I don't understand about SATS - can someone explain?

[Sugarmagnolia]

All I hear on the news these days is about SATS and how children as young as 7 are getting stressed out by them and revising all the time and feeling under pressure to ?pass? them, and I keep thinking, ok I have a 7 year old, why don't we seem to be going through this?

Let me say first of all I'm American and so I'm still trying to understand the ins and outs of the school system here. Second of all, and probably more relevant, we're in Scotland so maybe it's different from in England? Do they even do SATS in Scotland?

What i do know is that DD is in primary 2 and over the last 5 months has done her level A national tests for reading, writing and maths and is now on level B in all 3 subjects. These tests were done as and when her reading/maths groups were ready and there are still some children in the class who haven't done them yet. Although homework was geared towards helping them achieve the next level there was no big, sudden push to 'revise for an exam.' In fact neither DD nor I knew in advance exactly when she would do them. Both the the kids and the teachers seemed quite relaxed about it and because only the children who seemed ready for it did the testing everyone who did it 'passed'.

So is this the Scottish equivalent of SATS? Can anyone help clear up my confusion????

I don't think Scotland does SATS anymore!

ahh, well that explains it. But then if they are so awful and Scotland manage fine without them why don't England do away with them too?

there are alot of things that scotland does and england should do

The Scottish Level A to F tests are the closest equivalent we have to SATS up here - they are used both to show that the individual child is progressing (school reports will show that they have achieved Level X in reading etc), and also to show how the school is doing (they will have a target to make sure X% of children have reached Level Y by the end of Year Z).

But you're right, there's far less stress since the teacher decides when a child or group should sit the test, and they often don't even realise it's happening. They are actually being tested quite often (more since the reading, writing and maths ones are done separately) but it's a much more child-friendly (and parent-friendly) system.

I am confused by SATS aswell, and I am British and live in the UK. However, I don't have any children at school yet.

The bit I don't understand is why they are such a big deal when they don't AFAIK have any bearing on anything - they don't go on your CV or affect which university you will go to or which secondary school you will go to?

I agree MadamePlatypus = that's the bit I don't get either.

If it doesn't matter what the child gets and it doesn't have any tangible bearing on future schools etc, why do kids get stressed about them?

From what I've read on here, some teachers and schools get very stressed about them, and make them seem terribly important - there's lots of threads saying their children have spent practically the whole year just getting ready to sit the SATs!

It's all beginning to make sense now! Thanks southeast & muminscotland.

I don't know any teachers who over emphasise them - I generally call them quizzes and remind the children that it's about assessing the school and the teaching, not them as individuals. Also that if teachers understand the bits they don't understand, then we can help them to understand more IYSWIM. Most teachers I know see the SATS as a lot of fuss over something that isn't particularly helpful for the children, BUT some children DO get stressed about them.

Imagine you are severely dyslexic and have to sit in a room with your peers as they scribble away on pieces of paper while you can barely actually read the test. Yes in some instances the test questions can be read to the child and the time can be extended and provisions should be made for SEN children, BUT if you find reading and/or the education system challenging at the best of times, enduring written examinations isn't exactly going to be a stress free experience...

Lots of parents tend to make them terribly important IME, as some parents see them as a bench mark of where their child is in the class...

MadamePlatypus

"The bit I don't understand is why they are such a big deal when they don't AFAIK have any bearing on anything - they don't go on your CV or affect which university you will go to or which secondary school you will go to? "

Some Secondary schools do look at SAT results and the government have plans for putting results on electronic data bases so they will be a permanent record.

bb99 take a look at www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/thread.aspx?story_id=2615790&path=/Primary/&messagePage=80 and see how stressed teachers get about SATs

www.tes.co.uk/section/staffroom/thread.aspx?story_id=2620048&path=/Primary/

We put ours on an electronic data base, but it isn't as if we are tattoing their SATs results on their foreheads. This information is never used by anyone other than the school.

And TBH all the secondary teachers that I know treat the KS2 Sats with more than a few grains of salt. We give them our own tests around about half term of the first year and use that for our setting. all their test results go on our data base, it is part of our method of tracking their progress.

I've never know of any child being asked for their KS1, 2 or 3 reulats for a job , collage or universtity place.

MartinBishop I think the plan is that eventually all children in England will have their personal details and exam results placed on a national electronic database for life.
Colleges and prospective employers will be able to access students? records online to check on their qualifications. Under the scheme all children will be issued with an individual number which they will keep throughout their adult lives, the database will include details of exclusions and expulsions absenteeism?
The government claim the new database ? which will store a ?tamper-proof CV? ? will be known as MIAP (managing Information Across Partners).