Yr 1 Phonics test - what if your child can already read?

[MayaAngelCool]

Can we have them exempted from the test? From what I gather, such a child is likely to fail the test as it includes lots of 'fake' words written phonetically. Children who can read well are thought to be likely to try to guess what real word these words are similar to, rather than saying what they actually are, and thus fail the test.

The Pearson Phonic Test information conveniently avoids saying anything about this problem. Anyone know?

I do think the tests are important as the results should be used to help the children who are struggling or vice verse (and haven't yet been identified if they are young) and to help the teachers to ensure they are using appropriate methods/identify areas that are not going so well. I do not think KS1 results should ever be published (they aren't any way at the moment are they?) but they are still really important.

sadly we have just been giving children the NGRT.

It USED to be good.... things are heading in the opposite direction sadly.

NGRT?

New Group Reading Test I assume

sorry, I should have said.

The year 2 test looked exactly the same as the year 6 one. Very intimidating, especially to my poor foundation phase infants.

The year 2 test looked exactly the same as the year 6 one. Very intimidating, especially to my poor foundation phase infants.

I really don't understand why people are objecting so violently to a simple assessment of decoding and blending skills while Y2s are subjected to quite complex NCTs. Is it because no-one knows what the Y2 tests 'look like'? Or is it because they've been around so long that no-one really thinks twice about them?

I asked DD1 who is 5.6 and in YR to try the test linked to upthread. She got the idea of made up words fine and got 31/40, borderline on c.7 of the ones she got wrong.

Totally unfazed by being asked to read a list of words and i can't imagine she would think it odd or be fazed by her teacher/TA asking her to do similar.

think Wales has it easy when it comes to tests. No phonics test, no SATS tests, no key skills exams.

But: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18097819

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-13911537
not sure what was the outcome but it was still on the cards in Feb this year

The word is that the Welsh assembly consider the Foundation Phase to be a failure and wish they could get rid of it, but that it cost too much money to set up.

It had the right aims but never the budget to carry them out

absolutely

and testing children in a formal manner is a rather intimidating process

I teach a catch up maths group. They have made excellent progress and I am really proud of them. I have worked really hard to give them a solid grounding that they had previously missed. But they were given the NFER maths yesterday and they did not show what they were capable of at all. The child who made the most progress this year sat hunched in his seat and cried, and failed to get even one question right. I don't think my results are going to look too good, so now I am thinking how I should have taught more formally and it wouldn't have thrown them so badly. But that would have been the wrong thing for their learning

I was teaching in a college the year they abolished the key skills exams element. Thought that was a stupid idea as well, but then the pass rate went up with just the coursework

A standard test just to check skills is good and I would be pleased if that came in. But I wouldn't want "the SATS" back after reading all about it on here. Some schools seem to be focusing on getting the children through the tests rather thn teaching them the knowledge and understanding.

Would like them to do the phonics check here.

I too think the phonics test is a good idea.

Isn't it mo of a screening than a test?

Humphreycobbler

I agree that formal testing is intimidating but getting use to it is necessary so that once a child reaches the GCSE stage formal testing should not be be too intimidating. Personally I feel the amount of the amount of testing is a little over the top but the plus size is children desensitise to it.

I previously worked in a school running phonic intervention groups. The way you administer tests to primary age children makes a big difference. I was told the children we were going to read a fun book about aliens but they all have silly made up names and they would need to read them for me etc :)

seeker it is actually called Year 1 Phonics Screening Check but the media knows test is a more emotive word than check

absolutely - I have been testing my children according to the excellent TAPAS document for the last two weeks and they had no idea it was happening. They were just doing fun maths with lots of stuff. I also feel it was a very accurate measure of what they had achieved and gave me precise knowledge of what I needed to teach next.

The NFER however was administered as it said on the packet, and sadly was a confusing and intimidating process for six year old children.

I phonic screen all the time (every six weeks or so) and no child has ever found it an intimidating process. It is the sit down test I object to. If I am going to start getting them used to it so early, that means I start teaching to a test and the rot starts.

Well that rots already started. We're teaching to test in Reception too now :(

It's a shame those who put the tests and demands in place tend to be idiots that can't teach that have moved on to higher places.

are you in Wales too xTonixxx?

No, East London.

what test are you teaching to in reception? [puzzled]

Sorry, my wording was rubbish. I didn't meant teaching to test as in flat out intimidating test. It's still just reading/phonic testing but within the last year or two the demands on what they're expected to know by end of reception have gone up. Obviously everything taught at primary school is teaching to test if you think about it, but what I was getting at is the pressure of meeting standards is increasing for every year.

I think by the age of 16 they should be able to sit a formal test but reception/year 1 children are only little and don't understand so screening should be done in a covert way and not be made a big deal of.