This year's performance

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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yplx
Posts: 27
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:51 pm

This year's performance

Post by yplx »

my daughter's school, a normal state primary school, has over 10 pupil qualifed 11+ out of 30+ and 3 scored 141. This has surprised me. Is it this year there are less pupil population so that the passing rate is higher? just being curious.

I have heard some private schools have 100% pass rate and most of them scored 141. is it true?
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi yplx

There are always rumours of this sort flying round!

The size of the cohort is broadly similar to last year. I speculated a few days ago that the pass rate did seem fractionally higher, but it was a very subjective view based on information from my local area.

It is extremely unlikely that any school - state or private - would achieve a 100% pass rate (unless there was only a very small number of entrants!), and even less likely that they would all have achieved 141.

The percentage pass rate for private schools tends to be higher than state schools, but it has become clear in recent debates on the forum that one key reason for it is that a higher proportion of private school children don't sit the 11+ because their parents intend to continue with private school education after age 11 - they make a decision to opt out. State school parents seem less likely to opt out.

As an example, at the local state school over 85% of children take the 11+ each year, whereas at the private school only around 65% do. They will tend to be those with the greatest chance of passing, and thus the pass rate is higher.

Sally-Anne
hugh

Post by hugh »

I'm not sure it's that uncommon for some prep schools to have 100% pass rate, but probably only those where very few pupils take it, such as my son's old prep, which wasn't in Bucks. So each year only 2 or 3 took 11+ and most years they all passed.
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Sally-Anne wrote: It is extremely unlikely that any school - state or private - would achieve a 100% pass rate (unless there was only a very small number of entrants
Exactly Hugh - it's easy to get a 100% pass rate if only one candidate sits the test and passes!
Guest

Post by Guest »

WELL IN MY SON'S PRIMARY ONLY 3 KIDS PASSED (OUT OF 8 ). 2 OF THEM SCORED 141 IN BOTH TESTS AND ONE SCORED 136 & 137. GOOD RESULTS FOR THE ONES WHO PASSED BUT OVER ALL... :? !!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DID PUPILS FIND 11+ TESTS THIS YEAR? MY SON SCORED 141 IN BOTH AND HE ALWAYS SAID TESTS WERE SO EASY. READING ON THIS FORUM, LOOKS LIKE MANY CHILDREN MUST HAVE FOUND IT VERY HARD :( .
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Guest

There are always a few children who simply find VR very easy because that is just the way their brain works.

As a result, almost twice as many children attain a score of 141 than any other score from 121 - 140.

As a Forum Moderator, please could I ask you not to "shout" in capitals in your next post? Thank you!

Sally-Anne
Arthur66

just wonder

Post by Arthur66 »

Sally-Anne wrote: almost twice as many children attain a score of 141 than any other score from 121 - 140.
With the above in mind don't you think that standarising by approximating to a Normal probability distribution, as I understand NFER does it, does not reflect the real population distribution?
If there is a hump towards the end, maybe the distribution used should be something like a inverted F.
I'm sure there must be an explanation that prove's me wrong, because these people have been doing it for years and seem quite scientific about it.
I just wonder...
Guest

Post by Guest »

You've lost us all now Arthur!!
Belinda1

Post by Belinda1 »

I think Arthur is talking about the 'bell shaped' distribution that standardising the scores gives as explained on the NFER site.
I'm not from Bucks and am a little confused too by (what appears to be) so many 141 scores?
I thought ANY standardised score, if following the example (Bell shaped) distribution by NFER, then only 2% of the cohort (those sitting THAT test) would have a score above 130...
Is that what you were getting at Arthur?
Sally-Anne
Posts: 9235
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
Location: Buckinghamshire

Post by Sally-Anne »

Hi Arthur, Belinda & Guest

As long time Forum users will know, standardisation is the subject I love to hate. I tought it might be helpful to answer your point Belinda. The numbers I have are for 2005/2006 and the scores above 130 read roughly as follows (roughly because they are from a graph, so +/- 5%):

130 = 110
131 = 105
132 = 80
133 = 60
134 = 65
135 = 66
136 = 75
137 = 49
138 = 48
139 = 48
140 = 25
141 = 251

The graph runs from a score of 69 to the peak of 141. From 69 to 140 it resembles a gentle rolling hill, but with the Eiffel Tower at the right hand side for the 141 scores!

I believe that the same picture emerges every year, for whatever reason.

Sally-Anne
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