A comprehensive guide to interpreting your CAT4 data

Tuesday 14th May 2013

Phil Wileman Group Training Manager, GL Assessment

CAT4 Seminar

A 360o view of maximising students’ potential

Progress in English

Reading assessments eg. NGRT

CAT4

Progress in Maths

PASS

The CAT4 reports:

• CAT4 Group report for teachers

1. CAT4 Summary report for senior leaders

2. CAT4 Summary presentation for senior leaders

3. CAT4 Individual report for teachers

4. CAT4 Individual report for parents

5. CAT4 Individual report for students

6. CAT4 Excel report

7. CAT4 Cluster report

Using the Group report for teachers to:

Baseline new students in secondary school referenced to U.K distribution of ability

Spot underachievement Identify gifted and talented/SEN students

Using the Group report for teachers to:

Inform target setting

CAT4 IB Diploma Programme Group report for teachers

Using indicators for targets

• The pupil has ‘ownership’ of their targets;

• Sets high yet achievable targets (realistic expectations);

• Quantifies the amount of challenge involved;

• May be used strategically to identify students’ at borderline grades;

• one piece of information to inform subject choice (specific aptitudes and interests can be far more important).

Examples of focus areas at a pupil/teacher target setting meeting

• What level appear to be easily within your reach? How do your expectations compare to the outcomes shown in the progress chart?

• What level could be achieved with a little more effort/support? Negotiate a 'target for attainment'.

• What aspects of the work do you find difficult or relatively easy? Where would you benefit from extra help? How can I better support you?

• What are the learning steps over the next half-term if we are to achieve this target (‘targets for learning‘)? All the principles of ‘assessment is for learning’ apply.

Comparisons can also be made with other standardised tests … as they all use the same scale of standardised age scores

Here are just a few examples

of attainment tests:

Curriculum tests

- ‘Progress in Maths’ series

- ‘Progress in English’

Screening reading tests

- ‘Suffolk Reading Scale’

- ‘New Group Reading test’

Individual Reading tests:

- ‘YARC’

Understanding the SAS scores

Attainment and Performance

Attitudes and Perceptions (PASS)

Ability and Potential (CAT)

Linking Ability to Performance

Using the Group report for teachers to:

Identify learning ‘bias’ via the spatial/verbal profiles.

Using the Individual report for teachers to:

Focus in on the extended profile description For example with students with ‘biased’ learning profiles

Help set more challenging target levels for students using the detailed breakdown of probabilities of future attainment

indicators in national tests and exams

Inform and encourage support for a ‘holistic’ home/school partnership approach to maximise student performance.

Using the Parent and Student reports to:

Using the Senior Leaders report for teachers to: Monitor intake ability against national standards and to

monitor any change over time and to set a Baseline for the ‘value added’ by the school

Track and monitor special interest groups within the main cohort.

Summary of the possible uses of the CAT in school

• To identify students, or groups of students, who may be underachieving and require additional support/stretching.

• To inform target setting in national tests and public examinations.

• To identify individual pupils’ cognitive strengths and weaknesses (Learning Profile) to inform teaching & learning.

• To monitor intake ability against national standards and to monitor any change over time and to set a Baseline for the ‘value added’ by the school.