More concerns have been raised by a decision to return towards pre-Covid assessment practices for Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) courses in 2023-24.
The announcement by the SQA last week was described by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) as “astounding” and the union has indicated that it is likely to boycott exams in 2024 as a result. However, the SQA insisted its decision was “supported by members of the education community”, citing members of the National Qualifications Strategic Group, including the country’s biggest teaching union, education directors and the Scottish Youth Parliament.
Now, the SSTA has challenged the SQA to provide details of how it surveyed teachers. In response, the SQA has not yet given any details beyond a statement similar to what it had already released.
The SSTA shared a communication from a member that it said was typical of the responses it has been receiving since the SQA announcement last Wednesday 29 March.
The message, from a science teacher, reads: “There is a great deal of anger amongst my colleagues and I in science with the news that assignments and Advanced Higher projects are to return for the forthcoming academic year.”
It adds: “I have not spoken to anyone who is in favour of this. Many of us completed the consultative surveys from the SQA and it appears we, the teachers’ voice, has been completely ignored. It is more likely that there will be a detrimental impact on pupil stress and teacher workload by bringing them back.”
The teacher also says: “Anyone who believes that education recovery from the pandemic is complete and 2023-24 will be business as usual has clearly not spent much time in schools at the coalface.”
The EIS teaching union did not take a similarly strong stance against the SQA announcement.
A spokesperson for the union said it “did not have a particularly strong view in the removal of SQA course modifications”, adding: “We consulted our membership through our secondary subject specialist networks. It was clear from the results we received that members’ views varied within and across subject areas, with no uniform position emerging.
“Based on this feedback, the position we advocated was that the SQA should consider modifications course by course, taking account of the evidence on the potential impact on learning and teaching, and on equity. The EIS remains concerned that relying solely on high-stakes external exams has a negative impact on young people from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds, and on the mental health of learners overall.”
The spokesperson added: “The EIS has also been clear that any changes to course arrangements must be communicated in good time and that all SQA-associated workload must be audited and accounted for in working time agreements for session 2023-24.”
Meanwhile, Iain Aitken, president of the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers, described the return to pre-Covid arrangements of assignments and greater coursework for SQA candidates as a “truly outrageous and awful decision”, which puts SQA “systems and procedures before the welfare of learners and teachers”.
In an article for Tes Scotland yesterday, Sammy McHugh, a teacher of English, said: “I’m sure the SQA is fed up hearing teachers criticising their judgement, but I’ve seen strong reactions from colleagues in the sciences and social subjects, too. I know the SQA did some surveys but I’d like to see the data they collected - I don’t know anyone who wants to go back to the ‘same old’.”
When Tes Scotland asked for details of how it had surveyed teachers, the SQA instead provided this response from a spokesperson, which was similar to a statement it had issued last week: “The decision to reintroduce coursework in 2024 was made in the best interests of learners and followed engagement with teachers, lecturers, universities, colleges and unions, among others.
“This engagement built on an evaluation of awarding in 2022 and highlighted concerns about the detrimental impact temporary Covid modifications can have on learners’ development of knowledge, skills and understanding and on their progression into further or higher education or employment.
“A return to coursework provides learners with a more balanced approach to assessment, in line with the direction of travel emerging from Professor [Louise] Hayward’s independent review of qualifications and assessment and is particularly beneficial to those learners who may not perform well in high-stakes exams.”
The spokesperson also said that the results of an evaluation of processes used in 2022 “will be published in due course”. Consultation on the Hayward review closes this Friday 7 April.
The SQA has previously said that qualifications awarding bodies in the rest of the UK are also moving back to pre-Covid arrangements.
It indicated last week that its decision had been “supported by members of the education community” in the National Qualifications Strategic Group, including: the EIS teaching union; School Leaders Scotland; education directors’ body ADES; Education Scotland; the Scottish government; the Scottish Council of Independent Schools; the Scottish Youth Parliament; the National Parent Forum of Scotland; and Colleges Scotland.
The SQA has also said that its advisory council had been consulted and that this drew members from schools, colleges, universities, training sectors, parents, local authorities and teaching trade union representatives.
