DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apart.

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Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apart.

Post by Daogroupie »

DAO application form has a tick box to share results with SW Herts.

But they do not state applicants will have to sit at SW Herts to do the Maths paper.

This means that SW Herts candidates will sit a CEM paper on 10th September that over one thousand candidates have already sat a week earlier.

Some of those students will be in the same class and talking about the paper in the playground.

This means that candidates sitting SW Herts and DAO will have a week to pick up information about the paper.

It also means that the Consortium website which clearly states that their papers are specific to the consortium is incorrect.

As on average every extra mark in the DAO exams takes the candidate up the ranks 12 places this situation puts the DAO only candidate at a potential disadvantage.

A SW Herts/DAO candidate could easily pick up more marks by hearing antonyms and synonyms and cloze discussed in the playground and among parents.

Why does anyone think that a CEM paper once sat is "robust". Nobody thinks that of a GCSE or a SATs paper so why would words be "impossible" to remember by a ten year old?

A tutor could actually write the paper the night of Saturday 3rd September giving the Saturday 10th September sitters a whole week to do it over and over again.

The pass rate on back up days that use the same paper are always twice as high as the original day unsurprisingly.

Will the CEM mark of DAO applicants who sit at SW Herts be generally higher?

With 1200 plus candidates chasing 65 places it is hard to imagine that some parents will not do their utmost to find out as many words as possible.

I think SW Herts needs to rethink this and do as stated on the website, offer a paper specific to the Consortium.

It does not take CEM four months to write a paper. They could easily produce a different paper in time for 10th September.

I hope SW Herts will rethink this decision. DG
Stokers
Posts: 358
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:48 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Stokers »

So, is the situation:
1. DAO only - sit DAO CEM exam,
2. SW Herts and DAO - sit SWH CEM paper a week later (with the English content being he same?)
If so, that is deeply, deeply unfair to DCs sitting DAO only. DG is correct - every mark is worth 10-12 ranks and the CEm paper is the only one weighted so each correct answer is worth more than 1 mark.

Just a little anecdote to help parents understand how easy it is to transmit knowledge of CEM papers - DD sat HBS CEM in the morning and so went back into school that day. When she came back, she said 'oh, mum, I know all the ones I missed out!'. 'How's that?' I say. 'Me and so and so sat down over lunch and went over the paper together from memory!'.

If I was a DAO only parent, I would be raising this now with the school.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Daogroupie »

Yes.

DAO/SW Herts candidates have to sit the CEM on Saturday 10th September as they also have to sit the SW Herts maths paper on the same sitting.

I am sure you know what I am going to do for all the students I know of! DG
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Guest55 »

DG - morally you shoud raise this with the school - after all they want the best candidates, not those who have 'cheated' to get a place.
Stokers
Posts: 358
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:48 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Stokers »

Guest55, it's not really for DG to raise this (although, what she chooses to do is clearly up to her!) - she doesn't have a child sitting for this exam. It's for the parents of children due to sit this year to satisfy themselves that it is a level playing field. If it was me, I wouldn't be waiting.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Daogroupie »

Thank you. I hope enough Y5 SW Herts and DAO parents will do this as it should be their fight not mine, I do not have a Y5 student, but if they do not then I will. DG
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Guest55 »

True - but she has been made aware of it and it always telling the board how great the school is. This puts its future at risk as the quality of entrants will decrease.

Obviously, she is a tutor and therefore has other 'interests' to consider - hence my use of the word 'moral'.
Stokers
Posts: 358
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:48 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Stokers »

Guest55, if DG was the type to only consider her own 'interests', she wouldn't post so regularly and informatively on this board. I don't believe DAO can be unaware of the risk and so, I believe, it is up to parents to ask them to justify it.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Guest55 »

Read her post above - is it really clear what she is going to do?

"I am sure you know what I am going to do for all the students I know of! DG"

As she hasn't got a chld affected by this surely her voice would carry more weight with the school? I know I would contact the school in her position.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: DAO and SW Herts CEM is still the same paper a week apar

Post by Daogroupie »

Dao has changed the application form to say all dao applicants must sit on 3rd september and cannot sit cem at sw herts on 10th september

This fixes problem for dao but not for sw herts and means they now have to run maths only sittings for dao candidates. Dg
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