SATs in year 2 - is it really necessary???

[Notcontent]

Ok, so I am not British so find a lot of things perplexing!!

But I just find the while idea of testing 7 year olds a bit pointless and also have concerns that at such an early stage judgments may be made about their ability - because really, at 7 children are at many different stages of development. To cite an example, my dd didn't get reading at all in reception. She slowly started getting it in year 1 and then this year, in year 2, she has really flown through all the levels and is now a great reader at lime level. Her maths is ok, but she is just starting to get it, and I hate the idea of someone making a judgment about it.

I would argue that giving them a letter tells them very little but actually telling them what their child can do now and needs to be able to in each subject is being a partner

Yes Mrz, sorry I did know that I just put them in as an example iyswim...

My parents evenings would certainly be much shorter if all I needed to do was to say your child is a 1a in writing 2c in reading and 1b in maths ...next!

mrz I would want both. If a sub level has been assigned to my child I would want to know. The fact that schools record sub levels mean that they impart some information. As I have said previously it indicates how much is left to achieve in that level if coupled with the finer detail of what they have achieved.

I want to know more than the mere tactical : what is been covered now or even immediately next, I want to be able to have a more strategic overview of what is left to do.

Parents are responsible for ensuring their child has a decent education for the whole of their time in education, not just one school year in reference to a class teacher. Even though they may delegate the provision of that education to the state they should be able to receive all the information available to help them ensure their child receives continuity. They are concerned about far more than the politics of a single class teacher's performance in ensuring progress of her pupils.

Is is that you don't use sub levels or don't wish to report them mrz?

I didn't say a "what is being covered now or even immediately next" I said

What your child has actually demonstrated they know/can do now and what they need to learn next in order to progress ...there is a huge difference!

mrz you used the words now and next I assumed you were talking short term.

In reality I do not see that the information you say you would be giving is that different to what I would be asking for. However I do not see why you are so reticent about reporting sub levels if they are recorded.

If teachers are using them to inform, this is a given if they have recorded them, they are honour bound to share them with the parents. If the next teacher makes a judgement based on that sub level, the parents should know about this and be able to question it, if necessary. Teachers should be accountable to the parents (as they have entrusted their child's education to those teachers).

If you are not actually using sub levels then fair enough, but if you are why withhold the information?

There is a difference in what is taught now and when a child knows now daftdame ...

mrz Yes I know this. There may also be a difference between a child's ability and their attainment.

It is because I know this, I would like to know what is recorded about my child.

So why withhold information?

No one is withholding information ...are they?

Perhaps more transparency would prevent some^ teachers from making up their APP data, as admitted on TES forums.

community.tes.co.uk/tes_primary/f/36/t/381051.aspx?pi2132219857=3

mrz Re. withholding information, namely sub level information, you tell me...

so an A, B or C is withholding information even if the teacher has told you that your child is just working at low level 2 and can do x, y and z but needs to be able to do f, g, h and s,t,u ...

mrz I would prefer:

your child is working at level 2C and can do x, y and z but needs to be able to do f, g, h and s,t,u ...

Admittedly the difference is very subtle, but I'd like to know it all the same.

I don't think I have ever said I don't like to give sub levels everlong

What are you saying re. sub levels mrz?

You don't give them out to parents and don't use them? You don't give them out to parents but do use them?

If it is the latter, why?

None of the above daftdame

What then are you saying regarding telling the parents their child's sub levels, mrz?

I'm saying that as a parent I find it more useful for the teacher to tell me exactly what my child can do and what they need to do to make progress.

"Many schools are finding that by assessing pupils using National Curriculum sublevels on a regular basis, pupils who are making less than satisfactory progress are quickly identified and support for them can be given. A common way of dividing the National Curriculum levels is the use of an a, b, c indicator:"

notice common not only

www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/sublevels

We send out an automatically generated printout of each child's assessments with reports, sub-levelled at level 2 for maths and English. It's accompanied by a national / school comparative data sheet, again sub-levelled at level 2 for maths and English.

I thought all schools sent out the same data sheets (?)

All schools must give out levels at the end of each Key Stage ipadquietly but as you know in Y2 level 1 and level 3 would not be broken down into sub levels on the printout.

The present discussion if you go back far enough is about the DfE site which states that the average level in Y2 is level 2 (notice no sub levels)

Makes a bit of a mockery to break down into sub-levels, two years after the same children will have reached an expected level in Y2 ranging from 40 to 60+ months!