General

England’s exam results exposed to flaws

Results downgraded overall in the UK

A politician always fears from the public wrath, especially when the public is organized by a group of eloquent parents, head teachers, and ex-school inspectors. The teachers predicted that up to 4-% results of A level and GCSE are likely to be downgraded by the exam boards. It created a situation of approaching furore among the public, but the ministers said that schools have an opportunity to appeal against these results. The experts suggested that schools have a long, hot summer to lodge complaints, appeals, and even a judicial review. England has followed the grading system used in Scotland; unfortunately Scotland also faced a furore of students due to low grades. Only the difference is that the government of the UK is facing mounting pressure of students before the final declaration of results. 

Ofqual’s algorithm to estimate grades

The Ofqual said that students’ anxiety and anger are understandable, but the solution is not to run out on the roads. Ofqual has presented a computed algorithm to standardize grades for students. The experts said that Ofqual is going to sacrifice young students future by relying on statistical calculations of grades awarding. It will provide natural justice opportunities for schools to appeal for a revision of grades in the light of data submitted by the schools. However, it is not a working way to judge pupils’ performances on estimations, and they should be awarded grades on their individual efforts, potential, and skills. 

Standards to award grades

Ofqual called these arrangements as exceptional arrangements to avoid inequity in awarding grades. While the mood of school leaders is unusually determined. They enlightened how the exam system of England is working presently, and the exam board is going to award grades to the students with reference to previous years; it is known as the norm referencing system. Rather they should award grades on criterion referencing, in which a student is awarded grades in any given subject according to whether he meets an agreed standard or not. On the other hand, many teachers are desperate while explaining to students that their results are not anymore dependent on their efforts and skills, but it will rely on their previous years’ performances. Though all this is happening because of the pandemic but for the next year your efforts and skills will surely be countable and for any help in your academic assignments you can concern law assignment help anytime.  

Time to check mathematical calculations for grading

While many students are talking about the inflation of grades created by teachers, teachers submitted low assessments in this pandemic crisis. The overpowering force of students decided to appear on the roads for protest if Ofqual is failed to produce fair grades for every student. While they demanded that the mathematical modelers are needed to keep unruly humans in check in order to sustain fair usage policy of estimation of grades. Otherwise, many black and disadvantaged pupils will face difficulties in getting the grades that they deserve. Students claimed that it had been a long time since their exam boards placed their trust genuinely in the judgment professionally, while this pandemic period is no exception for this case.

Fears of pupils of disadvantaged areas

The experts said that these results would impinge on the further structural inequalities that are subjected by the English school system. The head teachers working in disadvantaged areas feared that the Black and other minor ethnic group pupils are at a risk of facing inequity and discrimination in the process of awarding grades. While Ofqual announced that it would judge teachers’ predictions against the historical performance of every student to check the fair estimation of grades. The heads of these schools claimed that they had made improvements in impoverished areas; they engaged pupils to cope with poverty, austerity, and COVID-19 presently. Many of them said that they were making good progress despite the crisis of pandemic, and did much better than their expectations.

Destruction of confidence of pupils

The present policy to award grades on estimations will result in the shattering of an individual’s confidence, as many pupils will face down-grading the grades they deserve. While policymakers offered revisions on the school level, no individual student can challenge exam boards’ results. It will disadvantage the already disadvantaged at every turn, instead of improving social mobility and closing gaps, they are exhibiting non-official behavior. However, to a definite end, the furore of students and parents would end in the shape of two-way conversations, which are needed in this time of pandemic to understand both sides’ needs. 

The reputation of schools

Before the lockdown, the bundles of tests were supposed to check the performance of a student, surely it was to keep schools on their toes, but many schools penalize unfairly to the disadvantaged students. A shorthand term “punitive accountability” was used against the growing rebellion unity, to avoid such type of unfair punishments. The Ofsted judgments were contested to determine a school’s success by raw results. All the schools used to publish grades and the percentage of pupils they get in a core suite of subjects; the so-called English baccalaureate enforced it. Any school that failed to meet the criteria faced a loss of reputation and led it to the peremptory sacking of head teachers. While in February, the Head teachers, who had an influence on the system, launched Pause Ofsted, it was a call against the government regulator for the bundle of tests. It resulted in the rejection of good and bad absurd language about the schools and diminished the concept of a reputation for a school.

Finance problems faced by many schools

The Prime Minister of the UK, Mr. Boris Johnson, promised that he would provide extra funds to every school on the district level to meet the losses faced in the pandemic. Unfortunately, the government is totally failed to produce funds for schools, and schools are facing issues in safely reopening. 
The pandemic has sharpened the confidence of school leaders. Most teachers have risen heroically to cope with the crisis, and leaders understand now that schools should be given priority to make them safe and risk-free from Coronavirus because these will affect the whole community. On the other side download Instagram photos, parents are well informed by the grading system and the education department’s present situation. They are demanding to build a policy for a fair awarding system so that exam boards downgrade no student.     

Naeem Noor

Naeem Noor is a professional blogger and an SEO Specialist currently working is top digital marketing firm in Karachi. Naeem loves to eat, work sleep and repeat.

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