dyslexia and SATS

[Booer1]

Should my year 2 dyslexic son have to sit SATS this May. He is already anxious about having to do "the tests" as he calls them and I really want to be able to exclude him from these but how do I go about this?

Your Y2 dyslexic son doesn't sit SATS. He will have to do the tests before the end of Y2 and you can't exclude him from them. His teacher will be assessing him continually and this will inform his NC levels. The tests should be very informal and nothing to be frightened of.

No, he shouldn't, nor should the rest of his class. They should all be teacher assessed. If I were being really unprofessional, I would point out that the dates are publisised well in advance and that kids who are on holiday or ill will not sit the test as they are are a one time only affair. But I would never be that unprofessional, of course! A fellow teacher refused to allow his dyslexic daughter to attend after school booster classes, much to the Head's annoyance, but no one could make her.

The only level reported to you will be his teacher assessment, drawn from lots of sources of evidence, not just the tests. Our Y2s don't know anything about them.

DrSeuss there is no set date for KS1 tests they can be done at any time in the school year and if a child is absent they can be administered when they return.

There are no dates for KS1 SATS, Dr Seuss - think you may be confusing them with KS2 tests. KS1 tests, used to back up the teacher assessment, may be completed any time from Sept to June. A school may choose to say in advance when they will do them, but it isn't the norm.

"No, he shouldn't, nor should the rest of his class. They should all be teacher assessed."

The teacher assessment still has to be supported by one test.

There is usually a lot of angst re Y2 SATs at this time of year - but it's just a teacher assessment like any other in Y1, Y3, Y4 and Y5. The only difference is it's reported to parents and the LEA.

Your ds will already have a teacher assessment, OP, just as he has had since Reception and will have in the future. It makes no difference whether he has dyslexia or not.

Well, we have been given a precise 3 weeks window when our children will be sitting (and I quote) "tests in spelling, writing, reading comprehension and maths". We have been informed that they will start practice papers after half term and that these will be sent home for us to also do at home - doesn't sound very subtle to me and my son is fully aware that he is being "tested". His dyslexia is hugely relevant because if it he prevents him from reading the questions he is being asked and creates anxiety for him how can this possibly be a positive educational experience?!!!!

But he already has a teacher assessment now, and will have one after the tests too. It's a way of describing where he is working at. It won't change the level whether he sits the tests or not - lots of evidence is used. You might as well say 'I don't want him doing any reading work at school ever throughout the year, because he had dyslexia.' The work is the same with or without the tests.

It does sound like they place unnecessary importance upon them, however - practice test for Y2 children? Ridiculous. Many LEAs refuse to allow the test result into the levelling conversation because undue imprtance shouldn't be placed upon them in Y2.

has dyslexia, not had

Booer, if your ds is not working at the level of the tests (levels 2 to 3) then he won't do them. And if he is working at that level, then the tests are appropriate for him. They shouldn't know anything much about them at this stage though.

Freenie - I don't have a problem with his teachers assessing him in a way that is not obvious to him and I am fully aware that these assessments are necessary and occur ALL THE TIME at my child's school (at our last parents evening they were able to give us an age category for just about everything!!!) What I object to is a formalised "test" which he is aware of, particularly in areas such as spelling which he really struggles with. I have absolutely no interest in the results, as I am perfectly capable of assessing his progress myself so I am completely foxed as to who benefits from this process. I also object to wasting his next term at school "practising" for tests that I am not remotely interested in (and nor frankly should he be!)In his words "I thought school was supposed to be fun".

You are right to be annoyed at the practising, and the unnecessary highlighting of the test process - it's terrible practice in Y2.

But the tests themselves aren't anything different to normal class activities. If they are appropriate to his level then they will be the same as the activities he does all the time anyway. They won't be timed - it will be normal for your ds to answer reading comprehension questions at his level with or without the tests.

Feenie - Well, the letter we have been sent home says that all written tests will have "time restrictions".....and they have been described to the children as a series of "tests". If it was as you have described I would not have such a problem...
As to your comment re reading earlier on, that is exactly what they SHOULD be doing through year 2 as much as possible as far as I am concerned...not doing endless assessments. You learn something reading a book, you learn very little doing a spelling test (other than, if you are dyslexic, the fact that you can't spell.

They should not have time restrictions, they are wrong. I would be kicking off about the high profile they are giving these tests if it was my ds.

Re the spelling test - meh, it's just one test, and if he isn't working at that level already, he won't be given it.

You might want to show them the bit of the ARA (legal document which schools must adhere to) which states that "children are not to be tested more than once during the year in each subject or attainment target."

Booer, if your ds is not working at the level of the tests (levels 2 to 3) then he won't do them.

Booer - your school sounds horrible. My DD only got a level 1 in her SATs last year, so didn't sit the tests.

(Although I was furious because they told her she had to leave the room because everyone else was doing a test which was too hard for her )

So if your son can't read, he can't do the reading test.

For the maths test they will read the questions out to him.

Very few marks are taken off in writing for spelling, so depends how bad he is whether or not he sits the test.

So basically he will only sit the tests if he is capable of getting a level 2. And if he is capable of getting a level 2 that is great. It means he's learnt to read and write......

A level 2 basically means being able to read and write independently.

thank you Indigobell - you have made me feel much better. I don't want to be a completely overprotective mother - i just don't want my son's confidence to be completely knocked for something that is not his fault. It is really helpful to know about them reading the maths stuff out. He is actually really good at maths but I am worried that he won't be able to read the questions or will read them inaccurately or too slowly to have a shot at answering the questions right. I think I will speak to the school about exactly what their process is when a child has dyslexia and therefore struggles with reading and writing. You have been a great help.

Teachers must administer national curriculum tasks and tests to help them arrive at
a secure judgement for their final teacher assessment at the end of key stage 1. As a
minimum, this will mean a task or test in reading, writing and mathematics for each child,
except those judged to be working below level 1. The teacher should decide which tasks
or tests should be used for each child, taking into account their knowledge of the level at
which the child is working. Teachers can use the tasks and tests to inform their assessment
judgements at any time during the year, but children are not to be tested more than once
during the year in each subject or attainment target.