I read yesterday’s review report on curriculum and assessment, chaired by former Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke, delivered by UK awarding body OCR. Clarke and Co hold an intriguing position on school digital exams and assessment.
The report mentions a small number of recent digital assessment examples. But the considerable digital exam work and piloting by Clarke’s office when he led the Department for Education 20 years ago is surprisingly omitted.
Fairness and Access for All – but should SEN learners be central?
The report agrees with the current consensus on reducing the overall high-stakes exam burden. But the section on 'Fairness and access for all' is notable for the surprisingly light discussion of SEN learners. Too many learners are locked out by paper exam delivery. The key digital benefits for underserved learners – a cornerstone reason for digitising – should have been upfront and prioritised for true equity.
Be careful and do nothing with proven 1990s digital exam technology
The report lauds the 'Paper Behind Glass' on-screen exam delivery technique. But it skates over the killer point that this technique was perfected in the mid-1990s, and deployed in those 00-era trials. Frustratingly, the report urges caution for deploying this 30-year old technology. Echoing the ‘Do Nothing’ message from the regulator earlier this year.
Why all shy, when it’s not an essay?
Also puzzling is the coyness regarding other digital assessment instruments. Particularly when those instruments are used in Ofqual-regulated qualifications. For example, Cambridge Technicals, an OCR qualification using e-portfolio, is just one pertinent example notable by absence.
Clarke and Co proclaim, "Singapore is pump-priming EdTech", and that, "We should pay close attention to what they are doing and what is being discovered." Benchmarking is good. But pay closer and specific attention to the UK's own digital assessment sector over the last 20 years. An export success story, the UK digital exam sector knows digital exam delivery at scale. And without indulging ‘Big Tech’ either.The report nudges the regulator on providing more innovation guidance. But the tech world doesn't wait for regulation.
Remember the regulator’s predecessor, QCA, proclaimed an ‘E-Assessment Vision’ in April 2004. After all, they reported to Charles Clarke! What a fantastic opportunity to compare and contrast what already works yesterday and today. Regular readers will recall that digital school exams were announced in 2004 and 2013.
Embarrassment or Ignorance?
The call for Ofqual to “develop a clear framework in which the trialling of new digital approaches to formal assessment is encouraged” is mis-guided and disingenuous. Here’s the scoop: Ofqual have regulated on-screen exams for decades. Embarrassingly, this includes Pearson’s Test of English, delivering around 1M exams per annum. ‘Clear frameworks’ or not, there is a ton of legacy (regulated) good practice in UK digital assessment to draw upon. Is everyone unaware or unsettled by the plethora of digital exam delivery internationally and outside of schools at scale?
Are the digital exam lessons from the last 30 years been learned?
I applaud the request for clarity on reasons for digital adoption. The sector often struggles to articulate compelling arguments. I was initially cheered that the report claimed to consult with ‘over 2,000 students and teachers’. But I read the list: none appear to be associated with digital assessment deployment at scale. Perhaps they forgot the email address of QCA ‘E-Assessment Vision’ stalwarts Ken Boston and Martin Ripley?
Champion the Underserved, State the Digital Exam case coherently
The report offers two recommendations: provide mechanisms to ensure policy can take advantage of tech, and develop a strategy for digital infrastructure and resources. But with 20 lost years of quibbling, obfuscation, and protectionism, digitisation of school exams is currently a policy wallflower. The hand-wringing and position-jostling for curriculum change will take the headlines. But if the digital exam sector wants its day in the school exam sun – it must state its case coherently, champion the underserved, and stop SEN learners being held hostage to paper delivery.