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

Figure 4 - 2005 Key Stage 3 mathematics test results of pupils who previously achieved Level 5at Key Stage 270%60%50%40%Accelerated pupils in Project schools (N=517)Non-accelerated pupils in project schools (N=1025)30%Non-accelerated pupils in non-project schools(N=155945)20%10%0%Below L6 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8KS3 Level achievedSummaryIn summary, the analysis of the Year 7 and Year 8 Optional Test results for mathematics took intoaccount pupil and school characteristics that have previously been shown to be associated withprogress. The analysis indicated that by the end of Year 7 pupils at Project schools had made between aterm and a term and a half of additional progress when compared with pupils at Comparison schools.By June of Year 8, this gap had increased to about two terms of additional progress.Analysis of the 2005 Key Stage 3 mathematics test results shows that some groups of pupils fromProject schools who entered for the tests when in Year 8 were significantly more likely to achieve thenational benchmark standard (Level 5) than were Year 9 pupils from non-Project schools. However, itis vital to keep in mind that schools were advised only to enter pupils early for the tests if they wereconfident that they would achieve the nationally expected level of attainment and that, for otherschools, all Year 9 pupils had to be entered for the tests. In addition, we saw that early entrants to theKey Stage 3 tests were less likely to achieve the highest levels of progress.18