Standardised Scores

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sillyjolly
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:35 pm

Standardised Scores

Post by sillyjolly »

Hi

Can anyone please explain how schools use standardisation? I understand that no marks are awarded or taken away and that they are children are compared to others the same age as them but is that others who sat the same exam or is a formula applied to the score?

Thanks
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by yoyo123 »

this may help

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/advice ... planation/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
purplerose69
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:26 am

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by purplerose69 »

I personally believe that all this standardisation of scores is absolutely unfair. At the end of the day, it is a test and the result should not be dependent on the month ( or minute!!!!!) the child was born. If anyone is going through all this 11+ saga, then obviously the child is being prepared whether at home or coached by a tutor. Whether one is prepared enough or not - that is the whole point of having the exam and eliminate those who did not have the right score. The score should be rough and not standardised!!! Why should somebody compare children by age???? How ridiculous is this! They all apply for Year 7 at the end of the day.
Jules7
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 7:55 pm

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by Jules7 »

I can understand that the whole thing can be confusing and frustrating (I was v. confused when I first discovered all this). :? However having read through some of the posts on this subject I can see that the age standardisation is fair (even though it works against my DD who is Oct born).

What happens (in Bucks anyway) is that there is a standardisation based on the month they are born. So for instance if your child was born in October, then they would be compared with all the other October children etc. It just so happens that on average those born earlier in the year do score better than those born at the end so they need a higher score to "pass" when all the statistical jiggery pokey is complete.There is evidence out there which shows that Autumn and Winter borns would be advantaged if no age standardisation is done and this is unfair to those who may not be so developed born in the summer. Some children born in the summer will have matured "equally" but there must be a significant number who have not to distort the results like this?

Not sure what happens in other counties and why some don't age standardise?
sillyjolly
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:35 pm

Sitting Tests One Year Ahead

Post by sillyjolly »

Hi

I am looking through my sons school reports to try and compile a table of results by year group. In year 4 he scored 117 in Maths but sat the year 5 test and in year 5 scored 125 but sat a Y6 SATS paper. Do you think this had disadvantaged him in that it is not like-for-like comparison. How do I show this in percentiles?

Thanks
KeepCool
Posts: 155
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:01 am

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by KeepCool »

purplerose69 wrote:I personally believe that all this standardisation of scores is absolutely unfair. At the end of the day, it is a test and the result should not be dependent on the month ( or minute!!!!!) the child was born. If anyone is going through all this 11+ saga, then obviously the child is being prepared whether at home or coached by a tutor. Whether one is prepared enough or not - that is the whole point of having the exam and eliminate those who did not have the right score. The score should be rough and not standardised!!! Why should somebody compare children by age???? How ridiculous is this! They all apply for Year 7 at the end of the day.
As the parent of 3 children with one born in August and one in September I can tell you that the younger child is very disadvantaged and in fact still disadvantaged with the very measly 1 or 2 marks they get added to their score. My older child not only had an extra year of life to gain a wider vocabulary in, but was also more able, physically - i.e. quicker. Obviously, when you are comparing one or two months it's not so obvious but 10 or 11 months is a huge difference at that age.
bucks mum1
Posts: 191
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:20 pm

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by bucks mum1 »

Having two children - one old in the year and one young, I think it is as fair as it can be. An August born child would probably benefit by having an additional five points (approx) added to the score but I also believe 11 months is a huge difference and must be reflected somehow.

I realise by the time you reach GCSE you all have to take the same test and your scores will not be waited but at least you have nearly six more years to catch up
capers123
Posts: 1865
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 9:03 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by capers123 »

purplerose69 wrote:I personally believe that all this standardisation of scores is absolutely unfair. At the end of the day, it is a test and the result should not be dependent on the month ( or minute!!!!!) the child was born.
OK. Let's take the most extreme example.

Take two babies. One born on 1st September 1999, the other 30th August 2000.

On the 1st of September 2000, which one is the most advanced 'educationally'? Can the one day old do anything more than pretty much reflex actions? Can it play with toys? Recognise a range of faces? Now ask the same question about the one whose 1st birthday it is on 1/9/00. Assuming that both have the same intelligence, normal birth & upbringing, the one year old will be one year more advanced than the new-born.

If this test was one by which the babies would be allocated schools later in life, it would not be fair on the new-born, as obviously the one year olds would win every time. Would this be fair? I bet that you will say that it isn't fair.

Come Reception class, do you remember parents complaining that their children shouldn't have to start until summer term because they were the youngest in the class, or heard teachers talking about the 'young ones' being less mature? Yet the young ones may be of the same intelligence as the older ones. Some schools with intakes of 45 will have a class of the oldest 30 Y1's, the youngest 15 Y1's with the oldest 15 Receptions, and then another of the youngest Receptions. They do it like that because the younger Y1's are closer in maturity to the elder Reception children.

Move forwards 7 years to the 11+. The difference in ability due to age still exists, but to a lesser extent. It is still there, and measurable. Would the child one year older still have an advantage over the younger one? Yes, of course - it's been alive for 1 more year, even if they are in the same class.

The standardisation is what allows children of the same ability to be judged against each other, irrespective of the month they were born. That's fair. Not to have standardisation would be unfair to all but the eldest children.
Capers
KeepCool
Posts: 155
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2010 10:01 am

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by KeepCool »

Yes, capers, you are spot on. By the time they get to GCSE's the gap is negligable if at all still in existence; but in Year 6 it's still very much in evidence.
purplerose69
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:26 am

Re: Standardised Scores

Post by purplerose69 »

Sorry, allow me to disagree! If anyone is going through this 11+ saga, as I said earlier, then obviously the child is being prepared whether at home or coached by a tutor. Well, without preparation there iso point doing 11+ anyway. I have friends who start from Year 4 - it is entirely up to the family and the individual case. The score should be rough and not standardised!!!They all apply for Year 7 at the end of the day. Why should a younger child be given a chance to make more mistakes than a slightly older? IT IS AN EXAM AND THE CONDITIONS SHOULD BE EQUAL TO EVERYONE!!! We are not applying for year 6, 7 and 8 - we are applying for year 7 ONLY!!!! It is a tough time, that's true, but this standardisation is the most unfair system ever created. I do wonder who was so "clever" that invented it!!!!
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