Cat 4 tests

[Poppet77]

My daughter (y4) did her Cat4 assessments at school recently and we were sent the parent report, which showed that they got her age wrong. I think, instead of entering 04/08/14, they entered 08/04/14. Since it is an age standardized score, I think that invalidates her results as she has been compared with children 4 months older than her, so her scores will be calculated to be lower than they actually are . Is this something that is easily fixed or will she need to redo the test again? Any ideas? It would be a bit stressful for her to have to resit the battery of tests they used but if her scores are showing a lower potential than she does then I think this is something the school, and we should be aware of. Any advice/insight gratefully received on this. We were not provided with actual numbers but a bar chart where all categories were above average (111). If it is a linear scale above average her quantitative score was off the chart/end of bar (so 150), verbal reasoning looked about 135 or 140, but then non-verbal and spatial at about 120 and 125. We were surprised her non verbal was not higher but wondered if the age effect and being compared to older kids in this category has more of an impact. Does anyone know if that is the case. This is the first formal testing she has had that shows potential in different areas, so even though she has shown high potential, if it is higher then I would like the targets to be adjusted accordingly so she can make optimal progress.

[LondonMum81]

She shouldn't need to resit the test. They wouldn't just need to recalculate her score based on her actual age. All of her scores will be negatively impacted by her age being incorrectly calculated as older than she is.

I'm not sure what you mean about linear scores. Are you asking if the graph is linear? The scores themselves are deviation scores similar to IQ tests.

[Poppet77]

Ah ok, thank you. Regarding the linear score, I was referring the the bar charts we were given. Rather than her actual scores we were given bar charts, showing how much above the the average range (89-111) that she was. I wondered whether the bar showed a linear range from 111 to 140. But I think it does having looked into it a bit more. Thanks for your reply.

[gogohmm]

In year 4, 4 months wouldn't significantly change the result as it's the same school year

[Poppet77]

They have now updated the score according to her age in months and it has added a couple of points on in all categories so not massive changes but I am happy that they are now the accurate scores! 😅

[hellolondo]

Hi,

I am a foreign mum and we just moved into UK this yr. I do not fully understand the UK education system. My DS took the CAT4 test at school and the school informed me of the results:
• verbal 136
• quantitative 136
• nonverbal 141
• spatial 141
= an average of 139.

We plan to apply to Westminster in London. Is the CAT4 score important? Does this score mean he will have a good chance?

[swlondon24]

hi @hellolondo great scores - my DD has exactly the same. The score itself suggests that definitely your DS has the necessary natural ability for a school like Westminster. But if you moved here recently, be aware that your DS will have to pass tests in Maths and English which unfortunately are quite curriculum dependent. A child could have a high CAT score and yet not pass because of their level of writing / less familiarity of difficult comprehension texts and so forth. So the high CAT score is a starting point but unfortunately the schools very much want to see high achievers not only high potentials. Look at 11+ papers and see how well your son is prepared for the level of Maths & English required.

[hellolondo]

Thank you for the reply. We just got informed that my DD passed the stage 1. My DD will take the stage 2 in Jan. Not quite sure what to prepare for this. Anyways, I wish you and your family a happy Christmas!