So here we are- KS2 SATS Week...

[ampere]

Feeling more nervous than DS2!

He's 'borderline', particularly in Literacy. He'll be so happy if he gets a 4 (as will I!) so off he went just now with me offering my last minute bon mots ('Read carefully! Most of the answers are in the text! If it doesn't make sense, you've not read it properly' etc).

OK....I have mentioned..bird watching/talent show/letter writting/hot air balloon/talent show....and he is now looking at me as if i have lost the plot

He doesn't seem to have already done any of this ..but he was off with tonsilitis a few weeks ago..maybe they did it then so i am presuming they will use another piece of other work to use as his mark ??????

Ours are being internally marked on this one, and it was Pip and A Memory.... first thing dd said when she saw me was 'biography is the one in the third person, right?' - apparently everyone was asking the poor teacher and he's not allowed to tell them, of course.

Our papers are the talent show, the hot air balloon and the spellings are about dragons - and they have 'To be marked internally' on them.

I am so glad I have this thread because DS cant remember until I jog his memory. All he could remember was the spelling test and he knows he got 1 wrong (Majestic)

So we has talent show and the balloon trip today.

Maths tomorrow which he is much more relaxed about.

Well, ds couldn't spell "associated"!

I am so glad mine never had friends who got paid for their SATS results - was bad enough at GCSE & A level. I'm afraid that anyone at senior school (me !) will tell you that some kids do get inflated KS2 results, due to learning how to answer specific questions (SATS are v repetitive), but sometimes the underlying knowledge is not as strong. I have no problem with SATS and testing, but I do with kids being stressed about them as if they define the next stage of their education. To some parents dismay, they don't. Parents evening is always lovely as you try to explain that little johnny may have got a 5 but he is now a 4 as skills needed at KS3 are very different. Anyway, hope all your kids are enjoying them (mine did !) and they get the levels they deserve for all their hard work.

DD fell down on associated too. She was gutted. Normally she gets 20/20 and they didn't get to play rounders after.

dd just checked it's 'luxury' not 'luxery' - reassured her but told her, when asked, that 'during' has two rs. mwahahaha.

We had a hail and thunderstorm here, this afternoon. So much for fun and games on the field.

I'm just glad the literacy SATs are over for this year. Roll on maths tomorrow.

Ps. I am marking the maths ones this year. I love it as some of the answers have me in stitches.

What qualifications do you need to mark the maths papers? I get given all the practice ones to mark cos I enjoy doing them.

I cross exemined him again...and no nothing..not even spellings ????

Bizzey, your school can test for writing at any time this term, I think if internally marked. Lots just chose to do it today to get them over with.

To mark you need to be a teacher, I think in a relevant subject. It is fun and very sweet when you see some of their explanations. I find the mark scheme quite good now (used to be too rigid) so if we see they have grasped the idea we can award a mark for working. Just tell your kids to make their working readable so I can award lots of lovely marks - sometimes I struggle to find their final answer amongst a box of scribbles. I always try !!

Shame, being a TA and having a degree in a science subject won't count, then? Thanks.

Thanks Ellen...I think I am iust getting a bit confused on internal/external marking...if school know what/when paper they are going to give...they are going to prime/prep dc's for that type of writting and therefore give them an unfair advantage()

If they are internally marking, they would have to take their 'preparations' into account, I suppose. I'm sure the teacher assessment is better than a one off performance.

I will check for you Ellen, as the degree bit might qualify, if have TA qualification/experience. I'll ask when speak to manager on Friday (scripts start arriving soon) & let you know. It's not bad money but very time consuming, but much easier than doing GCSE ! They take forever to mark.

Might be good work for next year. Could always do with a bit more money. Couldn't possibly mark the literacy ones, though!

Teachers shouldn't have prepped their class as even the internal papers are not meant to be opened until test time.

Not that it would 'give an advantage' anyway, as the tests are only to help contribute towards teacher assessment.

OK you mums. Give me The Words from the spelling test. We have:
Associated
Luxury

DS is screwed. He cannot spell under test conditions to save himself.

Thank god for Maths tomorrow.

Mine had emblem I think. She said the teacher emphasised it as em-bel-em so got it wrong...

Milgod thank you...maybe i miss read an earlier comment that said teachers already had /knew ? the internal papers . So are all the internal ones different then ?? I don't want him to have an added advatage.

PS Because I'm old, I'm not big on 'teacher assessments' though I am sure they are waaay better than they were 'back in my day'! DB went to a (poor) SM in 1972. All his Y7-10 reports said he was doing fine. Suddenly his Y11 report- and parents eve - spoke of 'class clown/ shocking drop in performance..... Hand wringing and all. M&D were horrified, but accepting. A year later they spoke of it to other local parents and, guess what? Identical experiences. 4 years of apparent success followed by Disaster! Or crap education being covered up.

Bring on SATS.

Associated
Luxury
Emblem