FAQs
How many children were involved in the standardisation?
Will I be able to look at performance on an individual question by question basis?
The Excel version of the Group report for teachers contains question by question marks and so more detailed analysis for individual pupils may be carried out using this report. We are looking to add this information to the Individual student report for teachers in a post-publication phase of further report development.
Do the tests link to the learning objectives for each year in the NC in England?
The Programmes of Study include Attainment Targets which are expressed as ‘pupils should be taught to…’
The online Curriculum Links documents set out the Attainment Targets which are covered by each level of PTM and PTE . The tests, however, sample the curriculum and, at an hour to an hour and a quarter in length, cannot offer exhaustive links to all the Attainment Targets.
For example, in PTE9 spelling, four of the six Attainment Targets are covered. Those that are not (use of a dictionary and taking dictation) would not be appropriate to test in PTE. The Attainment Targets for reading comprehension for Y3/4 focus on the reading of books which cannot be the focus of PTE.
However the test does link to the crucial Attainment Targets of understanding what is read, dealing with a range of texts and retrieving information, making inferences and understanding how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning. In this way, the tests can make a valuable contribution to the assessment of pupils against the Attainment Targets which will be further supported by the wider range of activity and work undertaken in the classroom and assessed on an ongoing basis by the teacher.
Please see the following links for more detailed information on the links to UK Curricula:
The narratives in each Individual student report for teachers will be helpful in assessing whether or not the Attainment Targets have been achieved, as the commentary extrapolates from the test scores (and the skills being directly tested) to make a fair assumption about other skills or knowledge each pupil may be assumed to have acquired.
Can the Progress Test Series be used with established assessment frameworks?
Yes. The Progress Test Series offers an objective, summative, once a year test with national comparison and can be placed alongside almost any assessment framework, including PiXL and the NAHT’s assessment framework.
Is the Progress Test Series a test of the curriculum?
While the Progress Test Series has been designed to sample and reflect the national curricula across the UK , it is not designed as a test of the curriculum as a whole. It is a summative assessment that reflects the curriculum and should be used diagnostically to assess where there are gaps in knowledge that has been taught and where pupils have particular strength that need to be challenged.
How will the test's reliability be affected if a student falls outside of the standard age range of a Progress Test?
In the event of a child completing a Progress Test for which they do not fall within the standard age range, scores and test analysis will still be generated in the reporting area of Testwise. Where age-adjusted scores are concerned, the child will be considered to have been of an age of the closest point to their actual, chronological age for the purposes of such calculations. That is to say that a student of 11 years 4 months completing a test designed for children in the range of 7:06 to 9:06 will be considered to have been 9 years 6 months at the time of testing and all metrics should be considered in this context. The test outcomes will not carry the same validity as if an age-appropriate test had been completed and we would strongly advise that a conversation is held with one of our Education Advisors.