Headteachers’ exam fears for deprived pupils
HEADTEACHERS in Wales fear the way exam grades have been arrived at this year will disadvantage high-achieving children at schools in deprived areas.
The Association of School and College Leaders Cymru voiced its concerns as it emerged heads may have to brace themselves for a flurry of requests from pupils to find out how teachers assessed and ranked them.
Both measures form part of the data used to reach final grades awarded after exams were cancelled this summer thanks to Covid-19 and can be requested by candidates under data protection laws.
Historic exam results of schools are also part of the data looked at. Heads and students are worried this could disadvantage high-achieving children at schools in deprived areas.
Even if their teachers assess them as high achieving, they may be marked down because of the past performance of pupils at their schools.
Equally, lower attaining pupils at schools with historically high results may benefit from not having their marks toned down because pupils in previous years achieved high grades.
Huge numbers of grades are being lowered because Qualifications Wales said teachers had been much more generous than the grades their schools usually achieved in examinations.
It has emerged that while students can request their centre assessment grade given by their teachers (CAG) and the ranking their teachers gave them within their year group, the regulator and exam board WJEC has ruled that they cannot use those to appeal against final grades awarded.
Headteachers’ fears that existing inequality may be exacerbated by the way grades have been standardised came as exam regulator Qualifications Wales announced it has downgraded what it said were “generous” assessments from teachers.
After Scotland’s assessed grades were released last week it emerged that the poorest pupils there were more than twice as likely to have their Higher and National 5 results moved from a pass to a fail by the SQA than their richer equivalents.
While the way results are arrived at here are not exactly the same, there are worries this could be echoed here.
Eithne Hughes, Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said: “It is likely that schools will receive a fair few requests to see centre assessment grades (CAGs) as students will understandably be interested to see if this differs from the final calculated grade awarded by the exam board.
“This is likely to be the case in particular if a student is disappointed with their final grade and was hoping for better. This will clearly create an extra pressure on headteachers, and ASCL has produced a set of guidance to help them to manage this process as smoothly as possible in these unusual times.
“There will be concerns about the standardisation process as one of the factors that it takes into account is the historic results of the school, and the worry will be that this could lead to grades being pulled down this year, and that this could particularly disadvantage high-achieving children at schools in deprived areas.
“However, the standardisation model also takes into account other factors such as the prior attainment of pupils, and we don’t yet know how all of this will play out.
“It is obviously a very difficult situation, and we will be closely looking at the results when they are published, gathering feedback from members, and responding accordingly.”
ASCL is suggesting schools provide students with their CAG and ranking either the day or week after results are out.
A spokesman for exam board the WJEC said: “Learners can request their CAGs and Rank Order after results have been published from their school/college.”
Qualifications Wales said the appeals process is conducted by the WJEC so it was unable to comment.
Heads have been sent advice on how to deal with requests for CAGS and rankings by the Association of School and College Leaders.
The advice says schools may even consider giving pupils that data when they pick up their results.
Students worried they don’t have the grades needed to get into the university course the hoped for have been reassured by university admissions service UCAS. It said universities would “show flexibility” and are aware of the issues this year, especially for less advantaged students.
Ben Jordan, head of policy at UCAS said: “The sector has been assured that this year’s “calculated grades”, awarded via teacher predictions, have equal status to those awarded in other years – applications will be treated as such and students should feel confident in the validity of their grades.
“Notwithstanding such reassurances, we are confident universities will show extra flexibility this year, particularly with disadvantaged students. A key example is private candidates where it has not been possible for them to obtain a calculated grade – UCAS has produced good practice considerations to aid the sector in assessing these students.”