Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play - Year 6 SATs

For those, anyone experiencing the pressure and helplessness of safeguarding their children's well-being from primary/secondary school's 'teaching to the test approach these links may help:

2008 article from Ofsted's chief inspector Christine Gilbert: Ofsted says tests narrow learning

Sats axe 'improves science lessons' and from Teachers TV 7.1.2011

From 2004 - Wales abolishes Key stage 2 tests and table of events

GCSE's teaching to the test from Year 9 to Year 11 ..

Quote:

As part of a recent reform in education, GCSEs are now organised into modules which can either be taken at the end of the course in a linear fashion or at different points throughout the course in a modular approach to teaching and learning.

The proponents of modular schemes have long argued for their advantages in terms of curriculum flexibility, short-term assessment goals, regular feedback, re-sit opportunities and increasing motivation for students. On the other hand, critics of the modular assessment claim that it leads to fragmentation of learning, students entering examinations when not ready, more teaching to the test and over-assessment. Furthermore, it is also being claimed that GCSEs are becoming less and less demanding, which might lead to a diminution of trust in the qualification.
This seminar will present the findings from a research project set out to investigate the above claims analysing students’ performances and attitudes towards modularisation in two GCSE subjects.

Source: Cambridgeassessment.gov.uk
The effects of modular GCSE examinations on students’ outcomes, motivation and workload: Seminar date February 2nd 2011

Behaviorism, social control from wikipedia and Ivan Pavlov's conditioned refelx. Good for linking the repetition of classroom exams that are promoted as helping children's ability to cope on, or in an observed, monitored, assessed, evaluated, judged situation and that assists their familiarity, levels of comfort with a test environment.