Year 2 levels (sorry!)

[MegBusset]

Have just had DS1's mid-year report, he is in Y2. We have been given his current levels for reading, writing and maths (2C, 2B, 2B) and his target for the end of the year (3C for all) but no other context for these! I don't even know if 2B is higher or lower than 2C.

I've tried Googling but not found any helpful links, please can anyone shed light on these levels and what the expected ones would be for middle of Y2?

You've not tried googling, really?

"I've tried Googling but not found any helpful links"

2a is higher than 2b which is higher than 2c.

The expected level for the end of year 2 is level 2b.

NC Levels go: 1C, 1B, 1A, 2C, 2B, 2A etc.

2C to 3C with just under half a school year to go is quite a big ask tbh.

At the end of yr2 the expected levels are a 2B so your DS is doing well

Hi
Levels go up in thirds starting at level 1C, then 1B, 1A,2C, 2b, etc. The complicated thing is that those thirds aren't really equal in practice. So a 'c' means you have a few skills of that level (10/20%); 'b' means you are securely at the level and have most of the skills and 'a' means you have
all the skills of that level and are ready to move up.
So reading he has a few key skills of level 2; writing and num he is securely working in level 2 - ie has most of the skills.
It is the expectation that children will reach 2B by the end of year 2 so he is doing well.
If he makes his targets of 3C, then that means he will have achieved all of the level 2 skills and will have achieved a few level 3 skills. This would be the expectation for the end of year 3.
A word of caution though - it is unusual for a child, especially an infant, to have a higher level in writing than in reading? You may want to question that?

Thanks for helping me decode it :) It's really confusing that the numbers go up forwards (1 - 2 - 3) but the letters go uo backwards (C - B - A)!

Effic he is a very skilled decoder (and speller) but less so in his comprehension so maybe that's why?

I would be v surprised if he went from a 2c in March to a 3c in June/July!

Yes it does seem a bit of a leap!

I could ask his teacher but I don't want to be one of Those Parents. I will settle for being one of Those Mumsnet Posters instead

Www.viscountbeaumonts.leics.sch.uk has an excellent chart regarding school years and levels.
Ignore Iamnotinterested. You can ask questions for info on a parenting forum

I wonder if its about time MNHQ started to take more action on unhelpful or bitchy posts when people come here asking for help, after all they are supposed to be promoting a helpful site, not one where parents are cowed down to ask questions?

MegBusset:

Can I introduce you to MN LEARNING pages - here there are articles about what happens at school/ aspects of the curriculum & resources to help you support learning at home: www.mumsnet.com/learning

If you go to the bottom of that page - you'll see Assessment: What? How? Why? and When? - if you read the articles there it will help you understand how your child is assessed/ tested (SATs/ SPAG/ etc...) as they progress through primary school: www.mumsnet.com/learning/assessment/introduction

MN information on progress through NC Levels can be found here: www.mumsnet.com/learning/assessment/progress-through-national-curriculum-levels - there are two tables at the bottom of this page - the first explains how many sub-levels of progress are expected during Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 years. The second give you a notional target (what most children should achieve) by the end of that given school year.

HTH

I disagree with the level for your average y6 child on that last mumsnet chart. Surely it should be a 4B?

Hi megbusset
It is highly likely, as you say, that he is skilled at decoding but not comprehending and so the reading is a level 2c. It just that achieve a level 2b in writing means he is writing simple and compound sentences that make sense, ordering ideas etc which is unusual if he hasn't got the basics of reading comprehension? Just worth an ask that's all?

Is the Mumsnet chart showing the average levels? I think 4b is the "expected" level whereas the average level could well be different.

Ah my dears - we have entered the NC Level quagmire.

Notionally - you are meant to finish KS1 (Y2) on NC L 2b

Key Stage 2 predicts 1 - 2 sub-levels progress per year or 3 sub-levels every two years.

Year 2 - finishing NC L2b

Year 4 - finishing NC L3b

Year 6 - finishing NC L4b

(thus the 4b contingent)

However - many children finish 2A or 3

Year 2 finishing NC L2a

Year 4 finishing NC L3a

Year 6 finishng NC L4a

or

Year 2 finishing NC L3c

Year 4 finishng NC L4c

Year 6 finishing NC L5c

ah but the game is more complicated now - schools are encouraged to show more than expected progress across all ability levels - low attainers/ Middle Attainers/ High attainers.

I suspect all of this is why it's far simpler for Gove to devolve systems of recording progress down to schools without much guidance. He can easily blame schools for poor communication/ parents can't complain anywhere (schools have been told they can virtually make it up - one unicorn/ four moons/ 6 geese/ etc... and the government now can't intervene). Much like the no vacations in term time policy - I suspect it's coming from good intentions but probably will not work well in practice. Certainly our school has huge number of ill children on Monday's/ Friday's and odd days between inset days/ closures for elections. What a lovely thing to teach your five year old - here sweety, we're going to call the school and tell them you're sick. It's called taking a sicky and Michael Gove wants to ensure that you develop this attitude toward school/ work from the earliest age. Now when they ask you at school where you were don't say Disneyland Paris....