well it has got easier in all subjects. I looked at what my father did in his O levels took my GCSEs in 1996. I got for example A in math and science. but I struggled with a lot of what my father had to do. plus the grade boundaries where a lot higher. so not only was it harder work/questions but also harder to pass/get a decent grade. those that truly did well stuck out and did well in life.
Now doing my A levels a got B,C, D (and an E in General studies :s) I studied biology, math and chemistry. now I found those exams hard. then a few years latter they brought in modular testing, there where students getting 7, 8, 9 A-levels at A* At this point i had finished my first degree. I got a first (its worth knowing that you only need 40% to pass a degree granted its a 3rd but in all fairness employers don't actually care!)
Fast forward to now, I have helped my son with his GCSEs and A levels the questions where sooo much easier and they are handed far more in help than we where. this is not just isolated to GCSEs, A-levels etc. I did a HNC before doing my second degree as an older student I found it very easy (I was older than most that where teaching the modules) They confirmed many times that they have year on year dumbed down the syllabus, even making comments like you used to have to know how to work this out now you just need to know it exists, so no understanding regarding it.. also the number of modules needed to complete your HNC and HND had been reduced. when my dad did his HND there where only 2 people in the entire class that passed him and another. that was it. now we are getting things like 99.9% pass rate... whats the point how are you going to distinguish your self if everyone passes...
anyway i do think we are heading towards a "idiocracy" type of society.
I think I understand this. Probably. Grades comparison longitudinally are not the ‘real measure’ of actual attainment over time. Comparative judgement is a much more precise tool. Thank you.
Great post Daisy, now let me play Devil Advocate for a moment. It might be tricky to compare and draw conclusions as you’ve done here. But can we conclude that student achievement has declined / improved based on standardized assessment like PISA? Can we also go a bit on a limb and determine that at least 40-60 years ago, the content on exams was very different because a larger cohort quit school at a younger age to work and provide for their families? In Canada this was very prevalent. My grandparents and father in law all quit school at 12 or 14 because their families needed the money. Yet when it came to maths, nobody was smarter than my Grandfather.
Yes, I think you are absolutely right about the content changing because more students stay on at school. I've got some more on this coming up next week!
well it has got easier in all subjects. I looked at what my father did in his O levels took my GCSEs in 1996. I got for example A in math and science. but I struggled with a lot of what my father had to do. plus the grade boundaries where a lot higher. so not only was it harder work/questions but also harder to pass/get a decent grade. those that truly did well stuck out and did well in life.
Now doing my A levels a got B,C, D (and an E in General studies :s) I studied biology, math and chemistry. now I found those exams hard. then a few years latter they brought in modular testing, there where students getting 7, 8, 9 A-levels at A* At this point i had finished my first degree. I got a first (its worth knowing that you only need 40% to pass a degree granted its a 3rd but in all fairness employers don't actually care!)
Fast forward to now, I have helped my son with his GCSEs and A levels the questions where sooo much easier and they are handed far more in help than we where. this is not just isolated to GCSEs, A-levels etc. I did a HNC before doing my second degree as an older student I found it very easy (I was older than most that where teaching the modules) They confirmed many times that they have year on year dumbed down the syllabus, even making comments like you used to have to know how to work this out now you just need to know it exists, so no understanding regarding it.. also the number of modules needed to complete your HNC and HND had been reduced. when my dad did his HND there where only 2 people in the entire class that passed him and another. that was it. now we are getting things like 99.9% pass rate... whats the point how are you going to distinguish your self if everyone passes...
anyway i do think we are heading towards a "idiocracy" type of society.
I think I understand this. Probably. Grades comparison longitudinally are not the ‘real measure’ of actual attainment over time. Comparative judgement is a much more precise tool. Thank you.
Great post Daisy, now let me play Devil Advocate for a moment. It might be tricky to compare and draw conclusions as you’ve done here. But can we conclude that student achievement has declined / improved based on standardized assessment like PISA? Can we also go a bit on a limb and determine that at least 40-60 years ago, the content on exams was very different because a larger cohort quit school at a younger age to work and provide for their families? In Canada this was very prevalent. My grandparents and father in law all quit school at 12 or 14 because their families needed the money. Yet when it came to maths, nobody was smarter than my Grandfather.
Yes, I think you are absolutely right about the content changing because more students stay on at school. I've got some more on this coming up next week!
Student's have to do further maths today to cover the same topics that were part on the standard A-level in the 60s and 70s