Paul E Newton
Biographic Data
| ID | 5444867 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Paul E Newton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Paul E |
| FAMILY NAME | Newton |
| SIGNATURE | NEWTON P E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Qualifications and Curriculum Authority |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7636-057X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 42 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 11 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Demythologising A level Exam Standards
There are two major myths concerning A level exam standards in England. First, the Ancient Myth, which insists that standards were norm-referenced until the 1980s, when they transitioned to being criterion-referenced. Second, the Modern Myth, which insists that standards transitioned again, during the 2010s, to being based upon the comparable outcomes principle. The present paper debunks these myths, arguing that: except for the occasional use of…
Contrasting conceptions of comparability
Robert Coe has claimed that three broad conceptions of comparability can be identified from the literature: performance, statistical and conventional. Each of these he rejected, in favour of a single, integrated conception which relies upon the notion of a ‘linking construct’ and which he termed ‘construct comparability’. Traditional frameworks for conceptualising comparability are undoubtedly limited. However, rather than rejecting their insight…
Threats to the professional understanding of assessment error
A case study investigation was undertaken to identify threats to the professional understanding of assessment error which arise from accounts presented within the education press. Through a predominantly qualitative analysis of articles published in a leading education newspaper, during 2002 and 2003, it explored how assessment agencies in England were represented as responding to allegations of error. A number of threats to professional understa…
The public understanding of measurement inaccuracy
Assessment agencies are increasingly facing pressure on two fronts; first, to increase transparency and openness and second, to improve public confidence. Yet, in relation to one of the central concepts of educational measurement—inherent error—many believe that increased public understanding is incompatible with public confidence: a general recognition of the true nature and extent of measurement inaccuracy would fatally undermine trust in the s…
The defensibility of national curriculum assessment in England
In a series of recent papers, Dylan Wiliam has criticized national curriculum testing in England, on grounds of validity and reliability, and has expressed concern that formative assessment aims have been seriously neglected. He has argued that these problems can be overcome, but only through an alternative model in which the summative function is radically reconceived and divorced from the evaluative function.Wiliam's model is reviewed and evalu…
Would the real gold standard please step forward
Debate about public examination standards has been a consistent feature of educational assessment in Britain over the past few decades. The most frequently voiced concern has been that public examination standards have fallen over the years ? for example, the so-called A level ?gold standard? may be slipping. In this paper we consider some of the claims which have been made about falling standards and argue that they reveal a variety of underlyin…
The place of argumentation in the pedagogy of school science
The research reported in this paper stemmed from our conviction that argument is a central dimension of both science and science education. Our specific intention was to determine whether secondary science teachers in England give pupils opportunities to develop and rehearse the skills of argumentation during their lessons. We found that classroom discourse was largely teacher dominated and tended not to foster the reflective discussion of scient…
Examining standards over time
Public examination results are used in a variety of ways and the ways in which they are used dictate the demands that society makes of them. Unfortunately, some of the uses to which British examination results are currently being put make unrealistic demands. Government, in particular, deems it necessary to measure the progress of 'educational standards' across decades in time and assumes that this can be achieved to some extent with reference to…
Measuring Comparability of Standards between Subjects
In the past few years the examination boards in Britain have witnessed a renewed interest from external bodies in the notion of comparability of grading standards between different subjects. This interest has stemmed from concern with findings, from statistical techniques for comparison, suggesting that public examinations in different subjects are not comparable. This article focuses on one of these techniques — the Subject‐Pair Analysis — in an…
The Reliability of Marking of General Certificate of Secondary Education Scripts
This study investigated the consistency with which marks were awarded to scripts during the summer 1994 examinations in mathematics and English. It was demonstrated that the reliability of marking of mathematics scripts was extremely high. The consistency of marking in English was notably lower, although on the whole it appeared to be at least as good, if not better, than in previous studies. As a consequence of inconsistency in marking, the adju…
The Basis for Understanding Belief
The Reliability of Marking of General Certificate of Secondary Education Scripts
This study investigated the consistency with which marks were awarded to scripts during the summer 1994 examinations in mathematics and English. It was demonstrated that the reliability of marking of mathematics scripts was extremely high. The consistency of marking in English was notably lower, although on the whole it appeared to be at least as good, if not better, than in previous studies. As a consequence of inconsistency in marking, the adju…
Would the real gold standard please step forward
Debate about public examination standards has been a consistent feature of educational assessment in Britain over the past few decades. The most frequently voiced concern has been that public examination standards have fallen over the years ? for example, the so-called A level ?gold standard? may be slipping. In this paper we consider some of the claims which have been made about falling standards and argue that they reveal a variety of underlyin…
Examining standards over time
Public examination results are used in a variety of ways and the ways in which they are used dictate the demands that society makes of them. Unfortunately, some of the uses to which British examination results are currently being put make unrealistic demands. Government, in particular, deems it necessary to measure the progress of 'educational standards' across decades in time and assumes that this can be achieved to some extent with reference to…
Measuring Comparability of Standards between Subjects
In the past few years the examination boards in Britain have witnessed a renewed interest from external bodies in the notion of comparability of grading standards between different subjects. This interest has stemmed from concern with findings, from statistical techniques for comparison, suggesting that public examinations in different subjects are not comparable. This article focuses on one of these techniques — the Subject‐Pair Analysis — in an…
The public understanding of measurement inaccuracy
Assessment agencies are increasingly facing pressure on two fronts; first, to increase transparency and openness and second, to improve public confidence. Yet, in relation to one of the central concepts of educational measurement—inherent error—many believe that increased public understanding is incompatible with public confidence: a general recognition of the true nature and extent of measurement inaccuracy would fatally undermine trust in the s…
Contrasting conceptions of comparability
Robert Coe has claimed that three broad conceptions of comparability can be identified from the literature: performance, statistical and conventional. Each of these he rejected, in favour of a single, integrated conception which relies upon the notion of a ‘linking construct’ and which he termed ‘construct comparability’. Traditional frameworks for conceptualising comparability are undoubtedly limited. However, rather than rejecting their insight…
The defensibility of national curriculum assessment in England
In a series of recent papers, Dylan Wiliam has criticized national curriculum testing in England, on grounds of validity and reliability, and has expressed concern that formative assessment aims have been seriously neglected. He has argued that these problems can be overcome, but only through an alternative model in which the summative function is radically reconceived and divorced from the evaluative function.Wiliam's model is reviewed and evalu…
Demythologising A level Exam Standards
There are two major myths concerning A level exam standards in England. First, the Ancient Myth, which insists that standards were norm-referenced until the 1980s, when they transitioned to being criterion-referenced. Second, the Modern Myth, which insists that standards transitioned again, during the 2010s, to being based upon the comparable outcomes principle. The present paper debunks these myths, arguing that: except for the occasional use of…
Threats to the professional understanding of assessment error
A case study investigation was undertaken to identify threats to the professional understanding of assessment error which arise from accounts presented within the education press. Through a predominantly qualitative analysis of articles published in a leading education newspaper, during 2002 and 2003, it explored how assessment agencies in England were represented as responding to allegations of error. A number of threats to professional understa…
The Basis for Understanding Belief
The Reliability of Marking of General Certificate of Secondary Education Scripts
This study investigated the consistency with which marks were awarded to scripts during the summer 1994 examinations in mathematics and English. It was demonstrated that the reliability of marking of mathematics scripts was extremely high. The consistency of marking in English was notably lower, although on the whole it appeared to be at least as good, if not better, than in previous studies. As a consequence of inconsistency in marking, the adju…
Examining standards over time
Public examination results are used in a variety of ways and the ways in which they are used dictate the demands that society makes of them. Unfortunately, some of the uses to which British examination results are currently being put make unrealistic demands. Government, in particular, deems it necessary to measure the progress of 'educational standards' across decades in time and assumes that this can be achieved to some extent with reference to…
Measuring Comparability of Standards between Subjects
In the past few years the examination boards in Britain have witnessed a renewed interest from external bodies in the notion of comparability of grading standards between different subjects. This interest has stemmed from concern with findings, from statistical techniques for comparison, suggesting that public examinations in different subjects are not comparable. This article focuses on one of these techniques — the Subject‐Pair Analysis — in an…
The place of argumentation in the pedagogy of school science
The research reported in this paper stemmed from our conviction that argument is a central dimension of both science and science education. Our specific intention was to determine whether secondary science teachers in England give pupils opportunities to develop and rehearse the skills of argumentation during their lessons. We found that classroom discourse was largely teacher dominated and tended not to foster the reflective discussion of scient…
Would the real gold standard please step forward
Debate about public examination standards has been a consistent feature of educational assessment in Britain over the past few decades. The most frequently voiced concern has been that public examination standards have fallen over the years ? for example, the so-called A level ?gold standard? may be slipping. In this paper we consider some of the claims which have been made about falling standards and argue that they reveal a variety of underlyin…
The defensibility of national curriculum assessment in England
In a series of recent papers, Dylan Wiliam has criticized national curriculum testing in England, on grounds of validity and reliability, and has expressed concern that formative assessment aims have been seriously neglected. He has argued that these problems can be overcome, but only through an alternative model in which the summative function is radically reconceived and divorced from the evaluative function.Wiliam's model is reviewed and evalu…
Threats to the professional understanding of assessment error
A case study investigation was undertaken to identify threats to the professional understanding of assessment error which arise from accounts presented within the education press. Through a predominantly qualitative analysis of articles published in a leading education newspaper, during 2002 and 2003, it explored how assessment agencies in England were represented as responding to allegations of error. A number of threats to professional understa…
The public understanding of measurement inaccuracy
Assessment agencies are increasingly facing pressure on two fronts; first, to increase transparency and openness and second, to improve public confidence. Yet, in relation to one of the central concepts of educational measurement—inherent error—many believe that increased public understanding is incompatible with public confidence: a general recognition of the true nature and extent of measurement inaccuracy would fatally undermine trust in the s…
Contrasting conceptions of comparability
Robert Coe has claimed that three broad conceptions of comparability can be identified from the literature: performance, statistical and conventional. Each of these he rejected, in favour of a single, integrated conception which relies upon the notion of a ‘linking construct’ and which he termed ‘construct comparability’. Traditional frameworks for conceptualising comparability are undoubtedly limited. However, rather than rejecting their insight…
Demythologising A level Exam Standards
There are two major myths concerning A level exam standards in England. First, the Ancient Myth, which insists that standards were norm-referenced until the 1980s, when they transitioned to being criterion-referenced. Second, the Modern Myth, which insists that standards transitioned again, during the 2010s, to being based upon the comparable outcomes principle. The present paper debunks these myths, arguing that: except for the occasional use of…
Computer Science (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Student Assessment and Feedback (7 works) · Political science (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Educational Assessment and Improvement (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Mathematics (4 works) · Mathematics education (4 works) · Curriculum (3 works)