IT was with great interest and agreement that I read James McEnaney's excellent article, “Class Rules” in The National on Sunday.
James very clearly explained the failings of our current exam system, which gives prime importance to a final exam. He details how the crudely applied structure fails to differentiate effectively between subjects, produces results largely based on performance on a given day and principally does nothing to ameliorate the social divide.
A radical change is needed to address these problems but the now-defunct SQA demonstrated a very conservative attitude to change. Hopefully its replacement body will display a greater vision to take on the suggestions made by James.
READ MORE: Scotland's exam system is failing - but is there a will to initiate an overhaul?
I wish to add to this debate by extolling the crucial role that diagnostic assessment plays in the process of evaluation and education.
We all use diagnostic assessment constantly in our everyday lives. We judge the mood of others, their attitude towards us and our effectiveness in communication with them by their reaction to us in what they say and do, often non-verbally. Supervisors are also doing this in the working environment, as are teachers in educational institutions. In the working environment, these observations together with what people produce are sufficient for assessment without the need for formal examinations.
With the partial exception of these exceptional Covid-affected times, teachers are not usually given such trust without formal exam evidence. I can understand the caution, as accurate evaluation and accreditation are essential for society. You will appreciate this the next time you seek medical assistance, take a flight or get your brakes checked. Teachers dealing with classes of 30 cannot adequately have all the details of their students’ skills, knowledge and capabilities, hence the need for formal exams. Until now, that is.
Our students are well used to working online, on tablets or their phones. They will happily spend hours on social media and playing games. The games industry in particular illustrates what can be done to advance diagnostic assessment. The game will respond to your every movement, shot or play in real time. A great investment has taken place within the industry to reach this level of sophistication.
These same skills could be applied within education to enable the teacher and student to gain a far greater assessment of what the student can and can’t do. This has the potential to greatly enhance their learning and give a much more detailed, accurate and ongoing record of their capabilities. All at the appropriate time without the drawbacks and distractions of formal exams.
All that is required is the investment of the time and resources. As James concluded, do we think our kids are worth the effort?
Campbell Anderson
Edinburgh
AS a mother and grandmother, reading the letter in the Sunday National from “A concerned mother in Scotland” brought me to tears. It is already not an easy job to raise children, and how many parents feel equipped to deal with this latest challenge?
We should all be very worried about the lack of safeguarding for our children and grandchildren and become informed as a matter of urgency.
The recent Scottish Government publication “Supporting transgender young people in schools: guidance for Scottish schools” details the support deemed necessary in schools and can be accessed online. There is nothing new in children struggling to navigate the range of emotions and physical changes around puberty, but this government involvement is new.
READ MORE: Will our children grow up to regret this playground identity politics?
The incidents described in the letter are recent real-life examples of what women’s rights activists are trying to encourage debate on – the power of trans activism in all its forms. Stonewall claim that 1% of the population identify as transgender or non-binary and the SNP and Scottish Green Party have committed to reforming the Gender Recognition Act in this current parliament. Meanwhile the Westminster government is not proceeding down the road to self-ID.
We are being “bullied and threatened into not being able to speak up”. But #WomenWon’tWheesht and it is my hope that your newspaper will help to keep this conversation going.
A concerned grandmother in Scotland
I HAVE just read Stephen Paton’s article on the Gender Recognition Act and I am still unclear about the basic issues involved (Be braced for a fight – but GRA reforms WILL happen, Sep 6).
Stephen seems to imply that the act has no practical implications and merely recognises the right of people to deny their biological gender.
READ MORE: Stephen Paton: Be braced for a fight – but gender recognition reforms WILL happen
Opponents of the act argue that it would allow biological males to self-identify as females and thus gain access to female “safe places” such as toilets, changing rooms and refuges. Can we please have an authoritative statement making clear which of these positions is correct?
Alastair Macpherson
Anstruther
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