To ask what school report means...

[TableFlowerss]

Posted here for traffic. Got DC (Yr 7) report today and it had a ‘Target GCSE’ column and a number (I won’t say what number) the number was the same for every subject and the next column was progress towards target (Or similar) so below, expected or above. (Expected in all except Art and PE)

My question is, who sets these ‘number grades’ for the ‘GCSE target’ and what do they base them on?

I assume under normal circumstances they would use SAT scores from y6, buy tgey didn’t do SATS.

I will ask school but I know they’re busy and sometimes it’s easier to talk over phone than email.

Thanks

without I mean

They should have been aware of doing a test. Surely?

@mineofuselessinformation

Just to add, FFT is correct for 80% of grades, for 80% of students. Especially in early secondary years, I'd ignore that and just look at progress. I have to say, though, that I'm surprised the school has been willing to give a progress level given that most of the term was spent in lockdown!

That’s kind of where I’m at with my thinking.

They haven’t been there as long as normal and they haven’t handed in work to be marked etc as much, so I can’t understand how the teachers would be able to give a prediction as they haven’t had that much evidence of work etc...

Also they didn’t do SATS so they couldn’t use them. DC says they’ve not done any ‘big tests’ so I’m totally #confused. It doesn’t matter really but I just wondered

@00100001

They should have been aware of doing a test. Surely?

That’s what I thought...:

Don't overthink these grades so early. SATS have very little to do with anything other than assigning the children with their sets in their core subjects.

This predicted grade is created by his teachers looking over the work he's completed in class, homework and his general behaviour towards school. If he hands in good quality work, does his homework on time and participates to the best of his ability he'll be given a higher predicted grade as it shows eagerness to achieve.

If his grade is low it's likely because they either don't have a lot to go on because of covid their results are skewed, they're aiming low so he achieves higher or he's simply not participating enough.

It's not an issue at all if he has low grades, they will change 100 times before he even picks his GCSE options in year 9. If there are any issues his teachers will raise them with him in class and you will know if they need your help to deal with them.

Sometimes tests are done without student knowledge so they get a really general idea of every day work. Any tests that are important will obviously be prepared for and the children will know with plenty of time.

They've given a progress level purely because they need to see how adaptable the children are to changes and how well they perform considering them. It's not a huge issue and happens to every child.

They're not hiding anything from you or him, there's nothing you need to do about it and there's no reason why you need to be concerned about his grade.

DCs secondary has used CATS (cognitive ability tests) and set targets based on those. Smug (but daunted) that DC's potential targets are very high (but they said actual GCSE predicted grades will be given in Yr10) teacher assessment in dance/drama/art and PE. There was a separate letter of explanation to the report so hopefully your school will give you further information. Am hoping DC hasn't peaked too early!

@maddy68

As a teacher , let me tell you it's all bollocks. They generally have some sort of assessment maybe cat or data baseline. Which gives a prediction. It is nonsense. They give a target grade which they can't meet until their actual GCSEs it's literally a paper exercise so the school can "show" they've made progress

Hooray, at last! Someone unafraid to tell it like it is.

My dc are a few years out of school now and to be honest, almost all the reports we ever got below Y10 were a complete waste of paper. One of them I tore up and threw in the bin, it was such utter rubbish.

As a teacher , let me tell you it's all bollocks. They generally have some sort of assessment maybe cat or data baseline. Which gives a prediction. It is nonsense. They give a target grade which they can't meet until their actual GCSEs it's literally a paper exercise so the school can "show" they've made progress