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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Ks2 sats week 2015

483 replies

Catbat77 · 11/05/2015 12:03

I have a very nervous dd this morning, wanted to hear other parents thoughts or experiences this week!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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TheFirstOfHerName · 14/05/2015 07:32

DS1 & DS2 had to do them on the very first day of Year 7. They said the tests were verbal reasoning and numerical aptitude.

proudmama2772 · 14/05/2015 11:34

I love standardised tests. I need something completely objective to show me what my kid knows and what he doesn't. I need to see how the teaching in my kids school compares to others.

I hate the Math SATs as a standardized test. I don't think it is measuring the teaching as much as the IQ and maturity of the kids in the school. I can understand it usefulness for determining sets to a degree. The kids doing well are really savvy and ready to move on to the next level.

Just came out of the maths SAT and felt really ticked off at the test makers. Felt like they were ruining an opportunity for a really great test. I felt like I could reword each question so that more kids would get more correct answers(points) and not necessarily know that much less than their savvier counterparts - just because the wording or the way the questions were asked could be done in a much more straightforward way. Aren't some of the entrance exams at secondary independent schools less scary than this test?

Also, given that there are so few questions - why they choose some of the ones they do. I feel the same way about football games won on penalty goals - so completely disproportionate and highly inaccurate of how well they can apply their knowledge.

var123 · 14/05/2015 13:33

How do you mean about the maths SATS questions, proudmama2772?

Do you mean something like instead of a question that says "A class consisting of 31 children spend £12 each on a school trip. How much does the class spend in total?"
It should say: "What is 31 multiplied by 12?"

I am not sure I agree that tests should be devised so that as many as possible get high marks because I think the point of tests is to differentiate. For the same reason, I don't think that its a good idea to give a test that is so difficult that most children can't do it, or only be able to get a very low score.

rabbitstew · 14/05/2015 14:31

All tests measure the IQ and maturity of a child - a clever, mature child will learn more from a bad teacher than an immature child with low IQ...

choccyp1g · 14/05/2015 14:35

var123, the problem with your example is the word "consisting".

proudmama2772 · 14/05/2015 15:01

var123

No that's not what I mean. I mean instead of (this is not a current SATs question)

1 toffee apple needs 1 stick, 100g of sugar and 1 apple
50 sticks 6.25
1kg sugar costs .99
100 apples cost 22.50.
Children make 100 toffee apples and sell each for 1 pound. Profit goes to charity. How much goes to charity?

Rather than combine the metric conversion between 100g and 1kg and cost per item of different amount. You know maybe just ask a separate questions for a point to see if they can convert how many apples needed for 1kg of sugar or something. And maybe ask them questions individually for the cost of each item. Then ask them the profit question.

rabbitstew · 14/05/2015 15:26

But the point of problem questions is that the children are supposed to be able to work out what maths they have to do, rather than be told, isn't it? ie they are supposed to be able to work through the question in several stages without prompting???

shebird · 14/05/2015 15:37

I think this type of question is where my DD makes mistakes, probably because she does not read the question enough times to fully take on board what she is being asked to do. I am confident that she has the ability to answer this question under normal cicumstances but in the panic of an exam I worry that she might miss the point

shebird · 14/05/2015 15:44

I also think that exam technique and the ability to cope under pressure should not be underestimated in these circumstances. The ability to work out what exactly is being asked is almost as important a skill in these exams as knowing the actual method required to get the answer. I guess this is something that some are naturally good at and hopefully will come to others with more practice.

slicedfinger · 14/05/2015 15:57

Today's papers were 'not too bad' according to DD. I am so glad it's all over for her.
Best of luck to any who are doing them in the coming days.

proudmama2772 · 14/05/2015 16:01

shebird

I couldn't agree more. It becomes an endurance test not appropriate for a 10/11 year old. Some of the geometry questions from past papers are horrendous.

ChaiseLounger · 14/05/2015 16:04

Thank goodness they are all over!!

sunnydayinmay · 14/05/2015 16:07

Haven't seen my ds yet, but his friend (who is very very advanced in maths) said level 6 paper b was the hardest maths paper they had ever done.

rabbitstew · 14/05/2015 16:14

My ds1 said the level 6 papers were much harder than any practice ones they had done, although I don't think they actually practised many full papers. Definitely an endurance test! Poor thing now seems to be getting a cold, too!

SugarPlumTree · 14/05/2015 16:18

Good luck to everyone with them yet to come. Very pleased they are over.

redskybynight · 14/05/2015 16:18

My DS agrees with your DS's friend about Level 6 paper B, sunny On the flip side he said paper a was one of the easiest he's ever done :) I am trying not to read too much into this ...

elmwoo · 14/05/2015 16:29

Ditto red sky, ds said exactly the same, paper 1 ok paper 2 really hard, do you know wether they have to get at least 16 in each paper or 32 over both papers to get a L6

rabbitstew · 14/05/2015 16:36

ds1 didn't distinguish between the 2 papers - I don't think he could remember much beyond the last paper he took!

proudmama2772 · 14/05/2015 16:36

redskybynight

didn't you say we shouldn't be too obsessed by levels.

SugarPlumTree · 14/05/2015 16:41

DS said most found paper B hardest but he found them much the same. He said a fair few didn't finish. They are done now and I personally honestly don't care what he got - I won't be saying that at GCSE though. Hope they are good overall for School's sake, last set of SATs for Deputy Head return after 30 years.

SugarPlumTree · 14/05/2015 16:43

Deputy Head retiring that should be.

SlightlyJadedJack · 14/05/2015 16:47

Yep, DS said L6 paper had a couple of very tricky questions and I don't think you need to make more than one or two mistakes not to pass it. He is also full of cold and not been sleeping well at all so I'm not expecting much on this one tbh. He thought the 3-5 paper was fine.

redskybynight · 14/05/2015 16:49

proudmama Um, yes, I do think one shouldn't be too obsessed by levels. Why is that relevant to this thread or anything I've said on it?

var123 · 14/05/2015 16:49

DS told me which were the most difficult questions on the level 6 maths today. One of the questions is very reminiscent of a level 7 question that I saw a couple of weeks ago. (You needed the same lightbulb moment to get the level 7 question as you did today's level 6, but the level 6 question was perhaps just a tiny bit more spoon fed.)

I'd love to say which question but I know its not allowed yet.

However, it does sound like it was harder to get 100% today than it was in previous years. Maybe they will compensate by making the pass mark lower?

proudmama2772 · 14/05/2015 16:53

redskybynight

Because you have to try so hard not to read too much into what your son is saying. If he does well or not on the level 6, he's doing pretty awesome.

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