Balls To Free Exam Watchdog

[Lonan3]

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

 

An independent exams watchdog is to be created in an effort to limit the annual debate about grade inflation and "dumbing down", the government will announce today.

Ed Balls, the children's secretary, will announce plans to split the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in two. One body will establish and oversee the curriculum and exams system, the other will act as regulator.

 

Taking it out of the hands of the government, in the same way that the Bank of England was at the beginning of Labour's rule, has to be beneficial. So why wasn't done a long time ago?

[John Wright]

It isn't the government or even a government departenst that sets GCSE's or A/S or A levels or Highers in Scotland or which determines their standards. There are a number of examining boards. They meet rergularly to ensure standardisation acrtoss boards for all subjects.

 

This seem like a bit of extra bureaucracy to me.

 

Why should independent examining boards need another board to check up on them?

 

The boards have existed for 100 plus years, some of them, there have been mergers and changes along the way.

 

I appreciate there is the dunbing down alegation every year but is there any specific suggestion that the boards are not doing their jobs?

 

The qualifications authority is already the regulator of the boards, so Ed bals wants the boards to be answerable to two authorities not one. I know what my GCE's, A levels, degree, post graduate egree and all qualifications since tells me about that and it has to do with too (two) many cooks

[Lonan3]

I appreciate your point, John, but

 

Ken Boston, chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, said: "This is a very welcome development, and the logical next step along the path QCA has been advocating."

 

Mr Boston said splitting the current functions of the QCA had already been recommended by the watchdog itself and it had always been a "robustly independent regulator of standards."

"We have consistently been of the view that it is inappropriate for the regulator to report to ministers on whether or not assessment standards have been maintained, when they also have the responsibility of driving up national performance against those standards,"

"The new regulatory body which will grow from QCA will resolve this issue by reporting to Parliament, not the government of the day; and will enable QCA to proceed with its development, reform and delivery agenda in curriculum, qualifications and assessment without any possibility of an appearance of compromise,"SOURCE

 

It may be a case of 'Caesar's wife needing to be seen to be above suspicion but, as one of those who has expressed negative opinions on the value of certain qualifications, I must admit that I'll be happier to see that there is some degree of independence between those who set standards and those who report on them.

[John Wright]

Jobs for boys, two quangos instead of one