This is very much a work in progress. I will be adding to this list over the summer.
Here it begins:
A review for the Wellcome Trust offers a very interesting comparison of the relative experiences of primary science teachers and their pupils in England, where statutory key stage 2 tests remain, and Wales, where they have been scrapped. A summary of the research, provided for the Select Committee’s assessment inquiry, is here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmchilsch/memo/169/ucwell02.htm
The following paper, “Can Testing Really Raise Educational Standards?”, by Harry Torrance of Manchester Metropolitan University, provides a good overview of the standards debate, putting it in its historical context. It can be viewed here:
http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/respapers/papers-pdf/Professorial%20Lecture.pdf
Barbara Hibbert, head of history at Harrogate grammar, north Yorkshire, has written a PhD thesis on the experiences of history students after they finish their A-levels and move on to university. She interviewed 29 second-year A-level students from six schools and colleges, then re-interviewed 12 of them in their first year of degree study, plus another 14 undergraduates.A central finding is that many of the students felt unprepared for higher education study, having been spoonfed towards exam success while at school. This is in line with the findings of the Nuffield 14-19 Review’s focus group work with admissions tutors.
An abstract of the thesis can be accessed here:
http://www.usefulpot.com/phd/bhibbert.htm