Blog
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…
Research Ed 2015
Posted on September 6, 2015
Every Research Ed I’ve been to has been brilliant, and every single one has been better than the one before. Great conversations, great people, fascinating ideas – I loved it all. Here is my su…
Twitter – pros and cons
Posted on August 1, 2015
A recent essay in Changing Schools discusses the impact of social media on education policy. It got me thinking – what is Twitter good for? What is it bad for? How can it help us – not just in educati…
Principled Assessment Design by Dylan Wiliam
Posted on July 26, 2015
Back in 2013 I wrote a lengthy review of Measuring Up by Daniel Koretz. This book has had a huge influence on how I think about assessment. Last year I read Principled Assessment Design by Dylan Wilia…
Tacit knowledge
Posted on July 18, 2015
In my most recent blogs about assessment, I’ve looked at some of the practical problems with assessment criteria. I think these practical problems are related to two theoretical issues: the natu…