There are aspects of our education system that are straight out of Groundhog Day: the same scenarios keep playing out, and they always have the same ending, or to put it more bluntly, doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Of course, repeating the same things in the hope of them somehow turning out differently is not the preserve of education, and we can all relate to this in our day-to-day lives. But while a fairly innocuous act like going repeatedly to the same place to locate a lost car key is no more than frustrating, a similar behaviour in an education setting can have far more serious consequences.
As educators, and education experts, we can all think of many examples, but one in particular stands out: the re-sit policy for English and maths. It is a much-debated subject, and the conversations return with the same regularity and predictability every summer.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with the intention that sits behind the policy – wanting our young people to meet a minimum level to help them achieve all that they can in work and life. However, as is often the case, it is the execution of the idea that lets it down. If the solution to a student not passing an exam is that they have to try and pass another exam, then we really need a re-think.
Delivering the modern ‘three Rs’
The good news is that much thinking is being done. It’s an issue that AQA has researched extensively, and in October we published a report: Towards new assessments for literacy, numeracy and digital fluency (aqa.org.uk)