please explain dd1's Optional National Curriculum Test Results to me

[geekgirl]

dd1 is nearly 8, about to finish year 3 and is a lazy arse

In last year's SATS she got 3 in all subjects and we were v. happy with her. This year she got 4 (reading, and yes I know that's great) but only 3c in both writing and maths. Does that mean she has made no progress over the past year?

Her report is full of 'she needs to focus', 'needs to work to the best of her ability', 'would have done better with a bit more effort' etc.

Am I unreasonable to be annoyed? And how on earth do you tackle laziness?

Perhaps she got 3a in all the other subjects? That is progress then .We were given a 'ready reckoner' by our school to show what High, Average,Low attainers should achieve at the end of each year. Year 3 shows 3a and 3b for High achievers and 3c for average. Level 4 doesn't feature until year 4 when it is expected that a high achiever would attain a 4c.
I understand though that it might look like she hasn't progressed but if worried I would ask the teacher if there is a significant learning hurdle to get from level3 to 4.

When dd2 went into yr 5 I nearly had a cow when the teacher said she was working at level 3 as she had got all level 3s at KS1.

I only calmed down after 3 different sources told me that KS1 level 3 and KS2 level 3 are not the same and KS2 level 3 has a lot more to cover. Apparently after that level 4 doesn't take that long to achieve.

Dd2 went on to get all 5s at the end of KS2 so she reached her targets.

I'd still ask the teacher to explain though to put your mind at rest.

thanks, I will talk to the teacher

I'm so annoyed with her. She used to be on the G&T register for maths, but has completely slacked off.

And the writing... I went to a parents' evening last term and the teachers were falling over themselves to tell me how completely outstanding her writing is (which ties in with her reading really - she is a v. keen reader and good at remembering stylistic tools etc.) and now this....

you can get a Level 3 in KS1 Maths using your fingers to count, you can't in Year 3, was how the difference was explained to me. And presumably an equivalent example for english. But also remmeber that a lot of/some schools really "teach to the test" for the Year 2 SATS, which can make the results look as though they've dipped a bit in Year 3.

Apparently the thresholds for Level 3 in Year 3 are very different for the thresholds in Year 2. So it frequently happens that children seem not to have progressed much. It may also be that your DD's writing is generally fab, but that on this one piece of assessed writing she didn't do as well as she normally does.

Some of DS1's friends who got 3s for certain things in Y2 are still getting 3s in Y4 - but now they are getting 3a, whereas then they just scraped a 3. DS1 got a 3c for Maths in his SATS at the end of Y3 and I was very concerned he hadn't progressed much; this year, Y4, he has gone up to a 4b.

Generally I think the levels are bollocks, but it is still the measure the schools use....

Actually, the difference between Y2 tests and Year 3 is that in Year 3 they have to be completed in a set time. This often means that kids appear to have made no progress when in fact they simply freaked when asked to complete a certain amount of, say, Maths questions in a given time at the age of 8.
Far more important would be a Teacher assessment, which would give a fuller picture of the levels your child works at when not suddenly under pressure. Ask for these if they were not reported to you.