Front page Exam news
Front page Exam news
The day after the A level results have come in and the Standardisation effect felt on grades. What is apparent is that by and large, the A level system now is so wholly politicised that it properly needs to over hauled.
Evidence is no more evidence than the front pages of the newspapers. Who, bar the Telegraph shout that it is discriminates against previously poor performing schools that often are in both inner cities and have the occasional outlier success.
It was only the Telegraph who reportedly broadly on the side of Ofqual and the Government..
Reporting on on the impossibly high predicted grades the teachers were giving. With the Key stage 2 results of that cohort out of line of their predicted grades and likelihood of getting results in the actual exam.
A source close the newspaper said “Do teachers really think this year's cohort at the top end is nearly twice as bright as previous years? It just doesn't stack up,” one source said. “It is the most blatant demonstration that teachers are not to be trusted on grading. Some is optimism – some is just playing the system.”
Meanwhile all the other newspapers carp on about how it has punished pupils who should have got a predicted grade like their teachers had promised them. Forgetting that predicted grades are at best an loose guide to the future results.
Here is Capx, the london link tank, tweet earlier yesterday:
Meanwhile the BBC side with Labour who claim:
A-levels: Labour call for government u-turn over 'exams fiasco'
Ironically, the unions had a large part to play in the development of the system in the first place. Just wonder if the Labour party will blame the architects of the system. Rather than the Government that commissioned the design.
Finally The Today program produced some excellent debate With the Katharine Birbalsingh vs Claire Kelly Exam debate