- SQA examinations controversy (2000)
In
2000 , the newHigher Grade examination system inScotland , failed disastrously.Timeline
*
26 June 2000 TheScottish Qualifications Authority announces 'teething problems' with the marking system, but promises that students will receive their results on time.*
9 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority publicly admits that pupils sitting Higher Grade examinations may not receive the correct results.*
10 August 2000 Thousands of students acrossScotland receive incomplete or inaccurate exam results. Schools are left in disarray as 5% of all schools have not been sent "any" results at all, accurate or otherwise.*
12 August 2000 Ron Tuck, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, resigns, stating his regret and accepting responsibility for "this unfortunate episode". The Labour/Liberal Democrat coalitionScottish Executive ignores demands by theScottish National Party forSam Galbraith , the Education Minister, to resign.*
13 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority andScottish Executive claim that the errors are due to the correct results being incorrectly collated, due to a serious fault in the new computer programme, not exams being marked wrongly in the first place.*
14 August 2000 Bill Morton is appointed as acting Chief Executive, to replace Ron Tuck, who resigned.*
15 August 2000 Students are assured that their marks will not go down. However this leaves a problem forUCAS , who has no way of knowing if students with high grades actually earned them or not. UCAS accepted the validity of all results.*
18 August 2000 UCAS admits in a statement that many of the students whose certificates contained errors could lose out on a university place that they would have received had the results been accurate and on time.*
20 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority claims that over 2,000 students with inaccurate certificates will receive the correct ones the next day, and the rest will be fixed 'in a matter of days.'*
22 August 2000 Now realising that the 21st August was not a realistic deadline, the Scottish Qualifications Authority vow to sort out the worst affected pupils' results by20 September 2000 .*
27 August 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority sorts outHigher Grade exam results.*
28 August 2000 Bill Morton orders an internal investigation at the Scottish Qualifications Authority.*
29 August 2000 Over 4,000Standard Grade students are discovered to have received incorrect certificates.*
29 October 2000 Jack McConnell , nicknamed "Jack the Knife", becomes the new Education Minister. Sam Galbraith is removed to Environment Minister.*
31 October 2000 A leakFact|date=September 2007 reveals that the Scottish Qualifications Authority failed to sort out non-urgentHigher Grade exam results within the planned deadline — and the new Chief Executive was not told.*
9 November 2000 Jack McConnell appoints a new Scottish Qualifications Authority board. 16 of the 24 members have been replaced.*
25 November 2000 The Scottish Qualifications Authority begins sending out accurate exam certificates to students — three months after they were supposed to be delivered.*
10 August 2001 Media reports suggest that the exam results disaster cost the people of Scotland over £11 million.External links
* [http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/historic/education/reports-00/edr00-11-v1-03.htm#06 The full report] to the
Scottish Parliament of the difficulties experienced in2000 .
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