How many levels/sub-levels progress in KS1?

[MissAnneThropy]

Hello. Hopefully someone can give me a definitive answer on this - I've looked around the 'net and I can't seem to find one!

What would be the expected number of levels/sub-levels of progress to make over the course of KS1 - or is there no expected range of progress because levels are not assessed on entry to year 1? (Or are they now?)

I've seen something that suggests 4 'steps' e.g. 1a->2c->2b->2a from end of the first term of year 1 to the end of year 2 would be 'satisfactory' , 5 would be 'good' and 6 would be 'very good'.

Does that sound about right? Also, what would be the 'norm' level expected at the end of year 2? I always thought it was 2c ->2a, but having tried to find the answer to the question of acceptable progress I'm not so sure any more!

[PopTarts]

That's great, thank you mrz

[mrz]

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239132/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Science.pdf

[mrz]

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335158/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Mathematics_220714.pdf

[mrz]

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335186/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_English_220714.pdf

[PopTarts]

Hi mrz, are the criteria for each year group available online anywhere please?

[mrz]

www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-schools-and-colleges-more-accountable-and-funding-them-fairly/supporting-pages/reception-baseline-assessment

[mrz]

You will notice there is a seven year interval between the assessments.

[mrz]

No you wouldn't be correct.

Under the new system children will be assessed on entry to reception (using s government approved programme) then the child will be tested at the end of Y6 and this will be used to measure progress.
Since the two assessments are measuring slightly different things it isn't clear how the government will use the information.

[MissAnneThropy]

I see. I'm still not clear on how progress is measured, then.

Would I be correct in summarising that:

1. The initial level for a child in Reception is given by the school without reference to a standardised method
   
   
2. At the end of the keystage they are tested using a standardised test to see how well they have "mastered" the content of that keystage
   
   Which means that it is in the best interests of the school to underplay the levels at the start of the stage as this will show them helping pupils make the most progress, surely?

[mrz]

Because like GCSEs and A levels and degrees it isn't measuring progress but mastery of what is contained in the curriculum.

[MissAnneThropy]

If there is a test at the end of KS1 but not one at the start, how can you ascertain progress?

[mrz]

There will be tests at the end of KS1 and KS2 from 2016 (just as there were under the old system) so no change really.

[arat]

I've stumbled across this thread late in the story, but MissAT's questions on this subject match mine.
We were told in early January that DD was performing to year 3 expectation. We've been quoted the 'stretched and extended' line by school but we've got no evidence of any progress for this term. The schools latest comment is that DD 'is working above age related expectations'.

Is that it? Is that all we can expect now, a one-line teacher comment? The school seem reluctant to make any statement about her working on year 4 stuff or give any objective assessment of how she has progressed during this academic year. The bottom line seems to be that she earned the tick for year 3 ages ago and has been/will be simply cruising for at least half of the year.

What are we missing?

[MissAnneThropy]

Thanks - I am aware that the standards required are now higher - I think what I am getting at is that there is now no 'test' as such, so it would theoretically be possible for a school to underplay a child's ability in order that it would be easier for them to show 'progress'.

[mrz]

Then they would be stretched and extended ... So if a child is working within the next year's expectations that would be reported but remember expectations have been raised in the new curriculum.

[MissAnneThropy]

And if they can do that, they are making progress? What if they could do the year 3 things in year 2, for example?

[mrz]

There isn't a level but there are expectations of what a child in Y3 ( or Y1-6) should be able to do by the end of the year.

[MissAnneThropy]

Is there a 'right' level for y3 (to use your example?) Surely there is only a 'right' level for the child, which in most cases will align with their age-peers, but will not exclusively do so?

[mrz]

Now there are a set of criteria for each year group which your child will be working towards so the school should be able to tell you how well your child is working against that criteria (not much different to levels in a way but each set is Year group specific so no guessing what is the right level for Y3)

[ChaiseLounger]

Mrsz could you please explain, using an idiots guide, how parents are now supposed to track if their child is making 'reasonable progress'.

What are we supposed to ask?

Before we could see that they had come on on a 2c, hit their target of 2a, made 2 sub levels. Lovely-Jubbly, everyone happy.

What are we supposed to do now?

[MissAnneThropy]

Aha.

And on a side note, who would have possibly foreseen that having exam boards run for profit would lead to them competing for entries by making the exams every so slightly less demanding year-on-year?

[mrz]

Oh there were plenty of companies making money by providing assessment materials to please Ofsted under the old system ... Where do you think most of the misconceptions about levels originated

[MissAnneThropy]

Ah I see. Thanks mrz.

I'm struggling to see any advantages of the new system (apart from it providing lots of opportunities for private companies to come in and provide a grading system which will help schools prove to OFSTED that pupils are making progress in the same way as the old system did, except in the old system there was no way of making a profit ...)

I think the argument that the old levels were 'confusing' (how confusing can a number and a letter be?) is poor, especially as the replacement appears to be 'we now have a system where you can't compare any school or any child with anything else'

Politicians, eh?!

[mrz]

It isn't just in KS1 there are no levels in any Key Stage.
The old levels don't correspond to the new curriculum introduced in September but rather than provide new levels the government decided that it would be better if schools develop their own assessment systems.
Gove argued that this would be better as parents confused by levels. I do have some sympathy with that view in that there were so many misconceptions around levels (sub levels don't technically exist in the old national curriculum yet everyone thinks they know what ABC equates to - levels were only ever intended for end of Key Stage assessment yet we routinely use them for other year groups) .

[MissAnneThropy]

Thanks all - a lack of a common policy or any levels would explain why I found searching for an answer so confusing!

Forgive my cynicism, but why was this change made? Mr Gove seemed to be quite keen on making state schools jump through as many hoops as he could dream up and expecting them to meet ever higher targets. It seems odd that he would also replace the KS1 system with what sounds like a load of local solutions that will make gathering and comparing data more difficult.