Issue 1:
The purpose of
education and
issues which the Commission believes to be
important.
assessing
achievement
Importantly, for assessment to be rigorous but less
overt for learners, and be less rather than more
demanding on teachers, and on their time, the role
Time and again responses and seminar discussions of technology was constantly emphasised as an
came back to issues of assessment. Indeed, the important part of the solution. Against a
historical section of this report charts the long and background of the need to convince the public
complex record of different perceptions of our that assessment can be more relevant and reliable
purposes in educating and our resulting is the necessity to 'do it smarter'. Stakeholders seek
requirements for assessment. From the Tomlinson a wider range of evidence of what a pupil can do.
Report to the annual debate on examination This is achievable if much of it becomes an
standards, there appears to be little agreement integrated part of the learning experience with
about the value of what is being assessed and the data on achievements automatically recorded
purposes served. This stems from a fundamental through the use of ICT. The implication is that
lack of a national definition of the purpose of our teachers must become more proficient at effective
education system, most crudely defined at the and accurate data analysis, referred to later.
extremes by asking whether it is to educate - in the
traditional liberal sense - or prepare for Opening a moderated feed of such assessments to
employment. Our rate of technological progress is parents would go even further than the 14
accelerating such that our tentative steps to update October DCSF proposals, importantly placing the
our education system lag behind in the accelerating emphasis on identifying singular improvement in
race to change. Personalisation of education individual children rather than simply providing
recognises the individual child. We should be comparisons with norms. It is right that
assessing more broadly but it should be less government and the public have external
mechanistic and time-consuming. The Commission assessments of standards, allowing confidence in
found little challenge to the importance of testing the system but we need to move on from a
at 16 (and 18). It found a widespread desire for methodology which encourages schools to 'teach
change to all other assessment and recognition to the test'.
that current assessment reporting is not fit for
purpose. The announcement by the DCSF If our starting point for assessment is how to help
Secretary of State, Ed Balls on 14 October 2008 of the individual teacher to help the individual student
reforms to school accountability and national tests we have an educationally sound foundation on
chimes with some of the Commission's findings which to build a structure which ultimately satisfies
but would need extension to embrace the wider parents, government, employers and the public.
Recommendation 1
The Commission recommends:
1 That this issue is so fundamental that any 'quick fix' approach to its resolution will fail.
2 A far-reaching review of the purpose of education, that proposes options and innovative
opportunities and goes beyond the ‘expert group’ referred to in the DCSF’s proposals of
14 October.
3 That this review should be accompanied by a substantial consultation with all
stakeholders. Its conclusions will affect not only assessment, but also the curriculum,
teacher training and professional development, and the resources that education requires
to deliver the resulting model.
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