T W A U ... The Chase....today's...
Film, Media & TV0 min ago
Teachers Deciding Exam Grades
I am absolutely against this. Grades will be biased. Exams are the only way for bias not be shown. I worked in schools for many years and teachers absolutely have their favourites and very often it's those studentsthat don't like school or the school system are misjudged and treated badly. Girls will benefit because they are generally more eager to please and are generally more inclined to produce good work. Not all teachers know their students well. As for headteachers having to approve the grades awarded, that is ridiculous. I am so cross for those students who will be denied examinations. One good thing is that very often bright kids do very well in their futures regardless of school performance because they think outside the box.
I know is a rant, but it's something I feel strongly about!
I know is a rant, but it's something I feel strongly about!
Answers
I'm baffled that (given the swift progress on vaccination) it's been necessary to abandon summer exams so soon - it's true that pupils will be less well prepared after a disrupted school year, but that can be allowed for when marks are moderated to give an approximatio
13:57 Thu 25th Feb 2021
Yes apc, thankfully my son was in the last full GCSE year, if he had been 5 weeks younger, he would have been in the same year as some of his friends, in this debacle. And they were pretty gutted, as they hadn't realised their mocks were their last chance.
Bobbin, four children with lots of different subjects. Honestly, I can't remember. English certainly had coursework, so did Art, Economics, Maths didn't.
Bobbin, four children with lots of different subjects. Honestly, I can't remember. English certainly had coursework, so did Art, Economics, Maths didn't.
//As a retired teacher and current A-level examiner (or would be if there were any exams to mark this year!) this is a joke and renders the results of this year even more laughable than last year.//
Its not ideal, diddlydo, agreed- but if last years algorithm was laughable and teachers grades are even more laughable in your opinion whats the alternative.. With all your experience am hoping you could come up with something constructive
Its not ideal, diddlydo, agreed- but if last years algorithm was laughable and teachers grades are even more laughable in your opinion whats the alternative.. With all your experience am hoping you could come up with something constructive
Danny, that is good and will show that a student is really serious.
It is unfortunate that some get in a state about exams, but that's life and not life is not easy. It took me three attempts to pass my driving test and some valium. My driving instructor would have passed me perhaps, but it needed to be an impartial examiner.
It is unfortunate that some get in a state about exams, but that's life and not life is not easy. It took me three attempts to pass my driving test and some valium. My driving instructor would have passed me perhaps, but it needed to be an impartial examiner.
//English certainly had coursework//
That was controlled assessments which were only a small part of the grade and were marked first by teachers then moderated externally and a schools grades had to fit a pattern. The vast majoru=ity was done but exam.
But even exam results are fudged. Anyone who works in schools like my good wife knows this. The passmarks are changed alot some years . Marks are converted to something else ( a UMS?) so a 50% exam score might be changed to 45 one year and 60 next year depending on how well evryone does and some questions have weightings applied if lots do badly on them. Then the grade boundaries are set AFTER there marked . Infact the exam results have allways use an algorithm for years
That was controlled assessments which were only a small part of the grade and were marked first by teachers then moderated externally and a schools grades had to fit a pattern. The vast majoru=ity was done but exam.
But even exam results are fudged. Anyone who works in schools like my good wife knows this. The passmarks are changed alot some years . Marks are converted to something else ( a UMS?) so a 50% exam score might be changed to 45 one year and 60 next year depending on how well evryone does and some questions have weightings applied if lots do badly on them. Then the grade boundaries are set AFTER there marked . Infact the exam results have allways use an algorithm for years
I agree about gender imbalance - girls put in the hard yards through the year, but are more prone to freezing in exams. Boys often wing it until the last few weeks and then are fine on the day.
[ stereotypes, I know - but stereotypes are often true ]
If I'd been stuck with predicted grades, I'd have been re-doing my second year 6th form in Physics and Chemistry - I was given two U grades - but the shock made me get my finger out and I got an A and a C to go with my predicted (and actual) A in Maths.
[ stereotypes, I know - but stereotypes are often true ]
If I'd been stuck with predicted grades, I'd have been re-doing my second year 6th form in Physics and Chemistry - I was given two U grades - but the shock made me get my finger out and I got an A and a C to go with my predicted (and actual) A in Maths.
I'm baffled that (given the swift progress on vaccination) it's been necessary to abandon summer exams so soon - it's true that pupils will be less well prepared after a disrupted school year, but that can be allowed for when marks are moderated to give an approximation of historic grade bands.
This could look a very silly decision come June/July if schools are running pretty much normally.
This could look a very silly decision come June/July if schools are running pretty much normally.
Dave - gender imbalance starts in the early years and continues. In my opinion single sex secondary schools are a good idea. Boys generally don't seek teacher approval. Girls generally do. If I were a teacher, I would teach boys in preference. They are more sideways thinkers and not interested in trivia. And more fun!!
This is presumably driven in large part by the absolute foul-up of last exam season, and it's difficult as long as the hope is for University to start in September/October to see any meaningful alternative.
That suggests an alternative solution, which would be to allow Universities to start (for one year only) in January, thus allowing an extra term of catch-up and then exams for all students. Whether this is actually the best solution is open to debate, but certainly the total lack of margin between schools ending, the necessary Summer break, and University starting means that exams wouldn't be feasible this year in any circumstances once schools were forced to close.
I'm still hopeful that this will cause the Government to re-assess the emphasis on exams. The *actual* reason for the foul-up is that they've decided to revert to a time when there was a single exam season, rather than periodic, modular assessments as existed up until around 2016. I appreciate that once-in-a-century pandemics are by definition rare, but it should expose the folly of a single exam season mentality.
That suggests an alternative solution, which would be to allow Universities to start (for one year only) in January, thus allowing an extra term of catch-up and then exams for all students. Whether this is actually the best solution is open to debate, but certainly the total lack of margin between schools ending, the necessary Summer break, and University starting means that exams wouldn't be feasible this year in any circumstances once schools were forced to close.
I'm still hopeful that this will cause the Government to re-assess the emphasis on exams. The *actual* reason for the foul-up is that they've decided to revert to a time when there was a single exam season, rather than periodic, modular assessments as existed up until around 2016. I appreciate that once-in-a-century pandemics are by definition rare, but it should expose the folly of a single exam season mentality.
Give pixie. My preference to political point scoring was for diddlydo whose one of a few like gulliver on one side and TTT on the other . I voted Labour despite jeremy but can see this goverment had to use teacher grades. Kier will agree.
Still am not sure you or Apc has suggested alternatives. Jim has but it may be to radical. Daesh suggested doing exams but it's too late once the decisions been made and parents and pupils would be up in arms given there children have lost most of a year and classes will be disrupted by absences and regular testing.
Still am not sure you or Apc has suggested alternatives. Jim has but it may be to radical. Daesh suggested doing exams but it's too late once the decisions been made and parents and pupils would be up in arms given there children have lost most of a year and classes will be disrupted by absences and regular testing.
Related Questions
Sorry, we can't find any related questions. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to search for some keywords, or choose a topic and submit your own question.