Schools' bar on reporting test results is waning
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ministers are winning their fight to introduce national tests in schools with the number of schools reporting test results to the Government increasing dramatically.
Official figures released yesterday show the percentage of secondary schools reporting results for 14-year-olds increased from 2 per cent last year to more than 20 per cent this year.
For tests for seven-year-olds, the increase was from 18 per cent last year to 52 per cent.
Next year's tests for all 7-, 11- and 14-year-olds will be changed after reports from the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority showed that pupils could not understand the language in some maths and science questions.
External markers costing £8m will be introduced next year to answer teachers' criticisms that they are too time-consuming to mark. However, the National Union of Teachers has said it will continue its boycott.
Nick Tate, the authority's chief executive, said: "The message to teachers boycotting the tests is that they are missing a great deal of information about their own pupils and the effectiveness of their own teaching."
The report says some pupils had difficulty understanding technical terms such as magnetic and conductor in the context of a question about electricity.
Fourteen-year-olds will be given an extra 15 minutes to read the English paper because teachers complained pupils did not have enough time. Weaknesses pinpointed by the tests include knowledge of physics for 11-year-olds, probably because the subject hasnot traditionally been taught in primary schools.
Among 14-year-olds there are problems in arithmetic, especially in placing the decimal point and in fractions and percentages.
Seven-year-olds had difficulty adding up five coins, £1, 50p and three 20ps.
Almost all 11-year-olds entered for the main spelling test spelt cold, looked and power correctly. Illuminated and reference were spelt correctly by 29 per cent and 37 per cent respectively.
In maths, 11-year-olds did well on arithmetic but not on questions requiring explanation or probability.In science, they knew about the movement of the Earth and the Moon but not about circuits.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments