The More than a Score coalition has published what it calls a dossier, which highlights evidence to show that the plans for a new baseline are statistically uninformed and educationally damaging.
The report’s authors are leading academics Professor Cathy Nutbrown, from the University of Sheffield, Dr Alice Bradbury and Dr Guy Roberts-Holmes from UCL Institute of Education, Dr Pam Jarvis from Leeds Trinity University, Dr David Whitebread from the University of Cambridge, and early years expert Nancy Stewart from TACTYC.
The document Baseline assessment: why it doesn’t add up, says, ‘The Government says that a baseline test is required in order to judge the progress children have made at the end of primary school. They want to use the test data to “hold schools to account”. We say such a test will be damaging to young children. They will be pushed into a high-stakes assessment, which is at odds with young children’s learning and development.’
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