B'ham/Warks - different standardisations?

[KenR]

Well, if what KenR explained is correct, then it will be the same SD score for both regions, as they will standardising together for 7500 children.

I am wondering if that will then kind of screw up any comparisons with previous cut- off scores as you will have more candidates on each SD point.

KenR - What do you think?

I'm not totally sure (but maybe Waks and B /Ham don't know either!). I'm only going from what was stated in the Warks admissions information:-

Registering for the test
Parents/carers living in Warwickshire must register for the test with Warwickshire
Admissions. Parents/carers living in Birmingham must register for the test with The
Grammar Schools in Birmingham. Parents/carers living in other authorities should
register for the test in the region in which they would most like their child to attend a
school.

That says to me that if for parents living in say Wythall (which is in Worcs but in the priority circle) who were interested say in KECHB and Stratford KES, then they don't have to register with Warks but they can include Stratford KES is their CAF form (so long as they registered with the B/Ham consortium and ticked the "share details" box.

In truth I doubt it will screw up comparison as it is just a bigger cohort sample - actually it may improve the accuracy of the standardisaton process this year.

Should find out soon enough!

[MSD]

Hi KenR,

I think I might be misunderstanding the cut-off figures being screwed. Let's take an example.

Let's say one of the key schools had 220 cut-off last year, but now with additional 2200 (Warwickshire cohort) taking the test, there will more candidates placed on each point on higher scores. So the old 220 now isn't truly the same as new 220. With more candidates in the mix you can potentially have an additional 500 candidates above 220.

I will really be doubtful if they standardise Birmingham and Warwickshire together. Not long left now

[booellesmum]

If they do standardise together and there are more children above 220 because of the consortium's joining, I can see this making knowing which school to apply to difficult using last year's cut offs as a guide.
It shouldn't make much of a difference in the end as still same number of school places to fill BUT I can envisage a lot more wait list movement.

[MSD]

And imagine some hypothetical clustered scores :

95% of all Warwickshire candidates between 220 and 225
Or
95% of all Birmingham candidates between 220 and 225

That will most definitely screw up comparison with previous year cut-off.

[ToadMum]

Two questions:

- when you register to take the test, does the application form ask whether you wish to share with the other area, whichever of the two you apply through? (i.e. does everyone, OOC included, get the chance to 'share'?).
- why would they ask about sharing, if the two groups are just to be standardised all as one cohort?

I understand that in Gloucestershire, you can only apply on your CAF to a school in whose sub-cohort your child's score has been standardised. I'm wondering whether the Warwickshire statement not needing to have registered through them so long as you registered through Birmingham means 'and asked to share' - i.e. followed the whole process of the Birmingham application? If it doesn't say that, though, and the 'sharing' box does mean they standardise separately, then I can't see how they can deal with random applications to their schools from DC with only a 'Birmingham' score. And if this wouldn't really matter, why if they do) bother to standardise as two cohorts?

By the way, if they do standardise the two cohorts separately there is no need to tell you (or even calculate) an overall standardised score, as the Birmingham schools would rank applicants (i.e. those actually putting the school on their CAF) by one and the Warks schools by the other.

[MSD]

Yes, the Birmingham application form asked parents if they wanted to share results with Warwickshite. And we ticked that box as Warwickshire traditionally are really detailed with their results as compared to Brum.

[nervousmom]

We applied through Warwickshire and ticked the Birmingham box, as Birmingham school is our first choice, with warks schools next.

None of our info off Warks indicates when or how results will be sent!