Educationalists tell the Scottish Parliament scrapping of the Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy will make flagship Scottish Government policy difficult to assess

- Education experts say scrapping of Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy makes it hard to measure changes in the educational attainment gap.

- Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy was scrapped by the Scottish Government in 2016 and replaced with Scottish National Standardised Assessments.

Opposition parties claim the Deputy First Minister had continued to “defy” the will of the Scottish Parliament, which voted to end P1 testing

A LEADING campaigner against standardised assessment of primary ones has questioned John Swinney’s decision to launch an independent review over one year after testing of four and five year olds began, arguing there was no solid evidence base for the policy when it was introduced.

Scottish Conservatives lambasted for abandoning their own education policy to attack Scottish Government

EDUCATION campaigners have called for a vote to scrap tests for four and five year-olds to be only a "first step" towards a truly nurturing school environment.

The Scottish Conservative motion against the tests passed by 63 to 61 votes, uniting all four of the Scottish Parliament's opposition parties behind it.

Many education experts believe that beginning formal education at age five is counter-productive

AS A KEY Scottish Parliament vote looms on whether the Scottish Government should ditch new standardised tests for primary one pupils, education campaigners have insisted there are working alternatives.

The Scottish Government's efforts to reduce the education attainment gap between poorer and better off students in Scotland's schools include nationwide standardised tests in P1, P3, P4 and S3.

Hilary Long, coordinator of the Upstart Glasgow network and CommonSpace columnist, says the answer to addressing the educational attainment gap is found outside of the school gates – the Scottish Government should forget testing P1’s and focus on tackling poverty

EIS say evidence is contrary to Education Minister’s claim that Standardised Testing is “integral to everyday learning”

SCOTTISH GREENS education spokesperson Ross Greer MSP has told Education Minister John Swinney that he should “cut his losses” over the Scottish Government’s controversial standardised testing policy for schools, and at least scrap it for P1’s.

Hilary Long, co-ordinator of the Upstart Glasgow Network and member of Common Weal Glasgow, argues that Education Minister John Swinney should scrap the controversial standardised testing policy and recognise that for young children, assessments of this kind will only induce fear, frustration and anxiety

The EIS teachers’ union has said the findings of the Scottish Government’s year one review, which found teachers and pupils were content with the policy, run contrary to their evidence

SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Education Minister John Swinney has announced a suite of changes to the government’s much criticised standardised assessment measures in schools, but campaigners and teachers’ union EIS have said the changes will not solve the fundamental problems at the heart of the policy.

Parents urged to opt-out of P1 standardised testing which experts warn could be detrimental to child wellbeing

PRESSURE ON the Scottish Government to reconsider its policy of standardised testing – initially introduced last August – has intensified after five children’s charities, a former Children’s Commissioner for Scotland and teachers’ union Education Institute of Scotland launched a campaign urging parents to withdraw P1 children from the tests.

Scottish Government backtracks on previous contract tendering cost claims 

THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT has admitted that the per year cost of standardised testing will be far higher than originally promised. 

Plans to reintroduce standard tests throughout primary school and into early secondary school from this August has faced criticism from teaching unions and politicians over a lack of an evidence base.