Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

Maths Education and Assessment Specialist interested in Edtech, History of Maths, and Linguistics. He/him Slough, England Joined August 2015

Tweets

1K
Followers

298
Following

201
Likes

1K

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a month ago

@paulefranz I just finished reading your story. What a devastating ending! And really thought-provoking throughout. So thanks!

1 0 1 23 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

3 months ago

@GWRHelp Ok. In future it would be helpful to know that before the train departs the station.

4 0 1 138 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

3 months ago

@GWRHelp I am surprised to hear that the 13:38 from Paddington to Didcot Parkway is not stopping at Slough. No announcements on board at all before departure. Is this really true?

5 0 2 403 1

View Details

MEI @MEIMaths

8 months ago

From September 2026, The MAT will no longer take place. The University of Oxford will use the TMUA. More info: buff.ly/K4bVGPx

0 1 2 339 0

View Details

@robert_lyman Pre-covid, the choir would go for a pint or two after evensong. I haven't been very often since it started closing at 6pm on a Sunday. But I've had a good time on the odd occasion I've been able to visit and sample the excellent selection of ales on draught!

0 0 0 80 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

12 months ago

@MathsNot Thanks! Yeah the jeopardy aspect is definitely an issue, but I think less than in PISA where you're also trying to compare between countries (cultures) and not just between years.

0 0 0 19 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

12 months ago

@MathsNot Could you elaborate about the NRT efficacy opinions? I'm speaking at completemaths.com/community/math… on Sat, including concerns about the comparable outcomes system as implemented, including e.g. transparency about how NRT would be used. Any perspectives you could share would be great!

1 0 0 55 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

🤠* The rumours are true! I'll be at #MathsConf39 talking about exam standards. Do come along with your questions and thoughts. I promise it will be more interesting than it sounds! *hat not included

Complete Maths @LaSalleEd

a year ago

📣 Another #MathsConf39 workshop announcement! ✨ The Maths Assessment System in England: How Standards Are Set and Maintained with Alex Cutbill (@intersectarian) Who decides how many pupils “meet the expected standard” at the end of KS2, or achieve grade 4 at GCSE? This

0 0 1 501 0

0 0 2 117 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@MathsNot Strong evidence that if you want to get all A stars then you're best off doing 5 subjects 😉

0 0 3 187 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@PaulBushen @adamboxer1 It's a very complicated system, some of that is necessary but I worry that the system is more opaque than it needs to be.

0 0 2 54 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@PaulBushen @adamboxer1 I wrote a short post about Ofqual's stated *intentions* and a bit of how they are implemented. linkedin.com/posts/alex-cut… I might write something later about how I think the implementation is working in practice now the results (and gov.uk/government/pub…) have been published.

1 0 1 83 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway I think maintaining standards is the fairest thing for students, given the way(s) that results are used. As for precision/'wrong' grades, to make things more precise there would need to be longer/more exams (and/or computer adaptive tests). So it's a trade-off.

1 0 0 36 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway I don't really understand your point here. Changing the grade boundary will change the grade distribution in any regime. Ofqual's goal isn't to enforce a normal distribution (for, I think, good reasons) but to maintain standards.

1 0 0 51 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway Examiners could have felt that only 69.9% of students met the old Grade C standard in 2017. I can't remember if KS2 data was being used as part of the statistical evidence for maintaining standards at that point, but it certainly is now.

0 0 0 24 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway I don't know the details in this case, but – as GCSEs aren't norm-referenced – maintaining standards from 2016 to 2017 wouldn't necessarily mean the same percentage of students getting an equivalent grade.

1 0 0 22 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway I think I've answered these points in more detail elsewhere. Let me know if not. But the main point is that Ofqual's goal is to maintain standards rather than enforce 'normality'.

0 0 0 24 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway As the 1/2 and 2/3 boundaries were set arithmetically, it could be that lots of students happened to get a Grade 3 in Spanish in the first year. (I haven't looked for the data - you could if you're interested.) Or it could be that the cohort taking Spanish has changed over time.

0 0 0 24 0

View Details

Alex Cutbill @intersectarian

a year ago

@noookophile @robeastaway If the Grade 3/4 is 'wrong' now it's because it was set 'wrong', and if it was set 'wrong' it's because the Grade C/D boundary was 'wrong' before. Details of the transition from letter grades can be found in assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a82f218….