Overmarking The Fsp- Setting Children For Failure.

[Guest]

Hi all, been away for a while, just started back at work full time to be hit with statistics and figures from our school LEA advisor!

This is my 2nd yr in this foundation stage and I am only finding now problems with previous FSP records. The FS teacher prior to me had 'overestimated' the children's ability- currently yr 2. More than 60% were given indicator 9's across the board and all bar 1 were given at least point 8 elg! This class are a poor ability class! Yet when the LEA advisor came in she wafted some graphs comparing my 2005 yr end cohort and this 2004 yr end cohort. She queried the difference between the two results (i only had 4 ind 9's!) - she said that the only difference between the 2 yr groups was me.....that it must be my teaching resulting in such low marks! She has no clue that the 6 points overall is the average and clearly does not understand the implications of awarding an indicator 9 to 4/5 yr olds and what they must achieve to gain them! She has been in to observe my teaching for a full morning as she felt that because of the results i must need help with my teaching! I can'\t tell you how upset I have been at this- but now I have gone into fighting mode! I know I have justly awarded last yrs marks - that they did do well under my teaching- the problem now is proving this...I have shown my eveidence to her, and the fact that I had been moderated. She was still unhappy. I went to look in these yr 2 portfolios and there was no i repeat, no evidence for the previous teachers awards. Now in fighting mode, and in my position as mentor to the yr 2 'new' teacher we have this week completed SAT's papers and writing tasks with this class to provide evidence that there was NO way this class were of the ability that the previous teacher had marked them as and to provide evidence for the yr 2 teacher to say that she the children will have progressed come may SATs but not as much as the old FS teacher had predicted when she had written end of Key stage targets when completing end of yr profile data. Children in that class are struggling to get level 1's some struggling to get level 2's! Moral of the story- ensure you keep evidence longer than 1 yr, don't be afraid to mark down children as they are- don't feel you have to have so many indicator 9's- these should be given out after serious thought and plenty of evidence- don't set the children up for failure just to make results 'look good'. We do do a good job- we don't need graphs to tell us and we certainly don't need old LEA advisors, who clearly haven't taught for the last 20 yrs to tell us we have problems with our teaching when graphs don't look as steep as they would like!

Right, that said,,,,,,,,my rant is over! .....I will now get back my festive spirit!

Hope all is going well with everyone- and especially hi to Susan (my fairy Godmother) and Steve!

Dougal xxxxx

[Guest]

I quite agree with you Dougal - it does the children no favours to exaggerate what they can do. League tables and curriculum consultants have a lot to answer for

[Guest]

I agree, i think as well that the more confident people become with the profile and moderating the results the results have got lower, i think at the start there was more of an expectation that there would be lots of nines, as practioners have become more confident i dont think as many are given out. I also feel that there is still more work needed on the link between the ELGs and the national curriculum levels. A lot of schools have had difficulties as the results have not linked well together.

Hope that makes sense.

[Steve]

Hi Dougal -

Great to see you back!

 

Now I'll leave all the clever stuff to other folk...

 

Best wishes,

Steve.

[Sue R]

Dougal,

Can I echo Steve, please!!

 

Great to see you again!!

 

Sue

[Guest]

Thankyou Aspk and Debs..... And...Sue and Steve, I am very pleased to be back!

[Guest]

Hi Dougal,

I think you have highlighted a real problem with the FS Profile - it is really quite 'new' and two years ago it would have been very new. The previous FS teacher probably gave those 9s in good faith but, as with most things, as time passes a better understanding of the whole process and more training is given.

 

We are told that a 9 is an exceptional score only to be given to those children who have the concept inside out etc etc.

 

Last year we received a child from another part of the country, in January, who had his whole profile 'ticked off' including EVERY 9!!!!!!!!! The only evidence were a few photos.

 

I think your Advisor sounds terrible - she or he can't know what they are talking about!

 

You stick to your guns and good luck.

[Marion]

Last year we received a child from another nursery who's profile was completed before entering my reception year. Luckily the moderator agreed with me that 'it was a mistake' and while he was a very bright boy he didnt leave reception with 9s across the board!

[Guest]

Thanks all, Yes I feel the advisor needs a personality transplant. She uses her role as advisor in a negative way....let's go in and find fault! She observed me for a morning and marked me on an early yrs observation sheet with choices of unsatis/satis and good. I got all good......but then she critisized very simple things like the font used on one of the activities! It's very scary that some of these advisors feel it their place to make teachers feel inadequate!

anyways....she is due in next week and I will really enjoy setting her straight- when she came in I was fresh out of hospital...lacking in energy, unaware of her impending visit. Now I feel stronger and I feel more armed with evidence. But this has highlighted the need for better evidence files to be kept I feel.....photographs cannot say it all!

I will keep you posted and let you know her response next week.

And if she doesn't lighten up I will dress her up as an elf and pop her in our santa's workshop role play area with a few children!

[Susan]

Hi Dougal, great to see you online and in fighting spirit!

 

The children in the current year 3 are of course those children with whom we first trialled the profile and I can believe that evidence may not have been as apparent as now. The year 2 children should have some sort of evidence although at that time we did not send everything to our year1 teachers, alot went home with the children. Its difficult to store all old work etc but some records should remain in school and pass from teacher to teacher to enable progress to be tracked etc. I also think it is very easy to overscore the profile, some of the examples given within the handbook are very simple.

 

I believe your head has held you in high regard so I am surprised that an advisor has behaved in this way but it sounds as if you have tackled the issues well, evidence of the childrens work now will not go amiss!!

 

Good luck.

Keep well.

[Guest]

Hi Susan!!!

Nice to be back!

The Head went with the defensive approach that if she has concerns they should be put at ease by spending a morning in school with us - observing me!! very nice as that was I wish I had known before she had turned up on the doorstep! On afterthought i feel he may be going with the...'after a morning in reception her head will be frazzled and she will have forgotten what she came for' tactic!

Like I said .....if next week she still grumbles there is plenty of room for an extra elf in santa's workshop!

[Sue R]

Go Dougal!!