Examination of Witnesses (Questions 260-279)
MONDAY 28 OCTOBER 2002
KEN BOSTON,
BEVERLEY EVANS
AND KEITH
WELLER
260. And did Sir William say he was going to
make those views of his public?
(Ms Evans) He then proceeded to speak to a number
of journalists about a number of matters, including the evidence
that we gave earlier that day to the Tomlinson inquiry, and it
was in the course of those discussions with journalists that that
came out.
261. So, as you had those discussions, as a
very senior secondee from the Department, did you give him any
warning on what would be the repercussions, if he made that sort
of public statement?
(Ms Evans) There was not a discussion of that sort
that took place, I am afraid.
262. But you knew that he was going to make
that?
(Ms Evans) I am a member of the Department, as you
have referred to before in this Committee, but for the period
that I have been working in QCA then my role is as a member of
QCA's staff, and that is the way in which I have acted.
263. No. What we are seeking to discover is,
many of us who know Sir William were surprised at the way in which
he spoke, because it did seem inevitable that if he spoke in that
way there could be only one resolution to that action. Did no-one
in the QCA at that time counsel him that that would be one of
the possible repercussions?
(Ms Evans) The discussion that took place between
us was on the appropriateness of DfES officials having those discussions
with awarding bodies and not having those discussions with ourselves.
264. And what was your view?
(Ms Evans) I think it was inappropriate that the discussions
were had with awarding bodies and not with ourselves.
Chairman: Right; so you are in accord
with your new Chief Executive on that.
Mr Chaytor
265. If I can refer to the speech you gave at
the QCA Annual Conference earlier this year, where you talk about
the annual problems of the examination system, which are quite
separate from the specific issue of grading this year, what are
the annual problems, over and above those we have discussed this
afternoon?
(Dr Boston) It is the shortage of examiners, and I
think that is going to be exacerbated this year by many people
not wishing to examine again, or perhaps examine for one board
again; the sheer volume of the assessment that occurs across the
country. I do believe examinations here are probably the most
excessive in the world for young people, and that we could get
equally valid measurements of student performance and progress
with less examination. The reliance so strongly on external examinations,
rather than some component of it, at least, being internally examined.
The notion of having internal assessments externally moderated,
which the Secondary Heads Association is advancing in the form
of chartered examiners, is, in fact, the norm for many examinations
in many western countries and produces valid results. John Kerr
referred earlier to issues of technology. The technology that
we use is very simple, and it was the subject of some comment
in the report, Maintaining A level Standards, that Eva
Baker chaired earlier this year. Our scripts are all marked by
single markers, no script is marked by two markers; the scripts
from centres move by post to a marker's home, usually, we do not
use (although we have trialed) as a general rule, marking centres,
where markers are brought in to mark under supervision, and one
marks questions 5a and 5b, and another marks questions 6a and
6b, and you get consistency that way. Very little application
of technology. We are running here a 21st century education system
on a huge cottage industry, in the marking process, and it is
just going to fail, unless we move to change the way that operates.
Now that cannot be done for the summer examinations next year,
we do not have that capacity to move that quickly; but that is
the longer-term issue. We have got to get the examination system
logistically and technically on a much firmer basis.
266. Now some of the points you have listed
are issues of management, or issues of technique, but other points
are matters of huge importance in terms of policy, and, if there
were a move to a greater degree of internal assessment and a reduction
of the overall volume of assessment, that would be a reversal
of the policy in this country, under successive governments, over
the last 20 years. So, if that is what you identify as the annual
problems of the examination system, how are you going to influence
the Government to bring about that kind of change of policy?
(Dr Boston) I cannot say that I have a developed strategy
for doing that, at this stage; but I think it needs to be put
on the agenda for public discussion, backed up with a lot of evidence
and with alternatives, and become a subject with which the community
as a whole occupies itself. I have followed very closely the developments
in education over the years, and I understand the pressures that
have led to this highly intensive testing programme. As a person
who is experienced in this field, although in other contexts,
but has been in it all my life, I think there are major problems
here, and I am actually more concerned about those problems than
the A level issues. From the point of view of the A level and
the marking and the limited amount of regrading that has gone
on, this is not a system in disarray from that point of view,
it is a system that has been through a difficult passage but the
causes of that can be addressed, and can be addressed probably
in the relatively short term. But addressing the bigger issues
of the potential for the system actually to break and not be capable
of being delivered, they must be urgently on the public agenda;
and I think one of my roles, and one of our roles, in the QCA,
as an independent regulator, is to lead that public debate.
267. And you think that criticism applies to
A level, to GCSE and to the Key Stage tests as well, you are including
all phases of the education system?
(Dr Boston) I think we should be looking at all phases.
7, 11 and 14—certainly there are intervals there, and other
systems have similar intervals, but we also have an extraordinary
number of optional tests, some of which, many of which, QCA, in
fact, develops, that are administered to children. There has to
be a balance between assessment for formative purposes, for aiding
learning, and assessment for summative purposes, so that Government,
that has made the investment in education, knows whether they
are getting the outcomes that they are investing in; but it does
not have to be this extraordinarily intense programme, we have
got to leave some time for teaching, not testing.
Chairman: Dr Boston, I think that that
is a good note on which to end this session, and, certainly, if
you are coming out of your corner fighting for those principles,
you will get a lot of support from this Committee. And I hope
you have enjoyed your first session in front of this Committee,
and we look forward to a long and creative partnership. Thank
you.
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