Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

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pfreegard
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Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pfreegard »

My local authority has just decided they want us to award certificates to all Level 2 trainees at our Primary schools. This is regardless of whether they have successfully passed all the outcomes or not.

They are doing this because:-
- they have received phone calls from irate parents whose child didn't pass and therefore get a certificate (and badge)
- they don't want to deflate a child's ego and possibly put them off cycling if they should not 'successfully complete the outcomes'

For the child that doesn't pass, 'all outcomes not achieved should be listed on the back of the certificate'.

I wondered if any other instructors have encountered this? I'd be interested in your views. (I notice the Bikeability website FAQS section does say you get a certificate if you pass.)
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Cunobelin
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Cunobelin »

pfreegard wrote:My local authority has just decided they want us to award certificates to all Level 2 trainees at our Primary schools. This is regardless of whether they have successfully passed all the outcomes or not.

They are doing this because:-
- they have received phone calls from irate parents whose child didn't pass and therefore get a certificate (and badge)
- they don't want to deflate a child's ego and possibly put them off cycling if they should not 'successfully complete the outcomes'

For the child that doesn't pass, 'all outcomes not achieved should be listed on the back of the certificate'.

I wondered if any other instructors have encountered this? I'd be interested in your views. (I notice the Bikeability website FAQS section does say you get a certificate if you pass.)


We had a "problem" student who was awarded a "soft pass" by her University
Vorpal
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Vorpal »

IMO, that is neither an instructor's decision, nor the local councils to make, and that is the answer I would give them. Bikeability is delivered according National Standards as overseen by DfT.

To hand out certificates to students who have not successfully completed all aspects of training would mean that they are not delivering national standards training, and they cannot call their programme 'Bikeability', nor use Bikeability certificates for that purpose.

If they have a problem with that, refer them to your ITO, or the DfT.
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pjclinch
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pjclinch »

In Scotland we do things a little differently. The certificate is for attending the course rather than passing it, and it has a list of outcomes and a box for a green (secure), amber (consolidating) or red (developing) mark by each, and also an area for instructor's comments.

Further to that there is an explanation, as follows:

Dear Parent/Carer
Your child has completed a course of instruction under level 2 of Bikeability Scotland and his/her performance is recorded in this certificate. It is important that both you and your child recognise that the instruction took place under close supervision on relatively quiet roads. Therefore, this certificate should not be seen as a licence to cycle unsupervised on busy roads.

Learning safe cycling skills is an ongoing process, so it is important for you to make sure that your child keeps using the skills learned during the training. Some notes may have been made on this certificate about certain aspects of cycling that your child needs to practise more. It is very important that your child is given as much help as possible to continue practising the skills taught on the course, especially those commented on.
There are some useful websites in the Cyclist’s Guide and in the Parent’s Guide you should have received when your child registered on
the course. Your local Cycle Trainer will also be able to provide you with further information on cycle safety and improving cycling abilities.

Assessment of performance
Secure - Well done! You have shown a high level of understanding of this learning outcome. Keep up this standard, keep safe, and keep cycling!
Consolidating - You have progressed well and met this learning outcome with some mistakes. With adult help, you should read the comments and try to improve on the areas noted.
Developing - You have shown some progress but have not yet achieved this learning outcome. With adult help, you need further training in the areas noted, paying attention to the comments.


So the certificate has a high degree of granularity built in, and everyone gets useful feedback and a certificate. Win/Win, I'd say, and if you're not up to scratch you know particularly where and why. This is a fairly standard feature of Scottish Education's "Curriculum for Excellence", and strikes me as much better than the pass/fail that used to get given out.

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pjclinch
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pjclinch »

Beyond what we do in Scotland, I'd agree with Vorpal's comments.

As to deflating a child's ego, I'd much rather do that than be partly responsible for over-inflating it to the degree where they thought they could safely mix it with the truck that killed them when they neglected to look before swinging in to its path...

I am very wary when marking green/amber/red that it could really be a matter of life and death if I'm overly "nice". I do try and avoid too much mention of death, destruction and doom when teaching the course to bring home that cycling is safe if you know what you're at, but that is conditional upon knowing what you're at and saying someone congenitally incapable of looking before they do anything is "safe" is, well, unsafe.

My benchmark for green is "Would I be happy for my own child to be riding like that?" (they're in P6 and P7 and have been doing Bikeability Scotland 2 this year, and ride to school on their own, so that brings it home).

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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Psamathe »

pjclinch wrote:As to deflating a child's ego, I'd much rather do that than be partly responsible for over-inflating it to the degree where they thought they could safely mix it with the truck that killed them when they neglected to look before swinging in to its path...

Something I mention quite a lot: the thing that goes rount the internet every now and again often known as "As Kids ..." (or actually titled "Congratulations To All The Kids Who Were Born In The 1940's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!"). Amusing (some people disagree with it) but about how kids born in the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's were brought-up and the result of that upbringing. One relevant bit:
"Local teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!". It does seem that these days many kids are being brought-up unable to handle being not as good at something to the point that when told "not good enough" they at best give-up; whereas my generation took that as a motivator to work hard and get good enough.

The full "As Kids" is everywhere (and quoting it all here in this forum section is not relevant).

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Si
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Si »

I thought that this came down from the DfT as we are having to move to something like this system too despite everyone hating it and it costing us more money (because you have to purchase extra badges).

I would explain exactly what the new system is but even the guy that wrote it up confused himself when he tried to present it!

The issue is not only the extra cost and giving out certs for those who don't achieve all outcomes...but the extra documentation needed on the back of the certs!
axel_knutt
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by axel_knutt »

Are we to assume that they're going to be doing the same with driving tests too?
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Si
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Si »

They already do don't they? If you fail you still get a document which says that you have taken the test and lists what you failed to do correctly in order to get a pass.

Only difference is that the examiner isn't left with a load of 'passed a driving test' badges.
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pjclinch
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pjclinch »

Another difference in Scotland is no badges (aside from the instructors who have a lapel one in their packs) and all resources supplied free through Cycling Scotland.

OTOH we don't get paid anything...

I don't much like doing the reporting, but the fact is if done properly it provides the student with more and better info.

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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Vorpal »

I think that a certificate with specific feedback and level of performance would be a good idea. But that's different than issuing a level 2 certificate to everyone who particpates. I don't think that it is reasonable to use a Level 2 certificate for this purpose.
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pjclinch »

Vorpal wrote:I think that a certificate with specific feedback and level of performance would be a good idea. But that's different than issuing a level 2 certificate to everyone who particpates. I don't think that it is reasonable to use a Level 2 certificate for this purpose.


I think it's really down to formatting. The Scottish "certificate" is A4 folded in to an A5 pamphlet, so the bit to hang on the wall is the "cover page" (stating "This is to certify that _______ has completed Bikeability Scotland Level 2" (i.e., you have attended the course), the inside two pages are the outcomes log and assessor's comments, and the back page is the notes quoted earlier.

Seems okay to me...

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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Vorpal »

Sorry if I wasn't clear.

If the certificates read 'This is to certify that ............ has taken part in Bikeability Level 2' That's okay. If the certificates read 'This is to certify that ............ has successfully completed Bikeability Level 2', that's not okay.



I don't like the idea of giving all participants the exact same thing at completion, however. I think it waters down the concept of Bikeability training. Is someone who cannot ride safely in traffic to be given the same certificate as someone who can? How do you tell who is eligible to complete Level 3?

There would need to be some additional information about specific outcomes with tick boxes (succeeded / needs work / did not complete successfully) or something like that. Otherwise any certificate becomes pretty meaningless.
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by pjclinch »

Vorpal wrote:Sorry if I wasn't clear.

If the certificates read 'This is to certify that ............ has taken part in Bikeability Level 2' That's okay. If the certificates read 'This is to certify that ............ has successfully completed Bikeability Level 2', that's not okay.

I don't like the idea of giving all participants the exact same thing at completion, however. I think it waters down the concept of Bikeability training. Is someone who cannot ride safely in traffic to be given the same certificate as someone who can? How do you tell who is eligible to complete Level 3?

There would need to be some additional information about specific outcomes with tick boxes (succeeded / needs work / did not complete successfully) or something like that. Otherwise any certificate becomes pretty meaningless.


The additional information on the Scottish certificate is exactly as you suggest would be needed. You've red, amber and green possibilities for each of the specific outcomes. So once that is filled in you're not giving everyone the same thing, and especially when you add individual assessment notes. There's a sample of the certificate (and the optional Competency Marking Sheet) in the Scottish Trainer's Guide, which is currently downloadable at http://cyclingscotland.msol.org.uk/Uploads/1395738093_0khD2EO5_201311l2trainersguide.pdf, certificate on p7-8.

Someone who cannot ride safely in traffic, and proceeding to L3... For what values of "traffic"? Level 2 doesn't actually require riding in traffic for any of the NS outcomes (it needs you to look around for it, but not to actually interact with it unless there happens to be some), so if you did your training/assessment on quiet days in quiet places the ability to mix it with genuine traffic in any volume wouldn't actually be indicated with a L2 Pass certificate. Level 2 environments are very benign by necessity, Level 3 takes in pretty much anything and it's a big jump. A level 2 pass on its own is, IMHO, no indication that someone is ready yet for L3.
We typically look to teach L3 a year (at least) later, and that assumes building on the foundations of L2 in the interim. An L2 pass and not much riding for a year, or an L2 marginal fail followed by a year of working at it, which do you think would be most ready for L3?

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Vorpal
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Re: Level 2 certificates awarded if you don't pass?

Post by Vorpal »

pjclinch wrote:Someone who cannot ride safely in traffic, and proceeding to L3... For what values of "traffic"? Level 2 doesn't actually require riding in traffic for any of the NS outcomes (it needs you to look around for it, but not to actually interact with it unless there happens to be some), so if you did your training/assessment on quiet days in quiet places the ability to mix it with genuine traffic in any volume wouldn't actually be indicated with a L2 Pass certificate. Level 2 environments are very benign by necessity, Level 3 takes in pretty much anything and it's a big jump. A level 2 pass on its own is, IMHO, no indication that someone is ready yet for L3.
We typically look to teach L3 a year (at least) later, and that assumes building on the foundations of L2 in the interim. An L2 pass and not much riding for a year, or an L2 marginal fail followed by a year of working at it, which do you think would be most ready for L3?

Pete.

I never had the chance to work any place really quiet. Even rural villages in Essex seem to have some day time traffic, and some have quite heavy school run traffic that begins as early as 2:15, so mums in oversized 'family' vehicles can jostle for the best parking places :roll: I guess they draw from a wide area, so there are more children who travel more than a mile to school.

In any case, all of my Bikeability students had the opportunity to interact with traffic. And several did not pass level 2 because they failed to understand those interactions!
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