Measuring Progress without levels?

[namechangingagainagain]

How are your schools measuring progress now levels have been done away with?

I ask because I don't know whether to query DS's Maths progress (he has just started Yr 5). He got a level 3 in KS1 maths ( only got one mark wrong on the level 3 paper). In year 3 he was again "above expected". He loves numbers and seems to have a natural maths brain.

His report at the end for maths showed he was "expected" but making good progress....... I've asked for some clarification about what this means..... If someone if exceeding in yr2/3 and then expected in yr4 are they still "making good progress? levels were much easier to understand.

( for some background the school has form for being happy with everyone leaving KS2 as expected across the board... when DS1 was in a similar position in Yr 5/6 they teacher got a bit pissed off with me questioning his progress ( and that was with levels to back me up!).... essentially said I should be happy that he was "average" across the board.... he's now doing well in secondary school but his targets are very low after his ks2 results).

With the new curriculum, expectations were raised.

So a lot of children who were 'above expected' have become 'expected'.
And a lot who were 'expected' have become 'below expected'.

The curriculum has changed and become more challenging. His KS1 results was the old curriculum. Few children make progress at the same upward trajectory. They can plateau whilst new concepts are taken on board and they get used to the new curriculum. Some teachers can be very cautious when making judgements. Expected is good progress and lots of KS1 Level 3 children are now "expected" Y4. I would not say anything until you have a parents' evening and you can see how he is getting on in Y5. There is a very fine line of judgement between "expected" and "exceeding".

thanks that explains a lot.....
Im still a bit unclear how they can come to a judgement about progress.....the school still have "poor/ steady/ good/ very good" progress marks alongside emerging/ expected/ exceeding. Im still a bit unsure how they determine that an exceeding to expected is "good progress" to me that would seem to be poor or steady but who knows!

Don't get a parents evening until next easter ( it is a good school in lots of ways I promise!!) so will probably bring it up before then.

The national curriculum now has expectations for each year group to meet, which is in considerable detail about meeting set targets. In effect, at the start of the year they should not really be at expected level for anything and only as the year progresses will pupils meet expectation and then hopefully be above expectation.
The expectations are above what they used to be and to be honest it is going to take a bit of time for schools to "catch up" with the new expectations in each year group if they have got used to the old level 4C standard being what to aim for .