The Live Wire



Press Release

Controlled assessment 'seriously jeopardises pupils' learning'

7 October 2011

Commenting on the publication of the Ofqual Report on the 'Evaluation of the Introduction of Controlled Assessment', Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, said:

“Ofqual's evaluation of Controlled Assessment practice reveals further worrying evidence of unsustainable assessment practices in schools, which must now be taken seriously by the Coalition Government.

“The Report by Ofqual is right to point to the concerns that Controlled Assessments has reduced teaching and learning time in our schools and increased the burdens on teachers in ways that could seriously jeopardise pupils' learning and educational progress.

“The Ofqual Report corroborates recent research commissioned by the NASUWT that found that half of all teachers said that changes to assessment arrangements had contributed adversely to teachers' workloads, undermining provision for pupils in schools.

“The Secretary of State for Education has taken a strong stand on the need for greater rigour, but this cannot happen where the resources needed to support teachers are absent and where there are considerable logistical challenges associated with Controlled Assessment practice.

“The Secretary of State would be unwise to ignore the evidence from two out of five teachers that logistical factors are impeding the quality of Controlled Assessment practice.

“Schools are also experiencing major scheduling difficulties, a lack of suitable IT resources and practical difficulties associated with accommodating pupils who are absent and for those pupils who are entitled to extra time, which will not be resolved by merely exhorting teachers to do better.

“The Secretary of State needs to recognise that rigorous assessment cannot be done on the cheap.

“The impact of the Coalition Government's education funding cuts is piling more pressure onto a system that is already at breaking point.

“Without extra investment, questions will remain about the Coalition Government's commitment to raising the quality of the examinations system.”



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