Test Arrangements

l_bexley 2 · Post by **l_bexley 2** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:40 pm

I agree that the scores for non-Kent entrants are probably higher as you wouldn't put your child forward unless they had a good chance of passing.

I wonder if there has ever been a comparison of scores obtained by an equivalent sample of children, where one group takes two tests on two separate days and one group four tests on the same day.

I'm pretty certain I could predict which group would do better!

medwaymum · Post by **medwaymum** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 1:49 pm

I have been told by our headteacher at my child's Kent school that the 'practice papers' have arrived in school. This is news to the parents - we have not been told they would do a practice test beforehand. Apparently they will do it the 2nd or 3rd day back to school in Jan, the week before the actual tests. The head will read instructions to the examinees but there will be an individual invigilator overseeing the process ensuring everything is above board.
We have also been told that the exams are taken over two mornings, 2 exams per morning.
I_bexley 2 : I am assuming they need a ruler for the maths paper to draw symetrical shapes, plot co-ordinates etc.?

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 2:02 pm

according to East Kent office and a headteacher in county pupils do nvr and vr on one day, maths and the written piece the next.

As far as I am aware the dates are 8th and 9th January, but from talking to different people there seems to be some leeway?????

For teh real tests there are partner schools, teh heads swap and invigilate at the other school

medwaymum · Post by **medwaymum** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 2:07 pm

Yoyo you are right - the dates are 8th and 9th January for the real tests. Our head says she will be there for the tests, but will swap invigilators with another school.

kent mum 3 · Post by **kent mum 3** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 2:24 pm

We did practice papers Monday, real papers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Would have much preferred to do them all on one day. It just spreads out the agony! Also our children went to a different school on the Tuesday and had the other school join them on Wednesday. Unsettling and nerve wracking. I don't envy you the week of the exam. I have another year to go before child number 2!
Good luck. I hope they enjoy.

perplexed · Post by **perplexed** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:26 pm

l_bexley 2

In a properly set up experiment , which group do you guess would do better overall? Those doing the papers over two school days at their own school, or those doing all the papers in one go on a Saturday morning at a test centre?

What do other people think the outcome would be?

guest1 · Post by **guest1** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:42 pm

Children from Bexley might be at a disadvantage in sitting all the papers in one day, but at least they have the advantage of being able to list six schools on their CAF unlike Kent children who can only list three.
Personally, I would prefer my child to sit all the tests on one day and to be able to list six schools on the CAF, than for them to sit the papers on two consecutive days in a school where everything is carrying on as normal (children moving from class room to class room, play time etc) and to only be able to list three schools on the CAF.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the test arrangements are for out of area children sitting the Bexley test.[/quote]

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:43 pm

hmm difficult.

I would tend to stay on my cosy fence and say that some children would perform better in their own school while others would do better awqy from school!

It does depend very much on the child I think.

4 and 8 years on respectively and neitheriof my children can remember a thing about the tests, not even how many days it took or where they sat it!

(Yes, I have been grilling them for details !!)