Some reflections on the system for awarding grades this year.
▪️Highly imperfect system, but it’s what we’ve got. Let’s be pragmatic and positive.
▪️Try not to be so upset by the imperfection that you start thinking exams are perfect; they are preferable, not perfect.
1/9
▪️Don’t be fooled into thinking that loads of mocks/tests/assessments are the answer. They’re not. Great teaching is the answer.
▪️Don’t put Yr11/13 on a treadmill of tests just for the sake of ‘evidence’. Devote the time to teaching greatly 😊
2/9
▪️Don’t get hung up on comparability with other years/schools. No point right now. Focus on your students and their next few months instead.
▪️Have faith in your team. We did similar last year under crazy conditions and we did it with integrity. We’ll do it again.
3/9
▪️Pay attention to language: use ‘given all the evidence available, what grade best reflects what the child knows/can do at the end of the course?’
▪️Not: ‘What would they get if they sat the exam?’
4/9
▪️And definitely avoid getting into the realms of ‘what grade do they deserve?’ Too value-laden. Fraught with difficulty.
▪️Be open and transparent with students and parents. Don’t over-promise. Manage expectations now.
5/9
▪️Messaging to students is essential: ‘You won’t be judged on how you perform on one day. You’ll be judged on what you know/can do by the end of the course.’
▪️’Every lesson, every day counts - more than ever. Every day is a chance to learn more! Hurray.’
6/9
▪️’The time left is your entitlement to knowledge/skill development. To the richness of the subjects you chose. Grasp it. Squeeze every drop out of it.’
7/9
▪️Give the kids a great last day. It’s a rite of passage. They deserve a chance to cringe at old photos. 🤣
▪️Make their last few months at school happy; times that they’ll remember forever. They’ve had a tough time. You only do school once.
8/9
▪️Plus a million other things that I can’t articulate right now. 😊 All just my views / my thinking. You may see things differently to me. That’s okay. The world is wide enough.
9/9
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