'Best state school' has exam results annulled

[copella]

Yes but clearly some must miss the net.

[onebigdilemma]

My boys think that the lower level people in their class may have done better than them in SATs as they had a teacher reading out questions, emphasizing things, asking them if they were sure on answers, asking them to look at certain questions again etc. One mum has apparently told another that her son said he got told answers. This appeared to be the ones that need help to get a level 4.

[Guest55]

Readers are allowed for some children but they are not alowed to emphasise words or help with answers.

Any suspicion of cheating needs to be reported so they school can get an 'unexpected visit' next year.

[Daogroupie]

When I was working with a Y6 class doing Sats I was told that any student who put their hand up could have a Maths or SPAG question read out to them. DG

[loobylou]

We were also told any child could request that a question be read out loud.

I've said this before but my dh teaches in a local comprehensive. They no longer take any note of the primary school SATs results and do all their own in-house testing before the children start year 7. All their yr 7 classes are "set" to be completely mixed ability ie the same proportion of "level 3" in each, "level 4" etc... But when they did take note of the primary school SATs results the HoY 7 said she could absolutely predict, based on the school the child had come from, what their real abilities were. Apparently there were only 2 primary schools where they could rely on the child being the "level" they had been advised from the SATs results. Everyone else had inflated levels - consistently and across the board.

My dc's primary was one of the two honest ones. Last year the school refused to allow two children to sit the SATs because their (very significant) SENs meant that they would not be expected to do well and it would cause them too much stress. Given the tiny cohort (24) this automatically means the school looks worse than most other local schools. I'm so proud to be associated with a school that cares more about their students than their results....

[yoyo123]

Children expected to get below level 3 are not put in for teh test. They are still counted though.
So a class of 20 where one child was not entered would still be counted as 20 not 19.

[mystery]

Readers are allowed for some children but they are not alowed to emphasise words or help with answers.

Any suspicion of cheating needs to be reported so they school can get an 'unexpected visit' next year.

Who would you report it to? And how would it work? Unless the visitor sits around for the whole of the KS2 tests in several rooms simultaneously, and unless the invigilators are foolish enough to cheat in front of them, is this effective?

Trouble is, when enough people are willing to be dishonest together and parents are frightened of consequences (or like the benefits that some cheating might appear to bring for their child) no system is foolproof other than paid external invigilators who don't have any reason to falsely improve any of the children's results at the school.

[Guest55]

Who would you report it to? And how would it work? Unless the visitor sits around for the whole of the KS2 tests in several rooms simultaneously, and unless the invigilators are foolish enough to cheat in front of them, is this effective?

Trouble is, when enough people are willing to be dishonest together and parents are frightened of consequences (or like the benefits that some cheating might appear to bring for their child) no system is foolproof other than paid external invigilators who don't have any reason to falsely improve any of the children's results at the school.

Parents do reports schools to STA and then these allegations are followed up. LA visits are random and they are unannounced and very thorough, including watching one or two tests from start to finish.

[mystery]

It's a start ...... better than not reporting, but an invigilator is not going to cheat under the visitor's nose .... it's a no-brainer. So then STA can announce there wasn't a problem? I suppose though, if the school's results go down significantly from the previous year in those subjects it might, just might, demonstrate something.

It could catch things such as the papers having been opened too early and perhaps, just perhaps, children being given readers that they don't need and who do a bit of unsubtle helping (but only if someone let's slip they don't normally have readers) ... but that's about it.

Sorry my cynicism levels are high right now! There's got to be a better way of catching out the cheating or preventing it happening in the first place --- but, unless adult witnesses from within the school whistleblow, or tests all have to be on camera with a sample of tapes viewed, it would rely on children's testimony. It's a bit tough to expect them to speak out.

[Guest55]

The written papers are also scrutinised by markers for unusual writing or a pattern of answers.

Schools are caught out as children tend to say stuff they don't realise is a 'secret' when there is an observer ... 'Why are we sitting more spaced out today?'