Assessments Attitudes of UK Teachers & Parents
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Assessments
Attitudes of UK
Teachers &
Parents
A report prepared by
BritainThinks
20 June 2016
1
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Image by Lucy Vigrass
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Background and methodology
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•
All with children aged 4-18
•
With a spread of those with primary
and secondary school children
•
Good mix of genders and regional
spread across England
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All engaged in teaching full-time (i.e.
no TAs or student teachers)
•
Equally split across primary and
secondary school education
•
Good regional spread across England
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All employed at head teacher / deputy
head teacher / principal level
•
Equally split across primary and
secondary school education
•
Good regional spread across England
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Please note that the sample size for head teachers in particular is relatively small and as such
subgroup differences should be treated as indicative rather than definitive.
Summary of background attitudes
When asked what are the specific issues with testing and assessments,
teachers in particular describe concern about the ‘culture’ of testing and
assessments having a negative impact on teachers and students
. Parents are
less likely than teachers to identify this challenge.
3
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Assessments, testing and examinations
are
perceived to be one of the
top issues facing the education sector
. This concern is shared by parents
and teachers alike.
Spontaneous associations with testing and assessments are much more likely
to be negative than positive, with both teachers and parents associating
assessments strongly with ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’.
Evaluation of teacher performance being too closely tied to tests and
assessments is
not
teachers’ most front of mind concern
when they think
about tests and assessments. However,
when asked outright
,
there is very
strong agreement among teachers that the evaluation of teacher performance
is too closely tied to tests and assessments.
1
2
3
4
Tests, assessments and examinations are second
most likely to be selected as one of the top issues
facing the education sector
% Selected as a Primary Issue
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% Mentioning as a Secondary Issue
4
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Q
3
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(
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6
)
•
Second to teacher
workload (mentioned by
36% of respondents as
one their top two issues for
the sector)
•
Just
ahead of funding cuts
to schools (mentioned by
30% of respondents as
one of their top issues for
the sector)
3
6
%
3
1
%
3
0
%
2
3
%
2
2
%
1
9
%
1
7
%
8
%
7
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5
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This concern is shared by both the teacher
and
parent audiences surveyed
% of Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
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% of Parents Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
5
•
Teachers and parents are
more or less equally likely
to select tests,
assessments and
examinations as one of
their top two issues for the
sector
•
In contrast, there are big
divergences between
teachers and parents in
levels of concern about
teacher workload, funding
cuts and class sizes
Q
3
:
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But head teachers are slightly less likely than
teachers overall to select tests, assessments
and examinations as one of their top issues
% of Head Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
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% of Non-Head Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
6
Q
3
:
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•
A quarter of head teachers
surveyed select tests,
assessments and
examinations as one of
their top two issues for the
education sector
•
However, head teachers
are more likely to prioritise
school performance and
accountability as an issue
for the sector
A
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Spontaneous associations with assessments
tend to be negative
7
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Q
4
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(
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)
•
Common themes across the parent and teacher audiences relate to stress and
pressure, the number and difficulty of assessments
Among parents only, the themes of
pressure and stress continue to dominate
8
Q
4
:
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B
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l
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(
n
=
2
5
6
)
•
But there is greater emphasis on the
difficulty
of assessments among parents
•
Associations including ‘hard’ and ‘difficult’ grow significantly in prominence when looking at the
parent audience only
A
s
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s
s
m
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S
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y
Teachers only are also most likely to associate
assessments with stress and pressure
9
Q
4
:
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(
n
=
2
5
0
)
•
But teachers are more likely than parents alone to focus on the
number
of assessments
compared to parents, and the value of those assessments
•
With associations including ‘(too) much’, ‘(too) many’ and ‘excessive growing in prominence
•
As do associations including ‘unnecessary’ and ‘pointless’
•
A small proportion of teachers mention ‘targets’ spontaneously when thinking about assessments
A
s
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m
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s
S
u
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y
When asked about specific issues related to
testing, respondents are most concerned that
tests ‘do not reflect students’ achievements’
% Selecting as a Primary Issue
P
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% Selecting as a Secondary Issue
10
10
Q
5
:
S
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B
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(
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=
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0
6
)
•
The ‘impact of the culture of
testing on the quality of
teaching’ is second most likely
to be selected as the top issue
related to assessments (with
38% of all respondents
selecting it as among their top
two issues)
•
The ‘use of tests and
assessments to evaluate
teacher performance’ is,
comparatively, less likely to be
mentioned (at 21%)
A
s
s
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s
s
m
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t
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S
u
r
v
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y
4
7
%
3
5
%
2
2
%
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3
8
%
2
1
%
1
5
%
8
%
8
%
4
%
2
%
Teachers are much more likely than parents
to be concerned about the impact of the
‘culture’ of testing on the quality of teaching
% of Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
T
e
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% of Parents Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue
11
11
Q
5
:
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While a significant proportion
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Conducted by BritainThinks in June 2016, this report presents insights from surveys of UK teachers, head teachers, and parents regarding issues such as assessments, testing, and examinations in the education sector. It highlights concerns around the impact of evaluations, teacher performance, and the culture of testing on stress levels and educational outcomes.
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Image by Lucy Vigrass Assessments Attitudes of UK Teachers & Parents A report prepared by BritainThinks 20 June 2016 1 Presentation Title Arial Bold 7 pt
Background and methodology BritainThinks conducted an online survey of 506 respondents between 2nd and 15th June 2016, breaking down as: Head teachers 50 Teachers 200 Parents 256 All engaged in teaching full-time (i.e. no TAs or student teachers) Equally split across primary and secondary school education Good regional spread across England All with children aged 4-18 With a spread of those with primary and secondary school children Good mix of genders and regional spread across England All employed at head teacher / deputy head teacher / principal level Equally split across primary and secondary school education Good regional spread across England 2 Please note that the sample size for head teachers in particular is relatively small and as such subgroup differences should be treated as indicative rather than definitive. Assessments Survey
Summary of background attitudes 1 2 3 4 Assessments, testing and examinations are perceived to be one of the top issues facing the education sector. This concern is shared by parents and teachers alike. Spontaneous associations with testing and assessments are much more likely to be negative than positive, with both teachers and parents associating assessments strongly with stress and pressure . When asked what are the specific issues with testing and assessments, teachers in particular describe concern about the culture of testing and assessments having a negative impact on teachers and students. Parents are less likely than teachers to identify this challenge. Evaluation of teacher performance being too closely tied to tests and assessments is notteachers most front of mind concern when they think about tests and assessments. However, when asked outright, there is very strong agreement among teachers that the evaluation of teacher performance is too closely tied to tests and assessments. 3 Assessments Survey
Tests, assessments and examinations are second most likely to be selected as one of the top issues facing the education sector Total Second to teacher workload (mentioned by 36% of respondents as one their top two issues for the sector) Teacher workload 36% 20% 16% Tests, assessments and examinations 31% 15% 16% Funding cuts to schools 16% 14% 30% Attracting high quality teachers to the profession 11% 12% 23% Changes to the school curriculum 10% 12% 22% 19% School performance and accountability 8% 11% Just ahead of funding cuts to schools (mentioned by 30% of respondents as one of their top issues for the sector) Class sizes 17% 8% 9% 8% Other 6% 2% School inspections 2% 5% 7% Don't know 2% 3% 5% None of these 0% Percentage of Total Respondents Selecting Each Issue from a List % Selected as a Primary Issue % Mentioning as a Secondary Issue % in bold represents total mentioning as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q3: What do you think are the main issues facing education in England? This could be from first-hand experience of the education sector, or from your impressions or media coverage. Please select up to two issues. Base: All respondents including parents and teachers (n=506) 4 Assessments Survey
This concern is shared by both the teacher and parent audiences surveyed Teacher workload 53% Teachers and parents are more or less equally likely to select tests, assessments and examinations as one of their top two issues for the sector 20% Tests, assessments and examinations 32% 30% Funding cuts to schools 25% 36% Attracting high quality teachers to the profession 20% 27% Changes to the school curriculum 22% 22% 19% School performance and accountability 19% Class sizes 10% In contrast, there are big divergences between teachers and parents in levels of concern about teacher workload, funding cuts and class sizes 23% Other 8% 7% 10% School inspections 5% Don't know 5% Teacher Responses vs Parent Responses % of Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue % of Parents Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q3: What do you think are the main issues facing education in England? This could be from first-hand experience of the education sector, or from your impressions or media coverage. Please select up to two issues. Base: All teacher respondents including head teachers (n=250) and parent respondents (n=250) 5 Assessments Survey
But head teachers are slightly less likely than teachers overall to select tests, assessments and examinations as one of their top issues 40% Attracting high quality teachers to the profession A quarter of head teachers surveyed select tests, assessments and examinations as one of their top two issues for the education sector 16% 38% Teacher workload 57% 28% Funding cuts to schools 25% 28% School performance and accountability 17% 26% Tests, assessments and examinations 33% 14% Changes to the school curriculum 24% However, head teachers are more likely to prioritise school performance and accountability as an issue for the sector 10% School inspections 10% 8% Class sizes 11% 8% Other 8% Don't know 1% Head Teacher responses vs Non-Head Teacher Responses % of Head Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue % of Non-Head Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q3: What do you think are the main issues facing education in England? This could be from first-hand experience of the education sector, or from your impressions or media coverage. Please select up to two issues. Base: All head teacher respondents (n=50) and all non-head teacher respondents (n=200) 6 Assessments Survey
Spontaneous associations with assessments tend to be negative Common themes across the parent and teacher audiences relate to stress and pressure, the number and difficulty of assessments Q4: When you think about testing, assessments and examinations in schools in England specifically, what are the first three words or phrases that come to mind? Base: All respondents including parents and teachers (506) 7 Assessments Survey
Among parents only, the themes of pressure and stress continue to dominate But there is greater emphasis on the difficulty of assessments among parents Associations including hard and difficult grow significantly in prominence when looking at the parent audience only Q4: When you think about testing, assessments and examinations in schools in England specifically, what are the first three words or phrases that come to mind? Base: All parent respondents only (n=256) 8 Assessments Survey
Teachers only are also most likely to associate assessments with stress and pressure But teachers are more likely than parents alone to focus on the number of assessments compared to parents, and the value of those assessments With associations including (too) much , (too) many and excessive growing in prominence As do associations including unnecessary and pointless A small proportion of teachers mention targets spontaneously when thinking about assessments Q4: When you think about testing, assessments and examinations in schools in England specifically, what are the first three words or phrases that come to mind? Base: All teacher respondents only (n=250) 9 Assessments Survey
When asked about specific issues related to testing, respondents are most concerned that tests do not reflect students achievements Total The impact of the culture of testing on the quality of teaching is second most likely to be selected as the top issue related to assessments (with 38% of all respondents selecting it as among their top two issues) 47% Tests and assessments not being a fair measurement of students' real achievements 26% 21% The impact of the culture of testing and assessment on the quality of teaching 38% 19% 19% Students starting tests, assessment and examinations at too young an age 35% 19% 16% 22% 8% 14% Students taking too many tests The use of tests and assessments to evaluate teacher performance 21% 9% 12% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too difficult 15% 8% 7% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too easy 8% 5% 3% The use of tests and assessments to evaluate teacher performance is, comparatively, less likely to be mentioned (at 21%) 8% 3% 5% Don't know 4% 2% 2% Other None of these 2% 1% 1% Percentage of Total Respondents Selecting Each Issue % Selecting as a Primary Issue % Selecting as a Secondary Issue % in bold represents total mentioning as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q5: Some people say that tests, assessments and examinations are one of the main issues facing education in England. What do you think are the most important concerns related to tests, assessments and examinations that make this an issue for the education sector? Please select up to two issues. Base: All respondents including parents and teachers (n=506) 10 Assessments Survey
Teachers are much more likely than parents to be concerned about the impact of the culture of testing on the quality of teaching The impact of this growing culture of testing is more likely to be selected by teachers as the top specific issue relating to assessments (56%) 56% The impact of the culture of testing and assessment on the quality of teaching 21% 48% Tests and assessments not being a fair measurement of students' real achievements 47% 30% The use of tests and assessments to evaluate teacher performance 13% 28% Students starting tests, assessment and examinations at too young an age 42% 20% Students taking too many tests 23% 11% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too difficult Teachers are, unsurprisingly, also much more likely than parents to be concerned about the use of testing to evaluate teacher performance This option is the third most likely to be selected from the list by teachers 18% 3% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too easy 12% 3% Other 4% 1% None of these 4% 0% Don't know 7% Teacher Responses vs Parent Responses % of Teachers Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue % of Parents Selecting as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q5: Some people say that tests, assessments and examinations are one of the main issues facing education in England. What do you think are the most important concerns related to tests, assessments and examinations that make this an issue for the education sector? Please select up to two issues. Base: All teacher respondents including head teachers (n=250) and parent respondents (n=250) 11 Assessments Survey
This finding is consistent across the head teacher and wider teacher sample Within the teacher sample, secondary school teachers are slightly more likely than primary school teachers to select the impact of the culture of testing and assessment on the quality of teaching as the top issue related to assessments (60% compared to 52%) 60% The impact of the culture of testing and assessment on the quality of teaching 55% 52% Tests and assessments not being a fair measurement of students' real achievements 47% 28% Students starting tests, assessments and examinations at too young an age 28% 26% The use of tests and assessments to evaluate teacher performance 31% 18% Students taking too many tests 21% 10% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too difficult 11% 4% Other 3% 2% Tests, assessments and examinations becoming too easy Secondary teachers are also more likely than primary school teachers to select the use of tests and assessments to evaluate teacher performance as the top testing-related issue (34% vs 26%) 3% 0% Don't know 1% 0% None of these 1% Head Teacher responses vs Non-Head Teacher Responses % of Head Teachers Mentioning it as a Primary or Secondary Issue % of Non-head Teachers Mentioning it as a Primary or Secondary Issue Q5: Some people say that tests, assessments and examinations are one of the main issues facing education in England. What do you think are the most important concerns related to tests, assessments and examinations that make this an issue for the education sector? Please select up to two issues. Base: All head teacher respondents (n=50) and all non-head teacher respondents (n=200) 12 Assessments Survey
There is strong agreement among both parents and teachers that the culture of testing is having a negative impact on teachers and students I think we need fewer but better tests to effectively measure students' achievements 12% 8% 80% The 'culture' of testing and assessments is making the teaching profession more stressful and less rewarding 12% 8% 79% The 'culture' of testing and assessments in schools is negatively affecting students' ability to think creatively and enjoy a range of ways of learning 18% 7% 75% The first ever test was designed by a teacher. Testing and assessments have always ben part of how teachers teach and learners learn 18% 61% 21% It is important to have testing and assessments to hold teachers and schools to account for their performance and the quality of education they provide 41% 7% 51% There is no way of ensuring quality education in schools without testing and assessments 45% 10% 45% In the end, the benefits of testing in terms of measuring progress and making schools accountable outweight the negative impacts 50% 12% 38% Percentage of Respondents Who Agree, Disagree, or Don t Know % Net Disagree % Don t Know / No Opinion % Net Agree Q9: Below are a number of things that have been said about testing, assessments and examinations in English schools. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each argument?. Base: All respondents (n=506) 13 Assessments Survey
And (at 9 in 10) the vast majority of teachers say that their evaluation is too dependent on students test results Evaluation of teacher performance is too heavily reliant on how students perform in tests and assessments 7% 2% 91% Testing, assessments and examinations are a source of stress in my job 12% 1% 86% My school tends to focus its attention and resources more on year groups who are taking an official test, assessment or examination that year than those who are not 28% 5% 67% My head teacher places a lot of pressure on me when it comes to the performance of my students in oficial tests and assessments 29% 6% 66% I am concerned that I may be passing stress about tests and assessments onto my students 5% 59% 37% I tend to focus my attention more on year groups who are taking an official test, assessment or examination that year than those who are not 39% 7% 54% While a significant proportion disagree that this is the case (37%), almost 3 in 5 teachers say that they are concerned that they may be passing stress about tests and assessments onto their students Percentage of Respondents Who Agree, Disagree, or Don t Know % Net Disagree % Don t Know / No Opinion % Net Agree Q9: Below are a number of things that have been said about testing, assessments and examinations in English schools. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each argument?. Base: All teachers (250) except My head teacher places a lot of pressure on me when it comes to the performance of my students in official tests and assessments , Base: All Non-head Teachers (200) 14 Assessments Survey
