Shock 11+ score 120 : 120 (Bucks)

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Cola
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:26 pm

Shock 11+ score 120 : 120 (Bucks)

Post by Cola »

My daugther got 120 120 on her bucks 11+ tests. We are in complete shock, as is she. She was predicted to pass and her HT has given her a glowing report, with a 1:1. However, being at an independant school, Key Stage tests are not carried out, although her HT feel that she is working towards level 5. Should I ask her HT at what level 5 she feels she will achieve?
Her NFER CATS scores were 121 in quantitive, 120 in non verbal, but she only got 112 in verbal. Is this worth mentioning? Her familiarisation tests were fine too. (She passed all three) She has a reading age of 14 years months and a spelling age of 12 years. She is the eldest in her year, September birthday. Her school reports displays academic ability and her HT feels she is definitely GS materlal. My only concern is her 112. Any advice much appreciated.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Shock 11+ score 120 : 120

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Cola
My daugther got 120 120 on her bucks 11+ tests.
Very good scores and you have very little to prove.
She was predicted to pass and her HT has given her a glowing report, with a 1:1.
That will count for a lot, provided the Head's recommendations are reliable overall. You will get that information in your appeal pack unless the Head is willing to share it with you beforehand.
However, being at an independant school, Key Stage tests are not carried out, although her HT feel that she is working towards level 5. Should I ask her HT at what level 5 she feels she will achieve?
The Head may enter it on to the form. Some prep schools still use SATs papers as school exams, so it is worth asking about.
Her NFER CATS scores were 121 in quantitive, 120 in non verbal, but she only got 112 in verbal. Is this worth mentioning?

Yes, her strengths do not particularly lie in VR, and therefore the Bucks test may not have allowed her to demonstrate her true ability.
Her familiarisation tests were fine too. (She passed all three)

Of marginal relevance, because the same papers are used every year and panels know that some children may have seen them before.
She has a reading age of 14 years months and a spelling age of 12 years.

A panel will look for 2 years above chronological age, so they are both fine.

You have strong HT support and provided that, her reports and her books show high ability your chances of success are statistically 75%, but with a 1:1 recommendation they may be even higher.

Please remember that the panel are looking first and foremost for ability, and "hard-working" plays second fiddle to that. She is clearly both able and applies herself, but ability will always win.

Sally-Anne
rubyrubyruby
Posts: 58
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 7:35 pm

Re: Shock 11+ score 120 : 120

Post by rubyrubyruby »

Familiarisation tests could however be a small additional nudge if your child has done well- is it could be used to add another plank to the "unexpected underperformance versus the peer group" argument. If you then have an external peer group mark (ie the 11-plus) this must have some validity?

What I mean specifically is that regardless of the actual scores in the familiarisation tests (which were nonetheless good), my son came 11th in the school, and every single one of the boys in the top 14 subsequently passed the 11 plus (apart from DS of course)- suggesting that as a predictor for 11 plus success the tests were actually pretty reliable. what do sally-anne and etienne think?

cheers

rubyrubyruby
Cola
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:26 pm

Re: Shock 11+ score 120 : 120

Post by Cola »

Thanks for this reply, rubyrubyruby. Can Etienne/Sally Anne shed any light on this?

Many thanks
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: Shock 11+ score 120 : 120

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Cola (and ruby)

There is no harm in mentioning it very briefly at the hearing, but for the reasons I gave above it isn't strong evidence. Tutors can and do use the papers for practice, and some even get the child to take them immediately before they are set in school, and panels are very aware of that.

As the scores from the practice papers are not standardised it is difficult to define what a qualifying mark might be. If a child got 75+ out of 80 on all three papers (Paper A is easier) I think it might be reasonably clear cut, but anything lower than that could end up derailing the hearing. What would a qualifying mark be? Is 74/80 about right? Could it be lower or higher? What about her being September born? Was the peer group the same age or much younger? Would their standardised score have been lower or higher in the real tests? ...

Panels do go off at such tangents occasionally, and on such high scores and a 1:1 recommendation I really don't think you need to go this far, and it makes me a little nervous!

Sally-Anne
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Shock 11+ score 120 : 120

Post by Etienne »

It's not something you yourself should raise.

Panels do sometimes ask 'How did the familiarisation go?" - but don't expect them to give any weight to the answer!
Etienne
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