Access the talk via the following URL at 11:00:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NzgyNzE4YjQtZjE3My00NjIzLThhMDctZGRkNTQ0NjAxNjQz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22078807bf-ce82-4688-bce0-0d811684dc46%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22b4b5df00-ef43-4243-b8f4-6bc20fb42bc0%22%7d

About the Talk

Early in the pandemic, public examinations due to be taken in summer 2020 were cancelled. Ofqual was instructed to devise an alternative method through which grades could be awarded. Under this method, schools allocated their students Centre Assessment Grades (CAGs) based on teacher judgement. It was intended that these CAGs would then be standardised to produce a Calculated Grade which, it was anticipated, would then be awarded to candidates. However, this process did not command public confidence, and so the higher of the CAG or calculated grade was awarded instead.

Following the summer, a cross-governmental project was set up between DfE, Ofqual, Ofsted and UCAS to share linked results data and university application data, from 2020 and previous years. With the aim to allow external scrutiny of grading in 2020 and to encourage research to further improve the assessment system in England. This resulted in the GRADE (Grading and Admissions Data for England) dataset, now available through the SRS.

As part of this project, two research strands were conducted using a preliminary version of the data, to showcase what could be done using the dataset and to understand any biases or unfairness which may have been created by the process adopted in 2020.

In this talk we will present:

- Background and context of the development of the joint data sharing project,

- Details of the GRADE data, its development and contents,

- Strand one of the research evaluating whether patterns in grading in 2020 differed from typical exam years, including what insights this can give us about teacher grading more generally,

- Strand two of the project looking at whether any groups of students were more affected by the change from Calculated Grades to CAGs.

There will also be time for you to present your questions to Tim, Nadir & Philip on the last 15 minutes of the talk.

Data sharing and evaluation of assessment results following summer 2020