tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/school-examinations-9906/articlesSchool examinations – The Conversation2023-09-05T15:05:31Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2119572023-09-05T15:05:31Z2023-09-05T15:05:31ZGhana’s colonial past and assessment use means education prioritises passing exams over what students actually learn – this must change<p>Formal education in the Gold Coast, now Ghana, was introduced during the 15th century when Europeans came to its shores to trade. Education was only accessible to children of women married to western traders, and it focused on teaching them how to read and write. The primary aim was to create an educated class to support and run colonial activities. </p>
<p>By 1882, Britain was established as the colonial power in the region. Educational opportunities were limited, and educational assessments served as the gatekeeper to education. They focused on academic knowledge and English proficiency. Results were used to select students for higher education and white-collar jobs. </p>
<p>The roots of this practice are still evident in Ghana’s education system. Students are streamed into three tiers of secondary schools, with disparities in educational resources across streams. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0969594X.2023.2242004">recent study</a> explored the history of educational assessment in Ghana, and how colonisation and political accountability shaped the use of assessment information in schools. We observed that assessment has primarily served accountability purposes, obscuring its function of improving students’ learning. </p>
<h2>Influence of colonisation</h2>
<p>The colonial legacy of assessment still influences Ghana’s current testing practices, through a system that emphasises imperialist notions of merit and achievement.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.waec.org/">West African Examinations Council</a>, responsible for mandated tests in anglophone west African countries, including Ghana, was established by the British in 1950. Ghana’s assessment system still relies largely on this framework, as western universities require excellent scores on these tests for undergraduate admissions. Additionally, high-stakes examinations persist due to the pressure to meet global education standards through international comparisons of student achievement. </p>
<h2>Political accountability</h2>
<p>It is common for Ghanaians to measure the quality of education by the number of students who pass the national mandated testing. Student assessments are used as political performance indicators and tools for public policy and political accountabiltiy. For example, over the past five years, the government has <a href="https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/education/govt-spends-gh-68-5-million-to-procure-past-questions-for-shs-final-year-students-minister.html">invested</a> about US$5.8 million to buy past exam questions to assist students. </p>
<p>Teachers are also held accountable for students’ performance in national exams. As a result, they end up <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20004508.2022.2110673">teaching with the primary motive</a> of preparing students for these tests. Educators and students focus on exam success rather than learning. </p>
<h2>Free schooling</h2>
<p>To support inclusive and equitable access to education and increase enrolment rates, Ghana introduced a free senior high school policy in 2017. Yet disparities in access to and enrolment in secondary education persist between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds.</p>
<p>Critics argue that the policy was hastily implemented for political reasons, lacking proper consideration of its long-term implications and costs. Others argue that the policy is a way to increase enrolment in secondary schools. </p>
<p>Importantly, its effectiveness is tied to students’ performance in the <a href="http://www.waecgh.org/bece">Basic Education Certificate Examination</a>. A student’s outcome on this examination also determines their placement in one of the secondary school streams via a computerised system.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/ghanas-high-school-system-sets-many-students-up-for-failure-it-needs-a-rethink-182465">Ghana's high school system sets many students up for failure: it needs a rethink</a>
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<p>The policy mostly benefits students who pass the exam and qualify for placement. Those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds or rural areas are often at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>Failing the exam hinders students from progressing to senior high schools or technical institutes in Ghana.</p>
<h2>Influence of high-stakes exam</h2>
<p>The high-stakes nature of large-scale assessments in Ghana’s education system fosters disengagement among poor students and teachers. </p>
<p>The focus on exams overshadows the intended learning goals of teaching and many other forms of assessment. Evaluation of teachers and schools is linked to student performance in tests. Teachers therefore tend to narrow their curriculum to what’s tested. This means:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>creativity and meaningful learning are eroded</p></li>
<li><p>some pupils struggle to master the curriculum content </p></li>
<li><p>there’s less teaching time for students with special needs </p></li>
<li><p>there may be unethical practices to ensure students pass. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Students from low socio-economic backgrounds and those with special learning needs often find themselves marginalised by these assessments. Ultimately, the results of large-scale assessments segregate students into <a href="https://theconversation.com/ghanas-high-school-system-sets-many-students-up-for-failure-it-needs-a-rethink-182465">categories</a> of secondary schools, based on limited resources. </p>
<h2>Future directions and policy implications</h2>
<p>The principle of fairness implies that students’ progression shouldn’t rely on a single test score, as is the case in Ghana. To meet the country’s equity goals, the system should consider diverse indicators and assessments of student learning.</p>
<p>The educational access policies of Ghana provide an opportunity to reform assessments. They can shed their colonial roots and encourage high quality teaching and student learning. </p>
<p>Reformed policies should balance various forms and purposes of assessment, and provide teacher guidelines and professional development. </p>
<p>Transforming Ghana’s testing culture to one that supports meaningful learning and equitable educational outcomes is a considerable challenge. But it’s an essential one if the country is to reach equitable education for all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211957/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Ghanaians measure the quality of education by examination scores.David Baidoo-Anu, Researcher, Faculty of Education, Queen's University, OntarioChristopher DeLuca, Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies & Professor, Faculty of Education, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1757702022-02-02T14:37:20Z2022-02-02T14:37:20ZNigeria’s ‘miracle examination centres’ undermine education: how to stop the rot<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443721/original/file-20220201-15324-6x40v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-final-year-students-of-agidinbi-senior-grammar-school-news-photo/1228088696?adppopup=true">Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Nigeria, the <a href="https://www.waecnigeria.org/">West African Examination Council</a> and <a href="https://www.neco.gov.ng/">National Examination Council</a> are the agencies that conduct the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations. The results serve as evidence of completion of secondary school in Nigeria. They are required to qualify for some employment opportunities and contest certain political offices. They’re also needed to secure admission into higher education institutions within and outside of Nigeria.</p>
<p>So, a high value is placed on success in these exams. Some candidates use illegal and unethical means to pass. They are aided in this by the so-called “miracle examination centres” – special secondary schools that encourage such malpractices. These centres have institutionalised cheating in the school certificate examinations.</p>
<p>Despite <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/examination-malpractice-waec-working-seriously-to-stop-miracle-centers/l1kr6gq">efforts</a> by government and examination bodies to clamp down on them, they continue to thrive and enjoy the patronage of people from different classes of society. </p>
<p>Nigeria’s education sector has been listed among the five <a href="http://saharareporters.com/2019/03/27/police-judiciary-among-top-five-most-corrupt-institutions-nigeria">most corrupt</a> sectors in Nigeria. The exam centres’ practices cast doubt on the quality of students admitted into higher education, the quality of the workforce and that of political leaders. </p>
<p>Despite the harmful impact these centres have, they haven’t been studied systematically. As part of the <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/">Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Consortium</a> led by SOAS University of London, we conducted <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059321001917">a systematic review</a> of the existing literature about their nature, the drivers, and proposed solutions to the problem. Our work is the first comprehensive study into the issue. </p>
<p>We hope that our review will help researchers and policymakers to understand and combat exam malpractice. </p>
<h2>Our research</h2>
<p>The SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/anti-corruption-in-adverse-contexts-strategies-for-improving-implementation/">approach</a> aims to find out what could motivate people to change their rule-breaking behaviour in specific contexts and also if these actors have the power to carry out this change. This is unlike conventional anti-corruption strategies that simply try to enforce rules.</p>
<p>In line with this approach, we examined the drivers of the centres and the opportunities for feasible solutions by grassroots actors interested in bringing about change. These actors include parents, students, school owners, teachers and community members. Examination bodies, ministries of education, security agencies and the government can also make meaningful efforts. </p>
<p>Our literature review was supported by visits to communities in Abuja, Anambra, Edo and Kogi States, where the centres are prevalent. We also held workshops and interviewed more than 175 people, including providers and users of the exam centre “services”. </p>
<h2>Operations and drivers of ‘miracle centres’</h2>
<p>We found that the “miracle centres” tend to be at private schools (though some are public). They either help leak examination questions in advance, or compromise the examinations once the question papers arrive at the venue. </p>
<p>Parental and peer pressure, and inefficient teaching and learning practices support the existence of these centres. Other factors are complicit school management practices and community protection of rogue schools and their operators. </p>
<p>The most immediate drivers include the activities of students, parents and community members or groups. Some community members collude with popular centres by diverting external supervisors or inspectors. </p>
<p>Profit is a major driver of private schools generally and the centres particularly. Due to the high patronage, the prices of their rogue services could be over 300% the actual registration fees as stipulated by the examination bodies. Tutorial centres supply candidates to the most trusted “miracle centres” and the “success” stories of their candidates attract more students to register with them. </p>
<p>The remote drivers of these practices revolve around educational policies, institutions, and the formal structures guiding school-related activities. Rogue examiners employed to supervise the examinations use their position to shield illegal activities, acting with owners of the “miracle centres”. Our review found that punishment for this was seldom reported, which suggests that institutions might be complicit.</p>
<p>School curricula upon which the examinations are based appear to be difficult and sometimes not taught in class. This is another factor enabling the centres to flourish. </p>
<p>There are also <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/education-nigeria/">concerns</a> about political influences protecting this education ecosystem. The quality of funding for the education sector is also <a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/04/poor-funding-of-education-responsible-for-rising-insecurity-actionaid-others-tell-fg/">abysmal</a>. </p>
<h2>What needs to be done?</h2>
<p>Top-down enforcement of rules, by withholding or cancelling results and blacklisting suspicious centres, seems to be the approach <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/WP26-Miracle-Examination-Centres-in-Nigeria.pdf">favoured</a> by examination councils and the ministry of education. But the centres continue to exist, so it is not working.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ACE-WorkingPaper013-AntiCorruptionAdverseContexts-Text-190909.pdf">evidence</a> that when local actors are properly engaged, they can catalyse change and ensure that perpetrators are duly sanctioned. For instance, civil society groups, faith-based organisations and community leaders should be involved in campaigns against “miracle centres”. Parent-teacher associations, National Youth Service Corps members and students’ clubs should also be involved. Private schools’ proprietors can sanction erring members, and form advocacy groups that could get government to act. Whistle blowing mechanisms can be made available to the public for swift reports of suspicious schools.</p>
<p>Overall, the <a href="https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/anti-corruption-in-adverse-contexts-strategies-for-improving-implementation/">goal</a> is to see people <a href="https://theconversation.com/nigerias-okada-motorcycles-have-a-bad-image-but-banning-them-solves-nothing-154765">enforce rules</a> in their self-interest rather than because of the fear of sanctions from authorities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175770/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Pallavi Roy receives funding from the UK Government's Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aloysius Odii, Charles T Orjiakor, Chidi Nzeadibe, Chinyere Onalu, Obinna Onwujekwe, Prince Agwu -, and Uzoma Okoye do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Top-down enforcement of rules is not working; it has to be in people’s own interests to behave ethically.Chidi Nzeadibe, Professor of Environmental Management & Sustainability, University of NigeriaAloysius Odii, Lecturer, University of NigeriaCharles T Orjiakor, Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Research Fellow Health Policy Research Group, University of NigeriaChinyere Onalu, Researcher, Social Work, University of NigeriaDr. Pallavi Roy, Senior Lecturer in International Economics, SOAS, University of LondonObinna Onwujekwe, Professor of Health Economics and Policy and Pharmaco-economics/pharmaco-epidemiology in the Departments of Health Administration & Management and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of NigeriaPrince Agwu -, Researcher at the Department of Social Work and the Health Policy Research Group, University of Nigeria, University of NigeriaUzoma Okoye, Professor of Social Work, University of NigeriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1442482020-08-11T12:04:45Z2020-08-11T12:04:45ZScotland’s exam result crisis: assessment and social justice in a time of COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352222/original/file-20200811-21-1w7il71.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C0%2C4479%2C2943&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-grades-sad-student-exam-test-1652136823">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Anger and confusion followed the release of this year’s <a href="https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/5656.html">Scottish Qualification Agency</a> (SQA) results, the first of the UK nations to publish school results in the aftermath of COVID-19. About one quarter of teacher-recommended grades were changed: most were downgraded, and this was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53636296">more likely to happen to pupils in poorer areas</a>. This controversy shows that assessment is not neutral: the system of assessment can benefit some groups of students over others and it requires more than technical processes to ensure justice.</p>
<p>While the Scottish government <a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/18627804.nicola-sturgeon-defends-sqa-exams-pass-rate-reduction-hits-poorest-pupils-hardest/">initially defended the results</a> in the name of maintaining standards, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-53719477">they are right to have now recognised</a> that the approach was too technocratic and broke an essential link between what a student has actually done and the mark they receive – which is the genuine meaning of standards. But this problem is not new to this year’s results.</p>
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<h2>How assessment works</h2>
<p>To understand the strengths and weaknesses in the initial SQA approach we need to compare <a href="https://www.renaissance.com/2018/07/11/blog-criterion-referenced-tests-norm-referenced-tests/">two different approaches to assessment</a>: norm-based and criteria-based. In criteria-based assessment students’ work is evaluated against specific criteria, such as strength of argument, quality of research or clarity of expression. All students are assessed against the same criteria.</p>
<p>The number of As in a year could go down or up, and going up does not necessarily mean the dreaded “<a href="https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-qa-are-a-levels-what-they-used-to-be">grade inflation</a> – where increases in grades are assumed to mean a reduction in standards. Large variation may be unlikely but not impossible – and variation itself should not be seen as a problem. Criteria-based marking is considered just because it retains a link between what a student has actually done, the marking criteria and the mark they receive.</p>
<p>In norm-based assessment, results depend on comparing students in a form of ranking: the higher your ranking, the higher your mark. Exactly the same piece of work could get an A one year and a C another year, depending on the performance of other students, rather than the quality of the work. In the past there was even a fixed percentage of grades each year. </p>
<h2>Assessment in 2020</h2>
<p>When final exams this year were cancelled, the SQA asked teachers to make judgements based on a range of sources, including prelim exams, class work, practical work, in-class tests and homework. The aim was to get a broad sense of students’ level of learning.</p>
<p>As long as teachers had common criteria for grade levels, this system had many advantages compared with traditional exams. Teachers were also encouraged to talk with one another about their judgements. This form of joint decision-making using criteria contributes to <a href="https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lancs.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/0969594X.2012.714742">more just and more robust assessment outcomes</a>.</p>
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<img alt="Exam hall full of pupils deep in concentration." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352225/original/file-20200811-13-8kzv3l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Traditional exams were cancelled this year because of COVID-19.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/belgrade-serbia-circa-june-2008-students-177793619">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>The controversy relates to something called "moderation” which is intended to check on quality, standards and consistency, adjusting the initial scores of a wide range of markers.</p>
<p>Problems arise when moderation tries to standardise large groups, such as across a whole country, and does so using norm-based approaches, thus undermining the principles of criteria-based marking. Norm-based moderation is administratively convenient but educationally unsound. </p>
<p>It was through moderation that one quarter of students had their marks changed. The Scottish government initially said that without moderation the extent of increase in grades among disadvantaged students would not be considered <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53636296">credible</a>. To moderate results, the SQA used a range of mechanisms, including comparing this year’s students with average performance in their school over previous years. If the variation was considered too large, results were adjusted down using rankings provided by teachers.</p>
<p>Once a student’s grade is decided with reference to their peers or previous students, this is norm-based marking. It breaks the fundamental link between what a student has actually done, the criteria and the mark they deserve.</p>
<h2>System based on standards</h2>
<p>Versions of norm-based moderation have been going on for decades, in all parts of the UK and under governments of all persuasions.</p>
<p>The SQA does have several sophisticated procedures to lessen unfairness, but the problem remains that the system long associated with protecting standards in the UK uses norm-based expectations. Pressure to do so often comes from universities and employers who want to use grades to make selection between students easier: but is this the purpose of schooling or assessment of student learning? </p>
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<img alt="Dejected girl sitting on bed head in hands with exam results letter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352223/original/file-20200811-23-5yv409.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Many pupils feel they have been let down by the Scottish Qualifications Agency.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/front-view-single-sad-teen-lamenting-631014524">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>The approach initially taken this year was also flawed because the SQA was not comparing like with like. Previous year results were based heavily on a final, traditional exam, which is very different to the broad range of items teachers used to make judgements this year. There is evidence that traditional approaches to education and assessment <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240513685_The_Zombie_Stalking_English_Schools_Social_Class_and_Educational_Inequality">disadvantage working class students</a>. The increase in poorer students’ pre-moderated marks may not lack credibility – but it may show that the assessment approaches we have put faith in for years have been unjust and themselves not credible. </p>
<p>Taking the lead from the SQA’s recommended approach of judgements made through professional discussions, effort should have been made to go back to schools: any moderation can only be based on evidence of different interpretation of criteria.</p>
<p>It would be time-consuming for teachers and SQA staff, but consider the ultimate benefits in terms of rigorous, credible and just assessment that will shape a generation’s futures. The most important thing is that we do not for any reason break the link between a student’s work, the criteria and their mark.</p>
<p>The controversy, and the Scottish government’s change of heart, reinforce the need to explore the foundations of what we call standards so that defending them is not simply a justification for the status-quo. This year’s results in Scotland are not necessarily more or less fair than previous years, but probably unfair in new ways: COVID-19 has shone a light on the larger problem of justice and assessment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jan McArthur receives funding from Economic and Social Research Council, the Office for Students and Research England (grant reference: ES/M010082/1) and National Research Foundation, South Africa (grant reference: 105856).</span></em></p>This controversy shows that assessment is not neutral: the system used can clearly benefit some groups of pupils over others – it requires more than technical processes to ensure justice.Jan McArthur, Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/889592017-12-21T22:56:53Z2017-12-21T22:56:53ZWhy we need to rethink supplementary examinations<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200292/original/file-20171220-4951-1cw5lbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The biggest problem with supplementary examinations is the punitive nature of the assessment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Australian schools, assessment drives learning. </p>
<p>If there’s one thing that preoccupies students during the examination period, it’s the fear of failure and having to resit the dreaded supplementary examination.</p>
<h2>What is a supplementary exam?</h2>
<p>A supplementary exam is a form of further assessment offered to students who have not satisfied the passing criteria set by the educational institution for a particular course. <a href="https://www.student.qut.edu.au/learning-and-assessment/grades-reviews-and-academic-issues/supplementary-assessment">Each</a> <a href="https://www.acu.edu.au/policy/student_policies/assessment_policy_and_assessment_procedures/supplementary_assessment">institution</a> has a different <a href="https://www.monash.edu/medicine/study/student-services/policies/assessments">supplementary</a> <a href="http://ask.unimelb.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/4351/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xNTEzNzMxMjk3L3NpZC9mVXZfb3ZMaFdaZElKdmJEaHlvWkc1d0dZMSU3RXMzUmlRQklESGdCQjdjWFhzaDVLeWJ6R1h1NFdwZ1kwVW9ZMHg0Z3REJTdFZ0JRZVMycklhMldsT19YQkdiNWNXMkd2aGUyUG1FblVXN2NWMzk1TzNZOEVPa1ZtVlRBJTIxJTIx">assessment</a> <a href="https://www.swinburne.edu.au/current-students/manage-course/exams-results-assessment/results/last-to-complete/">policy</a>.</p>
<p>Common characteristics of supplementary examinations are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>they’re offered to students who achieved below the cut off score, normally 50% or 60% in a subject</p></li>
<li><p>they’re offered in the formal examination period, usually in the four to six weeks’ following the final examination</p></li>
<li><p>they’re assessed on a pass/fail basis</p></li>
<li><p>they’re recorded on the academic transcript the student has passed a supplementary assessment, which limits their future opportunities. Students are also ineligible for any awards or commendations.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Some institutions define a specific range to be eligible for a supplementary assessment - below which students have to repeat the unit. In other cases, there is also a limit to the number of units for which a student can be offered a supplementary assessment per semester.</p>
<h2>What’s wrong with supplementary assessment?</h2>
<p>The biggest problem with supplementary examinations is the punitive nature of the assessment. It doesn’t take into account circumstances which may have affected a student’s performance on the day of examination. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-causes-mind-blanks-during-exams-67380">What causes mind blanks during exams?</a>
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</em>
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<p>Factors like anxiety may play a role, especially in situations where students are directly observed by an assessor and when there were limited opportunities for them to practice.</p>
<p>Supplementary assessment occurs very close to the final examination to ensure students can enrol in the next semester. This means there’s very little time for students to prepare and for faculty to offer any meaningful help in achieving the desired outcome. </p>
<p>There’s <a href="https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/10.3109/0142159X.2012.643262">evidence</a> short-term help in this context has little to offer in terms of learning gains. From the faculty perspective, it adds to the workload, as academics have to prepare two sets of examinations with new and often equal numbers of items or scenarios for each set.</p>
<p>Take, for example, a scenario from a medical exam in final year. </p>
<p>A clinical examination is arranged where students are presented with sixteen clinical scenarios for management. There are 200 students, of which 70% passed at least 12 scenarios, 5% could manage only five cases and 25% managed to pass between six and 11 scenarios. </p>
<p>It’s the performance of the 25% of students on the day that raises doubts about their role as an intern. We do not know the reasons for each student’s poor performance but they will all be required to sit a supplementary examination. Additional help is offered to students, which is intense and takes up a lot of time on the part of the academics. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/200293/original/file-20171220-4957-1ckqogs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Short-term help before a supplementary exam is often not enough to achieve sufficient improvement.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The supplementary assessment is offered after six weeks in a similar format with the same number of scenarios. Again, 5% of the students fail. There are still doubts about five other students in this group who are still on the margin, although they’ve managed to get through. </p>
<p>Improvement in marks on average is not more than 11%. Four to six weeks of focused teaching cannot compensate for the semester long content of the course, and will result in marginal improvement. </p>
<h2>What we can do?</h2>
<p>The current system would be much improved by replacing supplementary assessment with a new model called “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/medu.12136">sequential assessment</a>” and a shorter duration of final assessment.</p>
<p>In the example discussed earlier, instead of 16 let’s present ten scenarios. </p>
<p>Students who pass up to eight scenarios are a clear pass, while those who failed up to four scenarios clearly fail. They don’t need evidence from 16 scenarios, but those who are in the range of five to seven failed scenarios need to provide more evidence they can graduate as a safe doctor. This evidence can be in the form of another examination, offering ten more scenarios. </p>
<p>If students provide the evidence then their marks from the final and reassessment can be averaged to give them a final score. There’s no need to record on the academic transcript the student passed the assessment in a supplementary exam. Those who still fail now have two assessments at different points in time, informing the institution they are not ready to graduate and will need to repeat the year or semester.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-do-away-with-exams-altogether-no-but-we-need-to-rethink-their-design-and-purpose-67647">Should we do away with exams altogether? No, but we need to rethink their design and purpose</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>This might also result in fewer or no appeals from students as it’s not about supplementary examination, but rather asking them to provide more evidence. </p>
<p>A student who has a bad day may be able to provide that evidence - while those who have not attained the learning outcomes need to repeat. A longer examination also provides more sampling of the content being examined and may be more reliable.</p>
<p>This puts less strain on faculty to plan final examinations. It also reduces time spent marking, which is economical in terms of time and resources, both physical and human.</p>
<p>Another approach to consider is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8535.00296/full">Computerised Adaptative Testing</a> for examinations. This approach would require additional resources to set the infrastructure, like computer labs and a large number of questions in the question bank. But it would provide a better estimate of the student’s ability.</p>
<h2>A better approach is needed</h2>
<p>In the current environment, academics have competing time demands and employers want work-ready employees. </p>
<p>A supplementary examination may assist students to cross over the line in the short term. But these students may fail again in the subsequent year - and it won’t necessarily equip students to cope with work demands. </p>
<p>A better approach would be for institutions to use time and resources to provide students with support and required skills during the semester.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88959/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Zarrin Seema Siddiqui does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In Australian schools, assessment drives learning, but there are better models to consider than the current system of supplementary examinations.Zarrin Seema Siddiqui, Associate Professor in Medical Education, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/527802016-01-06T06:45:20Z2016-01-06T06:45:20ZWhat final exam results reveal about South Africa’s school system<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/107289/original/image-20160105-28991-ym1sve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South Africa's matric results are held up as probably the most important moment in the basic education system.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">GCIS/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>South Africa’s Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga <a href="http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/2015-matric-pass-rate-drops-to-707-20160105">announced</a> on January 5 that 70.7% of the country’s matrics – learners who wrote their final Grade 12 exams in 2015 – passed. Some can now apply for hotly contested university places; others will choose vocational training, take a gap year or try to head straight into the workforce.</em></p>
<p><em>Some experts <a href="https://theconversation.com/south-africa-should-scrap-simple-pass-or-fail-exam-results-for-school-leavers-34928">say</a> that there’s too much focus on these results and not enough elsewhere in the country’s troubled education system. The Conversation Africa’s education editor Natasha Joseph asked Alan Cliff, associate professor in higher education at the University of Cape Town, to put the results into context.</em></p>
<p><strong>Do you think that too much is made of the matric results? Is South Africa focusing too much on them and not enough on other education milestones?</strong></p>
<p>At one level, you could argue that too much is made of the school-leaving examination result. However, there is a clear structural or systemic signal that is very important: those who want to go on to higher education require adequate minimum school leaving exam results. In the same way, those who are job hunting straight out of school must provide proof of adequate achievement in the exam.</p>
<p>So it’s not surprising that much is made of the matric exam result. Historically, it’s been assumed to be a good proxy for requisite achievement in core areas of knowledge and competence. The problem is that it’s difficult to determine what the proxy means, both at the knowledge and competence levels. That’s especially true in a context where the historical and residual effects of unequal schooling and uneven teacher expertise remain profound.</p>
<p>To focus on other education milestones, such as the results of the <a href="http://www.education.gov.za/Curriculum/AnnualNationalAssessment/tabid/424/Default.aspx">Annual National Assessments</a> or pupils’ performance at the end of Grade 9 – when they can legally <a href="http://www.ci.org.za/depts/ci/pubs/pdf/resources/guides/Ages%20Guide%20April%202011%20e-version.pdf">leave school</a> – we need to be confident that the disparities in the primary and secondary schooling systems have been reduced or eradicated. We’re not confident of this. </p>
<p>We also need to know what it is that is being assessed through these milestones – which means being sure that teachers or assessors are adequately trained experts with experience. </p>
<p>Finally, we need to understand the validity claims that are made on the basis of these milestones. Educators, test-takers and the public need to know what’s being assessed, why it’s being done and that inferences about the assessment are appropriate.</p>
<p>As a system-wide calibration of what school-leavers know and can do, the matric exam remains the only practicable means of standardised assessment. </p>
<p><strong>2. <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2016-01-05-matric-results-2015-sets-new-records-for-enrollment">166,263</a> of the 799,306 candidates who sat for these exams passed well enough to qualify for university admission. Approximately how many of them will be accepted – and how many are actually ready for the rigours of university?</strong></p>
<p>Pretty much all students who qualify to be admitted to higher education will be accepted somewhere in the system. Remember that only between 5% and 10% of school leavers will qualify with a bachelor’s pass.</p>
<p>Research shows us that only <a href="https://theconversation.com/moving-beyond-the-educational-blame-game-in-south-africa-43071">about one-third</a> of <em>all</em> school-leavers who qualify for higher education can be said to be ready for a university’s academic literacy requirements. This stems from the historical and current inequities at secondary school level. These are then unavoidably replicated in the higher education sector, which faces massive and multiple challenges in supporting its students. </p>
<p>However, blaming the secondary sector for school-leavers’ perceived or actual shortcomings is not going to advance the goal of better-prepared school-leavers and graduates. National development is the responsibility of all sectors.</p>
<p><strong>3. Do you believe there’s too much focus on university education at the expense of, for instance, vocational training? Are people falling through the cracks because there’s such a drive for university degrees even for matriculants who are better suited to artisanal, administrative or “non-degree” work?</strong></p>
<p>There probably is too much focus on university education. This is <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/29d9258a-eb3b-11e3-8a5f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3wOKqGdeU">not just</a> a South African challenge though, and it will remain for as long as university education is held in higher esteem than other forms of post-school education.</p>
<p>The issue is that school-leavers themselves believe university education to be “worth” more than other forms of education. And this belief has some relation to reality, in that university graduates are more prized than graduates from other post-school training.</p>
<p>Worldwide, countries have tried to “sell” other forms of training as being different to – not better than – university education, but school-leavers, their parents and the wider society are <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/mar/11/furthereducation.news">not buying that</a>. </p>
<p>The added issue in South Africa is that channelling school-leavers into different forms of post-school education carries <a href="https://theconversation.com/history-explains-why-black-south-africans-still-mistrust-vocational-training-46998">nefarious connotations</a> of historical “gate-keeping” or social engineering. So it is very difficult to motivate to a school-leaver that vocational training is a better option than university education. University education still picks itself.</p>
<p><strong>4. Your own research through the National Benchmark Test Project shows that South Africa’s matriculants are, generally, hugely underprepared even after 12 years at school. What do you think is going wrong at the basic education stage?</strong></p>
<p>First, the resourcing of primary and secondary schooling. The Department of Basic Education has made huge attempts to address the inequities of schooling provision across the country. But the reality is that many schools are still hugely under-resourced.</p>
<p>Even with equal resources, the bigger challenge is the lack of qualified and experienced school teachers at primary and secondary level. There’s also a relative lack of incentive for school-leavers to train as teachers and of infrastructure to support excellent training.</p>
<p>The third major contributor historically is the nature and quality of the assessment systems that are in place. These enable students to pass examinations by engaging with cognitively less demanding forms of assessment.</p>
<p>This has been pointed to in a number <a href="http://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=VIFw9JGiNNo%3D&tabid=358&mid=1301">of studies</a> which show that the proportion of cognitively more demanding questions in the school-leaving examination has reduced over the last ten to 15 years, significantly in relation to the assessment of English Second Language learning - and this has a direct impact upon facility in the language of teaching and learning. It’s an issue which prompted <a href="http://www.vukuzenzele.gov.za/matric-pass-requirements-under-review">the review</a> of the assessment system that’s currently underway.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/52780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Their school careers are over – but what did South Africa’s matric class of 2015 actually learn, and how many of them are ready for what comes next?Natasha Joseph, Commissioning EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/495872015-10-29T19:29:20Z2015-10-29T19:29:20ZParents, are you feeling the pressure too? Here’s how to help your child cope with exam stress<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/100073/original/image-20151029-21081-1lx1gd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Time to take a break from studying?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Year 12 exams – it’s just a two-week period in a student’s life, but it’s a time that can create an enormous amount of stress for students, and consequently the whole family.</p>
<p>So why does a fortnight of exams become so stressful? What impact does this have on performance and wellbeing? And what can parents do to help put their child at ease?</p>
<p>Stress is a normal part of human existence; we are built for fight or flight when we encounter stressful situations. </p>
<p>But some find it harder to cope with pressure than others – and research shows that for those people, stress can have a detrimental effect on performance and participation in school. </p>
<p><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wcs.1222/abstract">Studies</a> show that stress can affect memory by increasing cognitive load. This reduces our effectiveness in storing ideas, which means some students will struggle to perform at their best during exams.</p>
<p>For others, the stress is so great that they are unable to attend school or even participate in exams.</p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Stress_Appraisal_and_Coping.html?id=i-ySQQuUpr8C">Research</a> suggest that the high stress comes from:</p>
<ul>
<li>overblown importance placed on exams by students, teachers and parents;</li>
<li>students’ belief that they don’t have the resources, such as effective study skills or knowledge of their subjects, to cope with the exam process;</li>
<li>concerns around getting into university and <a href="https://www.arts.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/opinion/study-confirms-hsc-exams-source-of-major-stress-to-adolescents/">pressure to get a job</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>These beliefs need to be challenged. </p>
<p>Exams do not define a person’s whole future, they are just one event in a student’s life. Instead of looking at stress as threatening, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10615806.2014.931942?src=recsys#.VjGHE7crLIU">research</a> shows that we need to view it as a helpful way to take control of a problem.</p>
<p>But this is perhaps easier said than done. So here’s a guide for parents on how to help their child cope with, and take control of, exam stress. </p>
<h2>Reiterate that it’s normal to feel stressed</h2>
<p>Stress is normal when we engage in something challenging. We feel stress because we are vulnerable that we may not perform well. Teach your child that this uncomfortable feeling is good because it means you are challenging yourself. </p>
<p>Don’t protect them from the challenge, or make the stress abnormal, or they’ll think it is something to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/exam-stress-at-an-all-time-high-that-pressure-is-needed-to-set-you-up-for-life-10249996.html">fear</a>. </p>
<p>Ask them how they feel, listen and encourage, but help them to see challenge as a good thing. </p>
<h2>Tell them not to fear failure</h2>
<p>Your child can feel like if they don’t succeed at this then it means their whole life is a failure. They need to know there is not one perfect plan but there are multiple pathways to success. </p>
<p>Failure (or not getting exactly what you want) is a normal part of life. Great success incorporates great failure. Failure is an event that provides us with choices; it is not who we are.</p>
<h2>Try to distract them from overthinking problems</h2>
<p>When a young person is stressed they will go over and over an idea in their mind.
In some ways it is comforting to party with the idea, but it just makes it grow into a bigger problem. </p>
<p>When we feed negative thoughts they hang around and grow. Actually doing something your enjoy or working through the thing you are thinking about is the best distraction for worrying thoughts.</p>
<h2>Understand how they like to work</h2>
<p>Everyone learns differently. Work out the most effective environment for your child. Do they like to be alone or study with friends? They may be a visual learner and use lots of pictures, or a verbal learner and need to talk through ideas. </p>
<p>Study can be more effective when you <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=eIRFCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT65&lpg=PT65&dq=memory+breaking+study+into+smaller+time&source=bl&ots=HSGStnQAxL&sig=vPBhuCfHDUofaqAbtCtPT5jx0v8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDAQ6AEwBWoVChMIoeu7mtLmyAIVxqSUCh0LCQOs#v=onepage&q&f=false">space it out over time</a>. So take a three-hour study session and add a five-minute break every 30 minutes to improve your productivity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mandie Shean is affiliated with Edith Cowan University and Christian City Church Hepburn Heights</span></em></p>A fortnight of exams in year 12 can be a stressful time for students. Here’s some tips for parents on how to take control of exam stress.Mandie Shean, Lecturer, School of Education, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/351402014-12-27T09:58:39Z2014-12-27T09:58:39ZHow to get teenagers to revise for exams during the holidays<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66699/original/image-20141209-6729-albzbw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Avoid bedroom study, which could lead to distracting photo montage creation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/richgrundy/5385269107/in/photolist-9cSUTn-4NyaJ1-eTpvUy-9H6Cwo-wYetQ-2C8Ts-9EAR8P-6TfsxM-et2Cu-6v7NRq-KVFqp-KVG6t-KVwDy-84qfbs-9a3WBb-JjQ4e-bzRoq3-56E9sZ-9a3XgU-7YoVGs-KVFMk-KVwyE-KVFsr-KVF36-KVFYP-KVx5A-KVFWn-KVF9T-KVxs3-KVxa9-KVFPM-KVFBt-KVFka-KVx87-KVFTV-KVFhr-KVG4M-KVwVW-KVwr1-KVwMb-KVFyT-9gbFzV-et2CS-et2Cx-KVFL7-9WpdAh-vvbbg-9EEdBU-99ZPgn-99ZPrM">mRallie</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Revising for exams is a necessary evil. Ever since written university exams were first set in England by the Cambridge chemist William Farrish in about 1792, students have struggled to revise. And with mock exams starting in January, the winter break is a crucial time for children to do so.</p>
<p>What is the best way to revise and how do you motivate a teenager to prioritise what is, for them, a distraction from living and playing online?</p>
<p>First, the bad news. There’s no single strategy that can guarantee success. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to make revision not only bearable, but successful. </p>
<h2>Meeting basic needs</h2>
<p>Nobody works well if basic biological needs aren’t met. Make sure your teen sleeps well, and for long enough, eats healthy food and doesn’t feel cold and hungry, it helps them work well (but be careful that it’s not too warm, otherwise they could get sleepy).</p>
<p>Exams are important, but no matter the result, it’s vital to let your teen know that it won’t change how you feel about them. If your teen takes pride in their work and has a self-belief, the work becomes more meaningful. This is where your praise for what they do well kicks in. But remember, the praise needs to be real, not empty.</p>
<h2>Location</h2>
<p>Create a revision space – a quiet, separate area, away from distractions such as the TV, music, game consoles, tablets and smartphones. Make sure there is plenty of room for notes, text books and other resources. </p>
<p>Revising on the bed is more likely to lead to sleeping than work. Teens often try to convince you that they need music to revise – but it depends on the type of music and how loud it is. Complex lyrics will distract as will loud music or music with a heavy bass/beat. As for watching TV and working – that just doesn’t work.</p>
<h2>Timing is everything</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66705/original/image-20141209-6709-ogotxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rule number one.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rutty/5892134830/in/photolist-9YEJpy-2qAZA-2YBGAD-9CAMB6-4NxFnS-MBkdi-bc6rui-nsoiTx-8k6Xke-9qr1yE-bV97qS-bk4GDv-8VBBVj-j3c5tz-9W6sNc-aSrFw2-bqARMy-7sUTKo-83Vgv2-8ZDXeK-9gLZG7-9EASik-aVTQfr-9J1Thx-9eN7VR-9G45Ti-82yHpM-2qBfQ-bV97mu-b6LYVn-dCQDZ-cdM8R1-bm6fnx-bBVPuQ-bPgHKk-bcy3yn-9BEaYy-axh2UU-b9fxzg-ccamH7-85whUJ-8bXzWy-6wBxTn-9BEn3p-9Dz9YE-84ZRqH-bkvzcx-eAnS9Q-9bgLo5-JLPT1">Dave Rutt</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the worst things you can do is hassle your teen about revision. They need to be motivated to revise themselves, otherwise – even if they appear to be revising – they probably won’t be using the time effectively. This doesn’t mean you don’t encourage them to work, it’s just a matter of timing. </p>
<p>Hassle them when they are in the middle of something they enjoy (for example, a favourite TV programme) and it will breed resentment. Create a timetable for revision that includes reward time, such as an opportunity their favourite TV programme or time for social media and gaming.</p>
<p>Encourage short bursts of revision. The ideal way to revise varies from person to person, but try 30-40 minute sessions for GCSE or 50-70 minute sessions for A levels, separated by 10-15 minute breaks, during which time checking phones is fine.</p>
<h2>Breaks are important</h2>
<p>Simply put, the brain has three states, in the conscious state you know you’re thinking about things; you decide to think. This state requires concentration and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/may/31/why-teenagers-cant-concentrate-brains">a teen’s concentration span is not as good as an adult’s</a>. </p>
<p>The second state is the subconscious state – the brain is working on problems, but you aren’t aware of it. It’s that feeling you get when you just can’t remember someone’s name. It’s on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t remember. Stop thinking about it and, all of a sudden, minutes – even hours – later, the name comes back to you. That’s your subconscious working. So during revision breaks the subconscious brain will still be dealing with the previous hour’s work.</p>
<p>The third state is the unconscious state.</p>
<h2>Support</h2>
<p>Be there to help. Even if you only provide moral support, it can help to have someone there. Be understanding. In the run-up to exams (a stressful time), listen to any problems your teen has and attack the problem, not the person.</p>
<p>Get the rest of the family onside. It’s no good you being supportive if others are undermining your efforts. It is important that everyone in the home understands the importance of revision.</p>
<p>Encourage your teen to tell you what they know and understand. The best way to show understanding in any subject is to <a href="http://cocosci.berkeley.edu/joseph/WilliamsLombrozoRehder.pdf">explain what you know to someone else</a>. Even if you’re not confident in the subject, a good way for your teen to organise their thoughts about what they know and understand is to explain things to you. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=451&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/66706/original/image-20141209-6696-vl6k7r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Encourage regular breaks to avoid square eyes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rutty/5892134830/in/photolist-9YEJpy-2qAZA-2YBGAD-9CAMB6-4NxFnS-MBkdi-bc6rui-nsoiTx-8k6Xke-9qr1yE-bV97qS-bk4GDv-8VBBVj-j3c5tz-9W6sNc-aSrFw2-bqARMy-7sUTKo-83Vgv2-8ZDXeK-9gLZG7-9EASik-aVTQfr-9J1Thx-9eN7VR-9G45Ti-82yHpM-2qBfQ-bV97mu-b6LYVn-dCQDZ-cdM8R1-bm6fnx-bBVPuQ-bPgHKk-bcy3yn-9BEaYy-axh2UU-b9fxzg-ccamH7-85whUJ-8bXzWy-6wBxTn-9BEn3p-9Dz9YE-84ZRqH-bkvzcx-eAnS9Q-9bgLo5-JLPT1">Ben K Adams</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If you know about the subject you can help them if they go wrong. If not – and they explain things and you don’t quite get it – ask then to explain it in another way. This actually helps them organise their ideas and they’ll become more confident about what they know and understand.</p>
<h2>How to revise</h2>
<p>Simply reading textbooks and notes is, very often, not effective. <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/studentstudyskills/page/revision-strategies-and-tips/">Revision needs to be active</a> and involve <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01443410500342070">making notes or diagrams</a>. Where possible, use past papers (also get the mark schemes), textbooks and syllabuses to work out what should be revised. The best revision uses a variety of materials: notes, textbooks, online resources. If your teen likes them, and knows how to produce them, <a href="http://thinkbuzan.com/how-to-mind-map/">mind maps can be very effective</a>.</p>
<p>Get your teen to set aside time to think, consciously and subconsciously, as well as reading and writing. It’s helpful to switch environments for this, perhaps going for a walk or doing some exercise. It’s important to go over material more than once, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25626265">but make sure they leave a day or two in between</a>. This will help reinforce knowledge and fix it in their mind.</p>
<p><a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/cramming-for-a-test-don-t-do-it-237733">Avoid last-minute “cramming” for exams</a>, most often it results in confused responses where ideas get mixed up. Slow steady progress is the key to examination success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35140/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Revising for exams is a necessary evil. Ever since written university exams were first set in England by the Cambridge chemist William Farrish in about 1792, students have struggled to revise. And with…James Williams, Lecturer in Science Education, Sussex School of Education and Social Work, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/299312014-07-31T15:03:01Z2014-07-31T15:03:01ZThe Ebacc effect pushes pupils into more academic subjects – that’s a good thing<p>Teenagers across England are waiting nervously for their GCSE, AS and A Level results. Now new figures have shown more of them are choosing to take more “academic” subjects, such as the humanities, languages and sciences, until the end of school – an effect attributed to the new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/english-baccalaureate-information-for-schools">English Baccalaureate</a> (Ebacc) of five core subjects introduced in 2010 by Michael Gove, the former secretary of state for education. </p>
<p>The Joint Council for Qualification has <a href="http://www.jcq.org.uk/media-centre/news-releases/a-level-and-as-entry-data-2014">published an analysis</a> of the subjects UK teenagers chose to take at A level and AS level in 2014. Its analysis points to some dramatic changes both for GCSE qualifications taken by 16-year-olds in 2013 and AS level qualifications taken by 17-year-olds in 2014. </p>
<p>GCSE entries for geography, history, French, German and Spanish all increased markedly from 2012 to 2013 – up 19.2%, 16.7%, 9.4%, 15.5% and 25.8% respectively. AS entries in geography, history and Spanish – all Ebacc subjects – increased significantly between 2013 and 2014, as the graph shows. AS science entries increased as well, albeit less dramatically.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=298&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/55327/original/snxnqyz2-1406731082.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption"></span>
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<h2>The EBacc effect</h2>
<p>These increases are chalked up to the first signs of the “EBacc effect”. This is the fallout from the policy to include a measure on school league tables showing the proportion of 16-year-old students at each school who achieved good grades (A star to C) across <a href="https://www.gov.uk/english-baccalaureate-information-for-schools">five core subjects</a>. These subjects are English, mathematics, science, a language other than English and history or geography. </p>
<p>The EBacc effect is real, and to my mind, mostly a good thing. Since its inception, state schools have been entering more and more students onto these GCSEs. In 2013, government figures showed <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-pupils-studying-rigorous-subjects">35% of state school students</a> were entered on programmes that could lead to an EBacc up from 23% in 2012 (in independent schools the figures are much higher). Of those students, 23% achieved the EBacc goal in 2013, up from 16% in 2012. Language entries, which had decreased sharply since 2004, increased to 48% of students.</p>
<p>This “Ebacc effect” has now been shown to continue on to AS Level, because students are likely to continue with these subjects they did at GCSE. Given the uptick in parallel AS subject choice, more students will fit the profile that selective universities are looking for: students who choose “facilitating” subjects, which largely parallel EBacc subjects. </p>
<p>This means that more and more students are enrolled on courses that will give them the most flexibility in choosing their futures, taking subjects that have both the breadth and depth to prepare students to progress in further or higher education, for work, for family life and for social and civic participation.</p>
<h2>Driven by pressure on schools</h2>
<p>So why have I qualified my enthusiasm? It’s because these increases are largely due to the perceived (and, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287489/2016_KS4_Publication_list_revised_March14.pdf">starting in 2016</a>, real) accountability pressures schools perceive themselves to be under, rather than a fundamental philosophical shift towards providing all of our students with the curriculum provision they deserve. </p>
<p>Because schools are accountable for their students’ performance on qualifications, the notion of a broad and balanced education (to use a somewhat hackneyed phrase) only seems to apply to higher achievers. In England, there seems to be a policy consensus that lower achievers need a skills-based rather than a subject or knowledge-based curriculum. </p>
<p>The underlying assumption, unfortunately shared across the political spectrum, seems to be that up to 50% of children have a “style of learning” that is simply not compatible with the academic grind of GCSEs and A levels. Consequently – in the conventional wisdom – such students need more applied or vocational qualifications. </p>
<p>But if there’s a worthwhile set of knowledge, skills and understandings enshrined in EBacc subjects, then shouldn’t all students be pursuing them? Michael Young at the Institute of Education has <a href="http://www.goete.eu/news/events/101-reflection-keynote-lecture-at-the-goete-kick-off-meeting-by-michael-young">pointed out</a> that until quite recently, government policy on education systematically marginalised knowledge. He argues instead for a curriculum for all that is built around substantive content but is based on the understanding of important concepts and universal values that all students should be treated equally and “not just members of different social classes, different ethnic groups or as boys or girls”.</p>
<h2>The right direction</h2>
<p>The EBacc effect may be a pull in the right direction. The new accountability measures for 2016 that <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-look-gcse-league-tables-reconfirm-wide-disparities-between-schools-22793">feature the best eight GCSE</a> subjects could be a further incentive, but these are still high-stakes measures that will provoke some schools, understandably, to try to game the system. The unintended consequences could be that schools pay less attention than they already do to lower achievers in their efforts to chase their slice of an already cut pie. </p>
<p>For now, I’m reserving judgement because; a) I think the shift to base accountability on the best eight GCSEs is going in the right direction and; b) we don’t really know how schools will change their students’ subject entry patterns. And so many other changes are happening simultaneously. </p>
<p>For both GCSEs and A levels the level of demand has increased, examinations have reverted to being linear rather than modular and the way the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-look-exams-from-gove-same-old-political-ambition-19785">GCSEs will be graded has changed</a>. At the moment, we cannot predict if these changes will also have an effect on which subjects schools offer all of their students, not simply the top half.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29931/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tina Isaacs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Teenagers across England are waiting nervously for their GCSE, AS and A Level results. Now new figures have shown more of them are choosing to take more “academic” subjects, such as the humanities, languages…Tina Isaacs, Programme Leader, MA in Educational Assessment, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/251742014-04-14T05:01:40Z2014-04-14T05:01:40ZScotland’s secondary school reforms are struggling, but it’s not too late to fix them<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46237/original/wtfzwcnw-1397224648.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Crunch time for Scotland's National 4 and 5s</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/70109407@N00/2097402250/in/photolist-4ckJBL-2bHs4-7vsfB-KzwvJ-4U1q34-kRRDNA-7mXUrD-Chreb-99mtXR-82BuNu-25whf-dRjiZE-xLUqv-e42ze1-7RGzeE-7nW5WW-7tpNfA-8nxr6e-6TsL8x-kJkuwk-5iqHk5-6iiav-61BmSf-kJjwrg-AHMT7-dwphu8-dxi7Hk-4NzNpK-xLUqy-298Ybt-dYvh8W-9XiG5U-hdBRQ4-6ryQsW-8zVrJk-e9XhtQ-ehEemC-9Ei33C-9yhGAR-4g4xBY-kJkEHn-dqprrn-5WtEkK-2PB9xi-gXNPkV-aAJVmL-KzBTi-5HjpZb-ehEeYd-9SNNvu">Richard Lee</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When desks fill gym halls in Scottish schools for the start of exam time in a couple of weeks, there will be a big difference for the country’s 15 and 16 year olds. </p>
<p>It is out with the GCSE-equivalent Standard Grades and in with their replacements, the National 4s and 5s, for the first time. In case you hadn’t heard, many people in the teaching profession are unhappy about it. </p>
<p>Curricular change typically takes 10 years to take root in Scottish schools. It was true of the famed Primary Memorandum of 1965, the Standard Grade programme of the late 1970s, and the 5-14 development of the early 1990s. </p>
<p>So it should be no surprise that a decade on from the <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/11/20178/45862">first Curriculum for Excellence document</a>, we are only now entering the critical phase of implementation – at least as far as secondary schools are concerned. The <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/teachers-voice-concerns-over-national-exams.23099914">many concerns</a> that have been raised within the procession have to be viewed within this ten-year perspective. </p>
<p>There are various reasons why these courses and their associated assessments have been so problematic for teachers and schools. Many of these date back to the very start of the Curriculum for Excellence reforms in 2004, while others have developed since. It is important they are all addressed now so that the situation is not compounded with the revised Highers next year.</p>
<h2>Laudable goals</h2>
<p>The Curriculum for Excellence was a bold attempt to create, for the first time in Scottish educational history, a coherent and comprehensive curriculum for everyone from the age of three to 18. </p>
<p>The piecemeal reforms to secondary education that started in the 1970s wove an ill-fitting patchwork of provision. The 5-14 reforms, which transformed primary education and the early years of secondary, became for many schools an inhibiting, bureaucratic straitjacket. </p>
<p>The roots of the difficulties with the Nationals lie in their very first stage of development by the group tasked with identifying the principles and purposes of the curriculum. A curriculum is the rationale for an educational programme. It has four elements: aims, content, methods, and assessment – but that initial stage was almost entirely devoted only to the aims. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46239/original/2m9s7c88-1397225235.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Sun shining - exams must be coming.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndurston/15161696/in/photolist-2kH3y-4WUNwk-dKcejt-FRAZS-5qyGxd-bFShyv-4HA4wh-78PvPb-6wvA-bfs5fD-4kxdob">Jocelyn Durston</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Recommended methods followed soon after and the suggested content emerged somewhat later. But plans for assessment took an unseasonable age to arrive, particularly those for the upper stages of secondary. </p>
<p>Teaching staff in secondary schools have not had the privilege of ten years to assimilate, consider and refine examination proposals. Generally speaking, the course specifications did not arrive until 2012 and then they were revised last summer, just prior to the start of the courses. </p>
<p>Only as the courses were being undertaken were teachers coming across issues around the amount of course content to be covered, challenges with sequencing activities and the timing of internal assessment. </p>
<p>In addition, there was a lack of sample exam papers to practise with. Anecdotally, I gather that quite a few schools are running classes through the Spring break so that pupils complete necessary activities.</p>
<h2>Beyond the assessment issues</h2>
<p>It’s not just this issue of time that has been problematic. There have been difficulties with putting together National 4 and 5 courses in many subject areas; linking them with the earlier stages of secondary; and, crucially for next year, with how the learning should then progress into Higher courses. </p>
<p>There have been issues with content overload and with the credibility of National 4, where planners have not made a persuasive case for why there is no external assessment. </p>
<p>One must not be sensationalist, though. It is to teachers’ credit that Scotland’s youngsters, especially those in fourth-year secondary today, have got on with their learning without much sign of angst or trepidation. Teachers have been able to keep these courses afloat and their learners on track despite the concerns and the shaking of heads in staffrooms. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=888&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=888&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=888&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1115&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1115&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/46241/original/x358gj9z-1397226295.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1115&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Revision without vision?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelyndurston/15161696/in/photolist-2kH3y-4WUNwk-dKcejt-FRAZS-5qyGxd-bFShyv-4HA4wh-78PvPb-6wvA-bfs5fD-4kxdob">RPM</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>What needs to be done now? The Scottish government <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/russell-bows-to-demand-for-delay-to-new-higher-exams.22767542">has offered</a> a delay for schools and councils who do not feel ready for the introduction of Highers next year and has offered an extra in-service day for associated planning and training. </p>
<p>Delaying would not be ideal, it must be said. The new National 4 and 5 courses are intended to dovetail with the revised Higher syllabus, not to be bolted on to the old one. Much better would be to aim to get this new system right. Teachers need time but also clear direction. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/education/teachers-fear-study-leave-cuts-will-add-to-pressures.23693354">Council plans</a> to cut exam study leave this year threaten to shut a vital window when development for the new Highers and revisions of the Nationals could take place.</p>
<p>Councils would do better to keep the time freed by study leave to work with staff to prepare for the coming year. In addition, a bold government decision to have more in-service days this June, not in the new session, would do much to defuse the situation.</p>
<p>On an optimistic note, realpolitik suggests that the 2014 National 4 and 5 results will be good. Parents and pupils should be reassured. Neither the government nor the Scottish Qualifications Authority can afford anything less – and they are unlikely to let it happen. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25174/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donald Gillies does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When desks fill gym halls in Scottish schools for the start of exam time in a couple of weeks, there will be a big difference for the country’s 15 and 16 year olds. It is out with the GCSE-equivalent Standard…Donald Gillies, Head of School of Education, Professor, University of the West of ScotlandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.