[EDLING:940] Re: 'Language catastrophe' blamed for surge in top GCSE grades

[Susan Metheny]

Hello to all -- especially UK educational linguists. I'd really like to 
understand the stats in this article better. Is there a website or text 
available that offers the meanings of UK and European acronyms and 
research measurements in articles like this?
Thanks,
Susan Metheny
University of New Mexico Educational Linguistics Program.

 >From the Times on-line,

>>August 25, 2005
>>
>>'Language catastrophe' blamed for surge in top GCSE grades
>>By Simon Freeman, Times Online
>>
>>
>>Teachers' leaders warned the Government today that the record rise in
>>pupils gaining the top grades at GCSE was the result of students
>>abandoning languages and other challenging subjects for softer options.
>>Overall GCSE pass rates among the 600,000 candidates were a shade up
>>overall, with the number of candidates achieving any grade from a G to A*
>>rising by 0.2 per cent from last year to 97.8 per cent.
>>
>>The big improvement has been at the top end of the spectrum, with the
>>number of candidates awarded at least a C grade up by 2 per cent, to 61.2
>>per cent - the largest rise since 1992. The Government was urged today to
>>reverse its controversial policy of allowing pupils to drop modern
>>languages at 14 after a dramatic fall in the number of French and German
>>entries, down 14.4 per cent and 13.7 per cent respectively since last
>>year.
>>
>>The figures were even lower in the year-long language GCSE Short Courses,
>>where numbers dropped by 49.8 per cent in German and 42 per cent in
>>French. The collapse coincided with the first year of modern languages
>>being optional after the age of 14, a controversial government move which
>>came into force last September.
>>
>>David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head
>>Teachers, condemned the decision: "The collapse in languages is a
>>catastrophe," he said. "The Government is going to have to reverse its
>>policy of allowing students to opt out at 14." Mr Hart said that although
>>the policy change was not implemented until September last year, it had
>>been pre-empted by many schools a year earlier, who opted to make
>>languages voluntary for students selecting subjects in 2003.
>>
>>He added: "The results are excellent news for students and teachers, but
>>there are real concerns. It is obvious that students are understandably
>>playing the system by studying their stronger subjects outside the
>>compulsory core of English, maths and science. "The entry patterns for
>>science and modern foreign languages make this abundantly clear. "We are
>>in danger of reaching a position where league tables and Ofsted are
>>driving the system in a way which is not in the interests of the students
>>nor in the interests of this country."
>>
>>Ellie Johnson Searle, director of the exams watchdog the Joint Council for
>>Qualifications, said tht the decline in French, German and Spanish at GCSE
>>was "much to be regretted". She said: "Less able candidates are
>>increasingly less likely to take these subjects, as demonstrated by a
>>significant rise at the higher grades at the same time as a decline in
>>grades D to G." But a DfES spokeswoman defended the Government's language
>>reforms. She said: "We need to be realistic about what will make language
>>learning flourish in our schools. Forcing 14-16 year olds to learn a
>>language wont achieve that. What we need to do, and what we are doing, is
>>getting children involved in learning languages at a much younger age.
>>
>>"That's why we are investing 115m over the next three years to ensure by
>>2010 every child aged 7-11 will be able to learn one or more languages as
>>part of their curriculum. Having a large number of children keen on
>>languages - as starting early will deliver - is what will make the
>>difference. Already over 40 per cent of primary schools offer language
>>learning, compared to 20 per cent in 2001." Physical education once again
>>saw the biggest increase in entries, up 7.5 per cent from 134,134 in 2004
>>to 144,194 this year.
>>
>>Jacqui Smith, the Schools Ministers, said the results were a clear
>>reflection of the Government's efforts to drive up achievement in tthe
>>core subjects of English and maths, the "bedrock of every child's
>>education." The A*-C maths pass rate increased by 1.7 per cent from 51.7
>>per cent to 53.4 per cent - the biggest rise for five years - and the
>>English pass rate was up from 59.9 per cent to 60.9 per cent.
>>
>>Praising the efforts of students and teachers, Ms Smith said: "Young
>>people need a firm foundation in the basics - no matter what their choices
>>are at GCSE - to ensure they have the skills needed to progress and
>>succeed in further learning, employment and life - and that means English
>>and maths." Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) figures showed 272,140
>>entries for French in 2005 compared with 318,095 in 2004. There were just
>>105,288 exam entries in German this year, compared with 122,023 last year
>>
>>John Dunford, general secretary of Secondary Heads Association, said
>>things were likely to get worse because todays figures represented the
>>last batch of candidates for whom taking a languages was compulsory. He
>>said: "These figures, from a year before modern languages became voluntary
>>for 14 and 15-year-olds, are very bad news, not least for the future of
>>this country as a trading nation. Next year will be even lower.  I think
>>the figures are in free fall. We are losing a generation of linguists." Mr
>>Hart also criticised the weighting given to grades from work-related GNVQ
>>courses, which are worth four GCSEs.
>>
>>Experts have warned that less bright pupils are encouraged to take this
>>GNVQ route - often in subjects such as Information and Communication
>>Technology (ICT) - in order to boost their schools league table ranking.
>>Entries for vocational courses in what are known as Applied GCSEs - which
>>are worth two GCSEs in subjects including construction and hospitality -
>>were up by nearly 40,000 this year. And entries for the work-related
>>Intermediate GNVQ courses were up by more than 4,000 to about 105,000. Of
>>more than 100,000 GNVQ entries last year, 54.2 per cent were in ICT.
>>
>>Professor Alan Smithers, director of the University of Buckinghams Centre
>>for Education and Employment Research, said: "Schools are bailing out of
>>GCSEs and getting into this GNVQ, which Ofsted inspectors have said is
>>softer in terms of the amount of time and effort it takes. "We may be
>>raising scores but the numbers are failing us in terms of what we are
>>providing as an education."
>>
>>The Institute of Directors said that many children left school without
>>basic skills of reading and writing and argued that employers were crying
>>out for an improvement among applicants. Richard Wilson, IoD leader, said:
>>"The starting point for employers recruiting staff is surely to have
>>access to candidates with basic literacy and numeracy skills. We are not
>>there yet." A DfES spokesperson said: "GNVQs have existed in the
>>performance tables in their current from since 1997. They represent a very
>>limited percentage of the over all A to C grades.
>>
>>"The fact is that these qualifications - which have helped many young
>>people - are now coming to the end of their use in schools as we develop
>>newer qualifications. We can debate the relevant worth of qualifications
>>all day, what we do is take the advice of the experts - QCA. "Of course
>>how useful a particular qualification is, is linked to what young people
>>want to do in terms of their employment and continued education. But what
>>we do see as key to everything is English and maths, that's why future
>>performance tables will be much more focused around performance in English
>>and Maths - the bedrock of the education system."
>>    
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-- 
Susan Metheny
Ph.D. Student in Educational Linguistics
Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM  87131

"From the cowardice that dare not face new truths,
>>From the laziness that is contented with half truths,
>>From the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me."
			-- Prayer from Kenya