Generation On Mute – An Open Letter To The Department for Education and Ofqual

The Principal of UTC South Durham calls the DfE and Ofqual to account for the inadequate time they are giving students to complete technical studies - and for not listening!

Tom Dower, Principal of UTC South Durham

I write from University Technical College South Durham, a specialist STEM school for 14 to 19 year-olds in the North East of England, in response to communication from OCR about level 2 and level 3 technical qualifications.

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      string(290) "Ofqual has published a report following its investigation of marking issues identified at the exam board OCR last summer. The regulator’s investigation followed concerns about OCR’s ability to mark all of its 2014 GCSE and A level papers on time.
Leadership Briefing 10.02(110)"
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Leadership Briefing 10.02(110)"
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      string(758) "understanding among key senior managers of the end-to-end process ofmarking and awarding. This affected their ability to see the link between the scoris performanceissues early in June and the potential for its impact on marking shortfalls and hitting markingdeadlines. ■ There was no cross-business contingency planning and risk identification. ■ Senior managers were working with flawed understanding and assumptions. ■ OCR’s third-party control within a syndicate structure context was a contributing factor to some ofthe issues identified.WEB LINKOfqual Investigation into OCR’s Summer 2014 GCSE and A Level Marking Issueshttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/452055/2015-08-07-ocr-investigation-findings.pdf"
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Leadership

Ofqual Investigation into OCR’s Summer 2014 GCSE and A Level Marking Issues

11 Aug 2015

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      string(4561) "This Ofqual analysis shows that there is no evidence that the system for awarding GCSEs and A-levels this year systematically disadvantaged poorer pupils or those with protected characteristics.But 6,300 GCSE entries, most of them from private schools, may have received “disproportionately overestimated grades”, the exams regulator said.The analyses aimed to examine “concerns” that the system used this year could have introduced new inequalities, or affected pre-existing ones.It concluded that there was “no evidence that either the calculated grades or the final grades awarded this year were systematically biased against candidates with protected characteristics or from disadvantaged backgrounds”.Exams were cancelled this year after schools closed to all but the most vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers in March.Instead, schools were asked to provide centre-assessment grades and a rank order of pupils within each grade, which were then standardised by exam boards using a computer algorithm.he new report looked at the centre-assessment grades, calculated grades and final grades issued to pupilsIt found that had calculated grades been issued, the results “would have been more closely in line” with the established relationships between student characteristics and outcomes seen in previous results.However, the changes seen by using final grades were “small”.There was “some evidence” that around 6,300 GCSE entries by pupils with low prior attainment and unknown socioeconomic status “may have received disproportionately overestimated grades”.Most of these pupils are at independent schools, Ofqual said, and the effect was “equally noticeable in grades using CAGs, calculated grades, and final grades”. 6,300 entries represents around 2.4 per cent of all GCSE entries from private schools this year.In the report, Ofqual said its analyses were “clear” that the “most consistent and significant effect” of CAGs and final grades was “an uplift in outcomes”, which was not seen in calculated grades.Key Findings:For GCSEs and A levels, there is no evidence that the arrangements put in place to award candidates grades this year, including the final grades themselves, systematically disadvantaged candidates with protected characteristics or from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds. By comparing attainment gaps in 2020 with those from exam results in 2018 and 2019, Ofqual demonstrated that the calculated grades originally issued to candidates on A level results day – their standardised CAGs – neither introduced new, nor exacerbated any existing, attainment gaps based on protected characteristics or socio-economic status. Analyses for both GCSEs and A levels showed that the calculated grades more closely maintained the established relationships between candidate characteristics and outcomes than do either centre assessment grades (CAGs) or final grades. However, the changes seen by using final grades are small and do not suggest that any groups of candidates who share a protected characteristic or socio-economic status have been systematically disadvantaged. There was some evidence that some 6,300 GCSE entries by low prior attainers with unknown socio-economic status (most of whom are at independent schools) may have received disproportionately over-estimated grades. This effect was equally noticeable in grades using CAGs, calculated grades, and final grades. The effect was not seen for A level. The analyses are clear that, at both GCSE and A level, the most consistent and significant effect is an uplift in outcomes overall using CAGs and final grades; but not using calculated grades. At A level, there was further narrowing of the attainment gap that had previously seen males out-perform females (when prior attainment, protected characteristics, and socio-economic status are accounted for), such that there was no real effect of gender this year. This was true for CAGs, calculated grades, and final grades. That an equivalent change was absent from the GCSE data is some assurance that, at A level, it genuinely reflects attainment and is not the result of systematic bias in favour of female candidates. In conclusion, for GCSEs and A Levels, there is no evidence that either the calculated grades or the final grades awarded this year were systematically biased against candidates with protected characteristics or from disadvantaged backgrounds.Link: Student-Level Equalities Analyses for GCSE and A Level"
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Leadership

Student-Level Equalities Analyses for GCSE and A Level

1 Dec 2020

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Leadership

Provisional November 2018 Exam Entries: GCSEs

9 Jan 2019

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Leadership Briefing 13.04 (148)"
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Leadership Briefing 13.04 (148)"
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      string(3895) "Overall, the number of candidates docked marks for malpractice has risen by 16 per cent compared with 2017. Taking unauthorised materials – including phones – into the exam room was the most common type of pupil malpractice reported in 2018, also rising by 22 per cent in 2018 compared with 2017. Mobile phones were by far the most common unauthorised material, accounting for 75 per cent of such penalties. In total, punishments for having mobile phones accounted for 47 per cent of all student penalties handed out in 2018. Taking a mobile into an exam was usually punished by a loss of marks, which explains the 16 per cent increase in this type of penalty in 2018. However, the overall number of malpractice penalties issued to students remained stable: 2,735 penalties were issued to students in 2018, compared with 2,740 in 2017. There was also a big fall in the number of penalties issued to school and college staff, which dropped from 1,030 in 2017 to 620 this year – a decrease of 40 per cent. Incidence of “school or college malpractice” – where there is evidence that malpractice is the result of a serious management failure and sanctions are applied against a whole department or school – was also down. Ninety-five such penalties were issued in 2018, compared with 165 in 2017. Penalties issued for plagiarism decreased by 90 per cent compared with 2017, which Ofqual said may be due to a fall in the number of non-exam assessments in GCSE subjects, particularly computer science, compared to last year. Key Findings: 2,735 penalties were issued to students in 2018, similar to the number of penalties in 2017 (2,740), and representing 0.02% of entries. 620 penalties were issued to staff, down from 1,030 in 2017. The largest proportion of offences were for maladministration (the failure to adhere to the regulations of non-examination assessments). Improper assistance to candidates remains the second most common offence. Instances of deception fell to less than 5 in 2018, compared to 25 in 2017, and no cases of failure to co-operate with an investigation were recorded this year. Written warnings continue to be the most common penalty issued to staff, despite a 34% reduction compared to 2017. 95 penalties were issued to schools/ colleges, down from 165 in 2017. The largest proportion of offences in 2018 were for maladministration, followed by breaches of security. There were fewer than 5 instances of improper assistance to candidates in 2018 compared to 25 in 2017. The most common type of malpractice reported in 2018 was the introduction of unauthorised materials into the exam room, which, in most cases, was a mobile phone or other electronic communications device. Mobile phones accounted for 47% of all student penalties. Mobile phone: main reason for student penalties: Plagiarism 2% Inappropriate materials 8% Disruptive behaviour 7% Other reasons 19% The largest decline in categories of malpractice was seen for plagiarism, which decreased by 90% compared with 2017. This may be due to a fall in the number of non-exam assessments in GCSE subjects, particularly computer science, compared to last year. The most common type of penalty issued in 2018 was a loss of marks. This has increased by 16% compared with 2017 while two other types of penalties have gone down. In 2018, a total of 2,570 individual students were issued with penalties for malpractice compared to 2,610 in 2017. There were a small number of students who committed more than more offence and received a penalty for each of these offences. WEB LINK Malpractice For GCSE, AS And A Level: Summer 2018 Exam SeriesKeywords Malpractice, GCSE, AS, A Level exams, marks, unauthorised materials, phones, pupils, student penalties, staff "
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Leadership

Malpractice For GCSE, AS And A Level: Summer 2018 Exam Series

2 Jan 2019

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