11th August 2020
Young people who had their results downgraded will see the original estimates restored, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney has announced today in a statement to the Scottish Parliament:
- Teacher estimates will be restored, but young people will keep their results if these were raised by the original moderation process
- There will be additional university places made available to compensate for this
- The OECD review into Curriculum for Excellence will be extended to cover how to transform assessment and qualifications
- The SQA will consult on changes for the 2021 exam diet
- Professor Mark Priestly of Stirling University will lead an independent review on the 2020 results process
Connect welcomes the Scottish Government’s recognition this is an unprecedented year, and that young people will have their teacher estimates restored. However we need to take this opportunity to find a new way forward which does away with the inequalities of the old system which have existed before 2020.
Connect believes that national qualifications must reflect individual achievement and that this cannot be skewed by peer or previous school performance. We know continuous assessment works for some pupils and exams work for others. We were promised Curriculum for Excellence would build skills in our young people and that qualifications would reflect this. This has been an exceptionally difficult year; we urge calm reflection and deeper analysis of other systems around the world that respect and reflect learners’ achievement.
We are at a crossroads and young people are right to expect a system which recognises their individual achievements and builds in their views and voices.