Drop in CAT scores?

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kentmum2011
Posts: 46
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:34 pm

Drop in CAT scores?

Post by kentmum2011 »

I haven’t been on here for a while! Following our decision not to appeal DD has settled well into our local high school. I have just received her Term One Report and her CAT scores have dropped quite a bit since the ones done in Y5.

Jan 2011 scores – V: 105, NV: 133, Q: 110

Sep 2012 score – V:101, NV: 118, Q: 96

Her 11+ results, though I understand these are not CATs, showed good improvement between the two so I was a little shocked by this to be honest.

Is this normal? Will it be due to the upheaval of changing schools etc? I would appreciate any thoughts anyone may have on this.
Etienne
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by Etienne »

A single set of CATs results may not be reliable.
There was a discussion about this here:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... Ts#p207889
Etienne
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by mystery »

Were they the same types of paper, same publisher?

If so, my gut feeling would be that the low ones were a bad day for some reason ....... it's surely more likely that one would have a one-off low than a one-off high?

Does the school use them in any way? If not, it's not worth thinking about. If they do, and the drop would seem to have a negative effect in some way on your DD's education, I would ask when they will be doing them again?
West Kent Mum
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:32 pm

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by West Kent Mum »

Same happened for my DS, and he is at a SS so you'd expect some improvement! His CAT scores for Yr 6 are quite a lot higher than the ones he got in Sept Yr 7. I don't really know why, he said the tests were easy and he thought he did really well. Anyway, I have decided not to dwell on it, it is just a test and the learning he is doing in class is IMO much more important!
moved
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Joined: Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:42 pm
Location: Chelmsford and pleased

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by moved »

There is a huge spread of marks for a CAT score - about 20. It is a big problem with them. Scores given as a numerical value appear accurate. A band would be much better.

Taken fron the link Etienne posted:
Each standardised score comes with a ‘confidence interval’ – there’s a 90% chance the true score lies within a certain range. For example, with a score of 120 there is a 90% chance that the ‘true score’ might lie in a range as wide as 109-126.
kentmum2011
Posts: 46
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:34 pm

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by kentmum2011 »

Thanks for your replies.

As far as I know the CATs, along with other tests etc, were used for streaming. The school is split into three and then streamed into three sets, she’s been placed in the stop set for all subjects so effectively in the top third of the school, which is what we would have expected so no, no negative impact on her at all.

I shall do the same as you West Kent Mum and not dwell on it, her overall attainment is what’s important.
mystery
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by mystery »

Oh well that's good. My biggest concern would be that she would be placed in mediocre sets as result of the CATs so you can heave a sigh of relief there.

The other thing it will possibly impact upon is the targets they set for her. There are some school-based target systems which predict grades from a mix of year 6 sats, CAT scores, etc etc. So if her CAT scores are not representative of her potential, she might be set lower targets than you might expect.

Think level 5s, A/A* at GCSE and set your own expectations that way.
Bewildered
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Location: Berkshire

Re: Drop in CAT scores?

Post by Bewildered »

You get different level, CAT's papers. Ones done in yr5 would be aimed at that age group/or level.
So comparing them would be like comparing KS3/Foundation/Higher papers. Unless one is quite certain they were exactly the same ofc.
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