This is an impossible situation; I would raise the following points-
(1) clearly anyone who has received a “fail” as a result of some form of estimate has a strong case for challenging it
This would be true regardless of the process used to estimate the grade
It is v easy to claim “it’s not fair”, and those who have been” failed” have nothing to lose by kicking up a fuss
(2) the other options offered are equally challengeable ; teacher predictions are almost invariably overgenerous; mocks are not standardised and therefore highly unreliable, and the offer of an exam in the Autumn is not really fair to students who have been away from the classroom for around 6 months
The process of standardisation which compares marks to previous years is what is used every year ( going back as long as I can remember)- so called norm-referencing- which adjusts grade boundaries to produce a fairly consistent profile of grades year on year......so this “adjustment” is nothing new....the grade a student achieves is partly dependent on how well other students in the same cohort perform. The basis of the reasoning is that with a large population, the ability profile is much more consistent from year to year than difficulty of the particular exam, or other factors, and thereby produces the fairest outcomes
The actions by the Scottish govt where students with a modicum of a case, were given the benefit of doubt, which got the govt off the hook politically, but the 14% jump in achievement simply devalues the qualification, and clearly suggests over -generosity- and what happens next year when ( hopefully ) the real exam will take place?
Will the results drop back by around 14%?
That only really matters to those students who would genuinely have achieved the the grade awarded....but this cannot be anything other than speculative under the circumstances
I hear calls for relenting, and awarding students in line with teacher predictions.....these were supposed to be confidential, so how on earth I an hearing about grades being below predictions is a mystery to me
Tutors are frequently asked to predict grades, but these” common or garden” predictions do not normally influence the assessment system, so carry very little weight
In this case predictions are being used to estimate the award, and as such form part of the assessment process, and should remain confidential
Sadly, with the best will in the world, teachers face a conflict, of interests- it is in the interests of the student, the teacher, the school, and to a certain extent the exam boards for results to be as high as possible
So ultimately this is an impossible situation not helped by a completely awful set of govt officials(Gavin Williamson et al)
What I really want to hear is from those vocal critics: Kier Starmer, and Angela Rayner what their proposals would be other than simply giving in and just giving students the inflated grades they were awarded by teachers
An impossible situation, and I feel sorry for the students who have been affected, but I really cannot see a satisfactory solution...other than over generosity...which is akin to the govt printing money....which is sometimes the least worst option
Simon