What does the score 121 mean?

[Okanagan]

The raw scores go through a statistical process called standardisation which starts by looking at the average of the raw scores for this exact test. Okanagan posted a nice explanation in the Warwickshire forum here.

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 02#p329502" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The standardisation is done by age, so older children compared against older children, younger against younger to make it fairer.

At the end of the day, all the raw scores will be translated into standardisation scores, one for verbal, one for non-verbal and one for maths. These three scores are then combined by "weighting" so that verbal will contribute to 50% of the final standardised score, non-verbal 20% and maths 30% giving an overall final STTS (standardised transfer test score). This is the key number.

This year the STTS scores for Bucks will be more spread out than in previous years, they will range from 40 to 180+, and in theory the average is 100 (though it's not always been in Bucks and figures like 110 have been mentioned). An overall combined STTS score of 121 or more will mean the child does qualify for Grammar schools. It doesn't matter if it's 121 or 180 both qualify equally.

This year hopefully the spreading out of scores will work so we should expect less people to achieve 120 and 119 etc making it easier for selection reviews and appeals to differentiate between the near misses.

The 110 isn't a myth - it was included in the FAQs about the new format test,

The current process produces standardised scores of between 69 and 141 with a mean of approximately 110. In 2013 about 32.9% achieved the qualifying mark of 121.

Also worth repeating is information from the presentations given to the schools (reported here by Booklady):

Range of Scores:
Standardised scores in previous years between 69 to 141
With new tests range of scores will be wider 40 to 180+
The same percentage of pupils will qualify as in previous years

STTS may, in future be as high as about 180 and as low as about 40. (Or possibly an even greater spread.) This greater spread of scores will give better differentiation between pupils, particularly around the qualifying score of 121.
An important implication of this is that the only score that will equate directly to previous tests is 121. No other score will equate directly, thus, for example an ‘old’ score of 110 will in future be a ‘new’ score of about 98.
None of this undermines the fact that the standardisation process puts all pupils on the same scale regardless of their chronological age at the time of testing. Even though the ‘old’ score was 110 and the new score is 98 this does not mean either score indicates the child is more or less able than the other – YOU CANNOT DIRECTLY COMPARE OLD AND NEW SCORES EXCEPT AT THE POINT OF 121.