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FEATURE FOCUS: EXAMS


responses that lead to rushing or skipping questions. Others cannot access paper-based assessments without the help of a reader or a scribe3. Furthermore, many students with SEND face stigma from peers due to their conditions. Tech-enabled assessments are becoming more


established including the use of braille readers and voice-to-text technology. In line with this, there’s increasing evidence that many students with SEND prefer digital platforms to paper-based options. That’s why exploring the potential for onscreen assessment is vital – if more accessible, could it therefore provide students with SEND better opportunities to demonstrate their abilities?


Positive experiences and assessment of choice To find out, we tested a range of Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9–1) Geography questions with students with mild to moderate forms of SEND in mainstream schools via a digital platform – incorporating different multimedia and response types. By using eye-tracking technology and webcams to capture reactions, plus think-aloud testimonies, interviews, and questionnaires, we were able to gauge how the students engaged with the assessment and the platform. Our research showed that students in the study


overwhelmingly prefer digital assessments, and a significant proportion of their teachers felt that the digital mode would be highly beneficial to such students. Learners liked that they could change their


answers or correct errors in ways that meant they could retain a clear answer space, engage with more attractive, interactive, and multi-modal questions, and preferred being able to type over writing by hand. More than half of the students also chose to personalise and adapt their question views using accessibility features such as adjusting text size and colour in such a way. Ultimately, they reported finding computer-based assessments more enjoyable and engaging than paper-based assessments.


The journey ahead Such positive feedback from students and teachers is encouraging, and also prompts questions around further applications to exam experiences for all. For instance, as the features are available for any student who uses the platform, there's the potential for it to also enhance the assessment experience for students who do not currently have a diagnosis or whose condition is not severe enough to currently require access to the support of a reader/scribe or computer adaptation. Equally, learnings from such studies where we can monitor stress and anxiety responses and unforced processing errors could inform how we shape digital assessment in future for all. Of course, there’s also the distinct possibility that any accessibility, navigation, and personalisation features will be of use to non- SEND learners and positively enrich their exam experience as well. As such, we can think of our research as a


milestone in a much larger journey of exploration. This is highlighted by how the study showed that digital assessments do not automatically equate to a more inclusive assessments across the board.


May 2022 For example, despite the popularity of


accessibility features and personalising the assessment questions in the trial, some students found the task of scrolling – which often arises when screen text is enlarged – to be problematic, leading to observable errors; either because of failing to see essential item content, or because scrolling placed increased demands on their working memory. This is just one example of practical feedback


that can drive changes to digital assessment platforms that improve the accessibility, user experience and performance for learners with SEND. To truly drive impactful changes, we recognise the importance of extending our study to include a wider array of SEND conditions. Key too is ensuring digital assessments are compatible with assistive technologies, so the platforms are accessible to those with complex needs who may benefit from them most. We are looking to continue this in research with Pearson in future.


The questions of universal design and access So how can providers make a conscious and meaningful effort to build assessment platforms that encourage progress and positively impact the life of every learner, as Pearson aims to do? Many designers could adopt a universal design


approach to answer the challenge, such as in architecture, where buildings are ideally constructed to accommodate everyone’s needs. The goal, in architecture, is to design a building that has equitable access, is simple and intuitive to use and requires low physical effort. In terms of assessment, that would mean creating a platform that provides all students with truly accessible and intuitive features. Continuing the analogy, any user of the


building requires a ‘key’ to access it, we as a wider education and assessment community should consider how we unlock access to digital assessment. The findings of the study suggest that the provision of digital exams is likely to shift the resource burden in schools. Discussions of resourcing, however, emphasise the wider challenges for accessibility and digital assessment: the access to devices and technology. Currently, the majority of schools do not have access to enough computers or reliable internet access for every student to be able to sit an online assessment concurrently. For instance, a teacher we interviewed in our study stated that “sometimes with the learners with SEND we even struggle to get headphones for them.” This suggests that resourcing issues might create inequalities between and within schools, which may limit the digital transition unless there is high level policy and financial support for the change. There are hopeful changes on the horizon,


however. We have seen onscreen assessment taking place in France and Finland, with the support of government, and the UK government is pledging every school will have access to high- speed internet by 20254. This is promising and makes the prospect of national, high-stakes onscreen assessment increasingly more feasible – especially if it is part of an accelerated, connected and system-wide transformation that challenges digital inequalities and enables the power of edtech to be realised, as recommended by Pearson in their recent report on Future of


Qualifications and Assessment in England5.


Holistic informed views make for positive impact With such exciting potential comes the need to proactively investigate where and how technology should be used to enrich accessibility and inclusivity and enable students with SEND to progress. It's therefore crucial that, prior to any large-


scale adoption of onscreen assessments, there is a consistent and strong commitment to working with students, practitioners and education providers – as we and Pearson did in our research – to ensure that assessment provides all students with the opportunity to demonstrate their true abilities. A user-centred approach is a must, and data on user experience must be gathered, to be confident that onscreen assessment works equitably by design. It is our hope that this continues, particularly given the references to assessment innovation and transformation in the 3-year plan released by Ofqual, which encouragingly emphasises the need to consider the impact of onscreen assessment on students with SEND. By sharing such research, Pearson and


Assessment MicroAnalytics™ seek to drive conversations across education, qualifications, technology, and policymaking communities, so we can unlock the power of digital assessment. The transition to digital assessment gives the UK an opportunity to create fully inclusive assessments, reducing the need for bureaucratic and stigmatised adjustments. It may even be possible to make assessments enjoyable, as our research participants found during the process of our study! However, as the sector moves forward, it is vital that the voices of students with SEND – and the people who support them – are included and heard at every step of the transformation journey.


To find out more about the Pearson and Assessment Microanalytics™ Study, visit: ugo.pearson.com/AMAStudy


1 Special educational needs in England, Academic Year 2020/21 https://explore-education- statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special- educationalneeds-in-england.


2 Facts and Figures About Disabled People in the UK https://www.disabilitysport.org.uk/facts-and-figures- about-disabled-people-in-the-uk.html 3 Schwartz, R., G. 2017. Handbook of Child Language Disorders: Second Edition, London, Routledge


4 Department for Education (2022) Press release: All schools to have high speed internet by 2025. Published Online https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all- schools-to-have-high-speed-internet-by-2025


5 Qualified to Succeed: Building a 14-19 education system of choice, diversity and opportunity. Pearson’s report into the future of qualifications and assessment in England. Published online: https://www.pearson.com/uk/news-and-policy/future-of- assessment.html


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