§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will amend the methodology of the key stage 1 and key stage 2 value added performance tables to:
to provide further details on the measurement of pupils' progress, notably the progress made by pupils who achieve 2A or 3 at key stage 1. [HL3570]
- provide for sub-levels at key stage 2; and
- provide for levels above 5 at key stage 2.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland):The simple and transparent methodology now in use has done much to put VA on the education map and help people to understand the general concept. Now these foundations have been laid, we hope to move on and develop a methodology which takes account of contextual factors beyond pupils' prior attainment.
However, we have no plans at present to provide for sub-levels at key stage 2 (KS2). We would need the marks data to be more robust before we could consider incorporating these sub-levels into the VA methodology. Nor do we plan to provide levels above level 5; this is the highest level a pupil can currently achieve in the tests.
75WAThe autumn package shows how pupils from different parts of the KS1 range are performing. This can be found on the web at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/performance/ap/2003 additional/?version =1
§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will amend the methodology of the key stage 1 and key stage 2 value added performance tables so:
- the arithmetic mean rather than the median is used to decide what a pupil is expected to get at key stage 2; and
- a stability indicator is used that begins in year 3, to include junior schools.
[HL3571]
§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland:We have no plans to change the present value added (VA) methodology to include the use of the arithmetic mean rather than the median. We know of no particular advantages this would bring.
This year we will be publishing a mobility indicator, for each primary school, showing the proportion of pupils in the school for the whole of key stage 2, i.e. from the beginning of year 3 to year 6. This indicator, which will replace the stability indicator, can be applied to all including junior schools.
§ Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish an indicator of the uncertainties which arise in performance measures in educational performance tables. [HL3572]
§ Baroness Ashton of Upholland:We have no plans at present to publish an uncertainty indicator in performance tables. The explanatory text we publish does, however, have a section on the significance of the value added measures and how to interpret them, alongside examples for different cohort sizes. The text can be viewed on the department's website at www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables