Tests scrapped for 14-year-olds

Tests scrapped for 14-year-olds

news.bbc.co.uk

National tests for 14-year-old school pupils in England are to be scrapped, following this summer's Sats marking "shambles".

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said an expert group would develop a system of assessment by teachers.

But the tests taken at the end of primary school by 11 year olds, and used for league tables, will remain.

A new system of report cards showing schools' academic attainment and pupil well-being is also to be introduced.

Mr Balls said that the decision to stop Sats tests for 14 year olds was "not a u-turn" - and that the wider principle of the need for testing and accountability remained.

"But if you ask 'are we abolishing half of the national tests?', the answer is 'yes'," said Mr Balls.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So, the government have decided just to abandon SATS - just like that - as the great Tommy Cooper would say.

As, a teacher, this is good - we can teach properly now as opposed as just to the test...

BUT, have they thought this through? What kind of shambolic assessment procedures are they going to bring in by the summer, bearing in mind that this government can't even keep hold of a hard disk? An expert group? An expert group of who? Think tankers? Retired teachers? We need details, Ed coz we need to start dealing with this now!!!!

If they had done it in a staged phase out I could have understood it - but like this? Knee jerk reaction to last summers shambles perhaps.

I'm a whole school Key Stage 3 co-ordinator myself and I just heard the news and this means that I have to spend all night doing research on what they propose so I can go to my bosses tomorrow morning and say 'look, I'm on top of this.'

What are they hopeing to achieve with this other than absolute, pure chaos.

Thanks, Ed, you've just ruined my night.

A conspiracy of imcompetence.

Plus, the current Year 9 kids will just bloomin' well switch off now.

Peace,

MGGG

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Well hey, it's just another day and another ridiculous New Labour initiative. Let 'em go for it, the Tories'll have to clean it up after the next election.