Not great reading in this inews article based on a draft Ofqual report.
England’s exam watchdog has found that teachers are prone to under-grading socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils and those with special needs when they carry out their own assessments
Will Hazel Education Correspondent
As we look at a second year of ‘assessed grades’ “tfindings from Ofqual will raise concerns that this summer’s GCSE and A-level results could be distorted by bias against the most vulnerable pupils, with the regulator admitting it poses “potential threats to the validity” of assessments.”
There was no conclusive evidence that boys are more likely to be favoured over girls, but there was evidence that children with special needs or from poorer backgrounds could be adversely assessed.
“With respect to teacher assessment, evidence of teacher bias in relation to gender is mixed,” it says. “Evidence on disadvantage and special educational needs is less mixed, with bias against the more disadvantaged or in favour of the less disadvantaged, and bias against pupils with SEND [special educational needs and disability].”
In guidance published last month, it said that judgements should be “based on records and evidence that demonstrate a student’s performance”, and should not be affected by a student’s sex, race, religion, disability status, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, social background or socioeconomic status.
Exam Watchdog