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I'm reading the SQA methodology document now. You know how lots of us thought this was going to be really bad? I actually think it might be worse.
That middle paragraph is the key one so far. Basically a school's past results (without a pandemic) are determining the results this year. But we KNOW that grades are distributed by wealth, not ability, so while this might look fair it categorically is not.
And if your teacher thought you should pass but you actually failed, perhaps losing a uni or college place?
Sorry, but "tolerable ranges" for the grades were the most important thing.
Sorry, but "tolerable ranges" for the grades were the most important thing.
Honestly @sqanews and @scotgov / @JohnSwinney were warned over and over and over about this and just would not listen - students' futures have, as we feared, been sacrifices to the Almighty Bell Curve.
And remember that the SQA absolutely refused to release this info before now - it's hard to see any other reason than a determination not be challenged. If this had come out weeks ago there would have been (justified) uproar.
So guess what? If a school had never delivered a course before (which would tend to make estimates less reliable) then their results were "excluded from the moderation process" (ie left unchanged).
So the SQA *CAN* trust teacher judgements when it suits...
So the SQA *CAN* trust teacher judgements when it suits...
I honestly can't understand how people working in education would think it is OK to treat young people like this.
All that work from them. All that work from their teachers. All for the SQA to treat them as nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet.
All that work from them. All that work from their teachers. All for the SQA to treat them as nothing more than numbers on a spreadsheet.
I asked this ages ago and never got an answer so I'll try again.
@JohnSwinney - would you really be prepared to look a 16 year old in the eye and tell them it's fair that they failed under these circumstances?
I certainly couldn't, and wouldn't, do it.
@JohnSwinney - would you really be prepared to look a 16 year old in the eye and tell them it's fair that they failed under these circumstances?
I certainly couldn't, and wouldn't, do it.
Either the SQA has set out to reinforce educational inequality or the people in charge don't understand educational inequality.
Surely neither of those is acceptable in a country where the govt is forever talking of "closing the attainment gap".
Surely neither of those is acceptable in a country where the govt is forever talking of "closing the attainment gap".
(And where the First Minister insists we judge her on her record...)
Here's the SQA showing how they would, among other things, increase a school's failure rate despite the professional judgements of teachers. And a D is still a fail, by the way.
