MATHS EXAMS 'HAVE BECOME EASIER'

6/3/2008 6:35:00 AM

BBC 3 June

The steep decline in maths exams began in 1990, the report saysSchool mathematics exams in England have become easier, shallower and less demanding, according to a think tank. Analysis of public maths exam papers taken by 16-year-olds between 1951 and 2006 shows standards have declined markedly, the report for Reform argues. This means more pupils have left school ill-prepared for the workplace and a generation of mathematicians has been lost to the nation's economy, it adds. The government insists maths exam standards are very closely monitored. The Reform report assesses how maths exam papers changed over time in terms of their content, difficulty, style and pass standard. It concludes that between 1951, when O-levels were introduced, and 1970, standards remained constant with a strong focus on algebra, arithmetic and geometry. A simplification trend began in the 1980s with an attempt to show mathematics in context, but the syllabus remained comparable to that of earlier years. But there was a steep decline in standards from 1990 onwards, once GCSEs were introduced, it says. The content became broader and shallower, with a more restricted and less demanding syllabus, it claims. And the difficulty and demand of questions weakened along with their style, it claims, with candidates being required to follow a series of steps rather than work their own way through. Calculators were also allowed in some papers and formulae sheets were included in papers. Added to that, the percentage mark required for a grade C fell to about 20% in the higher tier GCSE in 2000 and 2006. The report claims that the apparent rise in attainment over the 1990s and 2000s is "highly misleading". "Exams have changed from being a staging-post to further study to being a series of 'tick-boxes'," it adds. This has led to mathematics at university being compromised and able-students being neglected, and has cost the economy billions of pounds in lost mathematicians. BBC

Lead Story | Curriculum / Quality Assurance

CAN’T-DO ATTITUDE TO MATHS ‘HAS COST ECONOMY £9BN’

6/3/2008 6:59:00 AM

The Times 3 June

A “lost generation” of mathematicians has cost the economy £9 billion, while GCSE maths has become a “pick ‘n’ mix” test rather than the key staging post it once was, according to a report. The decline in standards threatens the future of the economy, say the authors, and is having a devastating impact on the City, with some firms recruiting most of their maths graduates from overseas. The report, by the Reform think-tank, accuses the Government of marginalising the interests of employers, teachers and students. It claims that ministers are focusing on exam results, rather than educational outcomes, and are trying to get pupils to pass any five GCSEs to meet targets, rather than concentrating on the core subjects of English and maths. A culture shift is needed so that people no longer boast about their lack of maths skills but are instead embarrassed, the authors say. “The UK remains one of the few advanced nations where it is socially acceptable, fashionable even, to profess an inability to cope with maths,” they add. “Society needs to build on its new interest in maths-based puzzles such as Su Doku to expel the myths about maths and change the image of the subject from geek to chic.” Times

Curriculum / Quality Assurance

WITHOUT THE BIG MATHS STORIES OUR NUMBERS ARE PLUMMETING

6/3/2008 7:45:00 AM

Marcus du Sautoy; The Guardian 3 June

Britain has been denied a generation of experts thanks to dumbed-down teaching of what should be a magical subjectWhat is the point of studying mathematics? I have never used a sine or cosine in my everyday life. And solving quadratic equations? Although a footballer subconsciously solves one every time he works out where to stand to volley a free kick, I don't think Wayne Rooney is using the formula he was taught in school to make his decision. So should we be worried by a new report out today claiming that the failure of mathematics education in the UK has lead to the disappearance of half a million mathematicians?A study published by the thinktank Reform finds that since the 1980s, mathematics has been dumbed down and made so anaemic that students are being put off taking it beyond the compulsory tick in the box at GSCE. City firms have certainly noticed the evidence of a lost tribe. The great majority of the mathematicians they rely on are recruited from overseas. Countries such as China and India have realised the crucial role mathematicians play in the success of their economy and are pumping out fantastically competent mathematicians that increasingly fill the hole left in Britain. The report estimates that the cost to the UK economy since 1990 of not raising homegrown mathematicians totals a staggering £9bn.Their analysis of exam papers from the 1950s to the present day concludes that the current generation of students are not being stretched mathematically in the same way their predecessors were. An attempt to make the mathematics more "relevant" has ended up just making it boring. The move away from rigour and logic, the bedrock of mathematics, has emasculated the subject. But it is precisely this ability to think logically that employers are so thirsty for. And it is not just the financial sphere that values such skills. Mathematics is much more than an ability to manipulate numbers and perform arithmetic computations. Trigonometry and quadratic equations are important because they teach people an analytic way of thinking that can be applied in all walks of life.Guardiian

Curriculum / Quality Assurance

DON'T KNOCK EXAMS - THEY'RE A TEST OF CHARACTER

6/3/2008 9:45:00 AM

The Guardian 3 June

Not everyone thinks there are too many tests. Some psychologists believe they prepare children for life. Chris Arnot reports
The moment when Dr Peter Clough realised there's more to performance than ability came on a bleak rugby league field in Barrow-in-Furness. He was playing for Bradford University, and found himself up against a large and fearsome-looking winger who calmly announced that he was going to kill him. "I believed him because, although I had fast hands for rugby, I lacked confidence," admits the stocky figure who is now head of psychology at the University of Hull. We're on our way from Hull station to a nearby coffee bar. Clough is walking with a jauntiness that suggests confidence is no longer an issue. The painful lessons he learned on the sports field are what he's now trying to pass on to those who find themselves in the less bruising but equally intimidating environment of the examination hall. "Life's tough; deal with it," is his motto. Or, to put it another way, those who can train themselves to work well under pressure are more likely to do well in exams than intelligent students who are not good at coping with stress. The term "mental toughness" is more associated with the world of professional sport than education. Indeed, I find myself inquiring whether this Clough is by any chance related to Brian, who knew a thing or two about psychology when it came to preparing footballers for the fray. He grins and shakes his head before conceding: "We would have had similar views, me and Brian." And that would appear to go for politics as well as psychology: Clough describes himself as "left of centre", something of a surprise from a man who seems determined to challenge some liberal orthodoxies. "I don't buy into the theory that today's schoolchildren are more stressed than previous generations," he says. Nor does he believe that there's too much testing. "I'm a great believer in tests. It's how the results are used that's the problem. There's an obsession with league tables. But I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with expecting children to sit down and answer questions about what they're supposed to have learned."Guardian

Curriculum / Quality Assurance

LEAGUE TABLES 'DO NOT AID CHOICE'

6/3/2008 6:37:00 AM

BBC 2 June

League tables are published by the news media using official dataSchool league tables are of little use in telling how good or bad a school will be, research suggests. The problem, according to University of Bristol statisticians, is that they do not predict future performance. Having analysed exam results in England, they say that less than 5% of secondary schools could be separated from the average or each other. The government says it does not publish the league tables. Parents have a right to know how schools are performing. Each year the Department for Children, Schools and Families publishes data about the performance of England's schools. These involve both "raw scores" of pupils' results and "contextual value added" scores which take into account other factors known to affect them such as pupil ethnicity and poverty. The researchers note that officials in local authorities and Ofsted inspection teams use the data as just one source of evidence about schools, rather than definitive statements about the quality of education. They say that for a parent, the relevant question is whether any particular school can be expected to produce better achievements for their child than any other. BBC

General | Curriculum / Quality Assurance

STUDENTS DEMAND REFUNDS ON TUITION FEES

6/3/2008 9:43:00 AM

The Daily Telegraph 3 June

Students are demanding refunds on their tuition fees following claims university lecturers are failing to teach them properly. They have won back more than £100,000 over the last four years after alleging money was taken on false pretences. Some have even threatened to sue universities unless they reimburse cash spent on lectures and tutorials. The disclosure - in a Freedom of Information survey of universities across Britain - follows the introduction of £3,000-a-year "top-up" fees for the first time in 2006. Academics fear it will lead to a flood of new legal challenges as students demand good degrees for their money. But some universities have already started to repay students. Gemma Tumelty, president of the National Union of Students, said: "We warned the Government that the introduction of top-up fees would lead to a greater focus on 'value for money' in higher education. DT

FE/HE/ Skills

Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
26	27	28	29	30	31	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	1	2	3	4	5	6

MATHS EXAMS 'HAVE BECOME EASIER'

CAN’T-DO ATTITUDE TO MATHS ‘HAS COST ECONOMY £9BN’

WITHOUT THE BIG MATHS STORIES OUR NUMBERS ARE PLUMMETING

DON'T KNOCK EXAMS - THEY'RE A TEST OF CHARACTER

LEAGUE TABLES 'DO NOT AID CHOICE'

STUDENTS DEMAND REFUNDS ON TUITION FEES

Click on the links below for the latest, in-depth education news review and commentary.

Sign in / Register

Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
26	27	28	29	30	31	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	1	2	3	4	5	6

Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
26	27	28	29	30	31	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	1	2	3	4	5	6

Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
26	27	28	29	30	31	1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	1	2	3	4	5	6