SATs - explaining why they are important to my Y6 DS

[JustADadHere]

My son is currently in a state primary but will be going to an independent secondary school. He is sitting all the Level 6 SATs. He is questioning me as to why SATs are important and why people are getting so stressed about them versus any other assessment. I haven't told him that his secondary school will in all likelihood ignore his SATs results.

What do you think I can tell him? Why ARE they so important?

[Picturesinthefirelight]

But for the OPs child his targets definatly won't be set using SATS data as a large proportion of their intake is likely to come from prep schools who didn't sit SATS.

[woodlands01]

I have never experience a child with less than L5 in SATs achieving an A* in Maths.

[woodlands01]

Sorry - 'experienced'

[BaconAndAvocado]

woodlands you have now!

DS1got a level 4 in his KS2Maths SATs and took his GCSE in Year 10.

He got an A*.

[Dancergirl]

Around here the Yr 6 SATS are very skewed anyway - because a lot of children get some form of private tutoring for the 11+ exam, at the start of Year 6 - and the schools just reap the benefits of all that private tutoring

Yup, totally agree. And our Head refuses to believe that all that private tutoring has an effect on results.

[Blackjackcrossed]

Do secondary schools not use teacher assessments anymore or are they seen as worthless compared to the Sats test result?

[andsmile]

Good for your DS Bacon but I would say that is exceptional. He must have been well motivated and taught very well too!

[BigBoobiedBertha]

I agree they are important for the child and the school. DS1's secondary school used them to set the children from day 1. They did the CAT tests but in a vast majority of cases they matched the SATs/teachers' assessment and very few people moved set because of them. All the way through secondary the SATs have been the benchmark for their progress, not the CATs. He is in Yr 9 now.

Yes of course they are important to the school too but it is a bit silly to separate out the progress made by the child as being something very different from the progress the school shows overall. By striving for better VA/league tables positions the individual children are the ones benefiting from effort. Of course that assumes that school isn't one of the awful schools that basically suspend normal school life and crams for weeks on end. Thankfully my boys' school isn't like that and I am not sure what I would do if it was, but as it stands the children are fulfilling their potential rather than being forced to over achieve with all the problems that might create in the future at secondary school.

[BigBoobiedBertha]

Blackjack - I can only speak for DS1 of course but his streaming at secondary school was a mixture of teacher assessment and SATs (the two should more or less tally anyway) with the CAT's as more evidence later on in the first term.

[BaconAndAvocado]

Thanks andsmile

I'm still not exactly sure what happened myself! I think he's a late developer!

[andsmile]

I read a research document (published on net) that found SAT's are more accurate than TA at KS2, ooooh....to do with TA being more ambitious than the actual attainment as shown by scores from SAT paper.

I cant remember how I came across it, what I was looking up. I will see if I can find it and link if anyone is interested. It was quite a comprehensive study.

[PiqueABoo]

Talking of VA, there's a handy little table of KS2 SATs sub-level to GCSE grade with VA held constant (1000) in this blog post:

www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/12/exploring-value-added-ofsted-raiseonline-best8-and-expected-progress/

[andsmile]

Dont CAT assessment test a range of skills that arn't covered in SAT'? isnt there a verbal/non verbal element?

Some schools also collect additional background data to assess aspects of their social and cultural outlook - well one secondary did I worked at. Your postcode is also used in calculating a child's predicted grade at GCSE.

[mrz]

CAT stands for Cognative Abilities Test - they test general intelligence rather than knowledge

[mrz]

Cognitive Abilities

[andsmile]

thanks mrz

[LowCloudsForming]

LaQueen - L6 SATs are imo rather more challenging that 11+. They are more about interrogation and problem solving with application of knowledge acquired rather than knowledge for its own sake.

[PiqueABoo]

andsmile If you judge schools and teachers by progress there is clearly an incentive, innocent or otherwise, for them to find it. Plus a lot of primary teachers tend to be optimistic glass-half-full types, something I suspect few of us parents want changed.

[andsmile]

absolutely - pique Ive tried to find it...there was very little difference in TA and SAT at KS1!

[teacherwith2kids]

DD is proud of her school, and wants to do well for them, and for herself.

DS has seldom been visibly happier and prouder than when he realised that his SATs reasults helped to get his primary school their 'outstanding'.

[MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic]

I get a bit miffed at booster lessons and the pushy nature of YR 6 SATs. It seems to be missing the point - surely it should be judging how well the children are doing with normal, everyday teaching, not cramming and constant practising of tests. My DC are aware that I expect them to try their best, but that's it. I won't let them get stressed or place too much significance on them (secondary school DSs attend and DD will go to in 2015 does its own streaming exam as part of the application process) I won't make them attend extra-curricular booster lessons - DS1 didn't go, DS2 did, DD knows she can make that choice next year.

It's sad actually. DCs Primary school was quite laid back at the beginning but seem to be getting more pushy every year. They have a good OFSTED report so I assume they're feeling pressured from other directions, but I'll be glad when DD finishes tbh. Year 6 seems like such a waste from the outside.

[teacherwith2kids]

(I am much more tolerant of SATs week at DC's school because the school treat them as they should be treated - as a brief assessment week in the middle of normal teaching. They have learned new things all year, there have been perhaps 3 or 4 'test focused' lessons in the whole year, and 1 set of past papers per term... and next week they'll be back to normal lessons.)

[RufusTheReindeer]

I've told ds2 that they don't matter at all

He does love his maths though so I know he is going to push himself and do the absolute best he can

Unlike dd who came home from her first year 7 exam and is regretting not revising

[Blackjackcrossed]

I'll be surprised if classes continue as normal after Sats. I expect they will not have any more spellings or maths coming home, these oh so important subjects will no doubt be dropped till the end of the year, what a great way to educate kids and prepare them for secondary. It's not surprising dcs enter secondary with dropped scores.