National testing in schools examined by MPs
15 May 2008
The Children, Schools and Families Committee claims the importance of national tests - known as SATs - and their use for public accountability has been over-emphasised, restricts teachers' creativity and may contribute to some children's problems in school as over-testing has been linked to increased stress in pupils.
Their conclusions echo the findings of research commissioned by the Wellcome Trust and the Association for Science Education, which was published in April 2008. Titled ’The effects of National Testing in Science at KS2 in England and Wales’ [PDF 236KB], the report compared the situation in England to that in Wales, where Key Stage 2 science tests (taken by 11 year olds) were abolished in 2004.
It found that teachers believe statutory testing in science at age 11 makes it difficult to maintain pupils' positive attitudes to science and that not having the tests would make science more enjoyable.
Carried out by the Institute of Education and Ipsos-MORI, the research also revealed that teachers feel the science curriculum is narrowed and approaches for teaching science limited by the pressure on pupils to pass these tests. The authors called for a review of classroom support for science to enable more whole-class activities, as well as an evaluation of how appropriate it is to use Key Stage 2 test results for assessing the achievements of either pupils or schools.
Schools Minister Jim Knight defended national testing as a part of overall assessment, saying the tests “are here to stay”. But shorter tests are already being trialled in some schools, and as reliable evidence about the effects of testing builds, the future of SATs in England remains uncertain.
