A new inquiry will explore why the Scottish government decided to introduce its controversial standardised assessments and scrap a long-running survey of pupils’ literacy and numeracy.
The Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee will also consider what role standardised assessments should play in schools and whether such assessment improves educational outcomes, as well as exploring the alternatives.
The Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSAs) have been one of the most controversial education issues in the country this year, with a grassroots campaign raising concerns about the practice of testing P1s, who are aged 4 and 5. In October, education secretary and deputy first minister John Swinney announced that an independent review of P1 SNSAs would be carried out, but that they would in the meantime continue as planned in 2018-19.
The parliamentary inquiry announced today is a separate process and will explore how approaches in other countries could work in Scotland. It also aims to examine the evidence base for moving away from the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy - the final set of results for which were published in 2017 and described as “simply not good enough” by Mr Swinney - and introducing SNSAs at P1, P4, P7 and S3.
Committee convener Clare Adamson MSP said: “This inquiry is not looking to duplicate work the Scottish government has announced, which will focus only on P1 assessments.
“Instead, this inquiry will be an open and transparent look at the evidence base for using standardised assessments across primary and secondary schools. We want to find out what role these play in Scotland’s schools. And, more importantly, how these will help to improve the educational outcomes for young people across the country.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “We welcome the opportunity to support the committee in understanding the role and value of standardised assessments for children and young people in P1, 4, 7 and S3.
“This will complement the independent, evidence-led review into P1 assessment’s future, announced by the deputy first minister last month.”
