Ofqual: Exam questions must not be blocked

[Ignitionnet]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-26823183
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...am-papers.html
http://news.tes.co.uk/b/news/2014/03...regulator.aspx

Schools will not be allowed to screen out exam questions which contradict their religious ethos, says England's exams watchdog.

Ofqual says blocking out questions on exam papers will count as "malpractice".

It follows reports of a Jewish school redacting questions about evolution in a GCSE science exam.

The OCR exam board, which set the science paper, says schools must not "tamper with question papers".

What a crazy situation, not least because regardless of opinions on the religious connotations exam centres aren't supposed to even open exam paper packs before the exams, let alone look at them and edit them. The OCR comments were bizarre.

OCR, the board involved, had previously said the most reasonable approach was to “come to an agreement” with schools out of need to respect religious beliefs.

But today, it also published a statement clarifying its position, saying: “We have now been able to consider our position and have concluded that as a matter of policy schools should not be permitted to tamper with question papers prior to a student sitting an exam.”

We'll see if the government do actually follow this through. I can't say I'm convinced that they will. Worrying that the state is funding schools that don't even want to expose their students to evolution, presumably for fear that some of them may actually think it makes more sense than young earth creationism.

The national curriculum removes any doubt on this matter as of this upcoming September.

Another reason why religion should be kept out of the classroom.

Even if you reject the Theory of Evolution it is perfectly possible to discuss it on its own terms in an essay or in an exam paper, and for the sake of turning out kids into the world who are capable of functioning in wider society the very least a religious school should be doing is teaching them exactly that. Apart from anything else it's a valuable technique which is essential in a range of arts subjects that can be studied at university.