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

SummaryIn the case of English, when prior attainment and other background characteristics were taken intoaccount, pupils following a condensed course in Year 7 and Year 8 at Phase 1 Project schools achievedtest scores in the Year 7 and 8 Optional Tests that were not significantly different from those of pupilsof the same age who attended Phase 1 Comparison schools.Among the pupils who were selected by the Project schools for early entry to the Key Stage 3 tests,taking into account the test level achieved at Key Stage 2, similar proportions achieved the nationalbenchmark level (Level 5) as among Year 9 pupils across the country as a whole. This is anencouraging finding. However, it should be borne in mind that Project schools were advised only toenter pupils who were predicted to achieve the nationally expected level in those tests whereas otherschools entered all Year 9 pupils. The Key Stage 3 test results also show that Year 8 entrants fromProject schools were less likely to achieve the higher levels when compared with Year 9 pupils at otherschools.4.3 Key Stage 3 science resultsKey Stage 3 resultsPupils were not assessed in science for this evaluation. However some Phase 1 Project schools chose toenter some Year 8 pupils for the Key Stage 3 science tests. 20 The proportions achieving the Level 5threshold at Key Stage 3 are shown in Table 7. More accelerated pupils than pupils nationally movedfrom a Level 4 at Key Stage 2 to reach the Level 5 threshold.Table 7 - Proportion of pupils achieving at least Level 5 in 2005 Key Stage 3 science testsKS2 levelYear 8 entrantsat ProjectschoolsProportion achieving Level 5 at KS3All entrants inEnglandStatisticallysignificantdifferenceNo. of Year 8entrants at ProjectschoolsLevel 3 15% 10% NS 27Level 4 74% 67% * 385Level 5 97% 96% NS 498NS no statistically significant difference* p