NC levels, yr 7, new language

[madmotherof2]

Hi,

Wondered if anyone can help me get my head around this?!

My DS has just started in year 7. He's doing Spanish as his language and today did an assessment. He achieved 64 out of 67 and his teacher said that means he's currently a 2A and will move to a 3C soon.

Is that the same letter/number that you hear about in primary? So does that mean he's like a more able year 2 child?!

[noblegiraffe]

If he has just started learning Spanish then he will have started at level 1. They normally progress quite quickly up the levels in the first couple of years.

[Indole]

It means he's achieved the very basics in the language, I think (ability to write a sentence, spell most of it correctly, read aloud fairly reliably, understand a written sentence of not too great complexity etc).

Would you expect more than that after a term of learning a language? It probably is what children in Y2 are achieving in English, but they are 6 or 7 and have been learning slowly over a number of years. Your son has only just started. It sounds like he is doing pretty well for less than a term of learning!

[Indole]

Less than a term!

[madmotherof2]

Brilliant, thanks everyone!

I did wonder if he'd started at level 1, and guessed he was doing ok as the results sounded good. I tried asking him if his teacher explained anything about what the levels meant but he just shrugged his shoulders in typical 12 year old boy style...

[CocktailQueen]

No, there are now new levels for secondary schools. They start at a 1 in year 7 and progress to a 9 by gcse. A 9 means an old A* in GCSE.

But all schools have the freedom to invent their own levels and they may not all do the same thing.

[Sallyhasleftthebuilding]

We had an explanation sheet to expect low levels in new subjects. Sounds about right.

[CocktailQueen]

Schools should not be using the old NC levels! But it might be an idea asking the school, so you know what they're doing. Our school did an open eve for parents and explained all the levels.

[noblegiraffe]

No, there are now new levels for secondary schools. They start at a 1 in year 7 and progress to a 9 by gcse. A 9 means an old A* in GCSE.

No, this isn't how the new GCSE grades work. A grade 1 at new GCSE is roughly an old G grade. An old G grade was roughly a level 3.

[roamer2]

Lower expected grades in languages - no wonder GCSE numbers are falling

[Indole]

An old G grade was roughly a level 3.

Gosh, I did not know that.

That's really interesting.

[MrsRaid]

Hardly the case roamer2 , if you've only just started a subject, why on earth would you expect the same level as in the subjects you've been doing for about 5-6 years?! Of course languages abilities start lower, but in the early terms/years they increase at a faster rate compared to other subjects.

[nicp123]

Hmmm... confusing this year! My DS's school not using the 'old' levels anymore. From November 2015 instead they will be given grades for Current Academic Performance (CAF) and Effort, recorded as: Outstanding, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory or Poor. Every Secondary school in my area is using different 'agreed set of standards'.

[CocktailQueen]

No, there are now new levels for secondary schools. They start at a 1 in year 7 and progress to a 9 by gcse. A 9 means an old A in GCSE.*

No, this isn't how the new GCSE grades work. A grade 1 at new GCSE is roughly an old G grade. An old G grade was roughly a level 3.

That's how we were told they worked, by the HT of dd's new school. what bit of my explanation did you disagree with, Giraffe?

[noblegiraffe]

Students don't start at a 1 in Y7. A 1 on the new GCSE grading system roughly translates to an old KS2/3 level 3. Most students start Y7 on higher than a level 3 (the expected level in Y6 is 4b), so students will be starting Y7 on anything from no GCSE grade, to a grade 3 (the kids who get a level 6).

Also, a 9 is more like an A**.

[BoboChic]

noblegiraffe - if I understand correctly, the new levels are in line with actual grades in the new 9-1 GCSEs? So, in theory, a DC in, say, Y7 could get be at level 4 which is the level required to get a 4 in the new GCSE? (Sorry if I sound dim)

[noblegiraffe]

There are no new levels, Bobo. Levels were scrapped and not replaced. Schools can do whatever they like and call things whatever they like.

It sounds like Cocktail's school is trying to replace levels by using new 9-1 GCSE grades from Y7, but they are not designed for that as the KS3 and KS4 curriculum are different. In theory Cocktail's school could call a level 7 in Y7 kid a grade 4, but there isn't an easy mapping from new GCSE grades to old GCSE grades or levels.

[BoboChic]

Oh, OK. Thanks

[CocktailQueen]

Hmm, thanks Giraffe. We had a letter from the school about it: must look it out as I've obviously misunderstood.