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

4. ATTAINMENT ANALYSISOur examination of attainment, which focuses on Phase 1 Project schools only, includes analysis ofperformance in the QCA Year 7 and Year 8 Optional Tests in mathematics and English, and also ofKey Stage 3 test results for mathematics, English and science.Specifically for this evaluation, Phase 1 Project schools were asked for pupils following condensedprogrammes of study in mathematics and/or in English to take the QCA Year 7 and Year 8 OptionalTests in those subjects. All pupils at Phase 1 Comparison schools were also asked to take these tests. 9The Year 7 Optional Tests are suitable for pupils who achieved at least Level 4 at Key Stage 2.Consequently only these pupils were included in the analysis that follows. In the analysis, we comparedthe test scores achieved by pupils at Phase 1 Project schools with those of pupils at Phase 1 Comparisonschools. The attainment measures relating to the Optional Tests comprised the total test score inmathematics, score in the mental mathematics test paper, total score in English and scores in the readingand in the writing elements of the English test.The Year 8 Optional Test in mathematics was provided in two tiers. The lower tier test is designed toassess pupils working in the Level 4 to Level 6 range and the higher tier version for those workingbetween Level 5 and Level 7. It was up to individual teachers to decide which tier was most appropriatefor each pupil. The attainment measures for the Year 8 Optional Test in mathematics comprised the testlevel achieved (in either tier of the test), total test score for entrants to the higher tier test and total testscore for entrants to the lower tier test. For English the attainment measures were the total score in theEnglish test and scores for the reading and writing components of the English test.Some characteristics that had been shown to be associated with progress in previous research weretaken into account in the analysis (see Annexes B and C for details). The method of analysis used wasmulti-level modelling which is a version of multiple linear regression.We also report the Key Stage 3 test results achieved by Phase 1 Project school pupils who were enteredfor the tests while in Year 8 rather than Year 9. 10 Schools were able to choose whether to enter pupilsearly for their Key Stage 3 tests and the first cohort of Project pupils able to do so, took the tests in2005. The guidance (DfES, 2004) issued to schools participating in the Project states:Pupils have only one opportunity to learn and achieve in Years 7, 8 and 9. This guidancerepeatedly stresses that any school contemplating a two-year Key Stage 3 should be confidentthat participating pupils would achieve at least the same level of success in the condensed KeyStage 3 curriculum as they would have in three years. Equally it is important for the school tohave systems in place that will enable pupils following a condensed programme in years 7 and8 to revert to a three-year programme if their learning is not on target to meet at least nationalexpectations by the end of Year 8. (Page vi)Thus schools were advised only to enter pupils for the tests if they were expected to achieve thenationally expected standard (Level 5/6). Consequently some schools entered only part of anyaccelerated cohort for the tests while others chose to postpone the entry of all pupils until Year 9. Asmall number of schools chose to enter all pupils (or more accurately all those working at theappropriate level for the Key Stage 3 tests) when in Year 8.9 The Year 7 Optional Tests were completed in June 2004 and the Year 8 Optional Tests in June 2005. The Year 8 OptionalTest papers were marked externally and for the Year 7 tests a mixture of internal and external marking was used.10 Data relating to early entrants from non-Project schools are presented in Annex G.13