Nicola Sturgeon: ‘P1 tests will close attainment gap in schools’ scotsman.com/news/politics/…
No, they won’t.
No, they won’t.
P1 teachers are assessing ALL THE TIME, from Day 1, talking to other teachers and nursery staff - this is what gives them valuable information - not a national test.
No national test or ANY assessment can close gaps in attainment. Focused support, smaller classes & groups do. More equipment and more staff do. But not assessments. They just measure stuff.
If a P1 child needs extra help with number/reading, the teacher will know this within DAYS of them starting school because, you know, they’re trained to do this. A test will tell a teacher nothing they don’t already know.
If a P1 child needs such extra support, the teacher and the School Management Team will be endeavouring to put that in place immediately. *Note: cuts to Pupil Support Staff does not help here. Ditto reductions to resource budgets.
This is definitely NOT about what’s best for Young People - if it were, heed would be taken of the views of those whose professional lives are dedicated to just that: teachers.
Tests MAY only take an hour - IF a) you have sufficient laptops, tablets... which aren’t breaking down with age. b) decide whole cohorts of pupils doing the test is the least disruptive way to do it. c) have sufficient staff to take the remaining pupils for quality lessons.
Such tests have NOT always been done by LAs. LAs had their own assessments - informing locally. Just because a test is bigger, is done by everyone, does not make it appropriate or better.
These tests may not be seen by as politicians as “High Stakes”. But they CAN be for SOME 5 year olds.
Saying such tests are integral to what teachers SHOULD be doing is a value judgement, not a fact. Teachers have university degrees & continuing professional updating of skills to inform their thinking on matters such as how to improve pupil progress. Politicians? Less so.
A HUGE part of the teacher recruitment/retainment problem is that teachers are fed up to the back teeth having their opinions on you know, their SUBJECT, totally ignored.
*End.*
*End.*
