Does ICT in science really work in the classroom? Part 2: The department and its organisation

This article presents a brief survey of the development of testing over the past 150 years in England and Wales, highlighting issues which have been enduring features throughout. It describes how, after the initial development of a national testing system, there was little fundamental change until the 1960s ushered in many innovations. The National Curriculum then imposed its own stability. However, new ideas and evidence suggest ways in which policy and practice will have to change yet again.