NPR

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 8:07 am One figure being actually higher than another isn’t an anecdote btw.

yermum wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:55 am there was a lad on newsnight last night predicted 4As to get into cambridge for medicine.

First prospect from his school ever.

got downgraded and lost the place.

ASMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:44 am The whole thing is a giant shit sandwich, and for once i think the teachers are blameless here.

pigsy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:41 am I'm a HoD and have been analysing data the last day or so.

We were careful to rank pupils (as instructed) and we benchmarked common data such as mocks and internal assessments that get repeated, so we could compare the current year group with previous year groups, and so come up with how many pupils we expected to get each grade.

We not only had a sense of responsibility to the school and pupils, but also the country as a whole not to inflate the grades. As a result, we did allocate the full range of grades as harsh as it seemed for some pupils.

Its clear an algorithm has been used that is fairly blind to circumstances and has been used in a cavalier fashion.

We have been massively downgraded with our Value Added more than half a grade lower than it has been before (for those not in education, this is a huge drop). Moreover, it seems that subjects with smaller numbers and higher grades were left alone, whereas subjects with higher numbers were brought down heavily to compensate for the smaller subjects being left alone (our languages department are having their best set of results ever) so that the overall school results were brought into line with where the government thought it should be.

This explains why independents have much better results as they have a wider curriculum with smaller cohort sizes so the algorithm used works for them.

As an example of how stupid and unthinking this all is we had a pupil who we allocated an A grade for maths and also for further maths. Further maths has a small cohort so their grades were left alone, but maths itself is a large cohort and was heavily downgraded.

This pupil, therefore, ended up with a C grade for maths and an A grade for Further Maths. Its so stupid it beggers belief.

ASMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:44 am The whole thing is a giant shit sandwich, and for once i think the teachers are blameless here.

You might want to contact the Good Law Project, they're putting together a legal case around the results. Looking for students who have been downgraded at least two grades.

pigsy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:57 am

yermum wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:55 am there was a lad on newsnight last night predicted 4As to get into cambridge for medicine.

First prospect from his school ever.

got downgraded and lost the place.

Yep, we saw this in scotland. This will be because he is in a poor performing school with few top grades.

I hope Cambridge are sensible with this and provide an avenue for him to get in without having to reapply in full.

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:46 am

ASMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:44 am The whole thing is a giant shit sandwich, and for once i think the teachers are blameless here.

I actually agree.

When Gavin Williamson was sacked as Theresa May’s defence secretary for leaking information from the National Security Council, he swore his innocence “on his children’s lives”. This seems to have been the gateway drug to the lives of other people’s children, with an entire A-level generation the latest batch of youngsters to experience the Williamson effect.

Gavin is now Boris Johnson’s education secretary – because really, why not? – and his handling of the pandemic year’s A-level results has been a disasterclass even by his own standards.

On the one hand, gotta feel for him. He’s had a mere five months’ notice that students would not be sitting their exams and to come up with ways of handling the situation as fairly and accessibly as possible.

On the other, the upshot is such a demonstrable shambles that the prime minister has felt moved to come out and call the grade system “robust” and “dependable”. As bad as all that, then. You’ve heard of the Kitemark – any Johnson imprimatur is the guaranteed shitemark.

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:22 pm

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:46 am

ASMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:44 am The whole thing is a giant shit sandwich, and for once i think the teachers are blameless here.

I actually agree.

Who the fuck is this???

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:14 pm

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:22 pm

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:46 am


I actually agree.

Who the fuck is this???

He's probably doing his best not to get banned again.

After here, all that's left is mumsnet.

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:14 pm

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 1:22 pm

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:46 am


I actually agree.

Who the fuck is this???

He's probably doing his best not to get banned again.

After here, all that's left is mumsnet.

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:23 pmYou’re so wonderfully wrong so often, yet 100% confident. It’s an impressive skill

Insane_Homer wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:26 pm

Bimbowomxn wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:23 pmYou’re so wonderfully wrong so often, yet 100% confident. It’s an impressive skill

Did you manage to keep a straight face while you said that to the mirror?

Glaston wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:52 am https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... te-schools



Pretty much what Pigsy said.


Their conclusion
"Either way, we think Ofqual might have foreseen the possibility that independent schools would reap the greatest rewards from this decision.
Nevertheless, there are sound statistical reasons for exempting tiny cohorts from the full moderation process. In fact, it’s not clear whether Ofqual could have taken a different approach without actually penalising students in small classes. That would have also affected pupils at special schools, new schools and those taking unusual subjects."



Williamson is a twat but how is he responsible for Ofquals decision making?

Glaston wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:52 am https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... te-schools



Pretty much what Pigsy said.


Their conclusion
"Either way, we think Ofqual might have foreseen the possibility that independent schools would reap the greatest rewards from this decision.
Nevertheless, there are sound statistical reasons for exempting tiny cohorts from the full moderation process. In fact, it’s not clear whether Ofqual could have taken a different approach without actually penalising students in small classes. That would have also affected pupils at special schools, new schools and those taking unusual subjects."



Williamson is a twat but how is he responsible for Ofquals decision making?

ASMO wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:22 am

Glaston wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:52 am https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... te-schools



Pretty much what Pigsy said.


Their conclusion
"Either way, we think Ofqual might have foreseen the possibility that independent schools would reap the greatest rewards from this decision.
Nevertheless, there are sound statistical reasons for exempting tiny cohorts from the full moderation process. In fact, it’s not clear whether Ofqual could have taken a different approach without actually penalising students in small classes. That would have also affected pupils at special schools, new schools and those taking unusual subjects."



Williamson is a twat but how is he responsible for Ofquals decision making?

DfE trumps Ofquals decision making, and Ofqual would not have done any of this without fully consulting and getting DfE agreement.

Biffer wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:01 am One of the more bizarre things here is that the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, which place so much emphasis on days of interviews, tests and other assessments over and above someone’s grades, are all of a sudden refusing places on the basis of an algorithm ahead of their own assessment.

Biffer wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:01 am One of the more bizarre things here is that the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, which place so much emphasis on days of interviews, tests and other assessments over and above someone’s grades, are all of a sudden refusing places on the basis of an algorithm ahead of their own assessment.

A statement on the website of Worcester College, which has about 700 students, said: "Many members of our college community and beyond have expressed their concern for the potential impact of yesterday's A-level results on this year's incoming students.

"At Worcester we made offers in 2020 to our most diverse cohort ever, and in response to the uncertainties surrounding this year's assessment, we have confirmed the places of all our UK offer-holders, irrespective of their A-level results."

SaintK wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:15 pm

Biffer wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:01 am One of the more bizarre things here is that the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, which place so much emphasis on days of interviews, tests and other assessments over and above someone’s grades, are all of a sudden refusing places on the basis of an algorithm ahead of their own assessment.

Apart from Worcester College Oxford who haave confirmed all their offers stand

A statement on the website of Worcester College, which has about 700 students, said: "Many members of our college community and beyond have expressed their concern for the potential impact of yesterday's A-level results on this year's incoming students.

"At Worcester we made offers in 2020 to our most diverse cohort ever, and in response to the uncertainties surrounding this year's assessment, we have confirmed the places of all our UK offer-holders, irrespective of their A-level results."

Deveron Boy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 16, 2020 8:20 pm The blond bluffer nowhere to be seen in relation to this - I’m not sure their playbook of ‘look at brown people in wee boats’ etc will be sufficient to change the news agenda. Just cnuts

fishfoodie wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:33 am It's one fucking years entry; & if it isn't reflective, the freshers will wash out anyway, so the Universities shouldn't care anyway.

Just do what Scotland did, & go with the Teachers assessment as the primary estimate, & just normalize of it.

SaintK wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:08 am Good to see our cowardly government dealing with the exam shambles today
All gone into hiding and not even the most junior minister available for interview to explain how "robust" and "dependable" the results are

ASMO wrote: ↑Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:44 am The whole thing is a giant shit sandwich, and for once i think the teachers are blameless here.

Biffer wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:01 am One of the more bizarre things here is that the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, which place so much emphasis on days of interviews, tests and other assessments over and above someone’s grades, are all of a sudden refusing places on the basis of an algorithm ahead of their own assessment.