[senco-forum] SATS levels

'average' pupil, or the 'mean

'It's all very baffling.'

Maggie - that's as good a summary of the National Curriculum as I've heard. 
All of your points, and Chris's, are valid.

NC Levels derived from SATs or teacher assessment can't represent the same 
levels of knowledge, understanding and skills at different Key Stages 
because the curriculum content at Key Stages is different.

In the earlyish days of the NC, the then Education Secretary John Patten 
(who I think marked his own card by calling a parent 'neanderthal' on live 
radio) famously tried to justify SATs by explaining that they were needed to 
identify what each child hadn't learned.  This did seem to be a 
misunderstanding.  SATs themselves aren't used for formative assessment; the 
outcomes don't inform the next part of the child's curriculum, which is 
already prescribed in the content of the next Key Stage.

Describing each child's performance in terms of National Curriculum Levels 
is possibly the least useful way ever devised to inform us about his / her 
knowledge, skills, understanding, level of literacy, general intelligence, 
aptitudes, attitudes, strengths and weaknesses.  Never mind all that 
nonsense, he's Level 4.

There are times when I think that some of us have lived and taught through 
one of the greatest educational illusions ever invented - one which social 
historians in the future will have the most tremendous fun with.

Biff

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maggie Downie" <maizie2004 at yahoo.co.uk>
To: "'lk s'" <lks1985 at hotmail.com>; <senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>; "chris 
white" <chris19251 at blueyonder.co.uk>
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 7:19 PM
Subject: Re: [senco-forum] SATS levels

lks,

I don't have Sharon's response to you, but as far as Chris's is concerned I
> 'average' pupil, or the 'mean
> score' (not sure which) for children of 11 years old
>
>
>
> As to your original question, the curriculum is cumulative.
> Children learn
> new facts, concepts and skills as they progress through
> school.
> Consequently to achieve a level 4 in Year 6 in Science say
> a pupil will be
> expected to know a certain number of facts etc. but to
> achieve a level 4 in
> Year 9 the number of facts etc will be increased and be far
> more complex.
>
> Effectively to achieve a level 4 in Year 6 a child will
> have allegedly
> demonstrated they are able to understand and learn the
> curriculum at an
> average speed with their peers. If they achieve a level 4
> in Year 9 they are
> working at a slower speed than their peers.
>
> I think this is correct!! If its not I'm sure someone
> else will correct my
> inaccuracies and explain it to you more succinctly. (I hope
> my personal
> opinions on the original National Curriculum have not
> clouded my argument
> too much!)"

It is my understanding (insofar as anyone is able to understand *anything* 
about SATs) that the levels *should* represent the same level of knowledge 
and skills throughout all the key stages.  Though Secondary Science teachers 
will tell you that this is patently untrue in their subject and that, as 
Chris describes, a L4 sci. at KS3  *does* represent a different level of 
knowledge & skills from that at KS2.  If they are meant to be 'different' 
then this is even more unfair on secondary, who are supposed to get a KS2 L4 
to L6 at KS3 (i.e KS3 is supposed to 'add' 2 levels).  If Chris's 
understanding of it is correct (and I'm not disputing that for an instant) 
then at KS3 you would have to be 'adding' far in excess of 2 levels.  Which 
is dotty...

Another point; was the 'standardisation' exercise just carried out the once? 
I thought that the whole point of a standardised test was that it remains 
the same test; that different cohorts take exactly the same test (as with a 
standardised reading test, such as Vernon, NFER, Burt etc.)SATs are not 
exactly the same test every year.  How can they bear any resemblence to the 
original test on which the standardisation was carried out?

It's all very baffling.

Maggie

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