lincs results 14/10/06

[Catherine]

Kids are not competing for places with other years cohorts. ALL the children form this year will have had the same time to get ready, so how can they all loose out?

[Guest]

Agree with Catherine. I think that Ian's argument is now meandering in both tone and point. The goal posts regarding pass marks effectively shift every year anyway as the scores are moderated against overall attainment. As such, there is no point in trying to argue that a child may or may not have succeeded if she/he had only taken the exam under a different system. This is an empty message which, if applied to all exams, would cause chaos in the exam structure and would, in itself, be unfair to candidates. The 2006 exams were fair to all candiates: same exam; same time-scale; same warning over new paper - all moderated with allowances for the respective ages of the candidates involved.

[Guest]

[quote="ian"]I hope I'm not alone in expressing dismay and disappointment at yesterdays results.

In answer to Ian's initial question, regarding expressing dismay and disappointment I think he has his answer. He is alone in his view.

[ANDREW THE POET]

Many posts have indicated in fact that their children have scored equal marks on both papers...surely a case for "no change required in the process".[/quote]

Surely the above indicates that there is no overwhelming disadvantage to candidates taking the new NVR exam rather than the argument put forward by Ian.

[Guest]

There seems to be a confusion between being "disadvantaged" and being "unlucky". The kids who did not get through this year (and I am really sympathetic - which of us could not imagine ourselves in the same position) were not disadvantaged - everyone else was in exactly the same position. They may have been unlucky if (and it is a real uncertainty) they may have got through last year. But there are lucky and unlucky in every year - it is unlucky to be examined in the year where loads of people in catchment pass and you don't get a place even though you live 3.5 miles away because the last applicant to get in lived 3.4 miles away, and then to watch applicants from 15 miles away get in the following year: or to get a pass but it not to be enough because too many have passed higher. It is lucky for us to pass in a year where there are lots of places for out of area candidates, etc, etc.

Disadvantage is where you can only send your child to the failing nearest school because you cannot afford the bus fare anywhere else; disadvantage is to have parents who for one reason or another cannot understand or use the system well enough to ensure you get the best chances possible; relative disadvantage is to be a boy rather than a girl and so on and on.....

I think I had better stop here!

Sara