Saturday 30 January 2010

Why I Like End of Key Stage National Tests

Don't shoot me, but I like SATS (End of Key Stage National Tests - to give them their proper name!). Let me qualify slightly, I like them at KS2 and KS3, but am less convinced by KS1.
(for any non-UK readers, KS1 tests are at about aged 7, KS2 are aged 11 - the end of primary school, KS3 are aged 14, and GCSE exams are at 16, which is the end of KS4 and the end of compulsory education)

I know that's controversial at the moment, that unions (NUT & NAHT) are balloting on boycotting, and that they have support from Mums.net, so before you light the torches, and get the pitchforks out, let me set out my stall and then you can run me out of town!

Let me start by saying I HATE LEAGUE TABLES. I don't like them for primary schools, and I don't like them for secondary schools. As they stand they are grossly unfair - more so for primaries than secondaries - I think. This being because each Y6 in a small primary could be 10% of the data, and even in a big primary could be as high as 2%. For us last year, each student in Y11 was 0.55%. We achieved 49.4% scoring 5+ A*-C, which makes us officially Satisfactory.

Value Added (preferably contextualised) is much fairer. It looks at where children started, and how much progress they have made. From that point of view, with CVA of about 1008 last year, my school is Good. This however relies on the data being reliable and accurate, and for me that's where SATS at KS2 come in.

For secondary schools, our baseline data is KS2 scores. This is the measure used by DCSF, FFT, and all the other acronymic (real word?!) quangos by which our progress is measured. Whether it is 3 levels progress, 4 levels progress, or CVA the premise is the same. Without solid reliable baseline data, the rest is meaningless.
(I'm reminded here of a Dilbert cartoon about inaccurate data, but sadly I couldn't find it online).

I'm not saying that primary teachers would not give reliable Teacher Assessments. The vast majority would and do, but given they are so closely tied to league tables if you have a borderline 3/4 student, and you know that a TA of 4 would add 10% to your figures, there must at least be a temptation. This is not exclusive to primaries - I have the same concerns and misgivings about courses that at KS4 and post 16 are entirely teacher assessed.

The reason I like KS3 tests is that they are (in maths) good preparation for GCSE exams. Maths is entirely exam assessed at GCSE, and given we (like many schools) do a modular course, the first exam in is November of Y10. If a students first experience of an external exam assessment is the GCSE, then this could throw them. We have mock sats this week, and many students will get it wrong going into the exam hall. The vast majority of them will then get it right in May, but again not all. By November, and their modules, they will all be getting it right (or at least that's the plan). We could use mocks in the hall to help, but some students don't take those entirely seriously

I realise this reads a little incoherently, and it many of you will disagree with me. I just wanted to share my views, and put this side of the argument - all I hear on the news is why they are so awful!

Thoughts?

Wednesday 6 January 2010

What do our student reports says about us?

An interesting thought - how often do we analyse what we write in reports?

Do we get stuck in ruts, with reports, and what does what we write say about us? I got the idea of putting my Y11 reports into Wordle.net from @coolcatteacher, from a retweet. I think I've found someone new to follow there (as often happens). I thought what the hell, I'll try it. One copy and past later, and here is the result. I have tried to scour the reports, and check there's nothing I shouldn't publish, and think I'm OK.
Wordle: Reports
What I don't yet know is what it tells me. I'm tempted to Wordle some of my teams reports - see if they tell me anything about them? Please comment - what do you think my reports say about me as a teacher??

Sunday 3 January 2010

I've sort of been blogging for years...

I've only just realised I've been writing a blog for some time, but never realised it. Let me explain...

I'm in my 9th year at my current school, having been originally appointed as 2nd in Maths. At that time my wife was part time at another local school, and a common complaint was that she felt she didn't always know what was going on in the department. At that point I realised there was a danger that all of the team of which I was a part of could be kept better informed.

That was the birth of the "Monday Morning Maths Memo". Shortened to M4 to save space on the paper, and generally called "Maths Notes", or even just "Notes".

It has a very similar layout week to week, with diary dates, meeting agendas for the week (Monday is our meeting day, so that works quite well), and a few key points, for example in the run up to KS4 modules it will have a bit about the admin for the day, or whatever. I upload it to our VLE on Sunday night, so any part timers not in Mondays can read it before their first day of the week if they want to.SLT get a copy too, so they know what we are doing / talking about, as do the TA's linked to the department and our department admin support.

What I've also tried to do, however, is share some of my ethos or ideas through notes. Some of the time it will be a blatant (but always accredited) copy and paste from the NCETM's Mathemapedia, or other places (don't worry - I'll ask before I pinch any of your blogs). Some of the time it'll be based on something I've read, or seen, or an idea. What it boils down to is that I have been writing something that could be called a blog (except that its not online).

I'd recommend all #newleaders start something like this; it's a good way of bringing a new team with you.