Intelligence Tests in Reception? Really?

[BondGate]

DS1 (4.1 yrs) has just started Reception. We've just found out that they've been giving all the kids intelligence tests.

Is this really the done thing in Reception? I guess that intelligence tests may have their place for older children or adults, but isn't 4 - 5 years old too young to be getting meaningful results out of them, given how much development still has to happen before their young brains finish maturing?

FWIW, we've been told that classes are mixed ability all through primary school, but surely it would make more sense to balance classes based on ability shown in classwork rather than by IQ scores?

From the school's point of view, a child who starts in reception hardly able to speak who then storms ahead would be a fantastic asset - could only make them look good for their phenomenal teaching. Yes, I am wary of baseline assessments looking only at isolated bits of the whole profile that an EYFS teacher is supposed to be paying attention to, as it does depend on the professionalism and intelligence of the teacher as to how intelligently the tests are used to inform their teaching. So I guess the teacher in this case thinking they had performed an intelligence test is concerning!

Actually, just realised the baseline assessments will be more specific than the general banding approach I mentioned earlier, as they will record how many questions a child got right or wrong and which ones they got right or wrong, rather than looking at the child over time. It still doesn't make them intelligence tests, though!

For some it's the journey rather than the education. If predictions were made at reception for gcse results I have no doubt that ds1 would be accurate.
For dd however, I hope they are not. She is highly intelligent, possibly more so than ds1, but so bloody impulsive, she acts first and then has to suffer the consequences. She has little reprimands all day long as she finds self control and thinking things through hard. I hope that for her, the journey becomes about self control (which will come with maturity) which will aid her studies.

The school doing a baseline assessment would make sense, as it's a lot easier to understand why a school would want that kind of information for new pupils (even without government pressure).

Whatever tests they've done, I don't think it's the same as the EYFS thing where they assess prime areas of learning and development in general age banding (e.g. 40-60 months), because DS1's teacher said the week before this intelligence test stuff came up that they pretty much agreed with where DS1's nursery had placed him on that.

But, anyway, they used the term "intelligence test" rather than "baseline assessment" or "baseline test".

Assuming it's not just the teacher using the wrong words - or worse, confusing a baseline assessment with an actual intelligence test - my concerns about that are pretty much what shebird has said in her post at 09:21. If the school is labelling and pigeonholing children as clever / normal / not clever at such a young age, then there's a danger that this will affect their expectations of the children and how they treat them. That's potentially damaging for any child who gets placed in the wrong category if intelligence tests don't get reliable results so young.

agree with shebird and bondgate-its ridiculous and doesn't take into account the fact that some children are 5 and others only just 4. I think there is a real concern that expectations will be higher for those who do well on the baseline assessment and less for those that don't and in reality results may all be dependent on age in reception. But as others have said OP, it is most likely baseline assessment not IQ testing.

Just to clarify. The EYFS Profile is still statutory. The current intention is to make it non-statutory from September 2016.

www.gov.uk/guidance/2016-early-years-foundation-stage-assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara/section-2-early-years-foundation-stage-profile

Just to clarify as posting in a hurry this morning

"The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile was not designed to be a progress measure therefore once the reception baseline has been fully implemented in September 2016 and in order to avoid an excessive assessment burden in Reception, the EYFS Profile will no longer be compulsory. The transition period up to September 2016 will be carefully managed and DfE will communicate clearly with local authorities, stakeholders and schools"

Is it an independent school? Could have been PIPs.

Many state schools use PIPS and the producers also provide one of the authorised baseline assessment programmes (which is very similar to PIPS)

What's PIPS?

PIPs was developed by CEM, it was originally the main rival to Signposts Baseline, many, many years ago. I didn't realise state-maintained primaries still used it, as I assumed it would have been replaced as part of EYFS. Obviously not!

www.cem.org/base-packages-and-pricing CEM BASE

What about age related expectations?

if your teacher said that it was an 'intelligence test' and that your child had 'normal intelligence' I would be asking the HT to confirm that.
Fucking idiot.(the teacher I mean)