PIPS Assessments - reception, year one, year 2?

[Cortina]

Can anyone tell me what primary schools use PIPS assessments for?

Is it possible to get hold of question papers for year one and reception age children?

Trying to get an idea of what format they take and sort of questions asked. X posted. Thanks .

My DD's school uses PIPS assessment to assess a child's potential not their current ability. In our school they are computer based questions.
The children take them at the start of reception, end of reception, end of year 1, end of year 2 and end of year 5. The school then use these to assess whether the individual child is achieve their individual full potential and put in measures if they are not.
Our school do not tell the children that it is a test when they are in foundation and KS1 just that it is their turn to play the games on the computer.
As far as I am aware there are no sample questions avaliable. We have some very competitive parents in DD's class and believe me if there were sample papers they would have found them.
We as parents only have access to these results at the end of year 5 or if there is a problem.

Thanks I've managed to find a few on line! What does that say about me I wonder?

Seriously, I wondered what they were and what they were for so that answers the question. Thank you.

Just to add I worry a little about 'systems' like this. I suppose my fear is that you could be branded 'low ability' or something when you were really quite capable?

They look like a IQ test, what sort of puzzle piece fits, what animal is this? I was a sort of dreamy, slightly strange child that might not give the answer they wanted even though I knew what it was! I sometimes worry that DS might be similar! In other words say there is a picture of a dog and the question is a) is it a tea pot? b) a dog? or c) a bear? - DS and I might answer C, a bear because dog is too obvious and anyway from a certain angle it might be a bear?! Do you see what I mean?

Surely children that play regular computer games of a similar ilk might do better etc?

Hopefully it is just 'part' of a bigger picture and we should be pleased that these tests are there so they can identify untapped potential?

I just think that I fell through the cracks in the system and fear DS may do the same.

I was a teacher at an Independent school that used PIPS. As Lizcat says, they assess potential and whether a child is over achieving (great!), working to their potential (also great) or underachieving (not great!). The underachiever may be seen as a child that struggles and therefore a school would keep an eye on them and possibly start implementing appropriate help. Alternatively, it may be a child with a high IQ and therefore the school need to start encouraging them to pull their finger out a bit!! There are some years where children don't do 'well' and this is interpreted as part of a bigger picture i.e. is it a reflection on the teacher that year that a child has suddenly gone from working to their potential one year to underachieving the next and so on?

Like all things, there is no point teaching to the test - it doesn't benefit the child. The results from these tests do not rank your child, they enable you to look at them and what they are achieving!

I would also be very surprised if the school 'shared' the results with you? Not because it is secret, but because the results mean so little to parents (i.e. they don't get a percentage/grade).

That's interesting to hear. I think when parents can become a pain in the neck it's when we see these things/assessments are happening and have no idea of what they do and how they work etc.

Sounds like you are a fan? They sound like they could be very helpful.

One thing though, how do they show if a child is 'over achieving'?

If a child is 'over achieving' then they may be reading/spelling etc beyond the norm for their age/IQ etc.

To be honest, I was pretty impressed by the children that they picked up on as under/over achieving as it helped to confirm ones suspicions OR show up a child that no one has ever thought about!

At my old school, they really focussed on the test results by comparing them to the previous year - it meant that the management saw it is a way of judging the teacher i.e is the teacher enabling all the children to make progress (as teachers, we were more anxious about the tests than the children/parents!).

I am not a fan per se - they are just one of many, many tools that we used as teachers to assess children. All the info gathered gives us, as professionals, a chance to reflect on each child without relying on just simple test results.

I agree, a lot of schools are very cagey about sharing results but, like I said, it is not to do with witholding info, it is more the time factor of having to explain what the test results mean!! That is not to say that I agree with that as a policy...!

Is there a site where one can obtain samples?

PIPS (Performance Indicators in Primary Schools) is an assessment programme from Durham University used for Y1-6. PIPS
There is an Early Years version ASPECTS
ASPECTS
not a fan of multi choice questions as an accurate means of assessment personally (or of the cost)

Do you think a parent can insist they are given PIPs results under Data protection Act etc?

You have a right to access any documents relating to your child I'm just not sure if these particular results would be very meaningful.

The way it works (v briefly) the school pays a yearly fee with a top up fee per child and the centre sends either access to the on line tests or paper versions. The tests are reading & maths and what they call "developed abilities" so NOT an IQ test by any means. Results go straight to the university where they are analysed. The results returned to the school compare the child's actual progress with "potential"

Should add that PIPS aren't used in all (many) schools nationally.

I would have thought you could have access to the results if you asked for them but what would be the point

(At my school we don't do PIPS but we do have other means of tracking)

Why would you want this information? Are you concerned about your child in some way?

How widespread are the tests I wonder? I'd never heard of them until very recently. Thanks for the link, interesting to read the FAQ section.

The idea that predictions can be made about 'how well a child is likely to do' are intriguing. I honestly think that if I had taken a test like this early on it would have predicted that not too much could be expected from me going forward.

Can a general 'sump' of your potential and ability be tested? My reading recently suggests that the answer to that question would be 'not necessarily'. When resources are scarce and ability setting rigid this sort of system concerns me a little, perhaps without any real cause. Late developers exist and it isn't necessarily the 'brightest' child at 11 who will go to do the best in GCSEs (although it has been suggested that a child will have been failed by the system if early promise isn't reflected in later stellar GCSE grades).

Interesting to read that this system predicts future outcomes in Maths not by looking at the maths scores alone but english etc too. Our school sets for general 'ability', if you work on the fringes of the group or are a bit of an anomaly then you are in the minority and not accounted for. The danger is if you feel you are 'low ability' you never 'believe'.

I was reading recently about Stephen Hawking at school. He wasn't considered bright as he didn't fit the profile or answer the necessary questions in the 'correct' way. A 'low ability' child he went on aged about 11 to assemble a working 'computer' from various bits and pieces.

Lots of teachers who are forced to use PIPS hate them with a vengeance and pull out the nice graphs, charts and things when Ofsted come calling and at other times rely on more reliable methods such as knowledge of the child.

Cortina - of course it is simply one way of getting a picture. It is just a way of keeping track making sure children aren't missed...but there are always going to be children who score better or worse than expected....it is why its a tool and a good teacher wouldn't write off a pupil at 5.

However, as I have said we don't do PIPS but do something else and it is interesting to note the scores and track progress up the school and further

Thanks Cazzybabs. Which other system do you use?

SIMs

target tracker

there are lots out there

We do NFER tests which give a standarised score where actual score is crossed with birthdate to give a number..no idea how PIPS doesit as I have never done it .. plus we level work etc