1st September 2021
As part of the OECD’s review into Curriculum for Excellence, Professor Gordon Stobart has explored possible options for assessment and qualifications in the senior phase, drawing on methods from around the world. You can read the full paper here, and Connect’s summary of his suggestions here.
A spokesperson for Connect says:
We welcome the findings of Gordon Stobart’s review. His findings chime with what many educators, parents and young people have been saying for many years. We know parents and young people have different views about qualifications and exams. However, we also know:
- S4 to S6 can be a painful slog for many – which causes stress and upset in families
- there is a disconnect between the principles of Curriculum for Excellence and the qualifications system which favours memory over skills and historically was designed to feed into the sifting requirements of further academic study
- pressure and exams happen at a time when young people are changing physically and emotionally, establishing their individuality. Why have such an intense diet of qualifications (many with exams) at this crucial time in young people’s development?
- we know the current qualifications system builds in unfairness to learners who may not cope well with exams for a host of very valid reasons.
We look forward to a radical overhaul and a move to a system which meets the needs of all our young people and reflects their skills, knowledge and achievements.