SQA examinations controversy (2000)

SQA examinations controversy (2000)

In 2000, the new Higher Grade examination system in Scotland, failed disastrously.

Timeline

*26 June 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority announces 'teething problems' with the marking system, but promises that students will receive their results on time.

*9 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority publicly admits that pupils sitting Higher Grade examinations may not receive the correct results.

*10 August 2000 Thousands of students across Scotland receive incomplete or inaccurate exam results. Schools are left in disarray as 5% of all schools have not been sent "any" results at all, accurate or otherwise.

*12 August 2000Ron Tuck, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, resigns, stating his regret and accepting responsibility for "this unfortunate episode". The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition Scottish Executive ignores demands by the Scottish National Party for Sam Galbraith, the Education Minister, to resign.

*13 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority and Scottish Executive claim that the errors are due to the correct results being incorrectly collated, due to a serious fault in the new computer programme, not exams being marked wrongly in the first place.

*14 August2000
Bill Morton is appointed as acting Chief Executive, to replace Ron Tuck, who resigned.

*15 August 2000Students are assured that their marks will not go down. However this leaves a problem for UCAS, who has no way of knowing if students with high grades actually earned them or not. UCAS accepted the validity of all results.

*18 August 2000
UCAS admits in a statement that many of the students whose certificates contained errors could lose out on a university place that they would have received had the results been accurate and on time.

*20 August 2000The Scottish Qualifications Authority claims that over 2,000 students with inaccurate certificates will receive the correct ones the next day, and the rest will be fixed 'in a matter of days.'

*22 August 2000Now realising that the 21st August was not a realistic deadline, the Scottish Qualifications Authority vow to sort out the worst affected pupils' results by 20 September 2000.

*27 August 2000The Scottish Qualifications Authority sorts out Higher Grade exam results.

*28 August 2000Bill Morton orders an internal investigation at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

*29 August 2000Over 4,000 Standard Grade students are discovered to have received incorrect certificates.

*29 October 2000
Jack McConnell, nicknamed "Jack the Knife", becomes the new Education Minister. Sam Galbraith is removed to Environment Minister.

*31 October 2000 A leakFact|date=September 2007 reveals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority failed to sort out non-urgent Higher Grade exam results within the planned deadline — and the new Chief Executive was not told.

*9 November 2000Jack McConnell appoints a new Scottish Qualifications Authority board. 16 of the 24 members have been replaced.

*25 November 2000The Scottish Qualifications Authority begins sending out accurate exam certificates to students — three months after they were supposed to be delivered.

*10 August 2001Media reports suggest that the exam results disaster cost the people of Scotland over £11 million.

External links

* [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/historic/education/reports-00/edr00-11-v1-03.htm#06 The full report] to the Scottish Parliament of the difficulties experienced in 2000.


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