Surviving after levels?
In 2016 my 11 year-old daughter will be given an indexed score that ranges from 80-120 . She will pass or fail her KS2 SATS.
This event marks a change in measurement trend that first appeared in 1991. 25 years of testing history, (which can now be considered ‘comparably irrelevant’) gone as we are left with a collage of mixed message and botch jobs and of course ‘in the know’ advice.
‘Levels are gone! Long live…..well, we aren’t really sure yet….. ‘
End of Key Stage expectation has been raised, but we will only really know in a few years’ time what the actual new standards are and yet, jobs will be lost, schools converted whilst a definition is actually found. No doubt a ‘magic’ conversion formulae (that no one can fathom) will link old and new (seen it all before!) , but again – at what cost?
Perhaps we should be stating that there will be an obvious dip next year. If you raise the standard of what you are expecting, it follows that higher marks become less attainable. The national average will decline and no doubt the press will only seek such headlines as: ‘Primary Schools Decline as Nick Gibb blames Brain Gym’ rather than recognising that the measurements have changed (after all good news doesn’t sell newspapers). The fact that the media is rarely in touch with reality makes the future less palatable.
It was disheartening to hear that the DfE were to launch a Royal Commission, one year after stating they would do nothing regarding ‘Life after levels’. In fact, I distinctly remember a representative stating to North East Head Teachers via SCHOOLS NorthEast that we would ‘not be advised, it’s up to you…’ system solutions represent the new utopia! (I added the last bit!)
As always, schools will make sense of what is on offer and in many ways we are our own worst enemies in that we can make anything work.
Providing assessment helps children learn; the format should be irrelevant, but you do need to know what you are aiming at! Many schools are heading towards other versions of levels, and who can blame them!? To my mind, the only people that benefit from the change to which we have to respond so frequently are the stakeholders of the publishing companies who no doubt rub their hands and rejoice at frequent policy change.
My daughter will, I am sure, be fine next year, but many pupils will literally ‘fail’ to meet the standard… ‘ Standard not met’ . Most parents will not have a clue what any of this means. The link between external assessment and internal judgements has to be strong. Whilst schools are judged in such a way, ‘Levels’ in whatever format will not be far away, they are after all the ‘bread and butter’ of school survival and public accountability.
DfE Video Regarding KS one and Two SATS
Danny Eason is the Head Teacher of Fishburn Primary School, County Durham.
Twitter: @dandan7171