Only 1 in 5 Y6s meet expected standard in Science tests

[noblegiraffe]

....despite teacher assessment saying that 82% of them meet the expected standard.

Why is the teacher assessment so far off? Any primary teachers around?

www.tes.com/news/sats-one-five-pass-science-sample-test

I mean, I knew teacher assessment was unreliable but that seems a bit of an understatement here.

Because teacher assessment is based on assessments made of topics covered over the course of the year and then amalgamated into an overall judgement. This judgement covers not just recall of facts but also "working scientifically"- ongoing skills that cover a child's ability to:
planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate
recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests
reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and a degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations
identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments
Test scores are based on recall of facts covered up to 9 months previously. The teachers won't spend much time revising because, quite frankly the science tests aren't important to the school, the children won't revise at all!
So it's not surprising that there is a difference in assessment outcomes. it's a little like the difference between coursework outcomes and exam results at secondary.

I think this article is not as it seems as there was no science sampling done this year so they've held onto data from last year and tried to pass it off as a new story?

Yet another article trying to undermine professional judgement. I'm surprised at the TES

My year 6 child didn't sit science SATS this year. As far as I'm aware no child did.

Science SATS level is teacher assessed oy and then this is externally moderated. The article appears to highlight that at moderation many of the teacher judgements are different to that of the moderators. I'm amazed that there is work to moderate. When my science loving DS did year 6, there was so much emphasis in class on maths and English for the SATS exams he constantly moaned about the lack of other subject work, especially science they did!

Children didn’t sit tests this year, but the results of last years were released the day the TES article was written.

Change might be partly right. A lot of schools do spend a lot of year 6 ‘preparing’ for the English and maths SATS at the expense of other subjects. I’m not sure that schools are going to reflect that in their TA of science.

I agree with Change. Science for Y6 ds2 over the past couple of years has consisted of the odd worksheet here and there and the entire curriculum gave way to SATS. This fact has not been reflected in either his school reports or teacher assessment.