Blogs on 'Education debate'

Vocational education and assessment never stand still. Here, Dr Simon Child explains how assessment-focused CPD can equip teachers with adaptable skills fit for the future. From an interview with InTuition magazine.

Could improved student assessment literacy have an impact on their perception of assessment fairness in Higher Education? Dr Simon Child, Head of Assessment Training for Cambridge Assessment Network argues that there is more to be done.

We spoke with new Assessment Network team member James Beadle about differences in maths teaching internationally, the importance of frequent feedback in the classroom and how and why fair assessment structures are crucial to an equitable society.

Recently, our Professional Development Projects Specialist, Hannah Williams, attended the annual Assessment in Higher Education conference (AHE) in Manchester. This event brought together educators, professionals, and experts from various fields to explore the evolving landscape of assessments in higher education.

Research by Researcher Pia Kreijkes has identified what competencies students need to work with data. Paper assessments limit how these competencies are taught and assessed. We are designing an assessment of contemporary Geography and a key part of that offer will support the development of these competencies.

'Efficiency and Resilience: How can we adjust the dial?' is a report out today from the Government Outcomes Lab at Oxford University's Blavatnik School and supported by Cambridge Assessment Network. Many of the ideas in the report are closely linked to the topics explored as part of our ‘Mapping the Way’ series. In this blog, Loic Menzies introduces the ideas in the report, and discusses the links with our ambition to Map The Way to Educational Equity.

In the first blog in this mini-series I argued that whichever party wins the next election will need to make the beliefs and values underpinning its policies clear. Then, in the second I showed how competing strategies can result in incoherent policy making. In this blog, I want to argue that being explicit about the values that sit behind a strategy also matters at a school or trust level.

"Perhaps that’s why politicians ended up investing valuable political capital in major reforms of the National Curriculum, whilst at the same time exempting academies from having to follow it." In this latest blog from Loic Menzies, he explores how policymakers navigate the tensions encountered when trying to juggle autonomy and central direction.

In debates about ‘progressive’ versus ‘traditionalist’ teaching, part of the debate is about evidence, but values are the iceberg floating beneath the surface. In this blog from Loic Menzies, which is part of our series Mapping The Way to a More Equitable Future for Education, we look at the increased interest in evidence in education and the extent to which this should affect policy decisions.

The recent launch of ChatGPT has accelerated the conversation around AI and assessment, so we spoke with Nick Raikes - who leads a programme of work in data innovation and development here at Cambridge - about opportunities and challenges for assessment practitioners.

Assessing competence and skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration are high on the agenda for educators, employers, and policymakers looking to reimagine an education system fit for the future. In this blog, we discuss the advantages and challenges of assessing competence and so-called '21st-century skills', and how they might be integrated into the curriculum.

In the past 40 years, the pace of technological change has been rapid. In those same years, assessment has remained largely the same. In this blog we ask, is digital assessment finally on its way, and if so what does that look like? From a lift and shift model to 'born digital exams, we examine how technology is shaping assessment, and discuss why the focus should be on what we want for the future of education, not what the tech can do for us.

The Digital High Stakes Assessment Programme is developing innovative assessments and using evidence to inform their design. This blog, a literature review of open book, open web assessments (OBOW), describes what we mean by OBOW, and the pros and cons of this assessment approach.

Comparability, or the extent to which standards are similar, between paper and digital assessments can be a concern. In this blog researchers Sarah Hughes and Gill Elliot explain what we mean by comparability when talking about digital assessment, and how our Digital High Stakes Assessment Programme is balancing innovation and comparability of outcomes.

What should assessment practitioners be aware of when considering accessibility and inclusion in assessment? Cambridge Assessment Network spoke with Senior Research Managers Sylwia Macinska and Carla Pastorino about universally designed assessment, equity of access and trends in assistive technology.

Digital assessment is growing from strength to strength. Besides innovative new assessments – including those integrated within learning tools – there’s demand for existing high stakes assessments to be available on screen. But it's not as simple as migrating all our existing paper tests onto screen. In this blog, we zoom in on the particularities of maths and science.

This is the final part of the latest 3-part series from Loic Menzies as part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series. “The Real Glue is Relationships” will ask whether, what we might need, is a more fundamental shift in focus towards continuity and relationships.

This is part 2 of the latest 3-part series from Loic Menzies as part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series. “Making Information Work for Young People” will zoom in on a topic that has been somewhat neglected in recent debates: the role and agency of young people themselves.

A lack of ‘system thinking’ has stymied the sector’s ability to gather, share and act on information about vulnerable young people’s needs. “Putting the Glue Back in the System” will set out some of the approaches education practitioners are attempting within the current system. Part 1 of a 3-part series that forms part of our #MappingTheWay discussion series with Loic Menzies.

In this blog, Dr. Neil Gilbride, Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire, talks about schools and why they are tricky places to navigate and understand. He then sets out the implications this has for the decisions teachers and school leaders need to make on a day-to-day basis.

How did different organisations offering assessments respond to the pandemic? and what could that tell us about the future of assessment delivery? Cambridge Assessment Network spoke with Sarah Corcoran, Director of e-Assessment Transformation at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) about moving to Computer-Based Assessment, and how learning and assessment in her industry is changing in relation to technology drivers.

This is the final instalment of a four-part blog series setting out the key considerations to come from our first #MappingTheWay event with Loic Menzies. This one looks at the different ways information and data can be interpreted - and the effect those interpretations have on stakeholders' behaviour.

At an expert roundtable in earlier this year we brought together key voices from the education sector to discuss the barriers to equity in education, and the information policy makers might need to improve it. Here, attendees Hardip Begol and Sammy Wright reflect on the discussion and share their thoughts on these perennial yet but crucial questions for any education system that aspires to equity.

This is the third in our four-part blog series setting out the key considerations to come from our latest #MappingTheWay event. This one explores why the supply of opportunities beyond the classroom is important, and how we can shape education to unlock them.

There are so many changes to education that it can be difficult to keep track of them all or remember what they were about. In this blog, Nicky Rushton talks about the Register of Change and the latest additions to it covering the effects of COVΙD-19 on schooling, general qualifications and vocational and technical qualifications.

This is the second in a four-part blog series that will set out the key considerations to come from the event. Part one focused on the need to look at young people across the distribution. This one discusses how we can build up a fuller, picture of young people’s lives to inform a more nuanced approach to improving outcomes.

As part of our SHAPE Education initiative, Cambridge University Press & Assessment is hosting monthly ‘SHAPE Live’ debates with experts on the future of education. On Tuesday, 1 March we discussed how, as educators and an education system, we can personalise learning. Brendan Wightman, secondary digital publishing lead (English) at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, reflects on the recent event.

A new research report published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment explores what we mean by competence. Two of three authors, Sylvia Vitello and Jackie Greatorex, explain the background to the report, what’s in it, and why clarity about what competence means is so important.

With all the work which has gone into creating our archive of thousands of assessments, that were developed using research evidence and quality assured, why don’t we just put our existing assessments on screen?

We recently reported on our research that catalogued in detail the experiences of 15 teachers based in England from diaries they were asked to keep during the first half of 2021. This blog describes how the research team set about collecting the data and sets out some of the insights the teachers provided.

Hear from Loic Menzies, former teacher and Chief Executive of The Centre for Education and Youth, researcher, and policy specialist on the key points and next steps for his series Mapping the Way to a More Equitable Future for Education.

Research and Thought Leadership Lead, Sarah Hughes explores, the definition of the term ‘digital’ and what that means for the future of assessment.

In the latest blog in our series on outline principles for the future of education, Tim Oates CBE, Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, challenges ‘Year Zero’ thinking in many of the discussions about future learning.

In the latest blog in our series on outline principles for the future of education, Tim Oates CBE discusses and explores how reforming qualifications and assessment and implementing massive change to the system could affect the education sector as a whole.

In the latest blog in our series on outline principles for the future of education, Tim Oates CBE takes a look at the history of GCSEs in England to understand how the introduction of the qualification has benefitted young people.

Qualifications are central to key processes in societies and economies around the world and we should see their delivery as a public good, Tim Oates CBE argues in the latest blog in our series on outline principles for the future of education.

The last year and a half have seen enormous changes for education in England and the impact of the pandemic on education and assessment will continue to be felt for many years to come.

What do grades awarded during the Covid pandemic mean? And how do they compare to grades awarded in previous years?

Do you really know what A Level grades in England mean and how they are determined? And do you understand what is meant by grade inflation? In this blog, we invite you to explore these concepts with us as we attempt to minimise the mystery and provide clarity.

We have all sat exams and are familiar with the idea of having papers marked. In many cases these marks are then converted into grades, but why? This is the question we tackle in this first of four blogs in a mini-series focused on grading and standards.