Confused about KS3 levels?

[Oakmaiden]

Right - this is similar to a current thread on here, but thought I would start a new one as I have a specific question. Hope this is OK.

Basically I have just been to my sons parents evening - he is in Year 8. Apparently his targets for the end of Year 9 (so End of KS2) are all level 5's (except PE, which he is aiming at a 4 for). When I queried this - as ds got Level 5 in his science KS2 SATS and only a couple of marks short of level 5 for maths (according to his teacher at the time) I was told that KS2 SATS results aren't really relevant to KS3 targets as KS3 was "all skills based". I don't get it, that's all. How can he really be expected to be on the SAME level for science at the end of Yr 9 as he was in Y6 - and have the school still say he is making "acceptable" progress???

And this really matters, actually - because his school will only let him do triple science for GCSE if he has a level 7 in year 9. And frankly, science is so much his thing - even the teacher said he has a surprising depth of knowledge and understanding about science, but that his skills are poor (ie drawing graphs, etc was her example). And yet - Even if KS3 science IS skills based - GCSE is NOT - which makes the whole thing make even less sense....

So - what I am asking those who might know is - are KS2 and KS3 targets really so very unrelated? Or is the teacher making excuses for the school having low expectations of my son?

Geopuzzles. Standards are different and I don't think they can be compared. That's why its difficult for employers.

Seems to me, A and A* students are the old O level A-C students. So, they are squeezed into two grades, whereas we had 3.

CSE students are A (grade 1 CSE) and B-G (Grade 2 and lower).

I got 6 O levels (A,B,B,C,C,C) and was top set of ten sets.

I've seen a relatives Grade B English work and it's nowhere near what I was expected to do for my O level (got an A) but I have seen a A* answer and it was very good. I think it was better than I was capable of.

agree standards are different, so how can we monitor and improve or even just tread water
interesting comparison of grades, I wonder what Michael Gove would say
I thought Maths was probably the easiest subject to monitor, only now that is modularised
whoops this is going off-piste

Geopuzzles - we could start another thread.

Is Maths still sat in modules? My Y10 daughter is sitting linear at end of year 11 (not a module in sight) and science is only modular she has from her whole curriculum. I suppose that will only affect statistics going forward.

Now I'm confused....I thought year 7,8 and 9 were key stage 3?

sorry have gone a bit haywire
and also I may be mistaken about modulerisation, correct me please