How will SATs be marked in 2015, if there are no NC levels with the new curriculum?

[Hulababy]

Again, just curious.

Although I work in primary eucation this isnt something I have actually consdiered until today.

The new curriculum has no levels attached.
But I assume there will still be Y2 and Y6 SATs in the summer of 2015 onwards.

Is this when they start getting given a numerical grade instead? And what will that number related to?

I think the answer to that question would require some sort of forethought about what they were doing to the curriculum. Which would be a ridiculous notion.

There was some mumbling about centiles or deciles or some such nonsense. But I'm not quite sure what the final decision on that was.

Tbh, I'm good with setting an expectation of what they expect children to be able to do at the end of year 2/6 and then a working at/above/below age related expectations. I'm not totally convinced most parents want much more than that.

2015 will be as it is now...the fun starts in 2016!
I don't think anyone knows absolutely but best guesses suggest some kind of decile ranking system.

If only we knew! Every LA advisor I speak to has "thoughts" on it, but no one has firm ideas and they all have different opinions on what it should / will be! It is down to schools to decide. I suggested I lead our group of local primary schools on starting something, but was told not to bother as someone else will come up with ideas, but they are not sure who and they are not sure when. I'm really frustrated with not knowing. If we are expected to evidence progress and all the LA and OFSTED are interested in is data how on earth are we to show this without some form of levels.

I heard the centiles, etc. have been shelved???

^"As part of our reforms to the national curriculum, the current system of “levels” used to report children’s attainment and progress will be removed from September 2014. Levels are not being banned, but will not be updated to reflect the new national curriculum and will not be used to report the results of national curriculum tests. Key stage 1 and key stage 2 tests taken in the 2014 to 2015 academic year will be against the previous national curriculum, and will continue to use levels for reporting purposes.

Schools will be expected to have in place approaches to formative assessment that support pupil attainment and progression. The assessment framework should be built into the school curriculum, so that schools can check what pupils have learned and whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the key stage, and so that they can report regularly to parents. Schools will have the flexibility to use approaches that work for their pupils and circumstances, without being constrained by a single national approach."^

That's what I'd thought I'd heard about the centiles/deciles/quintiles but I have to admit I'm a bit out of the loop and haven't really been keeping up.

It's down to schools to decide for their own assessment, but surely someone has to make a decision about end of KS assessment on a national level.

The reception baseline is going ahead - no one knows if Y2 NC assessment will be scrapped but it is an option

Yes, we know schools have to create their own internal tracking system to monitor progress but the govt will still have to have some way of comparing schools(they obviously need some way of telling us we are not doing our job properly) at the end of KS2. This is where the tests/decile ranking things I believe are being suggested. I think they have been shelved for EYFS though?

I swear he's just got post its attached to a dart board and is throwing darts blind folded to see what gets hit.

MRZ-is the suggested baseline now via a verbal reasoning, literacy test to be used for internal tracking or is the decile ranking thing for 5yr olds (being reported to parents) still in the mix?

Rafa-couldn't agree more. Never has a minister seemed so unsuited to his job.

Gove seems to favour a PIPs style computer based assessment to show progress between reception and Y6

Our school is taking part in trials of yr2 tests this year, the seeming intention being that they are thinking of bringing back yr2 external tests.
Who knows?????

Ah right - so the answer is that we don't really know, and everything else is just ideas in the air. And 2015 will be the same as it is now.

So I haven't missed some big news that I should have known after all then :)

DS is in year 5 so doing KS2 SATS next year. So levels will be gone from this September, but they will still be used to report his SATs results? So surely they will still be used for year 6 for next year?

I know that he is performing above national expectations at the moment - I'm more interested to know how he performs compared with how he could potentially do, if that makes sense. I can see that with national curriculum levels. Ah well what will be will be I suppose.

That about sums it up. 2015 is definitely the same and all you have missed is a lot of confusion and backtracking.

If we have another government presumably all bets are off and we start the whole process again?

Sadly I didn't even get to miss the confusion and backtracking. I got all that bt. Just figured by now, as it is getting closer I might have mssed some actual decision being made.

I know...I should know better by now!

Tristan Hunt has stated Labour will keep Gove's reforms Silkyandmoonface

Thanks for all the helpful info Mrz

?
Really mrz?

It's actually really hard to work out how our school will perform in measures that they haven't defined properly yet...

Getting a bit fed-up of it.

mrz with the reception baseline going ahead, is it thought to be started for the 2014 intake?

I read 2016 for reception baseline to start.

Yes I read 2016 too RM

It's still all up in the air because we're waiting for the govt's response to their consultation on primary assessment and accountability, which took place in the autumn. That was what proposed baseline assessment, deciles, etc.

The response is due any minute, and will clarify which of the proposals in the consultation they'll be taking forward, with a clearer idea of the timescale.

Sorry OP, apologies for using your thread to witter on (again, LOL), it is kind of relevant...............just got back from a school run fraught with parents and kids stressing about impending SATs and discussing NC levels. The big picture of our kids' childhood being completely missed. To think I sometimes wonder why I still haven't returned to teaching yet.....Has anyone in any government ever actually wondered what our children actually NEED to know and be able to do between the ages of 3 and 11?

Would it not be better to be able to have a childhood and plenty of time to learn the "basics" (I include ITC in this now) REALLY well, so that secondary education isn't a closed door or a struggle? I make no apologies for the fact that this is an old fashioned notion. It works right across ability levels. I was there!

It isn't the levels/ sub-levels/ baseline testing etc that needs messing about with, (I'd scrap it in favour of trusting teachers to know our children's needs and abilities well and use a simpler system) it's the whole over-loaded, jam-packed unwieldy curriculum itself, with way too much too fast too soon.

All this change over the last 25 years hasn't really "driven up" (yuk, sounds awful) standards, evolution doesn't work that fast on the human brain anyway. Illiteracy and innumeracy in this country should be a national scandal (I think it is) and other curriculum areas should be pared WAY down, especially for children who are struggling for whatever reason. If reading itself is difficult, study at any level is extremely challenging, demoralising and exhausting.

Behaviour problems, lack of motivation, truancy, poor self esteem, child mental health issues.........has Mr. Gove or his predecessors ever stopped to wonder what impact a decent grasp of what I call the "basic educational toolbox" i.e literacy and numeracy (ITC also) would have on the above at KS3 and upper KS2?

PLEASE give primary school teachers the time to teach these things and weed out the unnecessary curricular guff, then when whatever levels are applied at the end of the process, I'm certain that children would do better than they are now. Oh, and feel a bit better about themselves and love school into the bargain. Small steps for small feet.

I give all teachers my utmost sympathy with stuff like this, my support and grateful thanks for even showing up(!!), you are back to not being heard or trusted, which is at best demoralising and at worst downright rude!!!!!

Here endeth the lesson, am just so darn fed up with it all!