Exam results

no they aren’t. They are more meaningful as the algorithm has been removed so we are back to the predicted much higher grades

 

I would love you to explain that fully. The figures I spoke about were both post algorithm and pre. The post bit was that overall grades had increased even with the algorithm. The second part is that around 40% of grades were reduced by the algorithm, so getting rid of it means the grades revert to the higher level which then will increase the overall increase

 

There is no fair way of doing it. It's like when universities hand out unconditional offers - they're based on AS results and final predicted grades. As it goes my predicted grades ended up worse than what I finished with. At the time your A-levels are such an important factor in your next step. I really do feel sorry for school leavers this year. What I would say to anyone that didn't get into their first choice uni... As long as your back up is similar there's nothing to worry about. For most subjects do employers really see a difference between Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham etc etc?

 

Well I will see at first hand how this is really panning out when my son gets his teacher assessed results on Thursday and then compare them with the Governments effort to be released a week on Thursday. Don't ask as I have no idea why they cant be given at the same time.
We have a pretty fair idea what grades he should get as we looked at his mocks and previous meetings with teachers and ongoing marking figures. We were given realistic targets for him and up until lockdown he seemed to be on track.

I have to say listening in on conversations around on the last parents evening I did hear teachers giving parents an honest appraisal of their child. I don't expect teachers to give higher grades to less talented pupils as that does no one any good in the short or long term.
I will say that in 1 subject he is expecting an 8 or a 9-that's what he did in his mocks and in continual assessment. Let's see what he is actually given by the teacher and government. That is my litmus test on this.

 

when would they be able to retake a levels alongside doing a degree, because the workload for a levels is higher than degree level. when would they be able to find the time to study properly to retake said exams, given they'll be studying for a degree and subsequently after that in the world of work. would you as an employer sign your employee for time off to study to get a qualification they already have because the govt decided it was null and void? you can't just expect them to rock up and do it all again with no prep, or you're just setting them up to fail which is what i thought we wanted to avoid.

 

My lad finds out tomorrow regarding his GCSEs. He's fairly optimistic as he put a fair amount of time into his mocks and coursework but i'm nt holding my breath. Its clear a system has been deliberately implemented to benefit the marks of kids from a more privileged background but that doesn't surprise me from this government. On a purely shits and giggles moment though it would have been nice to wipe the smiles of the faces of some of these pretentious young twats that you see every year opening their results on breakfast TV, 'Lets have a word with Tarquin Chomley Warner who has been predicted 15 A******* grades, what has Daddys ill gotten fortunes got you, you over privileged w@nker'.

 

So if my son gets a grade 7 at maths and so does hooray henry at Bradford Grammer -hooray has worked harder to get it? Is that what you are trying to say. Cos that's bollocks.

 

Students will be given 2 grades- their aspiring target grade and the one they are currently working at. The latter has got nothing to do with teacher bias or any of that sort as it is taken from previous assessments such as exams and coursework.

Generally, students have a pretty good idea as to where they are currently at in comparison to where they need to be.

 

That’s what it was like when I was at school. We’d get a current grade and an aspiring grade. Asked my younger brother who’d finished doing his GCSE’s just a few years ago and it was exactly the same for him too.

Not sure if it differs between primary and secondary school but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts @Hoochy-Min @Hulmebantam . Do your students know what their current attainment grade is or do you hide it from them? I’m assuming you at the very least make track of their progress and log it somewhere, or do you only deal with predicted grades “full of bias” as our friend Simon W is suggesting?

 

A wrong prediction includes the kid getting a higher mark than predicted.
So it will even itself out as it always does.

 

In response to @Tolly856, in primary school we try to avoid putting pressure on the kids, as the SATs are an exercise in measuring the school not the individual.

However, conversations are had with parents as to whether their children are performing below, at or above age expectations.

With regard to the main debate here. I'll say this. I worked for five years in a University, including the management of admissions and clearing. Of course there is variability, but I don't remember huge differences between predicted grades and actual results.

From a teacher's perspective, they need to have credibility with their bosses, peers and most importantly parents. That provides a significant incentive to provide predictions which are based on what they know about a student and what can be attained. They will have the conversations about capability, current attainment and what needs to be done.

The major problem with the using algorithm approach is that it is taking a global view to predict an individual's outcomes. Exams do the other, they are based on an individual's endeavours in comparison to the global cohort.

There is a serious lack of data points to use about an individual's historical performance as the basis to inform what they are likely to achieve. This is what a teacher does.

The algorithms being used may use large data sets about performance in certain post codes, schools etc and use statistical analysis to produce a most likely outcome. However, this approach would never predict Leicester winning the league a few years ago, for example.

My friend is a headmaster of a school in Norfolk. It was in special measures but he is now turning it round after a couple of years. Lots of his A level students were downgraded significantly. As he said, he has thirty years of experience and knows a good group of students and would not sign off on unrealistic expectations or grades.

The right decision has been made to go back to expected grades. Not perfect, but way better than the alternative.