The A Level Gender Gap

[mystery]

It is most definitely buyer beware. At the moment I am very happy that I haven't had to pay for the many glitches I have experienced. If I had paid high fees too I would be extremely disappointed.

[mike1880]

There's an abundance of hard research evidence proving that primary teachers are simply not capable of reliably assessing ability (or any other form of special needs come to that). I'd hazard that it might well be a good thing all round if primary schools were just barred by law from streaming or setting or in any way differentiating between pupils based on supposed ability. But I don't think that idea is much in tune with the zeitgeist.

Now add to this a new fashion in assessment at age 11 where an expansive vocabulary is believed to be a better measure of intelligence than numerical and non verbal reasoning.

If you mean CEM I can assure you that it most certainly doesn't select for ability in English. I've just had a conversation with son's school about current entry requirements for 6th form; we've had CEM here for many years, and son's school is by far the most fiercely selective round here, but they tell me they can't risk setting the English GCSE requirement any higher than grade C.

[mystery]

The reason I said that was when I looked at the weightings being given to the different test elements in bucks or bexley - cannot remember which.

Maybe the weightings are different in your area or perhaps the test is just as meaningless as teacher judgements of ability!

I love your idea about making these judgements at primary illegal. I just don't understand how many teachers are so sure of themselves when so few of them have any idea what their former pupils were achieving by 18.

[mystery]

There's an abundance of hard research evidence proving that primary teachers are simply not capable of reliably assessing ability (or any other form of special needs come to that). I'd hazard that it might well be a good thing all round if primary schools were just barred by law from streaming or setting or in any way differentiating between pupils based on supposed ability. But I don't think that idea is much in tune with the zeitgeist.

Now add to this a new fashion in assessment at age 11 where an expansive vocabulary is believed to be a better measure of intelligence than numerical and non verbal reasoning.

If you mean CEM I can assure you that it most certainly doesn't select for ability in English. I've just had a conversation with son's school about current entry requirements for 6th form; we've had CEM here for many years, and son's school is by far the most fiercely selective round here, but they tell me they can't risk setting the English GCSE requirement any higher than grade C.

Can you quote your head to kent county council please? They are part way through their test procurement process at the moment.

[silverysea]

What do y'all think about teaching boys and girls in separate classes? Streaming by gender, as it were?

[Minesatea]

One of the better Indi' s near me, although coeducational, teaches the boys and girls in separate classes until the end of year 11.

[ahap]

A Comprehensive academy school in Chelmsford does this too - It is a school with single-sex teaching in a co-educational environment.