Just seen the headlines re this years gcse results. An unprecedented increase in grades... Those achieving A equivalent up by 25 per cent....
So... I was pondering what that says about how we best educate our kids. It seems that home education in the final year for gcse has dramatically increased the students grades. This year's cohort have been shown to be much better educated than last year's. Are there any lessons we can learn (pun intended) for our kids education for the future? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
Um you clearly do not understand how this years grades were established.
The grades are based on teachers predictions not any exams a pupil took so no it is not that the pupils are better off being educated at home it is because the teachers have understandably being a little bit generous
|
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
 |
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Just seen the headlines re this years gcse results. An unprecedented increase in grades... Those achieving A equivalent up by 25 per cent....
So... I was pondering what that says about how we best educate our kids. It seems that home education in the final year for gcse has dramatically increased the students grades. This year's cohort have been shown to be much better educated than last year's. Are there any lessons we can learn (pun intended) for our kids education for the future? "
are you being sarcastic? the teachers over inflated estimated grades , the algorithm that was due to bring them in line was deemed unfair (rightly) as it looked at statistics not individual merit so they did a u turn and gave pupils the higher of algorithm and teacher prediction
in the year where pupils have had the least face to face teaching time and most disruption of their educational lives, and no exams were sat , there is no way they genuinely improved by 25%  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
and while i do think the algorithm wasn’t the right or fair way to do it, i also think they might aswel have just saved everyone’s time this year including pupils teachers and the qualification boards, scrapped school full stop in march and awarded everyone As because the results are pretty much as meaningless as that now |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Um you clearly do not understand how this years grades were established.
The grades are based on teachers predictions not any exams a pupil took so no it is not that the pupils are better off being educated at home it is because the teachers have understandably being a little bit generous
"
I understand perfectly well. I'm putting the point out there for discussion. If the grades achieved have miraculously increased... It means something. Either the education was better, the pupils were better, or the grading was easier. If I was a governor of a school I'd certainly be interested in achieving the best educated pupils and exploring ways to achieve that sort of increase in performance. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Um you clearly do not understand how this years grades were established.
The grades are based on teachers predictions not any exams a pupil took so no it is not that the pupils are better off being educated at home it is because the teachers have understandably being a little bit generous
I understand perfectly well. I'm putting the point out there for discussion. If the grades achieved have miraculously increased... It means something. Either the education was better, the pupils were better, or the grading was easier. If I was a governor of a school I'd certainly be interested in achieving the best educated pupils and exploring ways to achieve that sort of increase in performance. "
they weren’t better educated , thats the point ... they had a year of the mist disruptive education they have ever had, most inconsistency from school to school and subject to subject yet apparently everyone improved by 25%
they got estimated grades from non impartial sources who know them personally, want them to do well and went soft on the grading
before anyone jumps on me i know thats not entirely across the board and there will be students who genuinely deserved the grading they got but its not been an odd teacher here or there marking up its been everywhere ... wether it be from optimism for their students, feeling like they already had a rough enough year, or to help improve school ratings/ funding who knows , probably a combination of all 3 but unis will have a hard time deciding who gets places this year now with results that would normally determine who gets what all so high |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
It is a tricky one. As the government have been trying to gradually combat grade creep at gcse, a level and recently degree level. To put in perspective when i did my gcses/ gces just under 60 % got an a to c and the total number of students who got an a to c was just under 40%. Now its nearly 80%. Government wants to deal with this but this year wasn't the time to do it. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Speaking from experience (20 yrs) teachers have always given predicted grades....in case a student is ill etc when exam should be sat.
They have consistently and always been overestimated. So no surprise that pure estimates now look way too high.
Even worse if the algorithm gave a higher grade than predicted then this was awarded. One pupil was absent for the entire course so teacher estimated U. Algorithm gave a level 8 (equivalent to grade A)....go figure.... |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Speaking from experience (20 yrs) teachers have always given predicted grades....in case a student is ill etc when exam should be sat.
They have consistently and always been overestimated. So no surprise that pure estimates now look way too high.
Even worse if the algorithm gave a higher grade than predicted then this was awarded. One pupil was absent for the entire course so teacher estimated U. Algorithm gave a level 8 (equivalent to grade A)....go figure...."
Interesting to have it confirmed. Have you also experience of teachers marking a pupil down consistently because of a clash of a clash of personalities. I know of one last year who was predicted a D, most homework was marked down as they didn't like the pupil who went on to get an A* in last year's exams. That's surely the biggest issue with having grades given by invested parties.? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
It will be the next year I feel sorry for as they have just a good chunk of school year 10 should have been back at school muck sooner. They do 5 term' s befor the GCSE'e exsames and have missed a hole term 20% but they like the next A levels will have to do exsames? Is that right or fair |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Noting that this is a virus thread what really pissed me off is turning on ITVs This Morning show and watching the young folk opening their Btec results and the only person socially distancing was the Interviewer!!!. Neither students nor their teachers could give a damn... .....Does not bode at all well for September school openings. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"It will be the next year I feel sorry for as they have just a good chunk of school year 10 should have been back at school muck sooner. They do 5 term' s befor the GCSE'e exsames and have missed a hole term 20% but they like the next A levels will have to do exsames? Is that right or fair "
Possibly not. You can say the same thing about tertiary education too. I personally feel the biggest lesson we can teach is that life is not fair and its how you deal with the shit that life throws at you that sets you up for your life. That's not to say we should not do our best for our kids in education, nor would expect our educators to do anything but their very best for their pupils. But i cant see how giving inflated inaccurate grades gives any credibility.
As I've said in other threads, now is a glorious opportunity to make some much needed changes for the better in how we educate and examine in our education system to deliver intelligent, adaptable, confident and capable adults who are ready to add value to the work place. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"It will be the next year I feel sorry for as they have just a good chunk of school year 10 should have been back at school muck sooner. They do 5 term' s befor the GCSE'e exsames and have missed a hole term 20% but they like the next A levels will have to do exsames? Is that right or fair
Possibly not. You can say the same thing about tertiary education too. I personally feel the biggest lesson we can teach is that life is not fair and its how you deal with the shit that life throws at you that sets you up for your life. That's not to say we should not do our best for our kids in education, nor would expect our educators to do anything but their very best for their pupils. But i cant see how giving inflated inaccurate grades gives any credibility.
As I've said in other threads, now is a glorious opportunity to make some much needed changes for the better in how we educate and examine in our education system to deliver intelligent, adaptable, confident and capable adults who are ready to add value to the work place. "
That almost reminded me of my first boss any he believed that bullying was caritier building so was good for him to bully the young aprentaces  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"
Even worse if the algorithm gave a higher grade than predicted then this was awarded. One pupil was absent for the entire course so teacher estimated U. Algorithm gave a level 8 (equivalent to grade A)....go figure...."
My daughter took GCSE maths for the third time. The twice she sat exams she got a 4 both times. This year she got awarded a 2 which is two grades worse. Apparantly this was the higher mark between the teacher assessment and the algorithm. How can this be right ? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"
Even worse if the algorithm gave a higher grade than predicted then this was awarded. One pupil was absent for the entire course so teacher estimated U. Algorithm gave a level 8 (equivalent to grade A)....go figure....
My daughter took GCSE maths for the third time. The twice she sat exams she got a 4 both times. This year she got awarded a 2 which is two grades worse. Apparantly this was the higher mark between the teacher assessment and the algorithm. How can this be right ? "
Well if the teacher was predicting a 2 and through the term she was assessed as a 2, perhaps that's why.? .. Or are you saying the teacher had predicted her a higher grade but she has for inexplicable reasons been marked down.? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Haven't read all the replies but having a Child in Yr10 moving into Yr11 in September I personally think it is their education that has had the highest impact since Covid.
Our child has been lucky enough to have Google meet classes for every one of their lessons since the start of the lockdown but I also know that not all children in our area and possibly throughout the UK have not been so lucky.
4 months of education some of Yr10 have missed - how will they catch up if all children go back in September x |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"
are you saying the teacher had predicted her a higher grade but she has for inexplicable reasons been marked down.? "
I am querying why a teacher would assess her as being likely "on a good day" to achieve two grades lower than what she has actually achieved the twice previously when she sat the exam. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Haven't read all the replies but having a Child in Yr10 moving into Yr11 in September I personally think it is their education that has had the highest impact since Covid.
Our child has been lucky enough to have Google meet classes for every one of their lessons since the start of the lockdown but I also know that not all children in our area and possibly throughout the UK have not been so lucky.
4 months of education some of Yr10 have missed - how will they catch up if all children go back in September x"
It's a challenge, but our kids are resilient. They didn't really miss 4 months, they had a change and had home schooling...for the 12 weeks of summer term. Sounds like Your child's school did a great job. My kids school were the polar opposite, they basically fucked off in march never to be seen again.
With a lot of encouragement they can catch up... It will be tough but they can do it... |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"
are you saying the teacher had predicted her a higher grade but she has for inexplicable reasons been marked down.?
I am querying why a teacher would assess her as being likely "on a good day" to achieve two grades lower than what she has actually achieved the twice previously when she sat the exam. "
I wouldn't like to hazard a guess but I'd assume she had her predicted grades at the start of the year and that's what they were working to? No idea though... Maybe you can ask the teacher? Good luck with it |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
» Add a new message to this topic
