Ebacc to MeBacc: we need to think more creatively about assessment

8 November 2012

(Photography: Alamy. Via Guardian website)

An essay written by Joe Hallgarten (Director of Education at the RSA, policy analyst and programme leader), which originally appeared in the Creative and Cultural Skills publication, 'Creativity Money Love: Learning for the 21st Century' * has been featured on the Guardian website.

In the proposal, Hallgarten presents how important it is that students' ambition for the future and creativity must be reflected when they are being assessed.

( * Creativity, money and love is our shorthand expression for the things we all need and want to be able to lead fulfilling lives. Learning how to engage with them, value them and keep them in some kind of sustainable balance must be at the core of what each generation seeks to pass on to the next. It is what keeps our societies dynamic and harmonious.)

The idea has been successfully applied by the Kingstone School of Creativity in Barnsley, now Horizon Community College, who ran an "assessment for living programme" for five years.

The core of the programme is that, besides showing career related skills, the students need to reflect their ambitions for the future and demonstrate another crucial skills including, among others, creativity and reflectiveness. The students should then write an essay or create film that justifies the learning choices. This assessment then would be presented to parents, peers and assessor to evaluate the progress and achievements.

According to Hallgarten, the 'MeBacc' could actually formalize and put into action this proposal giving it a national status which universities, colleges and employers would appreciate.

Download the original essay here, or go to the Creativity Money Love website to browse other reflections from creative industry leaders.