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Exams

JNU to shift entrance exams from May-June to December

by Loknath Das April 5, 2024

written by Loknath Das

The entrance exams for various programmes for the year 2017 were completed in May. Photo: Ronjoy Gogoi/Hindustan Times

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will shift its entrance exams for all courses from the usual period between May and June to December, starting this year.

The move comes two years after it was put forward at a meeting of the university’s Academic Council (AC) and approved at a standing committee meeting. It had been put on hold to study its feasibility. “The entrance exams for 2018 will be conducted in December this year. A committee has been formed to find modalities to conduct the exam,” JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar told PTI.

“We are implementing the proposal that received a nod long back,” he added.

The VC said the university was trying to fill all vacancies available with faculties in MPhil and PhD courses in December. “We are also asking the centres to tell us about the vacancies available with each teacher. Once we receive the information, it will be put on the prospectus. It is the responsibility of the centres to inform us about the vacancies,” he said. The administration has already started writing to each centre, he added.

The entrance exams for various programmes, including MPhil and PhD courses, for the year 2017 began on 16 May and continued till 19 May.

[“Source-livemint”]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Education

Petitions against new GCSE exams attract tens of thousands of signatures

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Exams

Exams should not test a student’s memory for formulas or quotes, critics argue

Two petitions against this year’s reformed GCSEs have attracted more than 130,000 signatures.

One petition, which already has more than 71,000 signatures, has called for GCSE students to be allowed a formula sheet in their maths exams.

And the second petition, which has attracted more than 60,000 signatures, says the government should authorise open book examinations for the English Literature GCSE.

Both petitions say that GCSE students should not be expected to memorise formulas and quotes during their exams this year.

This summer will be the first time that students sit the tougher GCSEs in English and maths – which will be graded from 9 to 1, rather than A* to G.

Referring to formulas in the maths GCSE, the creator of the petition writes: “If the government can recite them back to us then of course we can use a sheet but for now it’s unfair.”

Meanwhile, the petition against closed book exams for the English GCSE says: “Exams shouldn’t be a test on the student’s memory, but how we interpret texts.”

The petition says students could be required to learn and memorise more than 250 quotes for two literature papers – which include the content of 15 poems, two plays and a novella.

It says: “On top of 20 plus exams, students are experiencing high levels of stress due to the paper being more demanding for a higher grade.

“English is a subject that all employers and universities look at, therefore if students are unable to realistically achieve high grades there will be lower employment rates.”

The Department for Education is expected to respond to the two petitions as they have both achieved more than 10,000 signatures.

If the petitions exceed 100,000 signatures, then they will be considered for debate in Parliament.

[Source:- tes]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Education

Exclusive: High-stakes exams making a comeback, Scottish teachers warn

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

National 5 changes will lead to longer question papers for most subjects

New and expanded National 5 question papers represent a resurgence of high-stakes exams that risks undermining pupils’ educational prospects, teachers are warning.

Concerns are being voiced as a TESS analysis shows that 28 out of 42 National 5 subjects will require pupils to sit longer exams in 2017-18, while nine practical subjects will now have an exam where none previously existed. The five other subjects will have new or increased coursework to contend with.

There are also fears that a move designed to ease teacher workload may have the opposite effect, while many teachers have complained that the profession was not adequately consulted about the changes.

Education secretary John Swinney decided last year to scrap unit assessments – starting with National 5 and ending with Advanced Higher in 2019-20 – amid union protests that they added unnecessarily to teachers’ workload by duplicating swathes of coursework.

But the publication last week of Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) information breaking down what the changes could mean for each subject (see bit.ly/SQAinfo) has prompted an angry reaction from teachers and education experts.

‘Many people are unhappy’

Chris Mackay, president of the Scottish Association of Teachers of History, said “many people are unhappy” about the N5 changes.

“The implications for pupils are a concern,” he explained. “The changes in the weighting of the assignment and the external exam could make it more difficult for borderline pupils to pass.”

Lengthening the time of exams could also affect pupils who already required special support, he feared.

University of Edinburgh honorary fellow and former secondary headteacher Danny Murphy said there was already “too much pressure” and “too much assessment” at the end of S4, even before the changes.

Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, said removing unit assessments remained the right thing to do, but that in the past week many members had contacted the union with workload concerns. There were also concerns that a greater emphasis on exams would disadvantage many pupils.

Mr Swinney told TESS that the new arrangements were “definitely not” a move back towards high-stakes exams, because the relative weightings of practical assignments and exams remained “roughly the same”.

An SQA spokesman insisted that the removal of units and the strengthening of course assessments would have a positive impact on workload for teachers and candidates, “while maintaining the integrity and credibility of the national qualifications”.

[Source:- tes]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Education

Independent school students gain extra time for exams

by Rajdeep April 5, 2024

written by Rajdeep

Anonymous girl sitting an exam

One in five students in independent schools received extra time to complete GCSE and A-level exams last year.

The proportion was significantly higher than those who received the special measure in state schools where the figure is fewer than one in eight.

The difference has come to light following an analysis of official exam data by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Exams regulator Ofqual said this may be because of the readiness of schools to find students entitled to more time.

HMC, a group representing independent schools, said the higher rate was down to “proper resourcing”, which it said “can be lacking in state maintained schools”.

But the head teacher of a comprehensive school in Suffolk said the different rates raised “serious questions”.

And shadow education secretary Angela Rayner called on the government to look at the issue “urgently to make sure that no school is abusing the system”.

Exam candidates receive 25% extra time, typically more than three hours to complete a two-and-a-half hour exam, because of special needs or disabilities like dyslexia.

The system has previously faced claims that better-resourced schools may be more likely to receive the measure, which is available as part of rules to ensure a level playing field for exam candidates.

Last year in GCSE and A-level exams, extra time was awarded to more than 27,000 independent school students – which represented nearly 20% of all candidates in the sector.

How is extra time awarded?

Allowing a candidate extra time in an exam is one of about 20 adjustments that can be made to take account of special educational needs.

These are not suddenly granted at the time of the exam, but set out in arrangements approved well in advance.

Extra time is granted to ensure that candidates who normally need more time are not placed at a disadvantage in an exam.

In order for the centre to award extra time, 25% extra in the cases cited in our story, it must assess the needs of candidates based on their education, health and care plans or statements of special educational need.

These are formal documents that detail pupils’ special needs.

The assessor’s report must show the candidate has a significant and long-term impairment, and that they are significantly below average in speed of writing, reading, reading comprehension or cognitive processes, leading to them working slowly.

In exceptional circumstances, a candidate with two low scores for speed of working may be considered for extra time but in these cases far more evidence proving need is required.

The need for extra time must also be part and parcel of the candidate’s normal way of working and the claim must be backed up by the teacher.

Candidates may not need extra time for each subject.

In state institutions, about 200,000 students received extra time, which represented fewer than 12% of all state sector students taking the exams.

The total number of students awarded extra time in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has increased every year since 2011.

Ofqual has previously introduced measures to try to reduce requests for so-called Access Arrangements after claims the system was being abused.

The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) which represents the UK’s biggest exam boards, said it was important the arrangements were approved only for those who needed them.

In a statement, it said: “There’s a rigorous process to ensure this, including annual inspections, and we review this process every year.

“Fairness is ensured by the process being the same, irrespective of location or type of school or college.”

‘Serious questions’

Geoff Barton, head teacher of King Edward VI comprehensive school in Bury St Edmunds, blamed a “high stakes” accountability system including results and league tables for influencing schools’ use of the measure.

He said: “Whether they are getting special consideration does seem to be something that isn’t only done in the interests of the youngster, but also can have an effect for the school.

“So there’s no surprise that schools will reflect on that as they are planning the exam season.”

He added: “What the data does is to raise some serious questions for schools.”

Peter Hamilton, HMC’s academic policy spokesman and headmaster of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Borehamwood, said the independent sector was able to apply for help for pupils “because of ever-improving monitoring and awareness of special needs”.

He said: “We are also fortunate to have proper resourcing and specialist departments, which can be lacking in state-maintained schools.

“All heads want to see learning support staff given the time and money necessary to ensure all pupils are able to claim their rights.”

The watchdog said the data did indicate some variation between types of examination centres.

It said the difference could be partly explained “by the ability and readiness of centres to identify students who are entitled to a reasonable adjustment”.

Both state and private sectors involved in the data comparison include special schools, whose students are more likely to require access arrangements.

Ofqual said the private sector figures included independent special schools which may affect the percentages when making comparisons.

A spokesman said special arrangements for students with disabilities were “crucial for fair access to qualifications”.

“Some schools make more requests than others. Indeed some schools have surprisingly few requests, others have many.

“We continue to work with the exam boards to ensure that the right students get the right support,” said the spokesman.

An independent special schools source said the number of students involved in such exams was relatively low. It’s thought unlikely to have a significant impact on the comparison between sectors.

A charity that supports people with dyslexia has previously said schools need better training to get pupils assessed, adding that students did not need formal or costly diagnoses to qualify for access arrangements.

The Today programme first used Freedom of Information laws in 2014 to ask JCQ for figures on access arrangements in various types of schools.

Following a ruling by the Information Commissioner, it emerged that the data would be supplied by exam boards to Ofqual.

[Source:- BBC]

April 5, 2024 0 comment

Education

Grammar school entrance exams undermined by study showing how children learn

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

A new psychological study has cast doubt both on the saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and claims that entrance exams for selective schools can accurately determine a child’s “true potential”.

The researchers tested more than 550 school pupils aged 11 to 18 and more than 100 adults on various skills such as “non-verbal reasoning”, a process involved in maths.

And they found that children aged 11 to 13 – older than the age when children typically take entrance exams – were able to improve their performance by 10 percentage points in just three weeks.

They also found a greater effect of training on older adolescents than on their younger counterparts, according to a paper in the journal Psychological Science.

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, of University College London, who led the research, said: “Although adults and older adolescents benefited most from training in non-verbal reasoning, the average test score for adolescents aged 11-13 improved from 60 per cent to 70 per cent following three weeks of ten-minute online training sessions.

“This calls into question the claim that entry tests for selective schools that include non-verbal reasoning ‘assess the true potential of every child’.”

In the non-verbal reasoning test, participants were shown a grid of different shapes and colours with one space left blank. They then had to work out the correct shape to complete the pattern.

Another test, which measured “numerosity discrimination”, they were shown two groups of different coloured dots in quick succession and had to judge which group had the most dots.

“We find that these cognitive skills, which are related to mathematics performance, show greater training effects in late adolescence than earlier in adolescence,” said Dr Lisa Knoll, who co-wrote the paper.

“These findings highlight the relevance of this late developmental stage for education and challenge the assumption that earlier is always better for learning.

“We find that fundamental cognitive skills related to mathematics can be significantly trained in late adolescence.”

Delia Fuhrmann, another of the researchers, stressed there were limits to what could be claimed about good performance in such tests.

“However, there is no evidence that this leads to an improvement in overall cognitive ability. All we can say for sure is that training to spot patterns in a three-by-three grid of abstract shapes improves your ability to spot patterns in a three-by-three grid of abstract shapes.

“While this ability is commonly tested in IQ tests, it might not be appropriate to make judgements about other forms of intelligence based on the outcomes of such tests.”

[Source:- independent.co.uk]

April 4, 2024 0 comment

Education

Exams day sees largest number of Scots pupils secure university places

by Rajdeep April 4, 2024

written by Rajdeep

More pupils from Scotland got a university place on exams results day than in any previous year, it has been confirmed.

Helen Thorne from UCAS told BBC Radio Scotland that 28,300 Scottish students had successfully secured their courses.

More than 140,000 students north of the border have received their results.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has sent out scores from National 4 and 5, Higher, Advanced Higher and Scottish Baccalaureate exams.

Where can pupils in Scotland find help?

The Scottish government said the exams had seen “another highly successful set of results”, including:

152,701 Higher passes, the second highest number on record and 77% of those sat
234,160 National 5 passes, 79% of those sitting exams
114,635 National 4 passes, 93% of those sat
More than 43,000 National Certificates, Awards and National Progression Awards in courses such as early education, childcare and computer games development, up 27%
A 23% increase in National Certificate passes at SCQF level 6 related to work skills, to 4,920

Scottish exam results day

140,000

Pupils receiving results

50,000

Pupils getting results by text

28,300 Scots pupils securing higher education places
27,400 Scots pupils going to Scottish universities and colleges
3,900 EU pupils securing places in Scotland

SQA/UCAS

The latest results from the SQA suggested that problems with the 2015 Higher Maths exam have not been repeated. The 2015 pass mark had to be cut to 34% after the exam was deemed too difficult, but the 2016 pass mark was approximately 50%.

Fears that replacing part of the Higher English exam against a tight deadline would lead to problems also proved unfounded, with the pass mark for that subject also 50%.

Pass rates in National 4 and 5 exams were roughly in line with those in 2015, while the percentage of candidates passing their Higher exams dipped slightly from 79.2% to 77.2% – although new Higher exams have been phased in over this period.

New Advanced Higher exams were introduced for 2016, with an overall 81.7% pass rate.

Different paths

Dr Janet Brown, the SQA’s chief executive and Scotland’s chief examining officer, paid tribute to pupils, teachers, lecturers parents and carers.

She said: “This is the first year candidates will have been offered the full range of National Courses as part of Curriculum for Excellence. These results are testament to the dedication of the entire Scottish education system, working in partnership for the benefit of our young people.

“The new qualifications are performing well and the results clearly are enabling young people to transition between the levels and develop a wider range of skills.

“It is important to recognise the different paths candidates can take to achieve success, whether it be in National Courses, Skills for Work or National Progression Awards.”

Pupils in the Scottish Borders opened their exam results

The Royal Mail said it had “pulled out all the stops” to make sure results were delivered in the post on time, while more than 50,000 pupils also signed up to get their results online or via text message.

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, UCAS director Ms Thorne said: “There is really good news, we have got 28,300 Scottish students who have secured a place at university today and that is the highest that we have ever seen on Scottish results day.

“So we want to say a big congratulations to all of them and when the UCAS track system opens students will be able to log in and see if they have got their university place.”

Ms Thorne also said the number of students from EU countries being accepted to Scottish universities was up 19% to 3,900, saying there was “no evidence of EU students being put off” by the Brexit vote.

The National Union of Students welcomed the “hugely encouraging” figures, while Colleges Scotland said it was “delighted” with the results.

Education Secretary John Swinney said students could be “extremely proud of their efforts”.

Mr Swinney said: “Today’s results show that Scotland’s learners continue to perform very well, with the second highest number of Higher passes on record, despite a fall in the size of the S5 and S6 year groups. This year is only the second time in history that we have seen more than 150,000 Higher passes, up from around 112,000 just ten years ago.

“It is encouraging to see strong performances in qualifications related to wider skills for life and work and I greatly welcome the increase of attainment in Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards.”

Opposition parties also welcomed the results, with Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith welcoming the fact that issues from 2015 appeared to have been addressed.

Labour’s Iain Gray also voiced congratulations to pupils whose “hard work has paid off”, although he noted concern about the drop in the pass rate for Highers and called on the government to build on the results by giving schools extra resources.

‘Massive day’

The Royal Mail said results had been delivered to Scottish students in 45 countries around the world, from Australia to Singapore.

Planning teams had been working for months to ensure that all results are delivered on time.

Head of special events and planning Derek Keir said: “This is a massive day for every pupil in Scotland waiting for their results.

“All of our postmen and women, many of whom have children themselves, understand just how important this day is for families. Our people pull out all the stops to ensure the results are delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Skills Development Scotland has set up a free helpline to offer advice, information and support for pupils and parents, including information on college and university courses, apprenticeships, employment and volunteering. The number is 0808 100 8000.

[Source:- BBC]

April 4, 2024 0 comment