Yr 12 progress report: can anyone help me understand?

[BrendaBlackhead]

Ds has just been issued with a Year 12 progress report via email.

He seems to be doing quite well at sixth form college, receiving A grades for his work so far.

But the progress report says his predicted grades are A/B. How do I know - or more importantly how does he know - what this is meant to mean at this stage? To emerge with Bs at A Level would not seem to be right for him.

There is a parents' evening coming up, but he has a dash in the space indicating whether a parent should expect to be summoned - ie there is no need for us to attend.

???

Those predicted grades will be for AS not A level. There is no A* at AS so As is the best he could get.
I would never pass up on the chance to go to a parents evening. We went to DS2s (also Y12)last week and it was extremely useful. Lots of information about study techniques, tests, mocks, revision, predictions. This was not just for us parents but also directed at DS. He was also predicted a mix of As and Bs and most teachers said these were conservative predictions as they want to reinforce the idea that A levels require DS to go up a gear from GCSE.

perhaps I will ask to go, then. I am not looking for affirmation of ds's wonderfulness but some understanding of whether he is on track or doing enough etc.

I am a pre-AS Level person and I remember doing absolutely nothing in the lower sixth.

Only a couple of months into year 12 and, if he's gone to a sixth form college the staff won't have had time to build up much of a picture of his abilities and how likely he is to apply himself. A/B seems reasonable in the circumstances. As Squirrel says, they will be AS predictions not A2.

Predicting grades after a few weeks work is going to be a stab in the dark. It could be that they are just what the computer has spat out after being fed his GCSE results - ALPs can give A/B predictions.

Definitely go to parents evening. Just because you aren't being summoned doesn't mean they don't expect to see you, it just means things aren't utterly dire!

ds has told me that the teachers said they only want to see the parents of students who are struggling.

I suppose my concern is that if he is predicted a B then the college is happy with that and then ds might be happy with that.

I know that at college they are supposed to be independent blah de blah but ds is a 16-year-old boy...

ds has told me that the teachers said they only want to see the parents of students who are struggling.

Pah! What are they going to do - bar entry? If you want to see the teachers then you go and see them.

[knees knock at the thought of cross teachers] I must gird my loins and go and see them. I remember when I encountered the dc's primary head at a social even and he said, "Call me Pete." Whaaaaaat? I said, "I'm afraid I can't. I can't possibly call you, Mr Smith, Pete ." Actually ds has to call the teachers by their first names now. He says he avoids calling them anything, as it sounds quite weird saying, "Er, sorry I was late, Malcolm," if the buses are up the spout.

Hiya,
had not spotted this thread - replied on the re-marking one

if the college are happy, I'm happy :-)

Brenda your DS will have had a one-to-one chat with his subject teachers as part of the progress review so he ought to have some idea of what they think about him as well as the raw A/B predicted grades. My dd is in the same year at the same college. Her progress review all looks good but she did say one of her subject teachers thinks she could be working harder.

You could try emailing the teachers. Email via the faculty administrator who will pass the queries on. It sounds long winded but I have found them very helpful in the past and they have been excellent about getting back to me.

As a PSC parent of a now A2 student I hope i can shed some light.

The minimum target grades - thats what the 'Bs' are in the e-mailed progress report are based on your DS's GCSE results.

My child also had min target grades of 'B' and was getting higher marks in her college work. She did very well at the AS results so her A2 expected grades for UCAS form are somewhat higher than the Bs of the min target grade.

It does take some getting used to that you do not need to go to parents' evening - indeed are positively encouraged not to - unless the college want you to come. We have been to all for DD until she started college. We do go to the various information evenings that have been offered on university application etc.

The only caveat to the above, having a Yr10 boy, is that DD is a diligent student and communicates what she has been told/discussed in tutor time and with her subject teachers. I may take a different approach with DS when the time comes!

Thank you very much for the replies - very illuminating.

Ds has had one-to-ones, and the teachers apparently said he was fine. I'm not desperate to go to a parents' evening, as I know at this stage there's not much to say, but I was just a bit concerned that if someone is labelled a 'B' at this point then the die is cast.