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Parenting Tips: SATS! - A Daunting Educational Yardstick |
By:
Dr. Noel Swanson |
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It's time again for the dreaded and stress inducing SATS. Teachers and students alike are stressing. The principal or head teacher wants to look good on the national league tables. The teachers want everyone to know that they're the best. As for the students, they've heard so much about these tests that they're terrified of failing, or at least not doing their best.
There are a few children who love tests and exams, but most of them would be very glad to never face one again. Some of these even stress out to such a degree that their whole lives feel the effects. The parents suffer too, so how can you help?
Standardized Achievement Tests (SATS) were created to assess schools. The government wanted to find out how well children are doing as a whole, and how well each school is performing. They start by testing a child at age 7 to establish a baseline score. They are tested again when they are 11. The difference in scores is known as the "value added", and refers to how much the child has learned in four years. The goal is to raise the education level among eleven year olds. The SATS allow the government to measure how well they're doing.
Most likely your question as a parent is "How does this score apply to my child?". Actually, it doesn't. The SATS don't relate to individual children. When your child moves into secondary school, that school will do its own assessment. They don't even use the SATS in their teaching plans. The SATS levels (scores) are very broad and don't really address how well your child is or isn't doing. Let's assume that your 11 year-old child scores a 4, which is average. You still don't know if it's a high or low average. You probably won't be surprised if he scores higher or lower. Parents and teachers generally know without the SATS if a child is ahead or behind his classmates. In other words his SATS scores won't have any bearing on his education.
By now you are probably wondering what to tell your child if she's worrying about the SATS. Make it clear to her that it's the school being tested, not her. Whatever her level, it won't really matter. Tell her to just do the best that she can, but don't coerce her in any way to study or practice for it. She'll have plenty of tests in her life that will make a difference in her life.
If reassurance is not enough, then it is time for a visit to the teacher. Explain your concerns to him and discuss how the SATS are being approached in the classroom. Together you should be able to work out a way to support your child better.
If you have concerns in general about your child's school progress, then have a talk with the teacher. You may even need to talk with the head teacher or the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Take action instead of silently worrying.
Dr. Noel Swanson has a free newsletter on children's behavior problems and also frequently writes for Yes Parenting website. Click here for other unique 'parenting' articles.
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Article Source: http://www.statssheet.com/articles/article53713.html |
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