Calling all those that know - what do the SAT and other test results mean

[hippipotami]

Sorry, probably daft heading but don't know how to phrase it.

I have been told that at the end of KS1, so at the end of Y2) Sats they children should achieve a level 2.

Then I was told that at the end of Y6 Sats they should achieve a level 4.

Then I was told that the average child moves up a level every 2 years.

Based on that, what level should children get in their tests (which are not SATs but seem to have been graded on the same scale) receive?

My ds had the following adn I have no idea wether he is doing well or not
Reading 3B
Spelling 3B
Writing 2A
English oral 2A
English overall 2A
Metal arithmatic 8/15
Mathematics 2A
Mathematics overall 2A
Science 2C.

This is at the end of Y3. He is 7, will not be 8 till the end of August.
His two best friends received straight 4's for everything (they are bright) so I have noone of 'normal' intelligence to compare this to. (don't want to ask all the mums at school, it is not the done thing is it)

So, is he doing ok?
Parents evening not for another week, hence the question.

oh gawd, apologies for all the spelling mistakes - still hung over from a lovely mums night out last night...

Oh shoot - the question is - What level should the children achieve at the end of Y3.

I am truly incomprehensible today. sigh...

level 2a is the top end of a 2, so not far short of a 3c I would think. so mostly 2as and 3bc seems ok to me. I know that a level per 2 yrs is average, but I believe that this is sometimes in spurts rather than a steady improvement. Also, sometimes the tests that are given at KS2 seem to make it harder to achieve a level, than the same level at KS1 iyswim.

sorry, can't answer your q straight - maybe a high 2 or a 3 is what is the average?

An average child in Y3 would achieve 2a/3c. So your child is great at reading and spelling! I would have a word about his Science - at this level it is topic based, and so it's a bit concerning that the score is low.

At the end of year 3, the average tends to be 2b-ish. It would be unusual for a Y3 to have a level 4 (because they haven't yet been taught the skills needed to get a 4 in school - they may have learnt them elsewhere though).

From what you posted, I would say, well done DS . In Y3, children sometimes don't appear to make as much progress as you expect because of a) the adjustment from KS1 - KS2 and b) the format of the SATS is different to what they saw in Y2.

From his results, my questions for the teacher would be:

• How does his mental arithmetic result compare with the tests he has done throughout the year? What did he have difficulty with? How can you/ the school help him with this (not that he did badly just that this is where children often have difficulty & there were obviously a few questions he struggled with)

• What was the writing test? Is there something he is particularly good at? Is there a type of writing that he needs more help with? What about his handwriting?

and then the usual questions:

• is there anything in particular you can help him with? Is he happy, does he have friends, what does he enjoy (teachers often have different perceptions to parents) what to expect in Y4 (from DS, the teacher, the class etc)

HTH

Children do often drop in performance between Y2 & Y3 Sats, which is why most schools will use assesment tracking to spot which children may not be keeping on target, so they can be given extra support. What were his KS1 (Y2) SATS levels?

TMMJ - 2b is the ave at KS1 - 2a is higher than that, so yes, 2bs and 2as good result

I would think from the mental maths result that he might benefit from a bit of help getting his tables facts really good ( ie, being able to not just say his tables in order but answer questions like 'what's 2x3' what's 10 divided by 2' etc) and also his number bonds to 10 (knowing which number pairs add up to ten: 2/8,4/6 etc)If he is sure of these he will be a lot quicker in working out the 'problems' in the mental maths test.

Thanks guys - I figured it was fine, but just wanted it confirmed. I am very proud of him!

Re the mental artithmatic - it is definately his times tables that let him down. Will get them sorted over the holidays. He can say them very well, but goes to pieces when asked random ones ie. 5x8, 7x9 etc.

He is in the bottom group for both literacy and numeracy, and in a special group for children underachieving in litercy, so I am always concerned about his progress, but in the grand scheme of things he is obviously doing well.

Also, thanks for the tips on what to ask at parents evening.
They sent the report home Thu night, but we had to sign it and send it back Fri morning, so I have had no chance to actually properly read and digest it in order to formulate some sensible questions.

Re the boys getting level 4 in Y3, they really did, the bulk of children achieved 3's, and a handful achieved 4's (amongst the mums I chatted with) It is a very very high performing primary school, achieving results well above the national average. So within the school ds is always performing at the bottom. But on the whole he is obviously doing fine, so thank you mumsnet!

literacy, not litercy - gosh no wonder he is having special help