CAT scores
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CAT scores
Hi, everyone, I'm due to this forum so please be gentle.
I've been perusing madly and just wish I'd been aware of this when I was going through all this the first time (oldest boy - do I guess that I have to call him DS1??) is currently in Y7 at Tommies, very happy there, and for those who are interested in guaging things, his score (from Pates, we never did find out the Tommies one) was 227. I hadn't realised then that this was a pretty safe bet, the pass rate being 210, and spent an uneccessarily anxious few months til the news was finally confirmed in March.
Anyway. I'm now revving up (in my head, if not my boy's) for go 2, for my DS2 who is in Y5. "People" seem to say that the score of the CAT test, taken in Year 5, is a good indicator of the likelihood of doing well in the grammars. I read somewhere on this forum of a parent saying that their child had done well in the CAT test (whatever "CAT" means??) and that their score of "99s" was good. Yet somewhere else I saw that one should anticipate 130 for Pates level. Has anyone any definitive opinions on this? My boy is bright, fab vocab, but utterly random and wildly sure he is right, 2000% of the time. Sigh.
Thanks for any advice and congrats to all those who've got the scores they hoped for this time round - and if you didn't, it ain't over yet. Last year, for instance, Denmark Road actively invited appeals from many of the girls at our school who had supposedly failed the test and all but one of them got in.
I've been perusing madly and just wish I'd been aware of this when I was going through all this the first time (oldest boy - do I guess that I have to call him DS1??) is currently in Y7 at Tommies, very happy there, and for those who are interested in guaging things, his score (from Pates, we never did find out the Tommies one) was 227. I hadn't realised then that this was a pretty safe bet, the pass rate being 210, and spent an uneccessarily anxious few months til the news was finally confirmed in March.
Anyway. I'm now revving up (in my head, if not my boy's) for go 2, for my DS2 who is in Y5. "People" seem to say that the score of the CAT test, taken in Year 5, is a good indicator of the likelihood of doing well in the grammars. I read somewhere on this forum of a parent saying that their child had done well in the CAT test (whatever "CAT" means??) and that their score of "99s" was good. Yet somewhere else I saw that one should anticipate 130 for Pates level. Has anyone any definitive opinions on this? My boy is bright, fab vocab, but utterly random and wildly sure he is right, 2000% of the time. Sigh.
Thanks for any advice and congrats to all those who've got the scores they hoped for this time round - and if you didn't, it ain't over yet. Last year, for instance, Denmark Road actively invited appeals from many of the girls at our school who had supposedly failed the test and all but one of them got in.
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MarkyBoy1972
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2008 8:18 pm
Welcome.
Not sure if this will help you. My duaghter has just scored 220 for the Pates test and passed for both Denmark and Ribston. (WE now have the stress of waiting to see if this is enough to get her first choice!!
)
Her CAT score earlier this year was 121. Guess there appears to be a little correlation in that a 10% uplift in both scores would support what you are saying ... eg 134 for CAT = 242 for Pates and a pass!!
I have no idea of any correlation between the two scores, but this might give you some level of detail for comparison. Obviously there is the stress of the testing day to take into account and how this might or might not impact on your child, along with a million other factors!
Hope this helps.
Not sure if this will help you. My duaghter has just scored 220 for the Pates test and passed for both Denmark and Ribston. (WE now have the stress of waiting to see if this is enough to get her first choice!!
)Her CAT score earlier this year was 121. Guess there appears to be a little correlation in that a 10% uplift in both scores would support what you are saying ... eg 134 for CAT = 242 for Pates and a pass!!
I have no idea of any correlation between the two scores, but this might give you some level of detail for comparison. Obviously there is the stress of the testing day to take into account and how this might or might not impact on your child, along with a million other factors!
Hope this helps.
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SunlampVexesEel
- Posts: 1245
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:31 pm
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SunlampVexesEel
- Posts: 1245
- Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:31 pm
Re: CAT scores
An average score is not bad as such, and I would be surprised if any teacher said "your child is average" at a parents evening. They may well say "your child has done really well" and mean "for what your child is capable of, they've done really well - I was expecting them to achieve a below average score, and they've actually managed an average - brilliant (for them)".Milla wrote:I read somewhere on this forum of a parent saying that their child had done well in the CAT test (whatever "CAT" means??) and that their score of "99s" was good. Yet somewhere else I saw that one should anticipate 130 for Pates level.
And that is how parents are mislead into believing that their child is of grammar standard, when in fact they're just average, but could do quite well in a good comprehensive, and be stretched to the top of their ability.
Of course, if it was 99%, then that's an entirely different matter!
Capers
This site seems quite informative:
http://www.satsguide.co.uk/help__other_ ... _tests.htm
Which I think also cites this paper (pdf download):
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar ... soning.pdf
http://www.satsguide.co.uk/help__other_ ... _tests.htm
Which I think also cites this paper (pdf download):
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar ... soning.pdf
Which states that the mean score for age 10 is 99.5 - so I admit I was wrong by half a percentile! The other paper suggests that that score mean the child was more likely than not to score 5 A* to C grades at GCSE. Grammar stream would be expected to do better than that.PMJ wrote:Which I think also cites this paper (pdf download):
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar ... soning.pdf
Capers
CATS: 116 good enough??
I have just come from parent teacher meeting totally deflated! DS completed his CATS at the start of year 5 and he has come out with a score of 116. Teacher says..."well you could give him a go for grammar" OMG we have been doing VR and working towards grammar for over a year now!
She tells me he is well above average in the class and is expected to achieve what he should at the end of yr 6 by the end of yr5. His VR tutor thinks he is very able and intelligent. I am so gob smacked at his CAT result and am worried this will stand against him in some way. I am right to be worried about this?? Have other kids achieved grammar places with CAT scores of 116? I do not actually think this is representative of his ability...but I could be wrong. Some reassurance PLEASE! :0( He has his heart set on grammar
She tells me he is well above average in the class and is expected to achieve what he should at the end of yr 6 by the end of yr5. His VR tutor thinks he is very able and intelligent. I am so gob smacked at his CAT result and am worried this will stand against him in some way. I am right to be worried about this?? Have other kids achieved grammar places with CAT scores of 116? I do not actually think this is representative of his ability...but I could be wrong. Some reassurance PLEASE! :0( He has his heart set on grammar
