Evaluation of the Two Year Key Stage 3 Project - Communities and ...

2.2 Attainment and attitudesThe timing of the attainment and attitudinal elements of the research are shown in Table 1. As can beseen, attainment analysis focused only on pupils at Phase 1 schools. For this cohort two attainmentcomparisons were possible. The first made use of the QCA Optional Tests (OTs) in mathematics andEnglish for pupils in Years 7 and 8. Phase 1 Project schools were asked that pupils following two yearprogrammes in these subjects should undertake the Year 7 and Year 8 Optional Tests. All pupils at theComparison schools were also requested to undertake these tests. Thus, we were able to compare theattainment of pupils following an ‘accelerated’ Key Stage with the attainment of pupils of the same ageattending schools offering a conventional three year Key Stage 3.In the case of the Year 7 Optional Test analysis, only pupils who had achieved an appropriate level atKey Stage 2 and were therefore working at an appropriate level (as specified by QCA) to be assessed bythe Year 7 tests were included in the statistical modelling. For the Year 8 tests, all pupils that schoolschose to enter for the tests were included in the statistical modelling. For the main models, relating tooverall test scores or levels achieved in English and mathematics, at least 2200 pupils were included inthe analysis. 4Pupils’ test scores were matched to data relating to prior attainment and school characteristics (drawnfrom PLASC) and also to pupils’ responses to questions relating to home background in thequestionnaires (completed as part of the examination of pupils’ motivation and engagement). Multilevelmodelling was the statistical technique used to analyse this data. 5Phase 1 Project schools were also able to enter pupils early (in Year 8) for their statutory Key Stage 3tests. Where schools chose to do this, the test results of early entrants were compared with the resultsof pupils nationally. However, it must be noted that Project schools were able to choose which pupils toenter for the Key Stage 3 tests whereas this was not the case for schools nationally that entered pupils inYear 9. In addition, this analysis did not take into account the range of background factors included inthe analysis of Optional Test results.Pupils at Phase 1 Project and Comparison schools were asked to complete an attitude questionnairewhen they were in Years 7, 8 and 9. Pupils attending Phase 2 Project and Comparison schoolscompleted the questionnaire when they were in Years 7 and 8. Responses to individual items werecombined to form scales and changes in those scale scores were examined from one year to the next.Table 1 - Timing of the attainment and attitudinal elements of the evaluationPhase 1 Project andComparison Schools2003/04 2004/05 2005/06Year 7Year 8Year 9Pupil survey and OTs Pupil survey, OTs, KS3 tests Pupil surveyPhase 2 Project andComparison schoolsYear 7Pupil surveyYear 8Pupil surveyIn addition to the elements shown in Table 1, Project schools were contacted in the Spring terms of2004 and 2005 to identify which pupils were following a condensed Key Stage 3 in which subjects.4 The number of schools from which these pupils were drawn varied between models (ranging from 23 to 31 schools). Thisis because not all Phase 1 Project schools provided shortened mathematics and English courses (and therefore not all Phase 1Project schools had any pupils to enter for the Optional Tests). In addition, a few schools did not return test scores for allelements of the evaluation.5 Multi-level modelling is a form of multiple linear regression that takes into account the clustering of pupils within schools.8