SQA Adapted Digital Question Papers: The story so far….

1. SQA Adapted Digital Question Papers:The story so far…. Paul D. Nisbet CALL Scotland University of Edinburgh

2. Adapted Digital Papers

3. Requests for Adapted Digital Papers 2006-2010

4. 2009 requests by local authority

5. 2009 requests by schools

6. 2009 requests by subject (subjects with requests > 10)

7. Reasons for requesting ADPs, 2009

8. Pupils’ comments 2006 & 2007 I would prefer to have split screens so that I could see questions and tables together instead of having to refer to another page. Prefer it to using a scribe. Easier to give answers. Easy to do. You can see both the questions and the text at the same time. Enjoyed using it!

9. Pupils’ comments 2006 & 2007 Papers are simpler to use. You do not have to fiddle about with different papers. By switching windows, you can see both the question and the text at the same time. Because it is much easier to use than a reader

10. Staff evaluations 2006 trials

11. Pupils’ results with digital papers • “Candidates’ results from digital papers are similar to their teachers’ estimates” • “there appears to be little difference between [marks awarded for] entries using digital papers and the other entries sat by the same candidates” Nisbet, P.D., Shearer, N., Balfour, F., Aitken, S., (2006) SQA Adapted Examination Papers in Digital Format: Feasibility Report 2005-2006. www.adapteddigitalexams.org.uk

12. Reliability • “Digital exams were the only part of the 2007 diet which did not cause significant problems – they simply worked. Probably this was assisted by more stringent attention to detail, adequate risk assessment, etc.” • “I personally would like to see digital exams as the default choice for pupils with physical disabilities, and paper, helpers, scribes etc as options which would need to be specially requested, because I believe they are empowering, less difficult to administer and cost-effective.”

13. Accommodation “We had 2 rooms set up with double sized tables to allow a comfortable amount of room for laptop and papers. Each candidate was allocated a table which was the same for each exam. All tables were numbered and we made use of screen dividers which created a booth effect and cut down distractions and gave a certain amount of privacy in the small classroom. We had 9 candidates sitting the exam in digital format and 2 writing in the same room for the Standard Grade English exam. Candidates names and numbers were on the desks, and times.”

14. % of AA candidates using ADPs (12 schools 2006-08)

15. 2008 requests to support writing (46 centres using ADPs) “We really appreciate this format of exam paper. The pupils are generally much happier to be independent rather than depend on scribes and readers. This year all our S3 and S4s sat the SG English examination at the same time. If we had had to provide readers and/or scribes for this we would not have been able to staff it.”

16. Support for writing 2007-08(12 centres using ADPs)

17. Support for reading(data from 18 centres in 2008)

18. Text-reading software2007-2008

19. Use of readers 2007-2008

20. Cost analysis:School ‘H’ English Standard Grade, 5 pupils using ADPs instead of reader/scribes

21. School ‘H’ Standard Grade: digital papers for 5 pupils • 5 pupils, 5 computers, 1 room • Preparation time (SfL): 1 hour? • Technician time: 2 hours? • Running time (SfL): 3.15 hours? • Total: 7.15 hours

22. School ‘H’ readers/scribes vs. digital School H buys in all readers/scribes at £25 per half day. The school saved £1000 by using ADPs in 2008. * Cost calculated at £20/hour

23. Costs of readers/scribes • 16,554 reader requests; 14,197 scribe requests • ~ 30,000 individual exams • ~ 60,000 hours • Say average £20/hour for reader/scribe? = £1,200,000 • Say £10/hour for invigilator? = £600,000 • TOTAL = £1.8 m in Scotland per annum