Back in March 2015 Ofqual announced that NFER had been awarded the contract to provide National Reference Tests ( OFQUAL ANNOUNCEMENT )

The idea is that Ofqual is introducing the new National Reference Tests (NRTs) to provide additional information to support the awarding of the new “big fat” 9-1 GCSEs. The intention according to Ofqual is that the tests will provide evidence on changes in performance standards over time in GCSE English language and mathematics in England at the end of Year 11 by providing “an anchor for GCSE standards and should enable us to see over several years if there is genuine change in how students perform”. The logistics are (or should that be “were”?) that in the March preceding their final GCSEs 300 secondary schools will be chosen to sit separate tests of less than one hour in either English or Maths.

Let’s consider the back story to these tests, of which I’m not too sure how much, is common knowledge. Back in April 2014 Ofqual announced that they were introducing NRTs and so tenders were invited (or whatever the process for awarding the contract is called). It is interesting that several high-profile professional bodies make comments about the introduction and validity of such tests. The AQA Policy Blog back in August 2014 did a good job of discussing it and it mentions the need for careful consideration in terms of designing such tests but does warn that “Expectations need to be managed, otherwise already fragile public confidence in the exam system could be seriously jeopardised”

The awarding of the contract had been extended from August until the end of 2014 and in Jan 2015 TES reported that the “Regulator fails to find body to run key aspect of GCSE reform” and that “Exam experts have warned that the national reference test, a key aspect of forthcoming GCSE reform, is in trouble and will not work as intended” – TES Article . In short no one wanted to “touch it with a barge pole”.

I know that the matter of where to set grade boundaries is a massive job to consider – I also know that quite a few countries around the world use so-called “anchor tests” so it’s not a new initiative but given all the controversy surrounding the accreditation process and the awarding of the contract for the NRTs it is now so surprising (would anything that government does be surprising anymore?) that Ofqual has “discussed” making them compulsory with government officials – BBC Report

Where I struggle with this is on two fronts:

  • I agree that 300 schools is such a small number, but the idea of making it compulsory for all schools is just mind-blowing. So much happens to students in the last few months before their final GCSEs and the extent of the extra pressure this would put on them should not be ignored. We seem to be forgetting about the students involved in all these changes.
  • The comparing ourselves internationally is now an obsession – The idea of using the results to compare standards over time just smacks of those in power attempting to “get what you measure” … so even if we don’t like what the PISA and TIMMs rankings are showing … we can pull other results out of the bag and dare I say it? Yes! … pull them out in the next election to show improving standards as if we in education are just another political tick on their manifesto. (Oh I forget we are!)

All that aside, I genuinely believe that introducing another test “for all” just goes against the entire philosophy of the massive changes we are dealing with. Madness I say. Madness but if it means it’s the only way to get robust grading …. Ummmmm … therein lies another issue: Should we be really starting to teach these GCSEs (and again most of us already have!) without knowing that there will be NRTs in 23 months for our current year 9’s (if you were a parent of a student in year 9 don’t you want to know what your child is in for?)

As a result of not being able to award a contract it means that it will now be all too rushed (should we be deciding to make these tests “for all” NOW … shouldn’t that have been planned for?) and no doubt in March 2017 headlines will be screaming about some controversy surrounding the tests but we’ll be mid parliament by then and that too will pass. Maybe I’m just cynical.