In this article you will be able to download the latest update from the Joint Council For Qualifications on the use of technology in exams as access arrangements. Parents and teachers alike should read this to keep updated so that dyslexic students get the best support during their mock exams.
There is not an awful lot of good news going around at the moment. It is November 2020 and our students in the UK will be thinking about mock exams for G.C.S.E’s and A-Levels. My previous article shared the news from Wales that exams for 2021 for these courses were going to be replaced by teacher-managed assessments, but this has not been announced for the rest of the UK but there have been some changes that mean that the examination system will have become more inclusive with the acceptance of technology to support Specific Learning Differences such as Dyslexia.
The organisation responsible for examinations here in the UK is the Joint Council For Qualifications and their aims are as follows:
JCQ aims to:
Reduce bureaucracy for schools and colleges by facilitating and delivering common administrative arrangements for examinations.
Provide a forum for strategic debate, information exchange and expression of common interest amongst awarding bodies.
Enable member awarding bodies to jointly express views and collectively respond to national issues.
Provide a channel for collective discussion with key stakeholders including the HE sector, teachers, and their representative organisations.
Source - https://www.jcq.org.uk/about-us/our-aims/
The JCQ recently supplied their latest recommendations for examinations with the following document:
Important supplementary information for SENCos and assessors Academic year 2020/21
Right at the end of the document they made the following statement about the use of technology in exams.
“Use of technology:
SENCos may wish to consider the use of technology to a much greater extent instead of readers and
scribes. Computer readers, examination reading pens, speech recognition technology and word
processors not only allow candidates to work independently but are also a better preparation for
Further and Higher Education and the world of employment.
”
This statement is music to my ears!
I believe that we all want our children and young people to become independent learners and there is a wealth of technology available that can help dyslexic students to develop their autonomous learning skills and yet in many schools across the UK, some of our dyslexic students have had to sit their exams with an adult reader or scribe. Not only does this single them out amongst their peers, but it can be humiliating. Added to this, in an already stressful situation, the student may be reluctant to ask the reader to read a piece of text multiple times for fear of judgement, when technology completely removes some of these emotional hurdles.
The statement itself advocates for the use of computer readers. software that can read out text and speech recognition technology which enables dictation. The use of word processors e.g a laptop with MS Word, takes away the need for pen and paper as that can be uncomfortable for a dyslexic learner. It also mentions examination reading pens . Examination reading pens are pen shaped devices that scan text on printed materials and then reads out the text. These are small devices that are discrete and can be used with earphones. The video below gives an insight into this technology:
Independent learning: “A better preparation for Further and Higher Education and the world of employment.”
This must surely be our goal in empowering young people, dyslexic or not? I am truly pleased that the JCQ is advocating the use of technology to help our dyslexic students to learn and express learning in a way that works for their educational needs but which gives them a level playing field to demonstrate their intelligence but there is a wider aim. We need our young people to become independent learners so that they can explore their educational world, understand what they love to learn about and then ultimately passionately contribute to society, when they eventually get into the workplace with their unique way of thinking.
What are your thoughts?
Please comment below or get in touch with me on Twitter to discuss this further.