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Yes Julie I brought the matter up a couple of months ago when I suggested we would have SATs in 5 years. Little did I know that this was very conservative and if you were reading last week¹s papers you might have seen they are already here. Now this matters because it means a huge transfer of power (and money) away from us as economics and business teachers and that is aside from the issue of whether it is good for students/education in general. In essence the arrival of SATs means the ends of A levels. Which in turn means no need for AS level book this and key revision notes that and A2 revision course X. If your livelihood is dependent on any of those you should worry. We can all go back to using Maunder, Sloman, Harvey or whatever you used to like 7 years ago and for some that might be welcome. You will be able to set your own internal exam or if you like buy in something that the old A level boards will try to stay alive by selling but ultimately the school budget will dictate you set something internally. As a body of teachers we will lose all or most of our say in what economics education should be if we are not careful. I must say that I don¹t get any sense that we are in anyway concerned about the incoming tide. On 12/3/03 3:49 pm, "Julie Parton" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I've had a feeling of deja-vu reading this ... weren't some of these arguments > explored some months ago? Have things moved along since then? > > Julie Parton > Head of Business Studies, Young Enterprise Link Teacher, Key Skills > Coordinator. > Norton Canes High School > Cannock, Staffs >> >From: Chris Rodda >> >Reply-To: "Economics, business, and related subjects" >> >To: [log in to unmask] >> >Subject: SATS >> >Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 18:21:00 +0000 >> > >>> > > >>> > > Well it looks like SATs are coming to Britain ú many universities are >>> now >>> > > trialling them for undergraduate admissions. >>> > > >>> > > I found a free SAT to try on the web if you would like to see the shape of >>> > > things to come. >>> > > >>> > > >>> http://www.princetonreview.com/college/testprep/testprep.asp?TPRPAGE=78&type=S >>> > > AT&adcode=6772 >>> > > >>> > > Having predicted this sorry mess doesn¹t mean I agree with it. >>> > > >>> > > From experience of this the downside is that as soon as you have >>> received a >>> > > university place based on SAT scores there is little point in completing >>> your >>> > > A level or whatever. So the advent of SATS, like it or not, spells doom >>> for A >>> > > levels, ú the only reason to keep going in the US system is that you can >>> get >>> > > credits for passing high school courses. So if you pass economics A >>> level for >>> > > example you a good chunk of Economics 101 as a credit, saving time (and >>> money >>> > > because you pay remember.) >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > The alternative to all this, I believe, is to sort out the A levels >>> before we >>> > > get there. >>> > > >>> > > The up side to this is that its a whole lot less stressful for the >>> teachers >>> > > because the SATs are nothing much to do with econs/business teachers - >>> unless >>> > > we go down the subject specific SAT route. The strange thing about this is >>> > > that teachers seem to be having no say in this at all ú is that a good >>> thing? >>> > > Have we collectively used up our store of credit. Or maybe we should be >>> > > content ú let the universities worry about selection. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > Should the EBEA have a view on this? Should we seek to influence the >>> exam >>> > > boards and universities? Can we see an article in the journal on >>> university >>> > > admissions thinking for the future? >>> > > >>> > > Another thought ú if the national curriculum is to be let go in part or >>> whole >>> > > ú what is the prospect for a rejuvinated GCSE for Econs and business. >>> > > >>> > > >> > > > > Message your friends in real time - and for free. Get MSN Messenger today! > <http://g.msn.com/8HMCENUK/2755> Chris Rodda 1 Cordrey Green Iffley Village Oxford OX4 4ER Tel 01865 776110 Mobile 0789 0487650 From overseas 0044 1865 776110