[senco-forum] online CATs

Dear all,
I went to a training session at our LEA training and development centre on Tuesday for digital or online CATS tests. Seems they will take about the same amount of time as the paper tests but as they are taken on a screen with headphones, each child gets individual delivery of the instructions and can try out the practice tests as many times as they wish before beginning the actual test. The tests are timed onscreen ( a digital clock counts down) and each test takes the same amount of time as on paper and the child has to sit and wait while the time runs out for each subtest even if they've finished - but they can go back and check their answers if they want to.
The non verbal with the folded paper bit was very well demonstrated on the screen. I usually use a piece of paper to demonstrate and that's what the screen display did - so that was good.
Of course the results should be fairly rapidly produced and can be stored on Granada's central server for ever.
Your school SIMS system already has all the pupils details and these can be transferred across - the results can be transferred back to SIMS. 
SEN children may well be more motivated than others by doing it on a screen.
No more transcribing those few papers that are done in biro or where the marks go right outside of the boxes and you can't rub the out.
Each child has to have a log in and a password and I can see problems with that - they already forget their own passwords and it can take time to log pupils on in an IT lesson as it is.
The cost of a secondary annual licence is about £875 and that is apparently best value if you have more than about 120 pupils in your cohort.
They're run by Granada Learning.
There are certain system requirements and I think the IT staff would have to be trained and available.(About £1000 for the training - but schools could get together in an area to reduce costs).
They reckoned the most individuals in one school to take the test at the same time could be 120.
I shall be writing an advantages and disadvantages list for SLT and will e-mail to anyone who wants it once I;ve done it - I'll let the forum know.
We wouldn't have to stand there repeating the instructions any more - we wouldn't have to hump books and papers around - children wouldn't struggle with filling in little pencil marks in tiny blue holes. The on screen version is so much what they're used to.
If the system crashes in the middle of the test you will lost the information and they'll have to do it another time.
It would use up lots of computers and IT rooms - which might be a bind.
The system for actually operating the tests seemed slightly complicated and training would be available - at a cost.
If a consortium of schools got together they may be able to negotiate a cheaper package.
Of course you can run any groups at a time - put all your sen children together with TAs for assistance for example.
If a child enters late into the year, if someone is absent - their test results can be fitted in with the rest of the cohort simply enough.
You can pay individually for the tests - forget how much.
I might try it on the 2 children who missed their CATS a few weeks ago - as a trail run - not sure - I rather feel I'd like someone more IT literate to be responsible for running the testing and entering the whole thing online.
I suspect that the powers that be might like to use them.
It only takes a few weeks to set the school up with the system - June and July are madly busy times and I think if you'e going to start in next year - get ready asap - certainly by May. There may be budget implications and not every school will have spare cash to invest at this time of year.
Can't think of anything else off the top of my head but will be writing up notes over the weekend probably for SLT
Cheers
Janice :)
Janice WraySecondary SENCO, Herts

> Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 19:53:15 +0000> From: amandavh at btinternet.com> Subject: Re: [senco-forum] online CATs> To: chris19251 at blueyonder.co.uk; senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk> CC: > > Hi Chris> I didn't know you could do CATs online.> > I know how the CAT tests we did worked:> The pencil and paper tests have instructions which are read by the teacher plus practice questions. Pupils then do one section for between 8 and 10 minutes with no further support.> Verbal questions can't be read to them as it isn't standardised for support with reading so weak readers struggle with this test. Quantitative and non-verbal questions have no words and should be accessible to non-readers once the instructions have been understood.> > Are the online ones similar? What is the advantage of doing them online?> > Amanda> Secondary SENCO> Cornwall> > chris white <chris19251 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:> > We are doing these for the first time next week.> What experiences do others have of these?> What special arrangements do you give?> Thanks> Chris> > > > > > > > Amanda> Secondary SENCO> Cornwall
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