Teachers will grade students under new guidelines

EXAM pupils across Tyrone will be graded by their teachers in 2021 as new guidelines for determining results are released.

 

The NI exams board CCEA will the review how schools award grades to “ensure fairness and consistency”.

 

In the Assembly on Tuesday, Education Minister, Peter Weir, said that more weight would be given to the professional judgment of teachers in awarding qualifications in 2021.

 

“This year, there will be no statistical standardisation using an algorithm, and there will be a direct link between the grade awarded and the actual work completed by the learner,” he said.

 

Mr Weir continued, “To assist teachers in this process, CCEA will also make available to all schools and colleges assessment resources which may be used as part of the broad portfolio of evidence.

 

“These resources will be repurposed papers, providing unseen questions and an associated mark scheme.

 

“The assessment resources can be used alongside a range of other evidence and the emphasis should be on a broad portfolio of evidence and not a single source.”

 

Schools will have to submit the grades they think pupils should be awarded to CCEA at the end of May.

 

Mr Weir said that these are not the candidates’ final grades and CCEA would then ‘review’ and compare the grades awarded by schools to ensure the grades submitted accurately reflect the outcomes provided.

 

Mr Weir continued, “Work from every school and college across Northern Ireland will be reviewed.

 

“Where there are any concerns that the evidence does not support the grades submitted, CCEA will undertake a more extensive review of the centre’s evidence, engage in professional dialogue with the centre, and in some cases may require the centre to re-run their grading process.”

 

Reacting to the Education Minister’s comments, Sinn Féin MLA Nicola Brogan, said Peter Weir must now move quickly to communicate details of the plans to schools, teachers, students and their families.