Year 8 maths levels

[dingit]

If my ds was 5a last year, and on target, how the fuck is he still level 5a and on target?

I asked the same question in January, I'm just at a loss as to know what's happening at his academy.

Please come and tell me this is normal, or do I need to make a nuisance of myself once again?

Suppose he came up to secondary with a 4b.

Then he needs to hit 6b by the end of y9 to hit his target.
So if he made faster than expected progress in y7 we would be on target (or ahead really), and then by y8 he's till 'on target' despite having not gone up any levels in y9?

I would still query lack of apparent progress in y8 even if my scenario is the case.

Thanks for your reply. I think I can see what you are saying. But you would have thought they would then raise his target, is that he had something to aim for, and we could see if he had progressed this year. This report would imply not.

I would talk to the school and find out what is happening here. A static 5a throughout a whole academic year is not acceptable.
It may be that his year 7 teacher gave him too high a level at the end of year 7 - the school may not want to openly admit this.
How are assessment done? Formally or though teacher assessment?
Different schools have different policies on targets. I know of schools that raise targets if students over-achieve and school that NEVER raise targets.
It is not normal to stay on this level through a whole academic year - you are not being a nuisance, you need to understand, school needs to explain.

But his target is based on what he got in his KS2 SATS, so even achieving his target a year early wouldn't trigger a change.

To answer your other thread, if his effort grades are poor then limiting screen time seems quite reasonable to me. But if the effort scores are fine, then it seems rather mean to do this as a result of some odd grade system which you haven't asked the school about.

My dd is two years ahead of him and has always had her target raised.
Initially he did well in the tests at the beginning of year7 and was put in the top set, then dropped a set after a term. Since then it's been downhill all the way. I have no faith in the teacher whatsoever.
The only thing I can think of is a tutor.

Titchy, I'm worried that the xbox time 'frys' his brain! He spends so much time on there. If we take him off, he's straight onto his tablet watching you tube clips. He says he does homework at break, and does nothing at home. If I ban these in the new school year I'm hoping he will apply himself a bit more, but I'm also worried it may make him rebel, iyswim.

'Doing homework at break' usually means copying off a friend at the last minute before the lesson, or scrawling the bare minimum while leaning against a wall. It's something that you should deem completely unacceptable.

I would set aside an hour (at least) every night for school work. If he says he hasn't got any, then he has to work through a revision guide or do a booster pack on mymaths or similar. You might find that homework then miraculously appears needing to be done.

Ask for an explanation about the targets and your son´s progress. I am a secondary teacher and what you have been told makes no sense to me.

I think dd1's targets are based on entry level in year 7. That means that some of her targets she overtook part way through year 8.

I would say something along the lines (to your ds) When he comes in, he can have half an hour of x-box/Youtube, then an hour homework. If he's done the homework well at the end of an hour he can go back on. He should have a homework planner-you may well have to sign it? You can check in there for homework.
I would find the "no homework at home" very suspicious. I would also talk to him about your concern that he's not getting enough homework-there should be more than scribbling it down at break time-say you need to speak to the head of year . And do!
To put it in context, dd1 is year 8, bog standard comprehensive. She sometimes goes to the library at lunch and does some homework. She's bright and a quick learner, but even so she rarely has less than an hour homework a night.

In some subjects it can slightly depend on the teacher or what is taught that year. One subject dd1 was scoring lower this year than last year. Having looked at her work, I'm fairly sure that last year was over marked and this year is more accurate. However that shouldn't be the case in maths.

DS1 (yr8) hardly has any homework. Probably an hour a week, if that. I wish he'd have more really as at least he would be being pushed to achieve.

He has targets for maths, English and science based on his KS2 SATS results. So he got all 5s so his end of yr8 target for all was 6b (6a in English). All other subjects have an average of those targets, so all 6b which seems a bit strange as most kids are nowhere near a 6b (or their target) in things like modern languages, geography etc.

OP I would ask about the lack of progress. DS seemed to make no progress in English for a long time, when asked the teacher said she saw elements of higher levels in his work but not consistent. This time though he has shot up almost a whole level.

I think secondaries are used to parents having no involvement but If you contact them they can be helpful.

Lower levels for languages and humanities is normal, as they start them later, they didn't have levels at primary.
Once they start their GCSE options they start marking in GCSE grades A to E, which is a bit scary, ( especially as my ds starts in year 9) but easier to follow!

Just had a phone call from school to say the grades were a mistake, and should have been 6b

That's better