Twitter RSS
Home Posts tagged "Highers"

Examiners walk out over lowering the bar in Higher maths

Published on March 26, 2013,

A dispute over pass grades that were set lower than advised by examiners for Higher maths last summer have prompted the departure of half a dozen senior examiners from Scotland’s qualifications body, leading to concerns over marking for this year’s papers. This is from the Times…

Five members of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) have resigned after the principal assessor for Higher maths had his contract terminated last summer, in a dispute over setting the pass mark lower than advised. (more…)

 

Results warn of a two-tier schools system in Scotland

Published on December 19, 2012,

A report in the Scotsman claims the true state of Scotland’s educational divide has been laid bare by new figures which show the best-performing secondary lies just a few miles from schools where not a single child leaves with a Higher. This is from the Scotsman…

Boroughmuir High School in Edinburgh came joint first in Scotland, along with Glasgow’s Jordanhill School, after figures released yesterday showed 69 per cent of S5 pupils obtained three Highers or more. (more…)

 

Only 1 in 40 pupils from Scotland’s most deprived households achieved three As in their Highers in 2011, compared to nearly 1 in 10 across all income levels

Published on October 6, 2012,

Scotland’s leading universities, particularly St Andrews, Edinburgh
and Aberdeen, are facing increasing pressure from Scottish ministers
and student leaders over the low number of students from the poorest
households who win undergraduate places. This is from the Guardian…

Mike Russell, the Scottish education secretary, has offered them £10m
towards improving access for poorer students as part of a new funding
settlement, while threatening them with sanctions if numbers do not
increase. (more…)

 

Dumbing down fears as exam pass rates reach record levels

Published on August 8, 2012,

Following yesterday’s news of record exam results, Herald Scotland today considers accusations that this means the qualifications are being “dumbed down”.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said pass rates at Standard Grade, Higher and Advanced Higher all reached their best-ever levels. (more…)

 

Record numbers of students pass Scottish Highers

Published on August 7, 2012,

The BBC reports that almost 160,000 students across Scotland are receiving their exam results – with a record number passing Higher exams.

The pass rate for Highers increased from 75.2% in 2011 to 76.9% this year, which represents a rise of 7% over the past decade. (more…)

 
© Schools Improvement Net, 2012-2013