age adjustment

[Amber]

Indeed I was. So sorry. Have got an eye infection (both eyes) - will you let me off? I do have compelling medical evidence and a good record.

I hope the medical evidence is in writing and that you reported it to the doctor before you took the exam - I mean replied to the posting...

Indeed so Capers, of course. And I am sure the medication affected it too - these antibiotics do affect concentration. I have also managed to sustain quite a nasty injury to the foot, and even though it happened after I posted, I am sure anticipation of the accident affected my ability to read.

Sorry to serious posters.

[EmeraldE]

In DD's year at Pates there are twice as many boys (20) as girls (10) approx in each class. In subsequent years the ratio has been closer to 50:50. The year after DD got in is when the 'tweak' aparently happened. Read into this what you will. As for emotional maturity, I am not suggesting that that's why they standarise results, just a thought really. I'm sure it is down to just trying to even out the playing field for the eldest and youngest. There has to be some system.

I understood that the 'tweak' occurred not in the standardisation but in the content of the questions. I think there was a feeling that the test style had begun to favour girls, with more 'word' questions, which traditionally would be easier for them, and fewer 'number' ones which traditionally are done better by boys. I think the 'tweak' was designed to even out the content rather than doing anything by gender specifically. And it apparently worked.

Yes, in the content of the test is what I was ham fistedly trying to get across. The standardisation is a mystery to all but Einstein I reckon

[stroudydad]

The standardisation is a mystery to all but Einstein I reckon

It is beyond me why they keep it so secret, why not publish the data after?

[Amber]

The standardisation is a mystery to all but Einstein I reckon

It is beyond me why they keep it so secret, why not publish the data after?

What for? You would have to be seriously geeky to want to plough through all that lot, surely? And imagine the poor appeals panels trying to argue with a parent who was convinced that it had played a part in their darling's downfall. "He was born 3 days before his due date, pushing him into the next age group. His brain is really that of a slightly younger child."

Anyway, for it to be published presupposes that it is intelligible to someone and presentable by that someone in such a way as to be intelligible to others. Both of which I doubt, personally.

[PaterGloucester]

It is beyond me why they keep it so secret, why not publish the data after?

But what would you do with it ?

[stroudydad]

Well being the geeky type, I'd just like to see it.. And secondly it would put transparency into the process

[PaterGloucester]

Well being the geeky type, I'd just like to see it.. And secondly it would put transparency into the process

I'm all for transparency, but I can imagine it being misinterpreted and misused, and becoming the springboard for innumerable spurious complaints and appeals, as Amber noted.

There’s a brief explanation of the basic method of Standardising on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standardizing if you’re interested.

[EmeraldE]

Let's just hope no-one needs to worry about it because they all pass Now statistically that's impossible but I just wanted to live in a little bubble of loveliness for a bit. No-one come near me with a pin!

[stroudydad]

It's ok Pater I know all about standardisation but I'm specifically talking about this system and especially interested to see how it affects year on year.. (like I said geeky).

[PaterGloucester]

It's ok Pater I know all about standardisation but I'm specifically talking about this system and especially interested to see how it affects year on year.. (like I said geeky).

I did a bit of research when my older son took the test two years ago. I can’t remember where I found the info (it may have been a link via one of the Shire Hall Education websites). It’s of interest to me as my younger son, who’s taking the test this time, was born in the first week of September.

I came away reassured that the standardization process was fair. After all, he’s had nearly a year more than some of his year group to absorb vocabulary (in theory, if not in practice !), which will give him a slight advantage.

As I posted previously, the explanation I read indicated that difference made by standardization to someone his age is only the same as getting two or three questions wrong. So I can only hope that he won't end up in a twilight zone where this will translate to a difference of schools.