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1.
Against a background of increasing student eligibility for ‘access arrangements’ in examinations for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), this article examines the processes within schools that structure a student's access to the provision of reading support, including staff and student viewpoints. Dominic Griffiths, who is a Senior Advisory Teacher with Tameside Local Authority Education Psychology and Learning Support Team, and Kevin Woods, who is a Senior Lecturer in Educational and Child Psychology at the University of Manchester, report upon a series of four case studies, each based within an urban secondary school offering some form of reading support to students in GCSE examinations. Each case study incorporates student interviews, observations of reading support in action, and interviews with staff who manage and provide reading support in examinations. Quantitative findings show an association between students' preferred mode of reading support and the location in which it is provided. Qualitative analyses revealed key themes relating to the dynamics of provision and use of reading support, including ‘student worthiness’, ‘relationships’ and ‘unfair advantage’. Recommendations are made for a more central role for student consultation within processes for providing reader support to GCSE examination candidates.  相似文献   

2.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recent guidance on access arrangements for students with special educational needs taking public examinations such as the end-of-school General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) has signalled a commitment to the development of access arrangements in line with 'best practice'. In this article, Kevin Woods, from the Educational Support and Inclusion section of the School of Education at the University of Manchester, provides a relevant evaluation of access arrangements for GCSE examinations using questionnaire feedback from 205 specialist teachers involved in their implementation. The findings are that the system for allocating access arrangements is considered 'manageable' by 20% of teachers and 'fair' by only 25% of teachers; 70% of teachers would consider extension of access arrangements to be appropriate, notwithstanding resource constraints. Qualitative data from the questionnaires highlight the reasons for this pattern of results and a call by teachers for wider access in examinations to readers, scribes, extra time and a word processing facility. Kevin Woods sets his findings within the context of recent Government initiatives that are designed to improve engagement and achievement in the 14 to 19 age group.  相似文献   

3.
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations are taken by almost all pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at age 16 years. General Certificate of Education Advanced level (GCE A‐level) examinations are normally taken by relatively able students at age 18. The effect of month of birth on attainment in these public examinations is investigated through a database which brings together the 1991 GCSE results and the 1993 GCE A‐level results of all candidates born between September 1974 and August 1975. Older pupils perform best at GCSE but not at GCE A‐level. Selection effects on entry to A‐level courses appear to explain why this is the case.  相似文献   

4.
This article addresses whether the introduction of end-of-course, linear General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations changed the socio-economic equity gap in England. The GCSE is a national examination offered in a wide range of subjects and taken by almost the entire 16-year-old age cohort. Between the years 2007 and 2014, it underwent a number of reforms to both the underlying curriculum and the examination structure. At the beginning of the period, examinations were primarily modular in structure where the course was decomposed into discrete units tested in a staged manner. By 2014, all GCSE examinations were linear and the whole course content was tested simultaneously when study was complete. These structural changes and the curriculum reforms mean that the impact of modular and linear testing on the performance of students has been the focus of recent interest. Some educational commentators suggested that modular examinations are more suitable for lower-performing students, including those with lower socio-economic status (SES). This research has been conducted to monitor the socio-economic equity gap in the light of the structural changes. It focuses on GCSE mathematics and concludes that, although there is still a clear gap in attainment between disadvantaged students and their peers, this gap does not seem to be exacerbated by the examination structure. In other words, the linearisation of GCSE mathematics is unlikely to have increased inequity between students of high and low SES.  相似文献   

5.
What provisions are to be made in the new GCSE examinations for candidates who need special consideration because of their special educational needs? Don Ramsden, Secretary, East Midland Regional Examinations Board, and Mary Thompson, Secretary, East Anglian Examinations Board, describe the background to the new examinations and the proposed guidelines relating to 'handicapped' candidates to be issued shortly.  相似文献   

6.
A preliminary study was undertaken of cognitive style and performance in General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), the British public examination for pupils at 16 years. The positions of 182 pupils on two fundamental cognitive styles dimensions (Wholist‐Analytic and Verbal‐Imagery) were assessed by means of the Cognitive Styles Analysis (CSA). The pupils were from two comprehensive secondary schools and all took Mathematics, English Language and French in the GCSE administered by the Midland Examining Group (MEG) in 1991. Comparison of cognitive style and GCSE performance indicated that, for overall performance across the subjects, the pattern was a modified dome shape with the candidates who were intermediate on both dimensions of cognitive style doing best. There was a significant interaction between the styles of the candidates and the GCSE subjects in their effect on performance. The results were discussed in terms of the implications for GCSE and for further research.  相似文献   

7.
What are the effects of ability grouping on GCSE attainment?   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  
The use of ability grouping is frequently justified on the grounds that it is an effective means of raising attainment. Little large‐scale quantitative research has been undertaken since the introduction of the National Curriculum in England and Wales. The aim of this article is to examine the effects of setting on students' achievement in English, mathematics and science General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations. Data were collected from a cohort of over 6000 Year 9 students in 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools who were followed up in Year 11 when they sat GCSE examinations. Multilevel modelling was used to estimate the effect of setting on GCSE attainment, taking account of prior attainment, social disadvantage, gender and attendance. There were no significant effects of setting in English, mathematics or science. Effects on higher and lower attaining students were not consistent in the three subjects. Socially disadvantaged students achieved significantly lower grades and girls achieved higher grades than boys, especially in English. In all three subjects, students of similar ability achieved higher GCSE grades when they were placed in higher sets. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.  相似文献   

8.
This article discusses the particular consequences for equity issues in testing and evaluation with the inclusion of performance assessment components in public examinations. The article outlines the relative contribution that examination components make, especially teacher-assessed coursework, to gender-related differences in performance. Since the introduction of coursework in 1988 into mainstream examining in the UK, via the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), it has been generally welcomed as an effective motivator of pupils and has enhanced performance. However, since 1994, we have seen a considerable reduction in the amount of coursework available within the GCSE syllabuses. This has had major implications for how this type of assessment is seen within the examination system. There is also a widespread perception that while teacher-assessed coursework generally favours pupils, it actually favours girls more than boys in terms of better (GCSE) performance. The research presented in this article investigates this issue further. Two factors are considered: The extent to which examination components in reality operate as intended and whether coursework does contribute disproportionately to girls’ final grades. Both these factors have implications for the consequential and differential validity of these examinations.  相似文献   

9.
Many GCSE syllabuses are examined with examinations in which all candidates take the same papers. The setting of such papers is problematic because of the wide range of abilities and achievements of pupils at the age of 16, together with the requirement that appropriate differentiation should be provided (i.e. opportunities for candidates to show what they know, understand and can do must be given). This paper considers a number of issues relevant to the setting of such examinations. These include how differentiation may be provided; the wording of questions; and how marks should be allocated. It highlights a number of potential pitfalls and concludes that although papers, which are accessible to all candidates and discriminate appropriately, can be set, common papers will not always provide adequate opportunities for the most able and least able candidates to show what they know, understand and can do.  相似文献   

10.
This article describes a longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative cohort of over 80,000 pupils in England who completed both national end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests and the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) at age 11 in 1997, national end of Key Stage 3 (KS3) tests at age 14 in summer 2000 and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and other public examinations at age 16 in summer 2002. The CAT had significantly higher correlations with subsequent KS3 and GCSE outcomes than did KS2 test points scores. However, multiple regression analyses indicated that a combination of CAT and KS2 test scores gave the best prediction of future KS3\GCSE outcomes. The article argues that measures of both pupils' general transferable learning abilities, and measures of specific curricular attainments at the end of primary school have unique and distinct value at the start of the secondary phase. The article discusses some practical ways in which the different types of assessment data can be used within the secondary school.  相似文献   

11.
This research aimed to explore whether pupils’ perceptions of studying for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) altered during the two‐year period of study of this qualification. Six hundred and forty four pupils from eight schools in outer London completed a self‐report questionnaire on two occasions, once in Year 10 and once in Year 11, which elicited their responses to statements about studying. Overall, throughout the course pupils remained anxious about coursework, examinations and homework and the time required for them. There was little evidence that pupils developed an increased level of understanding about the demands of the GCSE or a wider range of study strategies to support effective learning. That the students in this research remained as uncertain about the demands of coursework and the quality of their work in Year 11 as Year 10 warrants attention from those who plan and deliver the GCSE.  相似文献   

12.
Tiering is a multi‐stage test design whereby teachers allocate students to a particular difficulty level (tier) of a test. This approach to the challenge of delivering assessments to students with a heterogeneous ability distribution is normal practice in UK public examinations at the age of 16. This study uses Item Response Theory number‐correct score equating to examine the relative standards that are set between tiers on certain GCSE assessments. It finds evidence to suggest that candidates on the foundation tier are being over‐rewarded, while those on the higher tier are being under‐rewarded. It concludes that the use of IRT test equating could help improve standard setting on tiered tests and that the issue of restricted grade ranges on these tests may need to be reconsidered.  相似文献   

13.
The ability of teachers to enter candidates for appropriate combinations of differentiated papers is considered. The results of experimental work suggest that teachers would be able to predict their pupils’ examination performance accurately enough to enter almost all pupils at appropriate levels of such examinations; and that they would be able to do this as early as the January preceding the examination. However, they will be able to enter candidates effectively only if the standards required for the overlapping grades are the same at all levels of an examination. There is some evidence to suggest that this condition may not always hold. In addition, results from some Joint 16+ examinations suggest that there may be a considerable number of inappropriate entries to GCSE examinations which use differentiated papers.  相似文献   

14.
The comparability of examinations in different subjects has been a controversial topic for many years and a number of criticisms have been made of statistical approaches to estimating the ‘difficulties’ of achieving particular grades in different subjects. This paper argues that if comparability is understood in terms of a linking construct then many of these problems are resolved. The Rasch model was applied to an analysis of data from over 600,000 candidates who took the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations in England in 2004. Thirty‐four GCSE subjects were included in the final model, which estimated the relative difficulty of each grade in each subject. Other subjects failed to fit, as did the fail grade, U. Significant overall differences were found, with some subjects more than a grade harder than others, though the difficulty of a subject varied appreciably for different grades. The gaps between the highest grades were on average twice as big as those between the bottom grades. Differential item functioning (DIF) was found for male and female candidates in some subjects, though it was small in relation to variation across subjects. Implications of these findings for various uses of examination grades are discussed.  相似文献   

15.
Teachers are influential in motivating and improving attitudes towards reading. This article reports on an investigation of eight teachers of 10‐ to 12‐year‐old students from five New Zealand schools and the strategies they used to improve attitudes to reading. Each school had been identified as implementing effective reading programmes by a panel of literacy experts and supported by standardised tests demonstrating overall improvements in reading achievement. A reading culture developed by using sophisticated picture books and novels for discussion and debate along with ready access to age‐related, high‐interest appropriate books in the classroom and school library. Teachers worked with children on a whole class, group and individually and demonstrated explicit teaching using texts that engage the reader. The research suggests that children need support by their teachers to negotiate them away from potential points of discouragement in learning to read. Also, teachers need to be aware that reading may not be considered ‘cool’ at this time of early adolescence and initiate strategies to make reading fun.  相似文献   

16.
This essay considers the assumption that the study of English involves engaging students’ imaginations to explore a range of interpretations and hypothesise about meaning. It goes on to explore the reading positions of two students in a Year 10 class, who were studying A Christmas Carol at GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). While one of the students exemplifies the dominant assumptions about reading, this essay argues that the other student challenges them, by seeking certainties from the novella. Finally, the essay considers the ways in which progression is framed with relation to reading practices, and the implications for my practice.  相似文献   

17.
This study examines the extent to which personality traits and intelligence scores predict school level academic performance (AP), (British GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education; America Grade 10) in different disciplines. The participant sample consisted of approximately 250 school pupils from three schools in the South East of England. A series of hierarchical regressions were performed with participant discipline-specific subject grades being the criterion variable and demographic, as well and intelligence and personality test scores, the predictor variables. For overall grade intelligence accounted for a fifth of the variance and personality an incremental validity of 8%. Whilst a combination of intelligence, personality and sex accounted for around a quarter of the variance in all four core subjects the pattern was rather different for elected subjects. The results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of psychometric assessments of candidates at selection.  相似文献   

18.
The mathematics achievement of a cohort of 955 students in 42 classes in six schools in London was followed over a 4‐year period, until they took their General Certificate of Secondary Education examinations (GCSEs) in the summer of 2000. All six schools were regarded by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) as providing a good standard of education, and all were involved in teacher training partnerships with universities. Matched data on Key Stage 3 test scores and GCSE grades were available for 709 students, and these data were analysed in terms of the progress from Key Stage 3 test scores to GCSE grades. Although there were wide differences between schools in terms of overall GCSE grades, the average progress made by students was similar in all six schools. However, within each school, the progress made during Key Stage 4 varied greatly from set to set. Comparing students with the same Key Stage 3 scores, students placed in top sets averaged nearly half a GCSE grade higher than those in the other upper sets, who in turn averaged a third of a grade higher than those in lower sets, who in turn averaged around a third of a grade higher than those students placed in bottom sets. In the four schools that used formal whole‐class teaching, the difference in GCSE grades between top and bottom sets, taking Key Stage 3 scores into account, ranged from just over one grade at GCSE to nearly three grades. At the schools using small‐group and individualized teaching, the differences in value‐added between sets were not significant. In two of the schools, a significant proportion of working‐class students were placed into lower sets than would be indicated by their Key Stage 3 test scores.  相似文献   

19.
Results from Rasch analysis of GCSE and GCE A level data over a period of four years suggest that the standards of examinations in different subjects are not consistent in terms of the levels of the latent trait specified in the Rasch model required to achieve the same grades. Variability in statistical standards between subjects exists at both individual grade level and the overall subject level. Findings from this study are generally consistent with those from previous studies using similar statistical models. It has been demonstrated that the alignment of statistical standards between subjects based on the Rasch model would likely result in substantial change in performance standards of the examinations for some subjects evidenced here by significant changes in grade boundary scores and grade outcomes. It is argued that the defined purposes of GCSE and A level qualifications determine how their results should be interpreted and reported and that the existing grading and results reporting procedures are appropriate for supporting these purposes.  相似文献   

20.
The United Kingdom's Department for Education has recently changed the nature of the AS‐level examinations normally taken by students aspiring to enter higher education degree courses one year into their post‐compulsory education. In the face of protests from universities and other institutions that this would both harm students’ progression towards the A‐level qualifications, on which entry to English universities is normally based, and make it difficult for universities determining which of their applicants were best placed to benefit from their degree courses, the Department conducted research which it claimed showed that degree outcome could be predicted as well from the results of GCSE examinations taken one year before AS‐levels as from AS‐levels themselves. This paper critiques those analyses and their conclusions showing, through a re‐analysis and extended interpretation of the Department's data, that AS‐levels provide a more reliable predictor of degree performance in 2011 than GCSEs and that many students who performed better at AS‐level than at GCSE gained a place, and performed well, at a university with high entrance standards.  相似文献   

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