KS3 Targets

[urbancupcake]

Hi, I have always been concerned with the stream my dd was put in and even more concerned when I saw her KS3 targets for end of year 9. She achieved all level 5's, was placed in stream 3 at a comp and just to note also they are streamed, meaning you are taught at same level for all subjects and not set.

In her end of year 7 exams she was a 6c in English, 8c Maths and 5a in science, yet was alarmed to see her targets for Maths and English were still just a level 6.

When I approached the school to see why this wasn't at least a 7 in line with the governments target of two sub levels, they said it's because their only use CAT's scores (which they don't give us) for targets which always produce a lower result but teach to higher anyway.

Is this the norm?

Schools will have computer generated targets, but these shouldn't be shared with the pupils as they are average targets, not individual ones. Each pupil should be given individual targets which can be set with one eye on the computer generated target, but should also take into account a teacher's knowledge of the actual child. In this case your DD should clearly have targets which are higher than what she achieved in Y7.

I understand your concern. My DD1 has just started year 7 at a comp - she also achieved all level 5s and is in the third set out of six. This is more a stream than set as they are taught English, maths, science and MFLs in this same set. The other subjects aren't set yet. I can only assume that they must have lots of children who started off level 6/high 5s. Her target for maths at the end of year 7 is 6a which seems bizarre when her assessed level now is 5b...(and her end year 6 teacher assessed level was 4a)??? Hopefully these things will become clearer as the term goes on.

@ Noble: Thanks Noble, you're always so on point. I love this site. It just wasn't resting with me. And would you say most schools operate in that way, as in one eye on the computer, one on the child? just realised my typo btw. Should have said 6c in Maths not 8c! daft bat.

@Marmite: True, there are a lot more children hitting level 6's now, but ours is an odd one as there's a level 6 child in Maths in her class also (it's a long story and one I've never got to the bottom of - have often wondered if the amount of voluntary contributions one paid has a say in it - joke...ish). Anyway, it would appear to me that your DD's 6a target end of year 7 is about right, in fact a tad high. My situation is different. The target of 6 is for end of year 9 when she is a level 6 now!!!!

Yes I think my DD's maths target of 6a is unrealistic. Surely if she is a 5b now (which I don't really believe as her yr 6 maths teacher's assessment was 4a), then 2 sublevflx of progress would be 6c not 6a? And I've hef primary school ard right then she will bd lucky to achieved a 5b!

@ Marmite - yes, that's my understanding, she should have a target of 6c. Not quite understanding the teacher assessment bit as the Maths was marked externally, so if she got 5b, then she's a 5b. That's what she got on the day it appears, although a massive difference.

Hi Tiggy, thanks for your feedback. In my case they were target's received at end of year 7 for end of year 9. A 6c now and a level 6 then. Is it true that CAT scores predict lower results than the two levels expected progress do you know? I thought all things being equal they were supposed to be pretty accurate and am now bemused as to why the government's two sub-levels means his target shd be a level 7, yet CAT's results according to the school is a target level 6.

Why are govt. statistics a whole level away than CAT scores? Is that your understanding?

Senior school targets are generated by a bingo machine. I have given up worrying about them.

DD1's GCSE grades are all of her CATS scores and forget she's dyslexic and DD2's are mostly too low and have to be adjusted up. Except for science which was 6a, and two sub levels higher than anything else.

DD2 spends her whole life trying to be the one non scientist in this family!

Just to clarify my DD1 did just scrape a level 5 for the externally marked maths SAT(s?) but we also got a teacher assessed level as well, which was a 4a. I really don't think her maths teacher expected her to get a level 5. She did z maths test at her new school which gave her a level 5b (although she said it was s test she had fond at primary school in year 5). The target of 6a does seem to be for the end of year 7, but I don't really think it is achievable (although I would love to think it is).