Let's do our bit to help parents embarking on 11+ journey

[MSD]

It's invaluable to have a large and varied selection of scores available to make accurate and conclusive predictions regarding future 11+ results. We know from all the threads posted here as to how difficult and confusing this whole 11+ process can be.

As our main Walsall consortium interest is QM boys, I have fired the following email to the Admissions Coordinator, and I expect a response, within 40 days, under Data Protection Act.

Please feel free to copy and fire-off to your respective schools, but please do come back and provide the information on this thread. I honestly believe that every school should be providing this information as a minimum to avoid any sort of confusion and aid parents in making a well informed decision regarding their child's future.

Dear Mr. ****,

I am writing to formally request the following information for my son, ****, Candidate number - ****, DOB - ****, under Data Protection Act.

a) Breakdown of raw score for each subject area
b) Maximum available raw score for each subject area
c) SD score for each subject area
d) Total SD score
e) Final weighted SD score
f) Rank order
g) Total number of children who took the test.

I will appreciate if you could look into this request and I very much look forward to hearing back from you.

Regards

[Petitpois]

aaahhhh! I get it

MSD

Mother &
Statistics
Director

[Turtlegirl]

This will also cost the schools (and therefore the taxpayer) time and money. So perhaps not such a wise idea. Why is knowing the raw score necessary? Speculating about it provides something to talk about on the forum, but I can't see any real benefit, tbh.

[MSD]

There is a common perception that scores in the range of 90% are required to gain a grammar school place. Knowing the actual raw scores and corresponding SD will allay a lot of fears and misgivings for future 11+ parents. And what is the harm in knowing the actual mark the child scored in the test. SD to many parent has no real value and means nothing. If I have worked hard on a child for the past year of two, I will most definitely want to know his actual raw score.

But I am sure there will be others who will disagree with all the above and can happily opt out.

Why will it cost any extra if they provide this info in the first place. They already have it and they are not typing it individually for each candidate. It's just collated from a certain spreadsheet.

[MSD]

I am also hoping if we send a lot of requests out they will start providing this information as standard from next year onwards and make parents life lot simpler.

I remember Mimossa providing us with some raw scores last week and lot of parents found them really useful. The best presentation of results I have seen so far is from Warwickshire consortium. All schools must provide similar detailed information.

[Hajra]

We will be emailing as I do think many minds will be put at ease and it will aid in making realistic decisions about our dc's schools

[MSD]

Thanks Hajra!

It's end of our 11+ journey with both boys and have no vested interest in this. I remember spending a lot of time trawling through old posts to understand the current scoring system and how the SD's were put together. So I really hope a detailed scoring report will save a lot of headache for future 11+ parents.

Just ask yourself this question. Do you find WHGH and Adams reporting system satisfactory? Personally, I think it's pathetic causing so much unnecessary chaos.

[Petitpois]

I'll be sending one to Walsall and one to KE in due course

PP

[MSD]

Thanks PP! Let's hope they start providing this information as standard from next year.

[WindowGlass]

Sorry, but something about this slightly disturbs me.

I am not even sure it rightly comes under the scope of the Data Protection Act.


When one enters into the 11+ process (as with any other exam), does one waive the right to inspect hoe the internal machine works? I imagine CEM quite closely guard the design of their tests.

I mean, when one enters data into a smartphone, that does not give one the right to determine how that data is stored and procesed: you just get the result and if you don't like it, go and buy somewhere else.

Now I know this is a public funded process, the implications can be significant and that after this has a real affect on a DC's educational path, but still something about this challenge slightly unsettles me.

Other people have probably tried to do the same. What was the result?

Perhaps it is a similar case to openness and transparency in school performance (league tables!).
Yes, we want schools to be accountable, but we also want them to be free to educate - not just teach to a narrow test.

We want (I think!) grammar schools to select DC who will thrive in the kind of academically achieving and talented environment they provide (and cultivate by means of selectivity) but we also want to be assured that that selective process is just and fair don't we?

As TG said, providing this data would cost the schools more. They're already confederating on the examinations, which should reduce the costs/waste/unfairness. I don't think they get any extra money to fund the them do they?
Perhaps an online system of reporting could help: most admissions processes seem to be online now anyway, so perhaps it could be integrated into these. But then some local councils seem so set against selective schools: would they pay to develop this facility on their systems?

Anyway, an interesting discussion, even though the implications could be more than just interesting.

Regards.