KS3/4 level predictions...can anyone explain?

[Potterwolfie]

DS in yr 7, we get occasional school reports with regards to progress and expected grades looking forward to years 9 and 11, but we're struggling to interpret or understand what it all really means.

Can anyone explain the new levels, what they mean in old money (such as A, B, C) or point me to a useful online guide?

Thanks!

In a nutshell -

Grade 5 will be the new 'good pass grade' - in other words, a sort of C equivalent (tho it actually equates to a C+/B- in reality).

Top grade will be 9, equivalent to current A** if it existed.

Thank you sassy, that's great. He's got 6s and 7s current/predicted levels so I'm thinking that's around Bs/low As maybe, if he continues at this level? It's really hard to put it into context as it's all so new.

We were overseas for the past few years so no level 2 sats results, so it's thrown our understanding of where he is in terms of achievement.

My understanding of the current levels is that for a year 7 level 5 in a subject is reasonable, 6 is good and 7 is excellent. I am sure teachers are tearing their hair out at my oversimplification but that's how I look at it!Just to add to sassy's post, I believe the top grade 9 will be awarded to the top 20% of those who achieve Grades 7 and 8 in the new GCSE. So some years it may be very slightly easier or harder to get than others.

Thanks HPFA that's really useful, and I appreciate the straightforward interpretation...from what I can see there's a lot of confusion over the new levels, and that's just in the teaching community!

Thanks tiggy!

As far as I understood it last year, pupils arriving in Secondary school with no KS2 "sats" levels, would have been predicted a GCSE grade B in all subjects.

But now we're talking Progress 8, so the predictions for GCSE are more likely based on the subject teachers' own predictions made some time in Year 10 or Year 11.

Can't help with KS3 achievement, sorry.

That's interesting about the B grade camptown, I think I might ask when we have parents' evening in a few weeks' time. I don't know anything about Progress 8, what is it?

"My understanding of the current levels is that for a year 7 level 5 in a subject is reasonable, 6 is good and 7 is excellent."

That's not true in the school I teach in. Each school comes up with their own system, so it's not always useful to compare. I teach in a secondary grammar school and year 7 are given an end of year target of anywhere between a 1d and 3d - we have 4 sub grades per grade. It's all so confusing. Bring back levels! We have a grid that projects what that 'should' mean by the time they sit their GCSE. So for example of a student gets a 3d by the end of year 7 then my school thinks they would get a grade 9 at GCSE. I think just ask the school to explain, they won't mind.

Thanks seven, we'll make an appointment to pop into school, we just feel out of our depth in terms of understanding it all, I'm sure we can't be the only parents (or teachers!) wondering what it all means.

Progress8 is a measure for the school. It's how the DfE will judge progress made by pupils from end of KS2 to end of KS4.

Pupils arriving with no end of KS2 are not just given a blanket 'B' target. At end of KS4, if they have achieved 'B' or above, they will be deemed to have made 'expected progress' and thus included in progress figures. If they get a C or below they will not be included in progress figures (unless they get a 'U' in which case they will be deemed to have made inadequate progress)

Haven't school sent out any guidance? Now all schools in England are doing their own thing so no-one can really say what schools are doing at KS3.
We've had letters from school explaining their approach, and information evening too.

tannhauser no, they haven't, which is a huge issue in terms of their communication...or lack of! I asked for guidance recently and they were really evasive. I'm going to contact them today and see what I can find out.