In light of exam disruption due to COVID-19, our Director of Research and Development Professor Rob Coe was asked by media outlets to share his views on the grading process implemented by Ofqual. Speaking to the BBC, Sky News, Times Radio and Talk Radio, Professor Coe answered questions and shared his thoughts regarding Ofqual’s approach.
When asked by Sky News to give an estimation as to what went wrong, specifically regarding Ofqual’s methodology of using a specific algorithm, and the change in approach to giving centre assessed grades, Professor Coe responded:
I think schools and heads in particular feel quite rightly let down by this whole process, and of course, students too. Given where we are today, this is the right decision, we need clarity and justice for students.”
More of Professor Coe’s responses to questions from the media can be found by listening to BBC Radio 4 (from 1:13:40) and Times Radio (from 1:28:00).
Evidence Based Education are committed to enabling schools to increase the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of assessment as a tool for learning through its sustained professional development programmes. There is no perfect form of assessment and recent A-Level and GCSE grading issues have once again highlighted the need for greater assessment literacy across the education system in order to understand these limitations.
We have a range of free resources on assessment in our Resource Library, including the eBooks; ‘What makes great assessment?’, ‘Designing great assessment’ and ‘What every teacher needs to know about assessment’. For those interested in developing a greater understanding of the principles of assessment and how to improve assessment practice, then check out the courses on offer through our Assessment Academy. You can also contact the EBE team with further thoughts and questions here.
