End the ‘overreliance on exams’, says Education Scotland

Chance to move away from ‘one size fits all’ assessment should not be missed, says national inspection and curriculum body

8th December 2021, 11:31am

Henry Hepburn

Education Scotland calls for 'overreliance on exams' to end

Scotland’s “overreliance” on exams must come to an end, the country’s national inspection and curriculum development body has said.

Education Scotland has called for a decisive move away from “one size fits all” assessment, so that “creative and innovative” alternatives can be embraced.

The national agency makes its comments in its submission to the Muir review, which promises to lead to reform of Education Scotland and the replacement of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

Muir review: SQA backs a new joint curriculum and assessment body

Also this week: Only 57 results changed as a result of SQA appeals

But Education Scotland warns that it will not be enough to replace the SQA, and that the question of whether current approaches to assessment “continue to be fit for purpose” must be addressed.

The radical reform of exams that some have called for during Covid already appears to have been ruled out, however, with education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville saying in October that ”externally assessed examination will remain part of the new system”.

Calls for exam reform in Scotland

In its response to the Muir review on education reform in Scotland, Education Scotland says: “The reforms present a clear opportunity to take a creative and innovative approach to assessment and remove the overreliance on exams. We should consider whether current assessments continue to be fit for purpose, as opposed to focusing simply on replacing the ‘body’ of the SQA.

“Whilst examinations may be regarded as an easy process to administer, consideration should be given to how the new structure could include assessment more as part of the learning process.”

Education Scotland says it sees “opportunities to...move away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach”, adding: “More holistic assessment approaches and continuous assessment could be used with consideration given to what summative and ongoing assessment could look like.”

In the move from the “broad general education” to the senior phase of the later years of secondary school, Education Scotland says that, currently, “the focus of success shifts to exam success” and that “this is too narrow”. A more “holistic” definition of success “would align better with the aspirations of the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge and the national aspirations of equity and excellence for all learners”.

The submission states that, with “a move away from point-of-exit examination, there could be a stronger focus on learning and teaching and ongoing assessment approaches which better reflect the vision of [Curriculum for Excellence] and provide parity of esteem for learners engaged in different pathways”.

It calls for the involvement of students and their families in designing the curriculum, which “will ensure it is relevant to all learners, taking account of their local and national contexts and their needs as global citizens”.

Education Scotland also broadly supports the idea of a new independent inspectorate and an organisation responsible for both curriculum and assessment.

An Education Scotland spokesperson said today: “When considering its response to Professor Ken Muir’s consultation on the future shape of Scotland’s national education agencies, Education Scotland took an inclusive approach to ensure the views of all staff were heard and represented.

“The overwhelming message from across the organisation was that the reform must bring about real improvements for learners and that the voice of the learner must be reflected both in the reform and in the reformed system.”