AQE Exam Results

Bonno_2

portrushdad999 wrote: »

I dont understand your thoughts i feel that the fact the result was a best 2 out of 3 was one of the only advantages this system had.

Thoughts anyone?

Hope it was the best 2 test marks taken!- I know I'm scrapping the barrel now trying to justify a score much lower than expected!!!!
...:eek:...

DH-123

I suspect there are far more people viewing this forum, with over 54,000 views, than actually commenting (like me until now). The common theme running through the forum appears to be that parents don’t understand the test results, that results were lower than expected and that they are frustrated with the lack of transparency emanating from AQE. With the AQE CEA result came a printed sheet on the ‘marking and recording’ of the tests with a note at the bottom stating “we shall be carrying out a series of statistical and analytical checks .... which will be published in due course”, reiterated by Billy Young in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday. Why were these checks not done before releasing results? And why, almost 4 weeks down the line, have these statistics not been published. I have bombarded the AQE with emails (under different pseudonyms) and have always received a reply within a few hours until the one questioning their ‘standardised age process’ – I am still awaiting a reply. In any test, 1 mark more/less can produce a completely different percentile rank, without any adjustments. No-one is disputing that allowances should be made for younger children, however it is the way this is carried out that is extremely important – for all the children. And more so for a ‘group’ like AQE who has not been operating that long. After all, it is our children that are the ‘guinea pigs’ in this process.

Anyone who saw a copy of the GL Assessment results would be sorely disappointed with that of the AQE. GL Assessment, originally founded by NFER, have operated for 30 years and test 500,000 students annually. Not only did the result sheet give out raw scores, standardised scores, a grade but also a Cohort Percentile (which would have saved the embarrassment of that person ringing Victoria) – and the test was FREE. It is good to see on the news today that there is talk of ‘one single test’ for the forthcoming pupils. As parents, the majority of us in favour of grammar schools were pleased that alternative (if unregulated) tests took place – it was something at least and I for one think the grammar schools’ inductions and testing environments were excellent.

One point that no-one appears to have raised is that we as parents PAID for this testing service from the AQE. The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 require a supplier of a service to carry out that service with reasonable care and skill and within a reasonable time.
The AQE need to provide us customers with the following:
1. Who set the test and at what standard was it set?
2. Was it piloted?
3. How Age Adjustments were carried out and the results of same (raw scores/adjustments/results)
And if the AQE are not prepared to provide us with this information, perhaps a call to the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland?

KATHYBEAR

Good post DH 123, thought about the money aspect of it myself, my daughter sat both exams, the GL being free and the result sheet she got from that was good while the AQE one is totally a waste. Yes I would like to know a breakdown of her results in the AQE as well as i paid for it.

Belfast_Mum_2

Thanks for your post DH123. We are all still here, checking back for latest posts but still no word from AQE. I have also emailed and received no reply.

Ms_Optimistic

I still feel so confused!!!

What exactly does our childrens score represent?

With GL we know the highest raw score possible was 110 i.e max 45 marks in the maths and max 65 marks in the English=110

In AQE we know the maximum mark for each test was 64. So maximum marks for both tests is 128!

So where did they get that the maximum was 145? What does the other 17 marks represent?

AQE say in their information that 2 people sat at a computer, one called out candidate number as the other person logged in, this was checked, then one person called out the scores for both English and Maths, this was logged in and the computer automatically calculated the sum. This was confirmed by the other person. The output was then subject to a computerised, age adjustment process.

I'm sorry I'm just so confused. Is the 17 marks what they used for the age adjustments?

AKA3

Welcome DH-123. This is an excellent posting.

Does anyone out there have media links that could investigate this? Is the Consumer Council an option?

Your concerns and mine are similar, if the adjustment process has been invalid the results may have discriminated.

The release of raw scores, adjustment information etc I suspect will not come from AQE without either pressure from a good investigative journalist or a legal challenge.

kingston_2730

AKA3 wrote: »

Welcome DH-123. This is an excellent posting.

Does anyone out there have media links that could investigate this? Is the Consumer Council an option?

Your concerns and mine are similar, if the adjustment process has been invalid the results may have discriminated.

The release of raw scores, adjustment information etc I suspect will not come from AQE without either pressure from a good investigative journalist or a legal challenge.

What do you think we could do about it at this stage anyway though? It would be total chaos to have all marks adjusted and new ones re-issued and this would throw the whole system into chaos. I think investigating these issues is relevant for next years P7s but IMHO it is too late to change anything for this years lot.

Stanjnr

It's easy to say it's too late for this years P7s if you are the parent of a child sitting with a score of 100+, but for a parent who doesn't have that luxury I say it's never too late when we are talking about our childrens futures! The remarks aren't due until 18th March, any differences in the marks are forwarded to relevant schools by AQE, so they have a process in place that still has time to work if they would be open and honest with us!

Personally I don't think anyone in the media would be brave enough to take the story on for fear of upsetting the apple cart!

kingston_2730

Stanjnr wrote: »

It's easy to say it's too late for this years P7s if you are the parent of a child sitting with a score of 100+, but for a parent who doesn't have that luxury I say it's never too late when we are talking about our childrens futures! The remarks aren't due until 18th March, any differences in the marks are forwarded to relevant schools by AQE, so they have a process in place that still has time to work if they would be open and honest with us!

Personally I don't think anyone in the media would be brave enough to take the story on for fear of upsetting the apple cart!

As a parent whose child scored barely above 100, I certainly do not feel that a grammar school place is a guarantee. I was simply trying to point out that if the reliability/validity of the test is looked at and even if it was shown to be flawed, total chaos would reign. ALL of the pupils marks would have to be redone which would then change grammar/secondary school choices. Everybody would have to meet with their primary school heads again to discuss what new mark would mean in practical terms regarding applying to schools and I don't think there is any way it would all be sorted in time. Just my opinion though.

AKA3

Posting by DH 123 supplemented by AKA3 would enable research for an interested journalist.
A letter with statistics similar to GL should be fowarded to all parents following the remarks.
This will not change the rank order. DH123 is asking further questions that target the system and as such all parents should be entitled to these answers. The issue raised as to will this change anything shouldn't hamper determining how this body have been able to age adjust. If this was something that was so easy to do teachers would be doing it all the time.