O/T. The Government's handling of Covid

[Andy_Faber]

I firmly believe that the theory of a fair algorithm was the correct way to go. But, they've had months to come up and test this algorithm and they have failed.

Agreed, ‘they’ (trying not to be party political here) have ****ed up big style, someone forgot to do pre-implementation testing, a fundamental of the use of computer based logic in any environment. Let’s hope it’s not the same ‘they’ who are in charge of the vaccine.

[Andy_Faber]

Plan forward, throw a disproportionate share of resource at those schools to enable them to align with the new normal. I refuse to accept that, in an era where most 10 year olds seem to have mobiles, notebooks, gaming tech, ipads etc plus probably access to laptops, a semi-tech based education cannot be introduced. All it takes is for mum to come off Facebook for a few hours a day

I think though, that that touches on a big problem with ‘distance learning’. Some kids are naturally gifted, some are wasters, not sure distance learning will impact them, but Of the many ‘in the middle’, who need and want that Personal help/guidance, what about those in this group who DO have ‘mums who won’t get off Facebook’? I’m guessing (but in the past I’ve seen) that ‘disadvantaged’ households are less likely to have at least one parent who are both intelligent enough and bothered enough to step up to that plate, which will regretably but inevitably increase the gap between the advantaged and disadvantaged.

[swaledale]

Agreed, ‘they’ (trying not to be party political here) have ****ed up big style, someone forgot to do pre-implementation testing, a fundamental of the use of computer based logic in any environment. Let’s hope it’s not the same ‘they’ who are in charge of the vaccine.

Well what do you expect when you ahve a PM who doesn't do detail, in fact hardly seems to have a grasp of reality and certainly not much grasp of the truth?

As for the clueless shower that he appointed as minsters, ex fireplace salesman Williamson (yes he who was sacked from government for allegedly leaking military secrets) has never been the sharpest tool in the box.

There is an alternative theory out there which says they were aware all along, but were more bothered about controlling "grade inflation" and did not care that the end result would favour children from private schools and unfairly penalise bright kids from poorer performing schools, but I struggle to believe that a bunch of private school educated politicians would stop that low!

[Andy_Faber]

There is an alternative theory out there

Keep off Facebook!

[MadAmster]

Having been away for 36 years I don't know how the exam system works these days but I do remember that the Cambridge board whose O levels I took had a system of equilibrium in that the grades were not related to the % you got in an exam. A certain % of pupils were ALLOWED to pass an exam in order to keep the numbers going on to A levels and then on to University were the same. This avoided making one year's pupils look extremely good/bad. Basically, you could get 80 odd % in an exam and fail it. Conversely, you could, theoretically, pass with 30%.

The reason given for this approach was to avoid having "too many pass/fail" and "easy/difficult" exam in any given year.

Making some allowance for the degree of difficulty of the exam is understandable, a bit like the system used in gymnastics and other sports. Come up with some kind of algorithm to cater for the differences in exam difficulty actually sounds like a reasonable idea. Take a pupil's % and +/-/*/÷ with the degree of difficulty. That is your final " score". Every score above whatever the pass mark (a constant every year, for the sake of argument let's say 60%) is deemed to be a pass. Below it is a fail. That will aid exceptional years by having everybody pass who deserves to. Years with "lower IQs" will also have the "right" number of pupils pass/fail.

That will give universities an issue with funding as they won't know, until the last minute, how many new students they are going to get in the coming academic year.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Yup, I did Cambridge board and there were as you say inconsistencies year on year to help regulate the number of pupils moving on to the then (much more limited) number of university places. The professional institutes (accounting, law etc) did much the same in order to regulate the new qualified entering the job market and thus keeping the salaries of those already qualified higher.

Not sure if that goes on today but given that there are way more institutions calling themselves universities nowadays, it seems likely that a supply based marking system is maybe less important

[ramAnag]

Well what do you expect when you ahve a PM who doesn't do detail, in fact hardly seems to have a grasp of reality and certainly not much grasp of the truth?

As for the clueless shower that he appointed as minsters, ex fireplace salesman Williamson (yes he who was sacked from government for allegedly leaking military secrets) has never been the sharpest tool in the box.

There is an alternative theory out there which says they were aware all along, but were more bothered about controlling "grade inflation" and did not care that the end result would favour children from private schools and unfairly penalise bright kids from poorer performing schools, but I struggle to believe that a bunch of private school educated politicians would stop that low!

Indeed, elect a clown...expect a circus.
As Andy suggests though...the fiascos over free school meals and exam results are bad enough...the idea of the same bunch of incompetents being in charge of a vaccine is truly terrifying.

See our esteemed PM still appears to be incommunicado on holiday in Scotland. Astonishing.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Is he not allowed a holiday with his new born child in the totalitarian world of rA then.

[ramAnag]

Is he not allowed a holiday with his new born child in the totalitarian world of rA then.

How on earth is my ‘world’ meant to be ‘totalitarian’ and what’s his ‘new born child’ got to do with anything?

With all the current crises kicking off I just find it amazing that there seems to be no one with their hand on the ‘tiller’ and that we hear nothing...absolutely nothing, from our alleged leader.

I’m sure I remember the hapless Mrs. May being ‘stalked’ by the press as she hobbled around Switzerland and Tony Blair having to make pronouncements from Tuscany. It goes with the territory of ‘leadership’.

[MadAmster]

He does seem to plan his holidays to coincide with a crisis so he doesn't have to act and, in the case of something cropping up unexpectedly, he could always resort to hiding in a fridge.

Could be worse. He could be flying off to play golf every 3 or 4 days..........