Keith Hudson wrote:
> In view of the recent discussion about educational standards generally in
> State education and England in particular, I thought some FW readers would
> like to know that evidence is now clear that grades have been devalued.
> This is from a study of 900 schools conducted by Carol Fitz-Gibbon,
> professor of education at Durham University, and advisor to the
> government's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
>
> She claims that standards at A-level (pre-university exams taken at 18
> years) and at GCSEs (taken at 16 years) have been adjusted downwards by a
> whole grade over the past five years. In the national curriculum tests for
> children at 11, 48% of children reached the pass mark in English in 1995
> whereas 70% did so last. In mathematics, the corresponding pass rates
> between those years were 44% and 69%.
>
> Her research will be published in a book soon and apparently she rejects
> the usual suggestion that the improved grades are attributable to extra
> effort by the candidates.
This reminds me of a news-item I read some time ago about some UK teachers
who helped their pupils cheating during exams. They did this to make
their school look better compared to other schools, so their own school
would get more funding. Ain't competition wonderful ?
Chris
