Falling standards blamed on ‘mixed ability’ teaching
Expert attacks policy of pupils taking different qualifications in the same class
A SLUMP in school standards has been blamed on the controversial practice of teaching pupils different qualifications in the same class.
A leading academic said so-called multi-course teaching was one of the reasons for the decline highlighted in a prominent international education survey – particularly in science.
In December, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) concluded that Scotland’s performance was now “average” compared to other developed countries in science, as well as in maths and reading.
In 2000, when Scotland first took part in the OECD survey of 15-year-olds, its performance in all three disciplines was above average.
Multi-course teaching has become more common as a result of teacher shortages because schools can timetable pupils studying the same subjects at different levels – such as National 5 or Higher – in the same class.
David Cole-Hamilton, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at St Andrews University and a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s education committee, said multi-course teaching should only be used where absolutely necessary.
Writing in The Herald, he said: “A major drop in attainment is very unlikely to arise because of a sudden change in pupils. Nor is it the hardworking, very talented and highly motivated teachers, who do their very best for their pupils. In my view, a prominent issue concerns multi-course teaching, which involves teaching two or more sets of pupils studying for different qualifications by the same teacher at the same time.”
Mr Cole-Hamilton said such teaching worked in rural schools with small numbers of pupils where significant individual help was possible, but in other schools teachers were unable to meet the needs of their learners.
He added: “The difficulties are especially stark in science because safety dictates that a teacher’s full attention must be given to those carrying out practical work. In addition, the content and learning objectives for units in National 4, National 5 and Higher are quite different.
“I am certain that sorting out problems by reducing the assessment load ... and having multi-course teaching where it is absolutely essential will allow for excellent courses which will again make Scottish education the envy of the world.”
A survey by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) in 2015 found 47 per cent of members were teaching classes containing pupils aiming at two different qualifications and a quarter had pupils studying three.
A separate study this year by the Royal Society of Chemistry Education Division in Scotland found 73 per cent of National 5 chemistry classes had pupils studying for other qualifications and 21 per cent of Higher courses being taught were multi-course.
Asked how well they felt able to support pupils in multi-course classes, 70 per cent of teachers in National 4 and National 5 classes responded either “not at all” or “not very well”.
A spokesman for the SSTA said: “We are becoming increasingly alarmed at the complacency in some local authority and government circles that believe there is not a teacher shortage. Teachers are in many cases timetabled up to the maximum 22.5 hours and, in some instances, are having to take two National qualification classes at the same time.”
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said multi-level classes were a concern, especially in “content heavy” subjects such as the sciences.
He said: “The problems of bi-level and multi-level classes have certainly multiplied under the new qualifications. In effect you have two classes being run in the same room to the detriment of both groups of pupils. It can be less of an issue in some subjects such as English where differentiation is often by performance, but even here teachers are expressing concerns about trying to shoehorn too many courses into single class sets.”
The results of Pisa showed countries STAR Wars actress Carrie Fisher has died in hospital just days after suffering a heart attack on a transatlantic flight.
The 60-year-old, who became an international screen star and sex symbol when she appeared as Princess Leia in the 1977 sci-fi blockbuster, was taken ill on a flight from London to Los Angeles on December 23. In a statement on behalf of her daughter Billie Lourd, spokesman Simon Halls said: “It is with a very deep sadness Billie Lourd confirms her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away.
“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”
Tributes have poured in for the actress, who went on to appear in three Star Wars sequels including 2015’s seventh film in the franchise, The Force
now moving ahead of Scotland in science included England, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In reading, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Slovenia all moved ahead.
While performance in mathematics has not declined since 2012 it is still lower than it was in earlier years and the number of countries statistically above Scotland is the highest it has been since 2003.
The stark findings have thrown the spotlight on the implementation of the controversial Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) which was introduced in 2010.
The changes were supposed to improve basic standards and empower teachers, but CfE has been plagued by claims of unnecessary bureaucracy and increased teacher and pupil workload. Since then the Scottish Government has announced a raft of fresh reforms which will see national standardised tests in primaries, new educational regions and more power for headteachers.
Pisa also comes as a blow to efforts to improve science teaching after concerns the subject was not being taught in way pupils considered relevant.