Wednesday, February 27, 2008
England out of step internationally with approach to testing.
Latest interim reports from the Primary Review compare the structure and curriculum of English Primary Schools with twenty-one other countries.
It is well documented that children in England start their formal schooling earlier than in many other countries, including countries who have higher attainment levels in international comparison tables. Finland, Sweden and Denmark frequently top the attainment tables for all ages and children start formal school between one and three years later than in England.
The International Comparison study published in February as part of the Primary Review looked at the detail behind these well-known patterns. Crucially, the quality of the pre-school child-care and education is more significant than whether the setting is called formal or compulsory school. Although the high-achieving countries start formal schooling later their children attend organised and structured pre-school settings often from an earlier age than English children. The weakness in the UK Education system may lie in the lack of priority and structure given to the pre-school provision, with the earlier schoolstarting age being something of a red herring.
The study found although there have been many changes in the structure and content of Primary Education in the UK since 1988, most of the change has been in the direction of increasing standardisation and uniformity in structure, methods and content of core subjects, whilst at the same many other countries were making changes based in increasing the all-round development of the child through schooling. The planned introduction of compulsory modern language teaching in Primary Education does move England in line with other countries.
In the comparison of twenty-one countries English children were tested at a younger age and more frequently with the results published more widely than most countries. This again is perhaps familiar knowledge to many but the study revealed a crucial difference between England and the other countries lies in the importance placed on the tests and their results.
"In summary, formal assessment in England compared to our review countries is pervasive, highly consequencial and taken by officialdom to portray objectively the actual quality of primary education in schools."
The report considered that although England may have more progressive forms of assessment through the development of the assessment for learning concepts and programme, the benefits may not be gained from its use in schools.
"While policy in England promotes assessment for learning, the high stakes nature of the assessements designed to make the system accountable may compromise it's benefits."
The Primary Review is the largest independent survey of Primary Education in England for forty years and will publish 32 interim reports in a two year period. It is currently half-way through. February Primary Review here.