The impact of Qualification Reform on the practical skills of A Level Science students. Paper 3: Valid Discrimination in the Assessment of Practical Performance

This document assesses the effects of qualification reform on A level science students' practical skills, particularly through the introduction of a 'practical endorsement' alongside the main qualification. The evaluation was carried out by Ofqual's Strategy, Risk, and Research directorate, with the University of Lincoln's support and input from advisory groups. It employed a methodology where experienced examiners rated mock candidates' practical task performances using different scales. The findings revealed that examiners were more consistent with 2- or 3-grade scales compared to finer scales and that task type and performance influenced inter-rater reliability. The conclusion was that while practical skills can be assessed with more than just pass/fail judgments, consistent and reliable assessments would necessitate comprehensive guidance and standardization. The document, which contributes to the ongoing dialogue on practical skills assessment in national qualifications, is publicly available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 on the Ofqual website, with accommodations for those requiring accessibility support. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation
• Impact methods: Theory-based methods
• Theory-based methods: Other
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: May 2018

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes