S7 First school report, I dont understand attainment levels

[QuintsHollow]

I know you are all going to think of me as totally dim now, but I am not used to this. (Norwegian schools do it it totally different, and I have not been explained how it works for secondary here)

His school report gives both alfa to gamma levels, but also numeric attainment levels. The alfa gamma stuff is explained on the score card, but I think they take for granted that people understand the numeric attainment levels already.

In which way does the scale work? He has 2 in Geography, and 4 and 5 in the rest. Does that mean he grasps Geography better or worse than f ex English where he has 5, or is it the other way around? Is 5 the better?

[Verycold]

Does it say 5c or just 5?

[QuintsHollow]

Just 5. No letters. Maybe the letters are the alfa, beta, delta, gamma bits?

[Verycold]

How do they explain the alfa gamma etc?

[BoundandRebound]

Are they national curriculum levels or has the school developed its own system?

[BoundandRebound]

For national curriculum levels

A level 4 is the national expectation at end of year 6

By end of year 9 the national expectation is a 6

Students will tend to score low in subjects they haven't done before

What are his targets ?

[QuintsHollow]

I think the school may have developed its own system. It is an independent school, I should perhaps have mentioned that in my op. If nobody recognises the Alfa to gamma classifications i reckon they must be their own assessment.

But with the numerical grades it seems logical that it goes from1 to 5 rather than down to 1? The description does not make sense to me. They should match quintiles where the student should aim for 100% in a year and these quintiles are broken down to a scale of 1-5. I have fried to re read the assessment document. Parents evening is a month away.

[mary21]

They sound like NC levels but not subdivided. Level 4/5 would be common for the start of year 7 and level 2/3 for subjects never studied before as discrete subjects. These score should rise rapidly in year 7 and 8 . End of year 6 levels could have been higher if there was a lot of practicing for the test going on, but is probicly more where he naturally is.
Maybe totally wrong though

[slalomsuki]

We have a similar system at our school with attainment being grades 1-5 with 3 being the average. 1and 2 are above and 4 and 5 are below.

Hope that helps

[LeBearPolar]

At the school I teach at (independent) we award attainment grades from A*-E and effort grades from 5-1, with 1 being very poor effort. So an A5 on a report would mean that the child was achieving highly and trying their hardest, whereas a C3 would suggest they were coasting. A D4 would mean they were working hard but weren't achieving very highly in that subject.

[QuintesKabooom]

I think I am leaning more towards Marys interpretation than Slalomsuki, after having spoken with him this morning.

The subject with a 2 is geography, which he has never studied, and he feels totally lost. He works hard and is very interested though, which is reflected in a alfa score for persistence, and a beta score for "reasoning through consequences". He has alfa and beta, coupled with 4 and 5 in Maths, science and English, which are his strongest subjects.

[QuintesKabooom]

LePolarBear, that makes sense. He has gamma and gamma in French, but attainment 4, possibly because being bilingual makes him grasp different grammar better. He cant stand French though, does not enjoy the class, does not like the teacher, and is placed next to a girl that keeps interrupting him.

[SanityClause]

Quints, drop an email to the form tutor or HOY.

I have three DC at three different schools. Each school has its own system.

[lljkk]

School has own system, Quint, none of us can fathom it either!