Key stage 1 teachers can you help dechipher this?

[Carmel206]

Could someone help me understand last years school report (reception)? DS met all the stepping stones and one Early learning Goal item. But I have no point of reference - should I be worried about this? What is the average for end of reception - I know every child is different but I would like to understnad if I need to be concerned if he is really out of his depth. His new teacher makes me feel like an idiot so I am reluctant to approach her.
Any information really appreciated.

[gingernutlover]

Taken from government website

A score is calculated for each of the 13 individual scales in the following way:

Scale points 1?3
If a child attains scale points 1, 2 or 3, their score is recorded
accordingly as 1, 2 or 3 scale points.

Scale points 4?8
A child can attain up to five scale points in this grouping.
For each scale point achieved, 1 is added to the base score of 3
(carried over from scale points 1?3 above) to give a total score.
For example, if a child attained scale point 4, scale point 6 and scale
point 8 on a particular scale, he or she would add 3 to their base score
of 3 to create a total score of 6.

Scale point 9
A child attaining scale point 9 will have attained all scale points 1?8 on
a particular scale and their total score will be recorded as 9 points.

reaching the early learning goals, means your child will have scored 8, stepping stones would correspond to a 6 or a 7. Children hwo are already capable of national curriculum type stuff would score 9

average is to be somewhere between early learning goals and the top of the stepping stone

this link here takes you to a page where you can download the teachers handbook for the early years profile (what is used to assess children in reception) This will show you what children have to do to get ELGoals in each area - hope that helps

[gingernutlover]

i would be asking how the teacher is accomodating those who havent yet met early learning goals - its really important that your child works to these before attempting Nat Curr stuff

[Carmel206]

Thank you - sorry if I seem stupid but if you meet the stepping stones you score a 3 and then one point for each of the early learning goals ?
When does the Nat Curr stuff get taught? Does that start in year one?
Is the aim for the reception children to have met the early learning goals by end of reception? Is there a whole new set of goals for year 1?

If I feel a bit more confident about what I am asking I can go and meet teacher a bit more prepared - unfortunaltey she reduces me to stammering wreck!

[Littlefish]

Yes, there is a whole set of goals for Yr 1: The National Curriculum. However, many children have not reached the ELGs by the end of Reception, and Yr 1 should be set up to support the needs of the children working on either ELGs or National Curriculum.

Stepping Stones are up to 7 points.
ELGs are 8 points each
A child who gets 9 points is working at National Curriculum level.

Really broadly, points 1 - 3 are generally reached in Nursery, and points 4 - 8 in Reception.

[mrz]

Since EYFS was introduced last year there no longer are any Stepping Stones.
the first 3 profile points are Development Matters (as Littlefish says these are normally achieved in nursery) points 4-8 are Early Learning Goals and point 9 indicates a child who is consistently working beyond the ELGs.

The DCSF guidance is
"Teachers in Year 1 can continue to use the EYFSP (profile) as their assessment tool for children where they consider this to be appropriate.

This will be particularly the case for children who have not obtained any or most of the ELG - scale points 4 to 8 - in a particular EYFSP scale.

The point at which teachers begin to use APP criteria is a matter for professional judgement and the teacher's knowledge of the child. Teachers will need to consider carefully which criteria best match the child's developing strengths and needs, and support them in identifying the next steps in their learning."

[Littlefish]

Thank you mrz - I completely forgot that they're called Development Matters. I've been in Y2 for a year, and am out of touch!

[mrz]

They will probably change them again next year

[Carmel206]

Ok thanks - I Think I need to steel myself and set up a meeting to understand where we go from here!!
Is it unusual to ask to see the assessment tools they are planning on using for this year? i would like to understand the areas they will cover -maybe I can support this at home but as I have no experience of this I am floundering...Do you think it will be OK to ask fo rthis level of informaiton?

[Littlefish]

I think it's definitely worth asking what topics they will be covering so that you can get books out of the library, do visits to appropriate places etc. It's also worth asking for any practical games and activity ideas you could play at home to help your ds practise his number, problem solving, phonic and reading skills.

You can search online for the learning objectives for literacy and numeracy for year 1 which should give you some idea of the sort of things they will be learning. However, you said that your ds has not quite met his ELGs. The teacher should be taking this very much into consideration in her planning and differentiation.

[Carmel206]

I will definitely try - thanks for the tips . My main problem is that by the time I get home from work DS is so tired that trying to get him to do reading etc with me feels so unfair. I have just re-read his report using the linked information from gingernutlover -earlier in thread and now find he didn't actually meet one of the stepping stones ( they use the 2008 guide and assess over a three point scale) for reading. DS is a very interested, articulate, engaged little boy -fascinated in many things, who will sit and be read to for hours ( literally) so I really hadn't anticipated him having these issues - feel bad for letting it slip so much last year but a bit worried that somehow he seems to have learned absolutley nothing in an entire year at school.