Two in three teachers believe Ofqual is right to award teacher-assessed grades and should ditch its algorithm, a Tes poll shows.
The snap Twitter poll asked teachers, leaders and school staff what, if any, action should be taken after nearly 40 per cent of A-level teacher estimates were downgraded by the exam regulator as part of its standardisation process.
Of the 1,225 people that had responded at the time of writing, nearly two-thirds (65.9 per cent) said Ofqual should ditch its algorithm and use teacher-assessed grades instead.
A-level and GCSE results: Support for U-turn
In a sharp U-turn from secretary of state Gavin Williamson’s previous declaration that the use of teacher assessment “degrades every single exam result”, Ofqual announced yesterday that GCSE and A-level candidates will be awarded grades assessed by their teachers.
A levels 2020:
One in five (21.1 per cent) of survey respondents thought it would be best for universities to honour all offers.
Just over one in 10 (11.1 per cent) agreed with the head of the NAHT school leaders’ union, Paul Whiteman, that the regulator should review the 25,000 results that were knocked down by two or more grades.
And just 1.9 per cent of teachers, leaders and school staff said Ofqual should stick with its previous plan, which would involve keeping calculated grades and allowing schools to appeal their results.
I know it’s really late, and there’s probably another announcement on the horizon, but I’m curious. Teachers, leaders, school staff, what do you think should happen next? (Obvs impossible to cover all options - pls comment below with other suggestions) #edutwitter #AlevelResults
- Amy Gibbons (@tweetsbyames) August 16, 2020
Yesterday’s announcement followed a week of controversy surrounding the way Ofqual and the Department for Education had awarded grades this summer.
