Value‐added Attacks: technical issues in reporting national curriculum assessments

Abstract

Abstract In 1987 the British government announced its intention to introduce a national curriculum for all students of compulsory school age, with formal assessments being carried out at the ages of seven, 11, 14 and 16, and reported on a common 10‐point scale. The assumptions underlying the 10‐point scale are examined, as is the way in which criterion‐referencing is embodied in the assessment system. Implications of such a model for reporting the attainment of whole cohorts of students are examined and different ways of operationalising the idea of ‘value‐added’ and their relative fairness are explored. Finally, implications about reporting and publishing aggregated school results are drawn for schools and local education authorities.