'Cautious welcome' for reassurances over standardised testing

Scotland’s biggest teaching union the EIS has cautiously welcomed details of the Scottish Government’s proposed National Improvement Framework for schools, which were published today.

Announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the plans include a “welcome reassurance that safeguards will be put in place to prevent the misuse of assessment data”, says the union.

Local Government umbrella body COSLA also welcomed the announcement, but warned the new framework will put financial pressures on cash-strapped local authorities.

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The National Improvement Framework sets out how national testing of P1, P4, P7 and S3 pupils will be implemented across Scotland in 2017, with some pilots being rolled out this year.

The proposal had led to concerns it would result in primary school league tables and put teachers under pressure to ‘teach to the test’.

Sturgeon said the assessment data would primarily include teacher judgement, backed up by standardised tests, to give a more consistent picture of how children across the country are progressing.

“Teacher judgement lies at the heart of the system. Teachers will assess the literacy, numeracy of children in Primary 1, Primary 2, Primary 7 and the third year of secondary school using a range of assessment approaches,” she said.

The plans will drive “rapid and significant improvement” to address the gap between rich and poor in attainment, she said.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said he was encouraged the role of the teacher’s professional judgement would remain central, but remained unconvinced about the need for standardised testing.

“The litmus test for these new standardised assessments will be whether teachers see them as useful in terms of supporting children’s learning or as a bureaucratic imposition; if it is the latter they will be opposed,” he said.

Councillor Stephanie Primrose, COSLA Education, Children and Young People Spokesperson, said the framework had been improved since the first draft was published last September, mainly thanks to good consultation.

“Few will argue with the four key priorities of the framework, but many may question how achieving the priorities will be helped by putting more financial pressure on education and children’s services.

“Despite what the Government may say, this will be a consequence of the £350 million reduction in local government’s budget for next year,” she said.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie called the plans for national testing a “throwback to Thatcherism”.

“Instead of her cavalier approach to this policy, the First Minister needs to open her ears to the real worries of parents, unions and teachers, who have all raised concerns in the very consultation published alongside these proposals,” he said.

The results of the assessments will be published nationally and at local authority level.