The central claim of this fascinating monograph is that strategies for vocational and professional education adopted by the UK over the last two decades are founded upon a number of fundamental and fatal errors. The essential problem is that these strategies derive from a number of philosophical confusions about what it is to be skilled, competent or capable. The aim of the book is to unravel the philosophical assumptions at the heart of current strategies, examine their shortcomings and propose a more coherent account of vocational and professional capability. It will be argued that not only does this have serious practical implications for the vocational curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment, but that it indicates the need for an urgent and radical reassessment of the relationship between vocational, general and academic education.>

What purpose does educational assessment serve? Are the same instruments suitable for different purposes? How much trust can we place upon the outcomes of educational assessment? The subject of educational assessment is much discussed and much misunderstood. Policymakers assert its importance to quality in education and its essential role in ensuring accountability for public education, and the results of educational assessment are thought to be of such vital interest to society that they are often made public knowledge. This approachable text explores the philosophical issues underlying these debates and how they impact on public educational policy. Two leading educators well-known for their work on educational assessment offer different perspectives on the value of exams and tests for a flourishing system of education, while the editor, Gerard Lum, comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments.

The central claim of this fascinating monograph is that strategies for vocational and professional education adopted by the UK over the last two decades are founded upon a number of fundamental and fatal errors. The essential problem is that these strategies derive from a number of philosophical confusions about what it is to be skilled, competent or capable. The aim of the book is to unravel the philosophical assumptions at the heart of current strategies, examine their shortcomings and propose a more coherent account of vocational and professional capability. It will be argued that not only does this have serious practical implications for the vocational curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment, but that it indicates the need for an urgent and radical reassessment of the relationship between vocational, general and academic education.