It's been a big week for big chats about the move from pen-and-paper to digital exams, with several news articles describing the acceleration of online assessments and the plan for rollout by 2030. In response, there has been lots of discussion about the need for a cautious approach and plenty of questions about the infrastructure and cost implications. This week we delve into the debate, the pros and cons, and the likely path ahead. We are joined by Graham Hudson, a stalwart of the educational assessment community, who has worked in the sector for 35 years, to fill in our (many) blanks, and to give us some historical and current context to such issues.

Graham has been involved in many of the significant developments in general qualifications, including the introduction of GCSEs, Curriculum 2000 and National Curriculum at Key Stage 4. At QCA he led a multi-million-pound development change programme involving all the regulatory bodies in the UK, looking at the uses of new technologies in assessment. Currently, Graham supports business development for organisations enabling the transition from paper-based assessment to digital delivery for many national and professional organisations. Graham is Chair of the e-Assessment Association, and in April 2021 he was appointed as a Board Member of Qualifications Wales, the regulator for all qualifications to university level in the nation.

To get in touch with Graham, you can find him on LinkedIn: Graham Hudson | LinkedIn

More information on the e-assessment association can be found here: Welcome to The e-Assessment Association - The e-Assessment Association

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On the request of The Exam Man listeners, this week's episode involves John running through the practical steps he takes to plan for a public exam season. Certainly niche, definitely technical, and helpful for exams teams both new and experienced. Over to a particularly animated John, to convince the audience that planning exams is an art, not a science, and actually very exciting...

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Lovely little collaboration on The Exam Man this week as we join forces with the mighty Sam Denno, Educational Assessment Leader at Twinkl. Sam runs the brilliant Obsessed with Assessment podcast, which covers all aspects of classroom assessment in bite- size, 15- minutes- long CPD sessions.

Despite our shared fascination with all things exams and assessment, Obsessed with Assessment is everything The Exam Man isn't- it is concise, well-researched, detailed and punchy. Do check out Sam's episode this week where you will see what we mean. However, if you would like to listen to the longer, scrappier version of our joint episode where Sam interrogates John about the UK exam system, then do feel free to listen to this one too!

In all seriousness, Sam is passionate about delving into the big questions about assessment, but particularly for the benefit of teachers in the classroom. Enjoy!

To listen to Obsessed with Assessment, check out: Obsessed with Assessment | Podcast on Spotify

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To celebrate the 30th episode of The Exam Man, we have brought you a technical episode for true assessment aficionados. Channeling his Data Man alter ego, John takes us on a deep dive into school performance measures and the role of exams. Super useful for exams teams, teachers, school leaders and anyone who doesn't quite understand how to work out how their local school is actually doing. This one is surprisingly interesting and easily digestible for anyone, even for natural data- phobes!

If you want to find out about a particular school, MAT or local authority's performance in academic performance measures visit https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

This is also a good explainer on Attainment 8 and Progress 8 https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/curricula-and-exams/progress-8-attainment-8

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On The Exam Man podcast this week we are joined by Lord Jim Knight, a leader and advisor across a variety of areas such as education, technology, international schools, assessment, and teacher engagement. His many current hats include being a member of the UK House of Lords, Chair of @COBIS, Chair of E-Act, on the Nord Anglia Education Advisory Board, and on the qualifications committee for Pearson. Jim is also one of the founders of xRapidGroup, a company using iOS devices to power microscopes with AI. Earlier on in his varied and illustrious career, Jim was the longest- serving Schools Minister in the UK government led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and Chief Education and External Officer at Tes.

Jim navigated our wide-ranging questions predictably seamlessly, from AI and assessment, why he became interested in technology, to what it's like to be both a real-life Lord and a Knight.

Enjoy!

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To take part in the call for evidence for the Curriculum and Assessment review, go to: Curriculum and Assessment Review - Foreword from the Review Chair - Department for Education - Citizen Space

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One for the exams team as the second half of the Autumn team dawns...

It feels like a safe distance from May to discuss the most critical time of an exams officers' year- the summer exam period. As most of the UK population enjoys Easter holidays and long, sunny Spring days, students and exams teams are knuckling down preparing for public exams across the country.

John explains what he does to both prepare for and execute a successful summer exam season each year, with some words of wisdom about how to get ahead during the rest of the year, how to approach getting support when and where you need it, and how to mentally and physically manage your life as well as your role during the peak weeks. We discuss how running public exams in schools is a marathon not a sprint, and why we wouldn't necessarily recommend launching a weekly podcast just as an exam season dawns....

Includes a call to arms for eating pizza without judgement, too!

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This week on The Exam Man podcast we go stateside (only virtually, sadly) to chat to Kelly Frindell, PhD - Test Prep Expert (SSAT/ISEE/SAT/ACT) from her home in Hawaii.

We were keen to learn more (anything!) about exams in the USA. Kelly gave us a whistle-stop tour of what exams pupils sit in the US, when and where they are optional (!), how they are administered, and the current challenges and opportunities with assessment in schools in the US from her perspective. It was fascinating to learn just how very different the exam systems are in the UK and USA, and our conversation with Kelly was incredibly thought-provoking.

Dr. Kelly Frindell is the owner of Inhouse Test Prep, based in the United States, and she has been teaching standardised exam test preparation since 2001, working with students who are taking the SAT or ACT for entrance into US colleges and universities. To find out more about Kelly's work and to contact her, do visit: www.inhousetestprep.com

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FROM THE SECURE ROOM: John talking about getting started as an exams officer- and his own 'unusual' introduction to the role - on the latest edition of The Exam Man podcast will resonate with many. With practical top tips for newbies to the role and experienced exams teams alike, enjoy this opportunity to take comfort/ learnings from his reflections on 13 years in the role and **many** early mistakes.....

For all our listeners who work in schools and everyone who uses Examscreen, THANK YOU for the continued brilliant support, and have a cracking half term whenever it arrives!

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Next up on The Exam Man we have Daniel Walton - Smith, to get the lowdown on exams in primary schools.

The Deputy Headteacher of a 2-form primary school on the Wirral- Prenton Primary- Dan also sits on The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) Expert Panelist for the Department for Education. As part of his DfE role Dan works on the Key Stage1 reading panel, where he analyses potential future SATs tests.

Dan's passion for primary education and helping young children to reach their potential is truly infectious. Our conversation is invaluable for exams teams and secondary teachers to understand how our youngest children are assessed, and how that impacts their transition to the the rest of their education. However, if you have a primary aged child in your life, Dan also gives great insight into testing across the primary phase. Learn what to expect, when, and how you can support your child and their school. Happy listening!

To listen to all our previous episodes and to read our blogs, go to: The Exam Man - the #1 podcast about exams and assessment

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FROM THE SECURE ROOM is a series of short episodes where John explains how he carries out a specific aspect of running exams. Today, our bonus episode is all about running mock exams. Also unexpectedly featuring our first ever poem, written and submitted by an exams officer in the East Midlands!

FROM THE SECURE ROOM episodes are particularly useful for exams officers new and old. Do email us any ideas for future topics to cover and let us know how you approach the same tasks in your own setting. We'd love to hear from you: Contact Us | The Exam Man - the #1 podcast about exams and assessment

To listen to all our previous episodes and to read our blogs, go to: The Exam Man - the #1 podcast about exams and assessment

For more more information about Examscreen, go to: examscreen.co.uk

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