QCA Survey - Evaluating The Use Of Optional Tests

Who decides whether you use the optional tests in your school?
  • These results are based on 502 interviews carried out from 19 March - 4 April 2003 with teachers in years 3,4,5 and Heads of Maths and English covering years 7 and 8.
  • Base: All, unless stated.
  • Figures expressed as percentages, except in the demographics section where they are expressed as numbers.
  • Results are weighted by Government Office Region to reflect the profile of the sample of schools who use optional tests (provided by QCA).
  • * signifies a percentage higher than zero but less than 0.5.
  • At some questions figures do not add up to 100; this may be due to multiple answers being allowed or computer rounding.

 

Q Who decides whether you use the optional tests in your school?
  %
b) The headteacher 57
a) You 40
c) The LEA 13
Joint staff decision 8
Assessment co-ordinator 3
School/senior management team 2
Head of Department 2
d) Someone else 2
Deputy Head 1
The Department 1
Don't know 1

 

Q Is it school policy to assess pupils in a written test at the end of each year?
  %
Yes 88
No 10
Don't know 2

 

Q To what extent do you think it is useful, if at all, for pupils to be assessed at the end of each year in a written test?
  %
Very useful 57
Fairly useful 36
Not very useful 4
Not at all useful 1
Don't know 1

 

Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? "As a method of assessing pupils, teacher assessment alone is a valid and reliable alternative to testing."
  %
Strongly agree 19
Tend to agree 34
Neither agree nor disagree 13
Tend to disagree 27
Strongly disagree 6
Don't know 1

 

Q I am going to read out some reasons why people choose to use the optional tests. Can you tell me whether any of these reasons apply to your school?
  Yes No Don't know
  % % %
To conduct analysis of year-on-year pupil performance 94 6 1
To assess progress towards the end of key stage outcome 92 7 1
To aid teacher assessment 90 8 2
To highlight areas for improvement in teaching and learning 89 9 1
As an end of year assessment 89 10 1
To report to parents 71 29 1
To decide groups in the following year 68 30 2
To use with Autumn Package data to compare against national progress 63 31 6
Instead of writing your own assessment 42 57 1
Other 0 99 1

 

Q Do you report the optional test level to parents?
  %
Yes 54
No 43
Don't know 3

 

Q What, if any, are the main advantages of using QCA optional tests, in comparison to other commercially available tests?
  %
They are the same format as the national statutory tests 30
Ties in with Key Stage work programmes 25
Report a level, set by QCA, that meets national standards 23
Assesses the National Curriculum 16
A trusted/ reliable source 4
They are standardised 3
They are readily available 3
Most schools use them/can compare to other schools 3
They are cheaper/the cost 2
To prepare children for Year 6 1
Other, please write in 3
Don't know 21

 

Q If optional tests were discontinued would you use any of the following?
  %
Commercially available test 55
Write your own 50
Teacher assessment only 30
Photocopy the tests we have 1
Other 1
Don't know 3

 

Q Does your school currently use other commercially available tests? If so, which of the following?
  %
NfER (National Foundation for Education Research) 39
CATS (Cognitive Ability Tests) 22
PIPS (PRIMARY SCHOOLS ONLY) 10
Suffolk Reading Tests 10
MIDYIS (SECONDARY SCHOOL ONLY) 6
Progress In English (PIE) 4
CGP 2
Heinemann (test for Maths) 1
Heinemann (nsp) 1
Salford reading tests 1
Young 1
Yellis 1
Goal 1
Richmond *
Schonel *
Collins maths test *
McMillan *
Other 4
No 32
Don't know 3

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