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Y3 help?

119 replies

ihearttc · 15/02/2013 19:07

Sorry didn't quite now how to word this!

Just wondered if any teachers could help if possible? DS1 is in Y3 at a Junior School (this is relevant I think). When they did their SATS last year he got 3's across all the subjects. It wasn't written what levels on report but teacher said he was 3B in Maths and 3C in literacy.

When they assessed them at the start of Y3 he was apparently 3C in Maths and 2A in literacy...fair enough to be expected after holidays I suppose despite the fact that he did reading and maths in the holidays. They have now been assessed again and he is now a 2A in Maths and a 2C in Literacy. He is a little boy that takes everything to heart and is so upset and I don't quite know what to do to help him.

I totally understand about different teachers and with it being different schools (they are linked though) then obviously there will be variations but is it really normal for him to both fail to improve and in my opinion fall quite drastically in that period of time?

He isn't fond of writing I will say that but Im a bit stuck as to why this has happened? He is "free reading" if you can call it that...school books are a bit short on the ground (well the ones he enjoys!) so he is reading some Michael Morpugo ones (Billy the Kid etc), David Walliams and he has just finished Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What sort of level is a 2C?

It honestly doesn't matter to me what level he is on...just want to make that clear but Im surprised that he has "fallen" this much and he is bothered by it and I want to help him.

Oh and if anyone can point me in the direction of some more books he might enjoy that would be great!

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learnandsay · 15/02/2013 19:19

I've heard before of teachers saying that children they've inherited have been marked up and of them therefore having had to reassess them at lower levels.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 19:52

Schools must report levels to parents in Y2 so you should have had a written report from his infant school.

For his new school to assess him as 2A in the autumn and 2C now is more of a concern to me.

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 20:28

We did get a written report but it just says
literacy level 3,maths level 3 and science level 3...it was only when I asked that they gave me the actual levels. I thought it was slightly high even then and did query it especially in literacy but assured me it was right.
I expected him to go down in september but then to go down again is whats concerning me? I can only assume its his writing thats doing it because as far as Im.aware his reading is ok? He writes neatly and spells reasonably well...the only thing is he perhaps doesnt have a huge amount of imagination. He uses capitals and punctuation, speech marks etc which was drummed into him by yr2 teacher. What else is he supposed to be doing?

Always happens at half term doesnt it so now can't speak to anyone and my little stresshead is going to worry himself silly.Just one small question-should they constantly be told their levels like this? I understand they should be assessed and they need to know where to improve etc but its really not helping him at all.

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Taffeta · 15/02/2013 20:45

My DS dropped all his levels in Y3, it's quite common I think, the transition form KS1 to KS2, certainly reading for eg they are assessed quite differently.

He's back up again now in Y4 but Y3 was a backwards year.

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Taffeta · 15/02/2013 20:47

...and the other question to ask is, is the assessment a test result or a teacher assessment based on work in class?

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Taffeta · 15/02/2013 20:49
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MerylStrop · 15/02/2013 20:50

Um, why on earth would you tell him what his level was?

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 20:50

Thats good to know taffeta thank you! All his friends have gone up...they tell them their levels out loud in front of the class so he knows unfortunately hence why its hit him so hard.

In what way is it assessed differently do you know-just curious?

I honestly cannot see how he has gone down that much but Im.obviously not a teacher!

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MerylStrop · 15/02/2013 20:53

Although a over marking at the end of Ks1 when going from a separate Infants school must be more likely. Not necessarily any consistency with the Junior School and also the pressure for the Infant School to claim best poss results, without a sense that this will be "found out" in KS2

What a ridiculous, messed up system

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 20:53

Merylstrop-I didnt tell him his level. The teacher tells the entire class their levels in front of everyone so he knows what he got and what everyone else got as well. That in itself seems wrong to me. He is 7 and doesnt need to be worrying about levels at all but as he has been told and is worrying about it I wanted to find out why he has dropped so much and try to help him.

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Taffeta · 15/02/2013 20:54

Also not a teacher but reading that link, they are assessed against the whole level 3 curriculum in Y3 whereas to get a level 3 in Y2 they just need to exceed level 2 expectations.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 20:56

Not true Taffeta

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MerylStrop · 15/02/2013 20:56

That is absolutely terrible! Poor kid.
That cannot be acceptable practice, surely.
That's one step away from Victoria Wood being told to sit at the back and do raffia.
I would query that.

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Taffeta · 15/02/2013 20:59

Is MN link wrong mrz? I am just going from that, which seemed to tie in with my experience.

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Floggingmolly · 15/02/2013 21:04

Reading out the levels in front of the entire class is really, really wrong.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 21:08

Yes Taffeta ... I did point it out to Pearsons some time ago

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 21:10

Should they be told their levels constantly anyway? All its doing is stressing him out.

Can't they just assess and be told a level at the end of the year?

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simpson · 15/02/2013 21:11

I would be fuming if my DC knew their levels or were told by the teacher in front of the class. My DS is in yr3 and he does not even understand levels let alone know which one he is.

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teacherwith2kids · 15/02/2013 21:12

The drop in levels between infant and junior schools is a well-documented phemomenon.

A drop of 2 sublevels within the junior IS worrying. However, are these results of proper continuous teacher assessment, or are they just using single tests to assess levels? The latter is far more susceptible to variation e.g. child has a bad day / unusually good day / is enthused by the topic etc.

Am absolutely horrified by the 'reading out levels in class', btw.

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simpson · 15/02/2013 21:13

I was told my DS's levels at parents eve back in October so I don't know what they are now.

We will have another parents eve in April so will find out then. But I do not see the point in knowing more often than that (for a parent).

IMO it is pointless and demotivating to tell a child their level as they are not going to ask what they need to be able to do to get to the next one (as well as making them feel pants Sad).

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 21:23

Thanks everyone...I wondered if I was being a bit too sensitive about it after seeing how upset he was but clearly its not the done thing to tell levels let alone in front of everyone.

I will talk to his teacher after half term and see what they say.

As far as I know it was a single assessed piece. They had a whole week of various assessments and they were all told it was a "test" from what he told me...maybe he doesnt do well in "tests" I don't know!

Just want to go and wake him up and give him a huge cuddle and tell him its not important.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 21:25

I'm looking for the well documented research which identified the dip as a myth teacher ... children moving from one school to another may appear to regress slightly until they settle but children do not un learn what they previously knew and certainly not by a whole NC level. If a child falls back they were never secure at that level.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 21:26

or they were never actually at that level in the first place.

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ihearttc · 15/02/2013 21:33

Thats pretty much what I thought mrz...so either the levels he had last year were wrong (which is quite likely) or he actually doesnt know how to do it at all (which is also likely).

But why would a y2 teacher assess higher than he actually was? And wouldnt they assess higher across the class...whereas everyone else seems to have gone up (according to DS) and he has gone down.

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mrz · 15/02/2013 21:40

I would be inclined to think he wasn't secure at the level reported but showing some aspects. As I said I'd be more concerned that his levels have dropped since he started his new school and would want to discuss this with his teacher.

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