Y1 phonics test

[Yvonne99]

I am wondering if the Y1 end year phonics test is video or voice recorded? I was told that it is done 1:1 (pupil & teacher only) - how the results can be objective? Thanks

There is very clear guidance for teachers for each word in the test. Teachers will know what is allowed and what is not. Why are you worried?

Of course it isn't. Its a year one test for the government...not a court case

The child looks at the word on the page and reads it to the teacher.

The teacher ticks it on her/his sheet if the child said it right, puts a cross if wrong.

The child is given a score based on how many they read correctly.

The results are not subjective-the child is either right or wrong.

I am not worried, just wondering. How the results can be verified?

You will find that, just like EYFS, much of the assessment in KS1 is by teacher observation or discussion. National Curriculum levels award for Speaking and Listening, reading and much of the science and maths are largely based on classroom evidence and we don't follow children round with a video camera or microphone to prove it. It is teacher's professional judgement. The criteria are there for the Phonics Check, the teachers have been trained in how to administer it and they may have a random moderation visit to observe a couple of children being assessed.

Did you get video and audio "verification" of your child's Early Years assessment evidence?

It's not important enough to warrant the expense of officially verifying the results. If you need to worry about it, you have a separate problem.

The child can either read it or they can't. What verification is required?

If you don't trust your teachers to carry it out properly, you have a much bigger issue with school.

Is this a serious question? If so, parent's trust in teachers and their professionalism is worse than I thought...how disheartening....

The check may be externally moderated (watched by someone from outside the school) to ensure it is done fairly. (Government trust in teachers)

Our lovely head teacher was forced to resign by the LEA because teachers in key stage 2 had fiddled the assessments. I feel that the pressure on accurate assessments in primary schools is ruining teaching and schools in general. Our poor year 1s have had their school christmas play cancelled to concentrate on learning their phonics since the school failed its last OFSTED.

I think that there would be merit in recording a phonics test with a hidden dicaphone. I worked in a school that used to secretly record difficult parent meetings even though this is completely questionable legally.

I trust my children's teachers, but teachers need to be protected against false allegations.

If your child can read adequately, which means being able to decode words he or she has not seen before, s/he will pass the test with ease. If your child can't do this, s/he won't pass. I can't see why you would want the test recorded, unless you have very severe concerns about your child's teachers. If you do have concerns, you should raise this with your child's school right now and not in a few terms time once they have taken the test.