Emma Sanderson, Managing Director of Options Autism, a specialist provider of education and care for autistic pupils and those with complex needs, believes it’s time to consider other measures of success than A-levels and GCSEs.
As many students across the country anxiously await their exam results, is it time to consider if our one-size-fits-all exam system is fit for purpose. What impact does it have on our young people?
Is our continuing insistence on content heavy, narrow testing, affording young people only one path to success, contributing to students in UK schools having some of the poorest mental health outcomes in the world?
In 2022, 25% of students participating in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) programme for international students assessment (Pisa)‘rated their satisfaction with life between 0 and 4 on a scale of 0-10’. That’s one quarter of those who took part.
In the Children’s Commissioner’s, The Good Childhood Report (2023), 10% of the 10-17 year-olds surveyed, reported having low wellbeing; and ‘getting good grades’ was the third greatest worry for these children and young people.
This year’s grades are forecast to decrease across the board, and continue to do so until 2030, so how equitable is the system, or is it just the luck of the draw?
Performance in these tests can determine a young person’s future, and those who do not perform to a certain level are to some extent branded failures, creating a self-esteem deficit that is difficult to erase.
The present system is limiting. Reducing the curriculum to easily quantifiable elements provides a simple ranking structure so schools can be ‘compared’ in league tables. But surely the best measure of a good school is its ability to enable each student to reach their full potential?
Exams measure aptitude in taking exams. They rank skills such as the retention of facts and the performance of linear tasks under pressure, which in many cases have no bearing on what a young person needs to navigate the world.
Many neurodiverse individuals struggle with working memory performance and the anxiety created by the examination process itself. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ rarely level the playing field. Additional time, movement breaks, prompts or a scribe, do not address the fundamental shortcomings of the system itself.
With such a narrow focus on what ‘success’ looks like, we can fail to identify untapped talents. Many neurodiverse individuals have highlighted the limitations of the exam system as an accurate indicator of future success. Steve Jobs dropped out of college in his first semester with a poor Grade Point Average (GPA), but went onto found one of the most innovative and successful corporations in the world.
Using assessments that only provide a single opportunity to rate achievement and attainment, presents barriers to all students. For those with special educational needs, the challenges can be overwhelming and the negative impact on their wellbeing is often exacerbated.
We need assessments with the flexibility required to allow us to appreciate the potential of an individual. A system that takes into account the soft skills that all employers are looking for – the ability to think creatively, collaborate and communicate. Designing assessments that provide a fuller picture of an individual student, will require us to think outside the exam ‘box’.
