YOU can't fatten a pig by weighing it.
So goes the mantra of educationalists who believe too many exams spoil the pupil. Earlier this week, The Herald published a report by left-of-centre think-tank The Reid Foundation which called for the current system of Scottish school exams to be scrapped.
Instead, the report argues, a single exit qualification, perhaps along the lines of the international baccalaureate, should be introduced.
Brian Boyd, emeritus professor of education at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, who wrote the paper, made the suggestion because he believes an over-reliance on testing is undermining the education system - with university entry requirements just as culpable as schools for the exams "treadmill" faced by pupils.
"Examinations dominate secondary schools. They influence the shape of the school day, they are the starting point of the timetable and ... they dictate how many subjects a pupil may study," his report states. "They distort the curriculum, they narrow the focus of learning and, as the exam diet draws closer ... the stress is often palpable."
His report comes at a time of significant change in Scottish school education with the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE).
Part of the rationale for CfE was to reduce assessment for pupils and ensure they learn a broader range of skills, but many schools have proved resistant.
Rather than giving greater flexibility to pupils to sit exams over a longer period of time or to skip some altogether, schools have largely replaced one set of qualifications with another - with pupils sitting Nationals at exactly the same time as they would have sat Standard Grades last year.
In a large part that is because many schools and teachers have a vested interest in the status quo. They are seen as successful because of their ability to get pupils to pass exams, so why should they change?
Parents are also painted as supporters of the status quo because they flock to schools in middle-class areas which top the exam league tables - even though that is often because of the affluent catchment areas they serve.
In a society where exams are seen as the passport to higher education or a good job such attitudes are hard to argue with, but so often universities and businesses complain that the pupils who arrive with fistfuls of Highers are lacking the real skills they require.
In fact, Mr Boyd argues the commonly held idea that parents are resistant to change is not played out by the facts.
"Do they want education to help create a fairer, more just society ... or are they motivated only by narrow self-interest?" he asks.
"When parents are asked for their views, they are capable of taking a broad view of education and are capable of participating in debate about fundamental issues affecting not simply their own child, but children as a whole."
If it is true, as Mr Boyd suggests, that pupils can currently achieve success in Highers with the minimum of understanding, then surely parents would want something better?
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article