Baseline Assessments In Primary Schools Are ‘Inappropriate and Unfair’

A new study labels the baseline assessments used by primary schools to measure students' progress as "inappropriate" and unfair." The Department of Education has announced that these tests will no longer be used.

According to Telegraph UK, the baseline assessments used to measure the progress of reception pupils in England does not fit its purpose following results from a government-commissioned study. The Standards and Testing Agency released their findings on April 7, stating that the three assessments designed by three different providers have insufficient data that can create an unfair starting point.

Baseline Assessments

GOV.UK stated that the baseline assessments were announced in March 2014 as a new way of measuring primary school's progress. Schools are offered three different sets of tests from different test providers. The ultimate goal is to assess the progress of primary schools with their students, from reception year to the end of key stage 2 (KS2). The first tests were taken in September 2015.

Standard and Testing Agency's Conclusion and Recommendation

After the results of the study came out earlier this month, the Department of Education released a statement that the three baseline assessments cannot be used to compare pupils. The different testing systems were "sufficiently comparable", creating an unreliable basis to measure pupils' progress.

The government will still continue to offer the tests this year with schools opting to use them for screening purposes. The schools will not be held accountable for the results. More so, the government is still committed to looking for "best ways to assess pupils in the early years."

National Union of Teachers Rejoice Over the News

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has long since regarded the baseline assessments as an ineffective tool to measure learning. The union further believe that the tests may cause undue anxiety among students. In fact, the union has considered boycotting the baseline tests last month.

The Association of Teachers (ATL), with the help of NUT, also conducted a research to check the relevance of baseline assessments and learning. Results show that only 6.7 percent of respondents agree that these tests are a good way to measure how primary schools perform. Furthermore, the results also show that the assessments may be damaging to kids.

"The Government has been forced to recognise that  the three tests schools were permitted to use do not produce comparable results and, therefore, cannot be used to form valid and reliable baselines of progress," Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said. To know more about baseline testing, check out the video below: