Support thread for parents of chilldren sitting the transfer test in 2011

BallyclareMum4

Primary school principal met with ..... decisions made ...... forms filled and signed ...... done - for better or worse!!!
Out of our hands ..... roll on May 29th :T

Mumsicle

Hi folks,

I have noticed a few posts regarding age-standardisation and if it helps, AQE provided me with the following information back in October, before our kids sat the tests;

In our process we compute the age of every child to the nearest month using the child's precise age on the day of the test. This allows us to assign each child to a unique age category. A child aged 127 months goes into one category while a child age 128 months goes into the next category, and so on. No child is left out of the process, and children can change category as they progress through the tests. Our algorithm ensures that for any mark, the percentage of children scoring above that mark is precisely the same irrespective of the category to which the child has been assigned. In this way, every child is "competing" only with children of the same age (to the nearest month).

I hope it helps to clarify the rumours that seem to be flying around (in my child's school at least) about marks being added on/deducted depending on when the child's birthday is.

travellinglight_2

Roll on May 29th..... will deffo have to arrange collection of our post as I may just have recovered by then from waiting til 3:15pm for the post last Sat.... never mind the wee fella!!!

flymetothemoon_2

Travelling light - 3.15pm postal delivery - what a nightmare. Our postie was 2hrs late last year when my DD was waiting on her results but last Sat he was only 45 mins later than usual - typical! Good luck

RikM

Mumsicle wrote: »

Hi folks,

I have noticed a few posts regarding age-standardisation and if it helps, AQE provided me with the following information back in October, before our kids sat the tests;

I hope it helps to clarify the rumours that seem to be flying around (in my child's school at least) about marks being added on/deducted depending on when the child's birthday is.

Clarify, yes , it shows they are exactly right!
In effect, marks are being added/removed, as statistically speaking, the younger kids will score lower overall.
But there is a dangerous assumption here, that each month-range has a statistically equivalent set of children. That may not always be the case, which would skew the results.

If this is really the basis of the age standardisation, I'm disappointed; I would have expected something smarter.

flymetothemoon_2

confused_mummy wrote: »

To obtain your raw scores you have to email aqe with the childs name, date of birth, centre in which the test was took and his candidate number. You put it for the attention of Mr Young and it took from Monday to today to come.

The marks are not given as a percentage they are given as a score for each as assessment marked out of 64 I just added the two scores and worked it out as a percentage.

Confused mummy

Thank you so much for this info. I never thought there was any point asking AQE anything much. Very well done to you. I'm going to email Mr Young myself and ask for my DDs raw scores from last year - wonder will I get those a year later? I've always been curious about this. She is an older child and didn't score as highly as a lot of younger kids in her school even though she was nearly always ahead of them in practice tests so I have wondered if the standardisation process almost works against older kids. All that aside I have another child heading for AQE and just want to be more informed about it all. Maybe the standardising will favour him as he is young in his year - who knows? Thanks again and good luck.

Ex-Spendaholic

I am absolutely amazed that AQE are now giving this information. I contacted them several times in year 1 and got nowhere.

RikM

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

I am absolutely amazed that AQE are now giving this information. I contacted them several times in year 1 and got nowhere.

someone probably explained to them their responsibilities, regarding the data... It only takes one lawyer... :-)

BallyclareMum4

One week on and it's all done and dusted. Now the wait!
Thanks to everyone for their help and advice, for all the comments and information.
I wish you all and all your children the very best for the future. I hope you all get the placement you want, but more importantly the school that is right for your child, that they will grow and thrive, be content and happy x

Mumsicle

Does anyone else feel that AQE should just give children a simple grade (A,B,C,D) instead of issuing specific marks? It would then avoid all the comparisons between children's marks that go on after (I'm as guilty as the next person of doing this).
My child is the youngest in his year (bar none) and it does get a little frustrating when it's suggested that these children are at an unfair advantage during the age-standardisation process.
When my son started school at age 4 years and 3 months it was me that was feeling aggrieved at an education system that I felt was heavily weighted in favour of the oldest kids in the year. My ds could barely sit in a seat, let alone hold a pencil and as for listening skills - they were non-existent! He was written off on his first day of school by his teacher as a "daydreamer" and spent the first 4 to 5 years of school struggling to keep up with his peers, academically, socially and emotionally. As a result I say thank god for age-standardisation as it gives younger kids a fighting chance of achieving a Grammar school education by comparing them only with other younger kids.