NFER Year 4 tests

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NFER Year 4 tests

Post by Guest »

Hi
Can anyone tell me what these NFER tests measure in year 4? My daughter (July birthday), got very good marks in all three tests and I believe these were standardised based on her age.

I was particularly surprised by the high mark she received in verbal reasoning as her vocabulary isn't that good. Are these tests based on the 11+ type questions and is it an indication that potentially, with additional tutoring from us, she is on track for the 11+ in 18 months time?
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

Dear Guest

Can you tell us anything more about the names of these three tests?

And what exactly was the high mark for VR?

Regards
Etienne
bucksguest
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:28 pm

Post by bucksguest »

Are the tests you are referring to the CAT Tests which are usually sat in the spring term? You get given 3 marks which are supposed to be an indicator to how well your child will perform at 11+ but I did not think they were age standardised.
Guest

Post by Guest »

Hi Sorry for not replying but I have only just returned from holiday.

Etienne - The NFER tests were in maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning and the mark my daughter received in verbal reasoning was 135.

Bucksguest - These tests were taken in the middle of March and the teacher said they had been age standardised. I have heard of the CAT tests but these were not mentioned when we were given the results so I really am not sure.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

Dear Guest

I suspect these are CATs. (You will find a posting about CATs under GENERAL 11PLUS TOPICS > Eleven Plus General Topics.)

I would regard your daughter's VR score as certainly encouraging, but some caution is advisable because:
1. The 11+ is standardised differently, so comparisons are difficult.
2. The format is not the same (CAT VR is broken down into 3 smaller sections).
3. There is probably a lot more pressure associated with the 11+.
4. "A pupil's score is only an estimate of true ability ....." - NFER. (I never tire of quoting this!) However carefully constructed a test may be, the standardised score is unlikely to be 100% reliable.

I hope the school might re-test in year 5 because then you will be able to see whether there is a pattern to the results. Another very high VR score would make it less likely that the 135 was a freak result.
Etienne
Guest

Post by Guest »

Etienne,

Thanks very much for your advice which makes sense and I guess we need to see how she does next year as I believe the school re-test in year 5. I'll also have a look at the posting about CATs under the general 11+ topics.
Interested in CAT tests

Post by Interested in CAT tests »

Can anyone tell me if a school does CAT tests in years 4 and 5, are they not at an advantage with the future 11+ results of their pupils compared with schools that only practice for the 11+ in year 6.

Also do they practice for these CAT tests?

Regards
Interested parent
Guest870

Post by Guest870 »

At my children's state primary school Year 3-6 sit an NFER test in Vr and NVR every October.
bucksguest
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:28 pm

Post by bucksguest »

At our bucks state primary we also sit CAT tests annually from y3 through to y6 in February. The children do not prepare in any way for these tests and the school said comparable commercial papers were not available for the children to practice. My own children found the test in y3 difficult as they had never done anything like it before but performed much better in the y4 test.
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Post by Etienne »

I'm not a teacher, and there are others who know much more about 11+ preparation than I do, but assuming the primary school doesn't prepare for CATs and is not doing any follow-up work on them, my feeling is that CATs are unlikely to advantage children who sit the 11+.

The official line on the 11+, of course, is that there should be no preparation in Bucks schools apart from the three practice papers which according to NFER provide "saturation". Among many parents there is another school of thought that extra preparation will be beneficial - Patricia has offered them a great deal of very helpful advice, but has also warned "It is virtually impossible to teach 'average Joe' to pass the Bucks 11 plus".

If one believes that extra preparation is a good idea, then I would have thought that working through papers with parents or tutor could have more of an impact than just sitting CATs once a year.
Etienne
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