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TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1976
TEACHERS' ASSESSMENTS AND MONITORING DEVICE TO REPLACE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION
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THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION WILL BE REPLACED FROM 1978 ONWARDS BY TEACHERS' ASSESSMENTS OF PUPILS IN THE FIFTH AND SIXTH YEARS OF THEIR PRIMARY EDUCATION, AND BY A PUBLICLY CONDUCTED MONITORING DEVICE WHICH WILL SCALE ASSESSMENTS TO PERMIT RATIONAL ALLOCATION OF PUPILS WITHIN A SYSTEM OF SECONDARY SCHOOL NETS.
THESE MEASURES WERE ANNOUNCED TODAY BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY, AFTER CAREFUL CONSULTATION WITH A WIDE CROSS-SECTION OF EDUCATIONAL OPINION INCLUDING THE MAJOR SCHOOL COUNCILS, HEADS OF SCHOOLS AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ON THE REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON THE REPLACEMENT OF THE S.$.E.E.
IT WILL BE REMEMBERED THAT THE PROPOSALS OF THE WORKING PARTY RECEIVED WIDE PUBLICITY AND ACTIVE DISCUSSION BY ALL INTERESTED EDUCATIONAL PARTIES AND THE PUBLIC AT EVERY LEVEL.
COMMENTS WERE CAREFULLY STUDIED BEFORE THE DIRECTOR MADE FURTHER PROPOSALS TO THE MAJOR SCHOOL COUNCILS AND EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. IN THE LIGHT OF THIS FURTHER CONSULTATION THE DIRECTOR WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION YESTERDAY (MONDAY) WHERE HIS RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH HAD BEEN ENDORSED BY THE MAJORITY OF THE SCHOOL COUNCILS AND ASSOCIATIONS, WERE ACCEPTED BY THE BOARD WHO ADVISED THAT THESE INTERIM MEASURES BE ACTIVELY REVIEWED AT THE END OF 1980.
MR. TOPLEY SAID: THE KEY THINGS IN THE NEW ALLOCATION PROCEDURE WILL BE PUPILS ATTAINMENT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME MEASURED BY TEACHERS IN INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS AND MONITORED BY A PUBLIC TEST= AND PARENTAL CHOICE OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITHIN REGIONS.+
IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED THAT PUPILS' ATTAINMENT SHOULD BE GAUGED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME RATHER THAN MEASURED IN ONE AFTERNOON AS IS THE PRACTICE WITH THE S.S.E.E.- BUT IT IS ALSO FELT THAT TEACHERS' ASSESSMENTS OF PUPILS' ATTAINMENT MAY BE SUBJECTIVE AND OPEN TO WIDE VARIATION FROM PRIMARY SCHOOL TO PRIMARY SCHOOL.
ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECTIVE MONITORING DEVICE BECOMES NECESSARY TO SCALE DOWN THE SUBJECTIVE ELEMENTS AND VARIATIONS OF INTERNAL ASSESSMENT, AND THIS WILL TAKE THE FORM OF A PUBLICLY CONDUCTED APTITUDE TEST IN WHICH VERBAL AND NUMERICAL REASONING POWERS WILL BE THE CHIEF FACTORS.
THE DIRECTOR STRESSED THAT THE APTITUDE TEST WAS PRIMARILY A MONITORING DEVICE TO ENSURE A FAIR BASIS FOR ALLOCATION OF PUPILS TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
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