Maths 'no better than in 1970s'7 September 2009 at 01:09 (615 views since that time) |
Pupils are no better at maths now than they were 30 years ago - despite a rise in exam grades, a study suggests.
Researchers asked 3,000 11 to 14-year- olds in England to sit maths exams taken by pupils in 1976, and compared their scores with the earlier results. Analysis suggested there was little difference between the two generations.
But among pupils from the previous generation taking O-level maths, less than a quarter gained a C or above, compared to 55% in GCSEs last year.
'Teaching to the test'
Dr Jeremy Hodgen, of King's College, London, who led the research team, suggested the disparity between unchanged ability and the increase in grades was partly down to schools' obsession with Sats results and league table positions.
He said: "There's a great deal of teaching to the test, so that in trying to increase scores, schools develop an understandable focus on the test, so there's a narrowing of the curriculum".
BBC News
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