Year 8 SATs level

[ahap]

Thanks G55.

[Minesatea]

Year eight targets (grammar school):
Maths - 7c
Sciences - all 7c
English -6a

No idea though if these are child specific / class /set.

[3b1g]

This is interesting. I would have said that DS1 is performing similarly in Maths, English and Science. At parents' evening, using my reading-upside-down-skills, I could see that he is in the top 20% for each subject but not the top 10% at his partially academically selective school. Yet his Maths levels are higher than I'd expect (currently 7B, aiming for a 7A at the end of Y8) and his English levels are lower (currently 5A, which is what he was getting two years ago, aiming for 6C by the end of Y8). Is this because it's a boys' school, so his peers are on average stronger at Maths and weaker at English? Or perhaps because a high proportion of the pupils have EAL? I would assume that he is underperforming in Englosh, but his teacher said he is one of the more able ones.

[gameon]

How do they work out the levels? Math level 6B is concerning me! He had 3 tests so far in the year he had 6C, 7c and the last exam he had 7B. I am wondering how they came up with 6B at his report. Could this be an average of all exams? It really doesn’t make sense, because kids will of course start at lower level and then progress more into higher level?
I will speak to his Math teacher as soon as I can to put my mind to a rest.

[Pumpkin Pie]

Yes, could anyone explain how the levels are worked out. At parents evening before Easter my sons English teacher told me that he never gives out a Level 7 in English to year 8's. But surely if a child is a Level 7 then they should be given it. He said it 'keeps them on their toes'! But I guess another teacher, with a different opinion, may mark differently?????? So, we can't really compare these Levels, can we?

[Bromleymum1]

Have to say I'm unsure about how they do levels.

Pumpkin Pie, it seems rather unfair to me. I would have said a child should be given their correct level. My DD (at comp) is a level 6a for Maths and is expected to be a level 7c by end of term.

I have noticed her geography teacher has given her a level 6c, although she mentioned at parents evening some of her work has been marked as a 6a. May be they have to average them out like gameon says. Perhaps a teacher can come along and let us know.

[Mindset]

I can't talk for all teachers, but this might help.

I set a piece of work, which may (or may not) allow the child to access the highest levels. Here lies the first problem: some questions lend themselves to higher level skills more than others.

The children then complete the work, and I assess it. I give it the level it reaches (although as an earlier poster suggests, some teachers don't and put a 'ceiling' for a year.) The student then has the level recorded for that piece of work.

A month or so later it's report time, and I have to say what level the students are working at. For many, it's easy, if they're consistently hitting the same spot. For others, less simple, especially if they display higher level understanding discursively than in their book, or if they hit a high level once but were more usually at another point. Do I award them their 'high note' on the report, or where they more confidently work? I may not be consistent in this every time.

A great problem for school leaders is ensuring that levels are awarded consistently, first by an individual teacher, then by department, and across the school. Let alone the country! M

[gameon]

Thank you, Mindset. Make more sense now. Ok, the piece of work given to him might not go beyound certain level.

Gameon

[pheasantchick]

I found this chart on the Woodlands website. Hope it helps.

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent. ... tml#levels" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ps. Actually, this link was from an erlier thread on this topic. I can't actually take credit for finding it.

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 39&t=17195" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Guest55]

Some core KS3 teachers just use an old KS3 test and give a level based on the marks obtained which is not particularly accurate. Others will use APP (Assessing Pupils' progress) which is a national system and there are 'standards files' to compare levels against.