it is a national debate that must now urgently take place. The upheaval of young people’s learning and lives over the past eighteen months has been significant, and the extra responsibility to oversee their studies placed on parents has given adults a fresh perspective on the purpose of education and the influence of the parental role within it. Our research also shows that parents have now become more involved in and engaged with their child’s learning, and they want it to stay that way. We want it to stay that way too, because positive parental participation coupled with a strong partnership between schools and homes, built on trust, leads to the best possible school experience and outcomes for children. Let’s keep parents in the loop as we decide what constitutes a good and meaningful school experience for our young people. The future depends on it.

John Jolly is CEO of Parentkind

18 Jun 2021

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

For about ten minutes, Year 10 and I were having a great time. The topic was divisive and the group was working through the arguments, bouncing around ideas, testing theories, collaborating one minute and challenging the next. “No way can you call Dickens a radical thinker, all he’s saying here is ‘be nice to each other’. He’s not trying to actually change the situation is he? He’s just telling us to help each other a bit. If he was radical he’d be looking at getting rid of the problems in the f...

18 Jun 2021

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

For about ten minutes, Year 10 and I were having a great time. The topic was divisive and the group was working through the arguments, bouncing around ideas, testing theories, collaborating one minute and challenging the next. “No way can you call Dickens a radical thinker, all he’s saying here is ‘be nice to each other’. He’s not trying to actually change the situation is he? He’s just telling us to help each other a bit. If he was radical he’d be looking at getting rid of the problems in the first place, like Priestley wanted!”

But these things never last, the inevitable question was asked pretty soon afterward. “So, is this actually on the exam then?” Groans. A sudden sea of dull eyes where a moment before there were sparks. Just the mention of exams brings the whole lesson crashing down.

“I hate literature, what’s even the point?” This, from a student who moments before was passionately arguing that more radical thought, as demonstrated in some literature texts, was what the world needed…

This is, of course, one of the key issues with exams. They kill the subject. Once the E word is in play, the big questions don’t matter, the joy and passion and sense of discovery which education thrives on is gone. Now it’s about the rote learning of exam approved structures. Now we put aside our opinions and interests and submit to prescribed thought.

Every educator, every parent, every student is familiar with the stresses of exams. In part that stress comes from the high-stakes, of course. In part it’s a fear of failure, of course. 12 years of education. Two months of exams. Then 50 years to live with the consequences. It’s not surprising that students break. Sometimes right in front of you.

For many students, the stress can be crippling. It impacts on sleep and diet, it makes it impossible for them to switch off and relax. As an adult, I can try and deal with stress by breaking down the issues and finding small, manageable solutions. As an adult I am often able to look at the elements of my life that cause stress and seek to remove those elements.

As a teenager for whom exams a requirement, there is no escape.

In many schools, it is a data culture and an obsession with league tables that drive this. The relentless focus on exam results leads schools to cut further and further into the few remaining shreds of pleasure students still cling to. Failing your maths? Right then, no more Art for you, doesn’t matter to us if you’re hoping to be a designer one day. Picking your options eh? Well, we’ve seen your SAT results and so you’re not getting a choice. We need you to concentrate on nothing but English and Maths, we’ve a league position to maintain!

These decisions not only kill off any love of learning, they belittle the interests and talents of many of our students by forcing down narrow paths which hold little relevance for them.

As a teacher, there is nothing worse than watching that student who was so full of hope and ambition, fade away. Nothing worse than the moment when a passionate argument is replaced by a dull and sullen acceptance. Nothing worse than when a student stops being interested in the subject, and only wants exam coaching.

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching that light die.

15 Jun 2021

The current exams culture does more harm than good

‘The current system of secondary assessment and qualifications has a disproportionate and damaging impact on the provision of education in our schools and colleges.’ It is a very strong statement, but – put to the test – I have yet to encounter a school or college leader who disagrees that our exams culture does more harm than good.

Let us be clear at the outset: calls to reform the assessment system are not a dilution of academic standards. All pupils are entitled to be educated in an environm...

15 Jun 2021

The current exams culture does more harm than good

‘The current system of secondary assessment and qualifications has a disproportionate and damaging impact on the provision of education in our schools and colleges.’ It is a very strong statement, but – put to the test – I have yet to encounter a school or college leader who disagrees that our exams culture does more harm than good.

Let us be clear at the outset: calls to reform the assessment system are not a dilution of academic standards. All pupils are entitled to be educated in an environment where they have the opportunity to excel, to demonstrate potential, to specialise within their own choice of subjects to study, and to progress into Higher Education.

But this trajectory is not the lived experience of the majority of secondary school students: it is absurd that our entire secondary curriculum and exam system is designed ‘downwards’ from the needs of those who are already – by and large – the most advantaged.

And there is also a sustained and systemic mismatch between what is accredited through examinations – as phases of formal schooling come to an end at 16 or 18 – and the skills, attributes and dispositions required for employment or for constructive contributions as an adult in society.

Let us also be clear: the culture of extensive academic examinations is a distinctly English obsession. A qualification is deemed to be more rigorous, and therefore more worthy, the greater the level of content-demand within the course. A student is assessed to be a more successful learner, of higher ability, the greater the number of qualifications they complete. Schools and colleges are judged to be providing a ‘better education’ according to the quantity and quality of grades amassed.

Yet, none of these three statements stand up to close scrutiny and need to be firmly rejected.

The design of course content and assessment in a way that promotes deeper understanding, that fosters a love of learning, and that aids the development of a broader skill set – such as team-working, writing for audience, problem-solving – must surely be preferable to a headlong dash through extensive knowledge content, pausing only for retrieval and exam practice.

Extended breadth and depth of study are very welcome, when they are attuned to the prior learning and needs of individual students. Yet, warning lights should be activated by the arbitrary and restrictive insistence on certain combinations of subjects (such as is leveraged through current league table attainment measures) without regard for pupils’ interests, their pace of learning, their future intentions, or their well-being and mental health.

The secondary school curriculum is largely derived from the content requirements of GCSE and A-level specifications. Ofsted, and others, may play a game in championing more nuanced curriculum design: intent, implementation and impact; but, in reality, the components are largely preset and amendable only to a certain amount of re-ordering.

For those who enter secondary schools with limited prior attainment, and especially for those with significant limitations through SEND, the curriculum menu is unlikely to be an appropriate diet.

For those unlikely to secure GCSE passes, it is a systemic tragedy that they are consigned to a programme of study that leads to a month of written examinations throughout which they may barely be able to access one-third of the questions posed.

And yet there are alternatives: systems that work reliably and efficiently in other countries, as well as approaches that have been abandoned in England even though they used to serve pupils well. It is time for change. It is time to ensure that future assessment and qualifications provision is designed for the future needs of society and in the best interests of all learners. It is time to set aside the blinkered pre-dispositions of policy makers and listen to the voice of students, parents, employers and teachers. Now is the time for our Independent Assessment Commission.

Robin Bevan is a headteacher and the National Education Union (NEU) National President for the 2020/21 academic year.

12 Jun 2021

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

Assessment currently dominates our entire education system, influencing what is taught and how it is taught. It is focused on performance in a narrow range of assessment approaches, overwhelmingly academic and written. It is narrowing the curriculum, restraining teacher autonomy and piling stress onto young people.

Most importantly, it doesn’t credit the wider development of transferable skills and attitudes that are essential not just for employment but in families and communities.

With two...

12 Jun 2021

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

Assessment currently dominates our entire education system, influencing what is taught and how it is taught. It is focused on performance in a narrow range of assessment approaches, overwhelmingly academic and written. It is narrowing the curriculum, restraining teacher autonomy and piling stress onto young people.

Most importantly, it doesn’t credit the wider development of transferable skills and attitudes that are essential not just for employment but in families and communities.

With two years of exams cancelled, COVID has demonstrated how quickly the world can change. We now have an opportunity to think again about our assessment system in light of the best international evidence and ensure it works in the best possible way for every young person.

Evidence from employers and the economy

DfE’s own Employer Skills Survey highlights that employers value a mix of academic and technical qualifications, work experience, and transferable skills such as problem-solving, communication, self-management, team working, creativity, and digital skills.

However, the assessment system does not appear to be sufficiently addressing employer needs or helping to fill key skills gaps. Nearly a quarter of all vacancies are skills shortage vacancies, with at least 2.1 million workers under-skilled in at least one core management area (leadership, decision-making, communication). The Open University shows that the current UK skills gap is costing companies a record £6.1 billion per year.

Evidence from teachers and school leaders

Our teachers are currently stretched to meet compliance measures and are spending countless hours preparing students for high-stakes exams. The emphasis on accountability measures such as EBacc and Progress 8 is narrowing the curriculum. Meanwhile, 47% of teachers felt that the 2014 reforms of GCSEs and A levels placed an emphasis on rote learning, to the detriment of developing the skills and attitudes needed for work.

Teachers and school leaders are overwhelmingly calling for reform and Edge’s YouGov polling found that 92% of teachers agreed that the assessment system needs to recognise the full range of a young person’s strengths and skills, through more than just written exams.

Evidence from young people

Young people also find the exam system stressful and unfit for purpose, telling us that “the current obsession with grades is not sustainable. It fails to treat young people as individuals with unique strengths and dreams”.

Moreover, the expectation that all learners should be ready for the same high-stakes cliff-edge exams at age 16, has led to a downward spiral of English and maths resits leaving many young people demoralised. The emphasis on academic and written assessment also fails those learners who are better served by practical, technical and vocational ways of learning and assessment. And we are seeing a third of all students leaving secondary school leave without substantive qualifications. These issues have serious implications for equity.

Clearly, urgent evidence-based change is needed and we are beginning to see green shoots. The Independent Assessment Commission is building a campaign for assessment reform. Alongside this, the Rethinking Assessment movement are building a coalition of state and independent schools, Multi Academy Trusts, FE Colleges, and researchers to pilot new alternatives. International partners such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are developing tests to take into account key employability skills such as creativity.

Momentum is building and the world is changing. Things cannot go back to how they were before the pandemic. The world is changing rapidly and we need to prepare our young people with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to respond and adapt to our fast changing social and economic circumstances. We need policy makers and politicians of all hues to join us in calling for this change and developing real and practical routes to deliver it.

Olly Newton is Executive Director of the Edge Foundation and a member of the Independent Assessment Commission

Blog

"We need a system which rewards our students for what they can do, not which rations success and ensures failure."

"We need a system which rewards our students for what they can do, not which rations success and ensures failure."

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

The current exams culture does more harm than good

The current exams culture does more harm than good

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

What we've done &
What we're doing.

What we've done. What we're doing.

Blog

"We need a system which rewards our students for what they can do, not which rations success and ensures failure."

"We need a system which rewards our students for what they can do, not which rations success and ensures failure."

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

What’s wrong with high-stakes GCSE exams?

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

IAC Chair responds to GCSE results

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

Parents say that education is about more than just exams – so let’s hear their ideas

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

As a teacher, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the light of learning die.

The current exams culture does more harm than good

The current exams culture does more harm than good

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

Assessment – It’s Time for a Rethink

What we've done &What we're doing.

What we've done. What we're doing.

What we've done &
What we're doing.