Scrap these '19th-century' GCSEs, says expert

From tomorrow's Observer:

A leading expert on exams and testing has claimed that GCSEs are stuck in the '19th century', forcing pupils to memorise facts that will be little use to them later in life.
Just days before more than half a million teenagers across England and Wales pick up their results, Professor Dylan Wiliam, deputy director of the Institute of Education, who has researched testing regimes across the world, argued that the examination system should be completely reformed.

Full story here

Times article: 10 minute test to help screen for dyslexia

Cartoon pictures of a grey mongrel cat washing herself and a small blue alien are at the heart of a new test to help parents to establish whether their children have dyslexia.
The ten-minute test, developed by speech therapists and psychologists, screens young children for language disorders from the age of 3. By testing simple grammatical and pre-reading skills, parents, teachers or assistants can check whether a child is “school-ready” or may need more help.

For more info on obtaining the test GAPS click here http://www.dldcn.com/

To read the complete article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2561005,00.html