The Education System in Great Britain - Essay Example

The Education System in Great Britain Introduction Various factors have shaped the current policy with respect to educational assessment in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world (Assessment Reform Group, 1999). Their education has brought up a period of high expectations for all the children as per the education attainment that has been experienced by multiple curricular areas (Aby and Kuhn 2000). As of present, several parts of the United Kingdom and other place like the U.S, and other parts of the world have developed specific standards with the goal of raising the bar for the education of all the children. According to Assessment Reform Group, 1999, there has being a continuous urge by various states to maintain high standards of excellence for the educational enterprise while arguing that those standards must be promoted for all children. Hence, equity and excellence are coincident and should be part of one educational agenda rather than being considered to be of different pursuits (Assessment Reform Group, 2006). Another factor that shapes educational assessment is increased public demand for accountability, which should be observed every day in multiple forms especially, in the media, public and political discussions about the need to improve the educational system (Assessment Reform Group, 2006). The focus on the value added approaches to the evaluation of programs, schools and quality of teachers is inclusive in the assessment on community as an obvious manifestation of demand for accountability. In essence, the use of value added approach as a way to access how systems are doing and holding entities accountable has become subject to discussion among people, politicians and education professionals (Atkinson and Claxton 2000). This ensures that almost all states have compulsory achievement tests, which are placed at multiple grade levels in post of the subjects and are required to have such tests under current legislation with regard to the state in, which the education system is being practiced (Barnes 2010). In the United Kingdom, for instance, the incidence of children with autism has significantly increased over the past decade and recent prevalence have estimated that approximately one percent of the population are affected, with various reports indicating the estimation of an increase of the autism in different parts of the United Kingdom(Atkinson and Claxton 2000). However, autism is no longer viewed as a rare disorder, but has made bigger the needs of education to the children and young people in reference to their areas. Black and Wiliam 1998). In fact, schools and educational authorities are required to develop their culture, policies and practices towards achieving and inclusive educational environment. In 2008, the National Strategies introduced the Inclusion Development programme, which is inclusive of a continuous four year programme in development of teaching profession in a bid have hastened self-reliance and know-how from practioners who are in the main stream in meeting the needs of all pupils with inclusion of the autism (Sahlberg 2007). Assessment Reform Group, 1999 indicated that governments have come up with several policies that have promoted the development of assessment on learning approaches within the personalized learning agenda (Byers and Rose 2000). The intent is to collect information about pupils’ ongoing performance and ensure teachers adjust their teaching methods / practices to satisfy the requirements of the learners to increase the confidence and expertise of mainstream practitioners in meeting the more effectively. The project has he mandate of improving the achievement of education, the engagement and outcomes for all children and young people inclusive of those that have various disabilities (Black 1998). Essentially, the project sought initiates the assessment of pupils’ progress, tracking and target setting. There is also the improving of communication with parents, and the development of actions that improve turnout, bring down the level of bullying in schools and improve positive relationships and involvement (Black and Wiliam 1998). Teaching practice and school accountability Assessment Reform Group, 2006 research argues that, various teaching practices rely on the understanding of language and socials behavior with the learning environment. The strategies in teaching frequently recommend for the use of various teaching aids to ensure that all students are incorporated especially those that need special attention like the autism students. There should be a clear defined teaching structure and daily routine entangled with the use of visual cues where appropriate. According to Broadfoot 1996, teachers should ensure that they use unambiguous classroom language to make clear their teaching and enhance proper understanding from the students in all their teachings. Clear explanations and regulations in classes, play ground and other social rules should be emphasized by the teachers. Additionally, there should be sharing of purpose of activities and assessment as well as their intended outcomes (Broadfoot 2007). Assessment Reform Group, 2006 argues that learning is one of the most basic processes in a personal life course. It is second to one of the most contrived processes, the assessment of that learning. Most developed countries have been making efforts to pursue reliable and valid means of assessing peoples’ learning, a process that generates high volume of published discourse and not infrequently, dissent as well as the documentation of various assessment policies which are inclusive of practices and theories. Some of the discourses include the ways learners can move the next stage ensuring their learning progress (Cigman 2007). Basically, assessment for learning entails effective planning, focus on the learning of the students, is based on classroom practice. Moreover, it is a key professional skill that is sensitive and constructive, fosters on motivation, and promotes understanding of goals and criteria. It has a mandate of helping learners to know how to improve, helps develop the capacity of self assessment, and recognizes all educational achievement (Russell 1995). A research carried out in a period of nine years suggested that strengthening the practice of formative assessment produced significant and often substantial learning gains across several school subjects and various countries, a feature that enhanced formative assessment. Conversely, it is not easy to achieve the learning gains particularly on broader perspective in normal classrooms, in part because the research lacked enough details about the practical use of the assessment. It proclaimed the formative assessment was weak and could not be able to handle educational process as a whole (Colverd and Hodgkin 2011). Role of teachers in assessment of learning Assessment and testing have strong effect on the lives and careers of young people. There is influence of prediction and opening of pupil that is brought by schools in relation to their results of national tests and examinations. Essentially, the examination results give verdict on teachers and schools. Moreover, they affect the way in which pupils are taught. With reference to this, results released from summative assessment should be in a position to show and manipulate the learning of schools in the best possible way (Daws and Singh 1996). In essence, a number of issues need to be addressed in implementing a system making use of teachers ‘assessment. Some of the key requirements relate to vigorous and stable procedures with reference to the quality of assurance and control of teachers’ judgments, and development criteria provision that shows the progression inn learning in relation to the particular goals (Sage 2004). Teachers have access to well design tasks assessing skills and understanding, which can help them to make conclusion and judgment across the full range of learning goals. Pre-service and in-service professionals’ development that extends the understanding of teachers and assessment of skills of assessment for different purposes (Fashola 2002). Of importance to note is that, both formative and summative assessments are harmonious and visible. They give judgments that are supported by substantiation so that all involved can have trust in the results (Frederickson and Cline 2009).Conversely it is argued that systems of schools accountability should not solely rely on data that has been derived from the summative assessment of pupils and the monitoring of their standards and achievement but, should be derived from a wider base of evidence than test results from individual pupils. Several reasons have come up in assessment of the work of the learners, which is supposed to determine their achievements. These vary from informal records of progress to high stakes certification, and occur in contexts across all phases of education from pre-school to adult learning (Gardner 2006).Ways in which assessment can be carried out also vary considerably ensuring that ways in which it is conducted provides information that fits its purpose. However, Assessment Reform Group, 2006, asserts that, most of the researches show that there was shortage of teachers’ assessment where no attempts were made to prepare teachers for a major role in the assessment process. Some research emphasize on the external summative purposes identifies the condition that affects the dependability of the assessment and the steps that can be taken to increase it (Gipps 1994). It has been argued that summative assessment does not give information about the overall educational outcomes that are crucial in the world that is full of changes in both socially and technically. (Gipps et al 1996). Hence, they do not encourage the development of these skills. The outcomes are inclusive of higher order thinking skills, ability to become accustomed to varying circumstances, and being able to contemplate how one can multitask between work and learning collaboratively in team, as well as, independently (Mansell and James 2009). Studies have continually showed that assessment in education must serve the purpose of supporting the learning process. Hence, importance of coming up with an assessment that carries investigation of the meaning and practices of assessment that is meant to serve this purpose more direct (Gipps et al 1996). Needless to say, formative assessment is crucial in looking at the aspect of teachers’ classroom work and the attention to improve its practice can enhance the learners’ achievements. Several authors have come up with the argument that assessment shapes the way we view ourselves and how we learn. Most of the times, people are judged in relation to their ability, styles of learning or achievement. Some of the ways that are used to handle this assessment include: IQ and the testing ability, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, styles of learning, accountability testing and credential seeking among others (Stobart 2008). Although the research evidence shows that the everyday practice of assessment in classrooms is crowded by problems and shorts –comings. However, several points have come up with ways in, which the assessment can be done including formative assessment (Inman 2008). Two important issues that have been used to improve include: self esteem and self assessment for pupils and the evolution of effective teaching. Self assessment and self esteem is a situation where ultimate assessment information is elicited in a bid to improve the learning by the pupil or student (Petrovic 2008). Essentially, it is a situation where student give themselves up to excel in classrooms. Self assessment is done when students have sufficient clear picture of what their learning is meant to attain (Lauder 2006). This requires hard and sustained work to overcome passive reception and become more effective as learners (Johnston 1995). This then becomes an object of discussion with their teachers and with one another. The evolution of effective learning involves more than the addition of a few observations and the tests to an existing programme (Sadler 1989). Teachers are encouraged to have dialogues with their students ensuring that there is thoughtful, reflective, focused emotions to suggest and survey understanding that are carried out, so that all pupils have an opportunity to think and to express their ideas (Phillips 1994). Conclusion Assessment of learning is a crucial task that entails both the teaching and the learning fraternity. It aims to identifying the problems that surround the teaching and the learning fraternity especially in sorting the problem of learning. Hence, education is the most important basic need all over the world. It is through education that invention, technology, and the general development is witnessed. Governments should ensure that the learning process in learning institutions goes in the right directions and more assessment to ensure that more improvements are done for advancement. Bibliography: Aby, S. and Kuhn, J., 2000. Academic Freedom: A guide to the Literature. Westport: Greenwood Press. 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