Experience of National Tests in Mathematics in England: 19902004

1
Experience of National Tests in Mathematics in
England 1990-2004

• Margaret Brown
• Kings College, University of London

2
External assessment before 1988

• Local selection tests at age 11 for entry to
  grammar schools (mainly stopped in 1970s with
  change to comprehensive schools)
• Leaving examinations at 16 (O-level/GCSE) and 18
  (A-level/GCE) run by competing agencies (gradual
  evolution to deal with wider range of attainment,
  and increasing government control)

3
1980s Problems

• Standards in basic skills not high enough
  (SIMS/TIMSS/PISA), because
• No control over primary school (5-11) curriculum
• No incentives for schools to raise standards for
  5-14 age group

4
1988 Government solution

• A National Curriculum for ages 5-16
• National Assessment at ages 7, 11, and 14
• Publication of school results in league tables,
  and greater choice of school for parents

5
1988 Educationist proposals

• Assessment structure for ages 5-14 as progression
  of increasing levels 1-10, criterion-referenced
  but related to initial norms
• Level 2 median 7 year-old
• Level 3 median 9 year-old
• Level 4 median 11 year-old
• Level 5 median 13 year-old

6
Levels against age
Level
Age
7
1988 Educationist proposals

• 2) Emphasis on formative Teacher Assessment using
  detailed level criteria throughout 5-14
  age-range, reporting as profile of attainment or
  as single level for each subject at ages 7,11 and
  14.
• 3) National Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) (not
  tests) to sample attainment and moderate teacher
  judgements (at age 7 within theme-based work,
  at 11 both theme-based and subject-based)

8
What happened Assessment Structure(1)

• The assessment structure is still based on
  progressive levels, as defined in 1988.
• Levels are now sometimes divided into sub-levels
  to provide more differentiated results (1 level
  2 years progress).
• Entry to SATs is sometimes differentiated
  according to level.

9
Example

• At age 14 mathematics assessment is
  differentiated.
• There are four tiers levels 3-5, 4-6, 5-7 or
  6-8). Students predicted level 6 do the
  assessments for the levels 5-7 tier.
• Students at 14 can also be assessed by their
  teachers at levels 1 or 2, or level 8.

10
What happened Assessment Structure(2)

• In teacher assessment, there has been a move away
  from detailed criterion-referencing to broader
  level descriptions.
• In national tests there has been a move away from
  criteria-based assessment schemes to
  pragmatically determined level threshold scores.

11
Examples

• 1989/Level 5 statement
• Use index notation to express powers of whole
  numbers ( 2x2x2x2x225 )
• 2000/Part of a Level 8 level description
• Solve problems involving calculating with
  powers, root and numbers expressed in standard
  form (2.3x105)
• no earlier descriptions about powers

12
What happenedTeacher Assessment(1)

• 1990-92
• Teachers of age 5-7 assessed against detailed
  criteria.
• They updated records regularly, based on evidence
  or intuition.
• They found it very complex and the criteria were
  simplified.

13
What happenedTeacher Assessment(2)

• 1992-2002
• Teachers of age 8-14 also started doing teacher
  assessment mainly using their own classroom test
  results.
• All teachers gradually stopped as it was clear
  that it was no longer important in comparison
  with national test results, and teacher unions
  were against the workload.

14
What happened Teacher Assessment(3)

• 2002
• Teacher assessment (Assessment for learning)
  has again become important.
• Teachers are expected to also make children aware
  of their learning using self- and peer-assessment
  of lesson objectives.
• They also track childrens progress through the
  levels, mainly using tests.

15
What happened SATs (1)

• 1990-94
• Classroom tasks trialled (ages 7 and 14) and
  implemented (age 7).
• Workload and politics forced tasks to become
  narrower and more test-like at age 7. Tests now
  trialled at age 14.
• Teacher boycott in 1993/4 (though many age 7
  teachers still did them)

16
Examples of Tasks

• In the first group of mathematics tasks for
  7-year-olds
• a) a group of children sat round a table each
  child took it in turn to throw 2 dice and add and
  subtract the scores.
• b) children were asked to design and make a game
  which used dice and a counting track.

17
Examples of Tasks

• In the pilot mathematics tasks for 14-year-olds
• Groups to arrange octagons into closed loops and
  describe the possible loops. Individuals to
  investigate the numbers of sides in the shapes
  inside and outside the loops, and answer octagon
  test questions.

18
What happened SATs (2)

• 1995 2004
• National tests in maths, English and science at
  ages 11 and 14
• Mixture of tests and tasks in English and maths
  at age 7 (tests for maths)
• Yearly league tables published for schools on
  results of tests at 11 and 14, (and also 16 and
  18), and later value-added

19
A shop sells batteries in packs of four and packs
of two
4 batteries
2 batteries

• Simon and Nick want two batteries each.
• They buy a pack of four and share the cost
  equally.
• How much does each pay?
• Mary buys 2 packs of two batteries.
• Hamid buys 1 pack of four.
• How much more does Mary pay than Hamid?

1.48
85p
Show your working. You may get a mark
Show your working. You may get a mark
20
Look at these number cards

• 600 60 6
• 400 40 4
• 300 30 3
• 100 10 1
• Choose two of the cards that add together to give
  a total of 70. Now choose two different cards
  that add together to give a total of 70.
• (b) Which three cards add together to give a
  total of 70?
• (c) The difference between the numbers on two
  cards is 70. Which are the two cards?
• (d) Which two of the cards make this calculation
  correct?
• 3 x 70

21
Draw lines to join any pairs of algebraic
expressions that will always have the same value
when abc
ab
3c-2b
3c
2a
2cb
a2
ac
22
Here are three number cards.The numbers are
hidden.
?
?
?
The mode of the three numbers is 5 The mean of
the three numbers is 8 What are the three
numbers? Show your working
23
The table shows the average weekly earnings for
men and women in 1956 and 1998.

• For 1956, calculate the average weekly earnings
  for women as a percentage of the average weekly
  earnings for men. Show
  your working and give your answer to 1 decimal
  place.
• (b) For 1998, show that the average weekly
  earnings for women were a greater proportion of
  the average weekly earnings for men than they
  were in 1956.

24
What happened SATs (3)

• 1995 2004
• Schools were under great pressure to achieve
  higher results
• Results slowly rose, but do students really know
  more? (10 dip the following year)
• Teaching to the test has killed enthusiasm in
  teachers and children (TIMSS drops of 10 in
  enjoyment at 10 and 14)
• Emphasis on teaching not learning

25
(No Transcript)
26
What happened SATs (4)

• 2004
• Teacher assessment only, for age 7, is trialled
  in 2004 and implemented in 2005
• Most teachers in age 7 trials use SATs to make
  judgements
• Post-14, new proposals for reducing amount of
  external testing

27
Issues about national assessment

• Purpose is all-important
• Politicians and public opinion cant be ignored
• A balance is needed between validity/reliability
  and manageability
• Consequential validity is important (washback
  effects on curriculum, teaching and the school
  system)