If you have read Graham Wroe's research project, "Does the level 2 numeracy test validly assess a student's ability to operate at that level?" you may wish to add your comments here.Please note they will not appear immediately as they will be moderated before publication.
What do you think about the Level 2 Numeracy test?
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3 comments:
Finally found the time to read this and the quality of your work is extremely impressive. I don't necessarily agree with all of it (I have found that those who haven't learnt the concepts sufficiently well don't pass and the test does seem to give a fair indication of numerical ability), but I appreciate that your more in-depth research has given a broader picture.
It definitely gave me food for thought and some criticisms to remember when the functional skills test comes along!
P.S. The clock on your blog is wrong!
Hi Sally
Thanks for being the first person to comment on my blog! Now you have started the ball rolling perhaps more people will feel able to contribute.
I hope my research doesn't seem completely dismissive of the Level 2 test- I do agree with you that on the whole those that haven't learnt the concepts don't pass, and that those with good numerical skills, as long as they can cope with the reading, do pass. But there are lots of ways the test could be improved.
The date at the top of the blog is when I wrote the article, not a clock!
Hi Graham. I always like it when somebody carries out the research to demonstrate what I have always (lazily) taken to be self-evident, so well done for being so meticulous! There is a broader principle here that any subject which is part-tested through exam (as most GCSEs are - no exam paper covers the whole syllabus) and which you can 'pass' with a score approaching the 'monkey-mark' (in this case 25%) has to be suspect, especially in considering parity with competence-based assessment which, for all its flaws, is generally 100% assessed and evidenced. Equally, there is a political component which requires us to compromise our principles in order that a government can prove value for money, which will unfortunately over-ride all educational considerations. C'est la vie!
Oh, and just to say don't blame the awarding bodies - when the key skills tests were first launched by QCA the ABs were unanimous in their contempt for their design and content. Some of the absolute worst national assessments ever devised, without any doubt.
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