Here’s why pupils take national tests – and what’s coming next

Seven to 14-year-old pupils across Wales are taking national tests in numeracy and reading. They are not used to measure school performance and they are not graded. They’ll be changing next year too. Education editor ABBIE WIGHTWICK outlines what’s happen

Why do we have national tests and what are they for?

To check how children are doing. The Welsh Government say the tests, which are based on the curriculum, give teachers detailed information on each learner’s development and progress in reading and numeracy. Results can also show where individual children may need more help to improve.

So do pupils pass and fail?

No. There is no pass or fail or grade. Your child will get a score which schools use to track how they are doing.

How many tests are there?

Three: reading, procedural numeracy and numerical reasoning (problem solving).

Procedural numeracy? What’s that then?

It measures skills in numbers, measuring and data.

And numerical reasoning?

This looks at how well children can use what they know to solve every day problems.

Sounds tricky. Should my child revise? Should I get a tutor?

No. Welsh Government advice is that pupils should not revise or get extra tuition for the tests because the idea is to find out how well they are doing based on the teaching and work in school alone. Mugging up with a tutor risks giving a false idea of how the child is doing at school.

Should my child’s school be preparing them? No. Guidance to schools says they should not practice or revise for the tests or divert any school time to focus on the tests. The idea is to see where pupils are at without revision.

So they’ll be thrown in the deep end?

No. The questions cover what pupils learn in the classroom throughout the year. Pupils can access sample questions online so they can get an idea of what the tests look like.

Where can I find those? www.learning.gov.wales/resources/ collections/national-reading-andnumeracy-tests?lang=en

Who takes the tests? All children in years two to nine, who are aged seven to 14.

When is all this happening? Secondary school pupils take the tests in a period from April 25 to May 9. Primary pupils take them from May 2 to May 9.

How long does each test take?

The reading test is one hour and the two maths tests are 30 minutes each.

That’s a long time for seven year olds to sit still

Yes it is. The rules say pupils in Years 2 and 3 must have rest breaks. For Year 4 pupils breaks are optional but for those in Year 5 and up (10 to 14) there are no breaks except for those with additional learning needs.

Guidance says there should be two breaks in the hour long test for pupils in Years 2 and 3.

Are the results used to measure school performance?

No. Welsh Government does not judge schools on their national test results.

What’s the point then?

To assess individual pupil progress to find out where they need more help and where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

Are results published?

No, but you will be told your child’s individual results for each of the three tests by the end of the summer term.

How will we get the results? Results are given to parents and carers by schools from the end of June to the middle of July. Sometimes they are given out as part of end of year reports and sometimes separately.

If there are no grades and no pass or fail, what will results look like? The tests provide two kinds of result, an age standardised score and a progress measure. These two are very different from results you may have come across before – such as nine out of 10 or 90%.

Tell me more and what does this age standardised score mean anyway?

Having a score of, for example, six out of 10, does not take into account how hard a test is or show how one child has done compared to others taking the test. If most others got nine out of 10 then six is not such a good score. But if the average was two out of 10 then six is very good.

The age standardised score tells you how well your child did compared with other pupils the same age (in years and months) taking the same test at the same time.

So what’s a good score?

The average age-standardised score is set to 100 and about two thirds of all pupils taking the test will have age standardised scores between 85 and 115. So, an age-standardised score lower than 85 might suggest difficulty with reading and numeracy tested. Similarly a score greater than 115 might suggest the child’s reading or numeracy skills are well developed for their age.

I’ve got that but what’s a progress measure?

This shows how well your chid has done compared to every other learner taking the test in their year group across Wales. Their result in this shows whether or not they are maintaining their position in the year group over time and shows trends in their performance.

Results for each year are presented in vertical blocks and when you get results your child’s performance is marked with a cross within one of these blocks.

But I’ve heard the tests are changing. Is that true?

Yes, from next school year the tests will start to go online and pupils will take them on screens not paper. This will change over a period of three years and they will be known as “personalised assessments”.

How will pupils take the tests online?

In school on desktop computers, laptops (including chrome books) and tablets (including iPads).

Which test will be the first to go online?

Procedural numeracy will be taken