Blog
Debating Education review
Posted on November 22, 2015
I spent yesterday at the Michaela Community School Debating Education event, which was absolutely brilliant. I spoke against the motion ‘Sir Ken is right: traditional education kills creativity’, and…
Comparative judgment: 21st century assessment
Posted on November 15, 2015
In my previous posts I have looked at some of the flaws in traditional teacher assessment and assessments of character. This post is much more positive: it’s about an assessment innovation that really…
Character assessment: a middle-class ramp?
Posted on November 8, 2015
My last two posts (here and here) have looked at how teacher assessments can be biased, and how tests can help to offset some of these biases. I’ve been quite sceptical of the possibility of improving…
Why is teacher assessment biased?
Posted on November 1, 2015
In my last post, I spoke about how disadvantaged pupils do better on tests than on teacher assessments – and also about how many people assume the opposite is the case. It’s interesting that today, we…
Tests are inhuman – and that is what is so good about them
Posted on October 11, 2015
One of the frequent complaints about tests is that they are a bit dehumanising. Every pupil is herded into an exam hall, there to answer exactly the same questions. The questions they answer are often…
Intelligence Squared debate: Don’t end the tyranny of the test
Posted on October 4, 2015
On Thursday I spoke at an Intelligence Squared debate called ‘Let’s end the tyranny of the test: relentless school testing demeans education’. Together with Toby Young, I spoke against the motion; Ton…
The Commission on Assessment without Levels
Posted on September 27, 2015
I was a member of the Commission on Assessment without Levels, which met earlier this year to look at ways of supporting schools with the removal of national curriculum levels. The final report was pu…
“Certain things then follow from that”: Notes on ED Hirsch’s Policy Exchange lecture
Posted on September 19, 2015
On Thursday evening I had the privilege of hearing ED Hirsch give the Policy Exchange education lecture. Hirsch in person was much like Hirsch the author: self-effacing, erudite, quietly compelling a…
Updated: Guide to my posts about assessment
Posted on September 12, 2015
I first wrote this post back in September 2015 and have updated it in June 2016. Over the last three years, I have written a number of posts about assessing without levels. Here’s a guide to them…