Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
[Misc] Exam results
- Thread starter Herr Tubthumper
- Start date
highflyer
Well-known member
- Jan 21, 2016
- 2,551
(lfted shamelessly from twitter)
Got to respect the Tories for doing the right thing
All it took was for it to be pointed out that they were going to be deliberately giving an advantage rich kids over poor kids, see the system fail in Scotland, plough ahead anyway, get called dickheads for several days, and finally realise that it was turning into such a massive PR clusterf*ck that even they were going to find it hard to lie their way out of.
But they go there in the end eh, and that's what matters.
I wonder when the hard brexit u turn will manifest. I'm thinking December 24.
This really is the most craven imbecilic gorvernment in my lifetime (and I lived through Heath, Callaghan and Major, not to mention Dimbot Dave).
I am quite shocked to find that the algorithm takes predicted grades and marks them down in relation to local socioeconomic status. That's scandalous. Little better practice than in [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION]'s vid post.
I can tell you that in universities, in my experience, when things have gon as they should and exams sat in the normal way, some take the mark obtained in the exam and make no adjustments (that's what happens in my department). In others they do scaling. So for exampl in one of the top 5, when I was external examiner, I found that the papers were initially marked on merit, then a cut off was drawn so that a set % (say 20%) failed. Strangely this came very close to the 40% mark level (where a pass occurs in my college). But this university is creme de la creme, and their questions have been honed to test the students appropriately.
Other places do things differently. However, NONE adjust marks based on socioeconomic factors. None adjust marks to map to course work. Admittedly universities are self-selecting whereas schools cater for every kid. However I remain shocked that students can be marked down for being from a poor area. Christ.
Now, if our students miss exams for no fault of their own, they are given a chance to retake the exam for full credit. Our summer exams are in May and retakes are in August. The students' lives have to go on hold for a bit, but that's not the end of the world. Why the actual **** could the government not postpone O and A level exams till August? Or September? Or simply use the school's predictions (as they are bound now to do)?
Where I work all the summer exams were done online. I can see that this may have been impossible for a large number of school kids, but why not set up a system so that those who could take exams online were allowed? It is surely better to do that, and then find some other accomodation for poor or disadvantaged students with no secure or safe internet access at home, than to simply take the predicted grade for the poor and disadvantaged and mark it down! How did anyone think this was fair?
I think the elephant in the room may be the huge number of poor and disdvantaged kids in the UK which, in this context, is defined by no internet, or no privacy at home. The rest of the world would then see what a shitty little nation we have become. And we can't have that, can we?
I can tell you that in universities, in my experience, when things have gon as they should and exams sat in the normal way, some take the mark obtained in the exam and make no adjustments (that's what happens in my department). In others they do scaling. So for exampl in one of the top 5, when I was external examiner, I found that the papers were initially marked on merit, then a cut off was drawn so that a set % (say 20%) failed. Strangely this came very close to the 40% mark level (where a pass occurs in my college). But this university is creme de la creme, and their questions have been honed to test the students appropriately.
Other places do things differently. However, NONE adjust marks based on socioeconomic factors. None adjust marks to map to course work. Admittedly universities are self-selecting whereas schools cater for every kid. However I remain shocked that students can be marked down for being from a poor area. Christ.
Now, if our students miss exams for no fault of their own, they are given a chance to retake the exam for full credit. Our summer exams are in May and retakes are in August. The students' lives have to go on hold for a bit, but that's not the end of the world. Why the actual **** could the government not postpone O and A level exams till August? Or September? Or simply use the school's predictions (as they are bound now to do)?
Where I work all the summer exams were done online. I can see that this may have been impossible for a large number of school kids, but why not set up a system so that those who could take exams online were allowed? It is surely better to do that, and then find some other accomodation for poor or disadvantaged students with no secure or safe internet access at home, than to simply take the predicted grade for the poor and disadvantaged and mark it down! How did anyone think this was fair?
I think the elephant in the room may be the huge number of poor and disdvantaged kids in the UK which, in this context, is defined by no internet, or no privacy at home. The rest of the world would then see what a shitty little nation we have become. And we can't have that, can we?
Totally with you Harry. And had they delayed the A levels and GCSEs until Aug/Sept they could have delayed the start of the University academic year by a
month or so to accommodate. Very few down sides, relatively speaking.
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
A Level and GCSE's will revert to teacher assessed grades in England. Good luck to the universities working out who out of the 40% of top marked pupils will get to study which course at which university.
Moral of the story is that qualifications should be assessed mainly on coursework and set assessments throughout the course as opposed to relying on a final exam. Presumably the courses will need to be made harder if 40% are getting top marks too.
Moral of the story is that qualifications should be assessed mainly on coursework and set assessments throughout the course as opposed to relying on a final exam. Presumably the courses will need to be made harder if 40% are getting top marks too.
BTECs are very coursework oriented and finish earlier.
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
Yup
Back in April nobody could know when it would be ok to restart the exams. I'm sure that if there was certainty that Aug or Sep would be good they would have gone with that. In the meantime they came up with an algorithm that was totally unfit for purpose and discriminated against those in the most disadvantaged circumstances. Normally, when doing this sort of thing you would test it - at least do a sanity check. If they ever did such a test I can only wonder who gave permission to approve it. If it was Williamson then he's toast.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
[tweet]1295380853565132802[/tweet]
highflyer
Well-known member
- Jan 21, 2016
- 2,551
As friends and family who are teachers are always quick to point out, the education system already has major inequity built in - it's hard to avoid.
Who gets better suport. The kid with two middle class parents, able to take the time to support them, encourage them, buy them whatever books and equipment they may need, private tutoring etc. Or the kid in a one parent family, in a two room high rise. With younger siblings.Who's mum works all hours, maybe nights, just to put food on the table. And can't afford a computer, let alone tutoring. Or perhaps worse, doesn't work at all, is on drugs...whatever.
Delaying exams until after several months of lockdown, several months of differing experiences and stresses and levels of support, would have massively amplified the built-in inequities in the system. And resulted in a far worse situation than the algorithm was going to result in.
Nothing's perfect, by a long way. But teacher asessment is probably as good as its going to get.
Uncle C
Well-known member
So the Algorithm got it wrong. BUT even now the pass rates are yet again up on previous years.
So it has to be that a large number of pupils got higher grades than expected. Just waiting for the left wing campaign to start demanding they hand them back. I think I just saw a pig fly by.
So it has to be that a large number of pupils got higher grades than expected. Just waiting for the left wing campaign to start demanding they hand them back. I think I just saw a pig fly by.
I agree. But delaying would have been a better option than the decision to use the algorithm route (I agree neither is as good as teacher
assessment).
KZNSeagull
Well-known member
What is the issue with BTEC's then? The impression given last week on the news was that they were largely unaffected as they are more coursework and assessment based.
There isn't one really, but it'll keep this rumbling for a bit. Labour will use it for sure.
(didn't mean to sound so dramatic!)
- Apr 5, 2014
- 25,871
Mine was, and the course work was very intense. I did well, but had to work hard.
