The Novel Gcse Debate

On Sabbatum I participated inwards an Institute of Ideas panel give-and-take on the novel maths GCSE. Here is the description of the session from the blogged previously almost using an entrance examination to assess algebra skills at the get-go of Year 12 - this wouldn't survive necessary if the GCSE was doing its project correctly. I know of a pupil who got cypher out of 15 on his entrance assessment - which consisted of pretty basic algebra questions - fifty-fifty though he got a Grade half-dozen at GCSE. This begs the question, what does a Grade half-dozen inwards maths genuinely mean? 

I'm non convinced that standards direct keep improved. I'd fighting that mistakes were made inwards designing the content of the novel GCSE specification. 

Over the final ii years, maths has gained extra teaching fourth dimension inwards most schools. This has oftentimes come upward at a damage to other subjects. Many schools direct keep gone from iii maths lessons a calendar week to four, or fifty-fifty more. But the extra fourth dimension inwards the classroom has non been spent improving fluency inwards algebra together with tackling key misconceptions - which would direct keep been the best agency to pass the extra time. Instead nosotros direct keep had to pass the extra fourth dimension teaching all the new, random, bitty topics that were added to GCSE - quadratic sequences, functions, iteration, frequency trees together with and then on. The breadth of the GCSE is vast - at that spot are 97 topics listed inwards the government's specification. Why precisely were all the novel topics added? 

It isn't a caput get-go on H5N1 flat at all - if our students pass a few lessons rushing through functions inwards Year 11, nosotros volition even together with then direct keep to instruct them functions from scratch inwards Year 13. Due to fourth dimension constraints, most students volition entirely attain a superficial agreement of the H5N1 flat topics that were added to GCSE.

What would direct keep been ameliorate - what would direct keep genuinely made a deviation to our H5N1 flat mathematicians - would direct keep been fewer topics on GCSE. I am pleased that Higher GCSE got harder, it used to survive likewise slowly for many students, just inwards my thought it got harder inwards the incorrect way. I would direct keep liked to direct keep seen the questions on the of import materials - algebra, number, trigonometry - made harder. I'd direct keep liked it if it was impossible to larn a high GCSE flat without truthful algebraic fluency together with understanding.

This increased flat of difficulty - just on fewer topics - would direct keep ameliorate equipped our students for the challenges of H5N1 level. Depth was the answer. And depth is the reply inwards many high performing jurisdictions. But our regime went for breadth.

It all comes downward to curriculum. It volition survive a few years until nosotros are able to get-go measure the comport on of GCSE reform inwards whatever meaningful agency - possibly fifty-fifty longer, equally nosotros await for the changes at Key Stages 1 together with 2 to filter through to Key Stage 4. But at the moment, whilst the specification remains together with then broad, it's hard for me to run into at that spot beingness whatever important comport on on our time to come generation of mathematicians". 

There were or together with then genuinely interesting points raised during the debate, together with I was frustrated that I couldn't address every betoken inwards equally much exceptional equally I'd direct keep liked (particularly points relating to the suitability of the Foundation specification together with the sense of students who struggle amongst maths). Apologies if yous were at the session together with raised something that nosotros didn't direct keep fourth dimension to properly explore - it would survive neat if nosotros (ie the maths teaching community) could proceed the conversation on Twitter or at a time to come conference. It's genuinely of import that teachers brand their vocalism heard inwards discussions almost qualifications together with curriculum.

Many thank yous to the Institute of Ideas Education Forum for organising the debate, together with to Tom Bennett together with all those involved inwards researchED for hosting an fantabulous conference.

Looking At Twelvemonth Half-Dozen Sats

I mean value it's a skillful thought for secondary schoolhouse maths departments to pass some fourth dimension looking at Year six SATs papers. Ideally this should live on done at the start of September when our novel teams are inwards house in addition to we're planning lessons for the offset few weeks of term.

When nosotros aspect at papers it's of import to comport inwards heed that merely because a theme was on their destination of twelvemonth assessment, it doesn’t necessarily hateful that an incoming Year vii knows that theme well. Just similar at GCSE, degree boundaries are relatively low. This twelvemonth a Year six kid needed to acquire 53% of the answers right inwards their maths SATs to make 'Expected Standard' (ie a scaled score of 100). It's a really similar province of affairs to the Year xi to Year 12 transition - when a educatee starts H5N1 flat alongside a Grade vii it's of import for us to live on aware that they only knew how to produce to a greater extent than or less one-half the questions on their GCSE exam. Plus nosotros all know that a lot of forgetting happens over the long summertime break. So both at H5N1 flat in addition to inwards Year vii (and inwards fact at the start of every schoolhouse year) nosotros should never just assume that topics that bring been previously taught in addition to assessed are totally secure.

Saying that, nosotros know that many pupils joining us inwards Year vii are vivid picayune mathematicians. Often they bring fantabulous fluency inwards arithmetics in addition to times tables in addition to good developed reasoning in addition to work solving skills. But nosotros won't know that merely from looking at their SATs score. H5N1 skillful SATs score might only say us that dorsum inwards May the kid had a skillful flat of fluency inwards written methods of arithmetic. H5N1 short, focused baseline bear witness alongside incoming Year 7s might assist us piece of work out if that's yet the instance in addition to laissez passer on us an thought of a sensible starting yell for for each pupil.

When my previous schoolhouse had incoming Year 7s sit down baseline tests inwards September, nosotros were surprised yesteryear the variation inwards results. The graph below shows pupils' Key Stage 2 SATs lawsuit against the score they got on their Year vii baseline assessment. Although nosotros regard a full general correlation every bit expected, the middle chunk of the information (expected scores betwixt 100 in addition to 110) was all over the place. For instance notice that pupils who got 104 on their SATs scored everything from 35% to 80% on their September baseline test. If your schoolhouse sets inwards Year vii based alone on SATs results yous remove to live on aware of this potential variation.

Schools are able to access information for their incoming Year vii pupils that shows their SATs marks yesteryear question. Like the QLAs nosotros piece of work for mock exams at Key Stage 4, this information is of express use. Getting a unmarried enquiry right or incorrect on a exceptional theme at a exceptional fourth dimension doesn't actually say us really much almost a child's agreement of that topic. We bring no thought how much a kid actually understands something until we've spent fourth dimension questioning them, working alongside them, assessing them, drawing out misconceptions. Clearly nosotros remove to acquire to know our students in addition to nosotros can't brand whatsoever assumptions based on information inwards a spreadsheet.

Saying that, let's bring a quick aspect at a chip of national data just because it's interesting. The next 2 questions were the worst answered questions inwards in conclusion year's maths SATs.

Paper 3 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 24% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 4.

Paper 2 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 31% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 6.

And here's the worst answered enquiry on the 2018 arithmetics paper:

Paper 1 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 45% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 6.

I mean value this is a pretty grim question. I'm surprised it's only i mark. I'm too surprised how many pupils got it right given the unnecessarily fiddly numbers. It would live on interesting to regard how many Year 7s tin recall how to produce this inwards September. And it would live on interesting to regard how many Year 11s tin acquire this right.

I mean value it would live on skillful maths subdivision CPD to beak over all these questions inwards exceptional in addition to mean value almost what pupils would bring constitute difficult.

The breakdown of topics in the 2019 Year six SATs was similar to previous years. H5N1 large chunk of the questions were calculations in addition to fractions, decimals in addition to percentages. This is unsurprising. There weren't many questions on shape in addition to statistics.

I notice that Year vii teachers are sometimes unsure what algebra their pupils bring seen before. Here are 2 algebra questions from this year's Paper 3.

Here's the primary curriculum content relating to algebra:

It's mainly 'missing number' stuff. So when nosotros instruct collecting similar price etc inwards Year 7, it's their offset fourth dimension manipulating algebra inwards this way.

I've been trying to notice fourth dimension to write this postal service for almost xviii months hence I'm glad I finally finished it! I promise it's a helpful starting point. The original yell for I'm making is that SATs information is of express piece of work - instructor sentence is means to a greater extent than of import - but I strongly recommend looking through all iii 2019 maths SATs papers inwards a subdivision coming together inwards September to assist teachers acquire to know the primary curriculum better. If yous don't bring fourth dimension to aspect through all iii papers in addition to hence mayhap merely bring a aspect at the Third Space Learning blog which has an analysis of this year's maths SATs papers including some examples of questions to discuss.

By the way, if you're didactics Year vii inwards September (I am!) in addition to hence yous mightiness similar my postal service almost activities for a offset lesson alongside Year 7.

The Novel Gcse Debate

On Sabbatum I participated inwards an Institute of Ideas panel give-and-take on the novel maths GCSE. Here is the description of the session from the blogged previously almost using an entrance examination to assess algebra skills at the get-go of Year 12 - this wouldn't survive necessary if the GCSE was doing its project correctly. I know of a pupil who got cypher out of 15 on his entrance assessment - which consisted of pretty basic algebra questions - fifty-fifty though he got a Grade half-dozen at GCSE. This begs the question, what does a Grade half-dozen inwards maths genuinely mean? 

I'm non convinced that standards direct keep improved. I'd fighting that mistakes were made inwards designing the content of the novel GCSE specification. 

Over the final ii years, maths has gained extra teaching fourth dimension inwards most schools. This has oftentimes come upward at a damage to other subjects. Many schools direct keep gone from iii maths lessons a calendar week to four, or fifty-fifty more. But the extra fourth dimension inwards the classroom has non been spent improving fluency inwards algebra together with tackling key misconceptions - which would direct keep been the best agency to pass the extra time. Instead nosotros direct keep had to pass the extra fourth dimension teaching all the new, random, bitty topics that were added to GCSE - quadratic sequences, functions, iteration, frequency trees together with and then on. The breadth of the GCSE is vast - at that spot are 97 topics listed inwards the government's specification. Why precisely were all the novel topics added? 

It isn't a caput get-go on H5N1 flat at all - if our students pass a few lessons rushing through functions inwards Year 11, nosotros volition even together with then direct keep to instruct them functions from scratch inwards Year 13. Due to fourth dimension constraints, most students volition entirely attain a superficial agreement of the H5N1 flat topics that were added to GCSE.

What would direct keep been ameliorate - what would direct keep genuinely made a deviation to our H5N1 flat mathematicians - would direct keep been fewer topics on GCSE. I am pleased that Higher GCSE got harder, it used to survive likewise slowly for many students, just inwards my thought it got harder inwards the incorrect way. I would direct keep liked to direct keep seen the questions on the of import materials - algebra, number, trigonometry - made harder. I'd direct keep liked it if it was impossible to larn a high GCSE flat without truthful algebraic fluency together with understanding.

This increased flat of difficulty - just on fewer topics - would direct keep ameliorate equipped our students for the challenges of H5N1 level. Depth was the answer. And depth is the reply inwards many high performing jurisdictions. But our regime went for breadth.

It all comes downward to curriculum. It volition survive a few years until nosotros are able to get-go measure the comport on of GCSE reform inwards whatever meaningful agency - possibly fifty-fifty longer, equally nosotros await for the changes at Key Stages 1 together with 2 to filter through to Key Stage 4. But at the moment, whilst the specification remains together with then broad, it's hard for me to run into at that spot beingness whatever important comport on on our time to come generation of mathematicians". 

There were or together with then genuinely interesting points raised during the debate, together with I was frustrated that I couldn't address every betoken inwards equally much exceptional equally I'd direct keep liked (particularly points relating to the suitability of the Foundation specification together with the sense of students who struggle amongst maths). Apologies if yous were at the session together with raised something that nosotros didn't direct keep fourth dimension to properly explore - it would survive neat if nosotros (ie the maths teaching community) could proceed the conversation on Twitter or at a time to come conference. It's genuinely of import that teachers brand their vocalism heard inwards discussions almost qualifications together with curriculum.

Many thank yous to the Institute of Ideas Education Forum for organising the debate, together with to Tom Bennett together with all those involved inwards researchED for hosting an fantabulous conference.

The Novel Gcse Debate

On Sabbatum I participated inwards an Institute of Ideas panel give-and-take on the novel maths GCSE. Here is the description of the session from the blogged previously almost using an entrance examination to assess algebra skills at the get-go of Year 12 - this wouldn't survive necessary if the GCSE was doing its project correctly. I know of a pupil who got cypher out of 15 on his entrance assessment - which consisted of pretty basic algebra questions - fifty-fifty though he got a Grade half-dozen at GCSE. This begs the question, what does a Grade half-dozen inwards maths genuinely mean? 

I'm non convinced that standards direct keep improved. I'd fighting that mistakes were made inwards designing the content of the novel GCSE specification. 

Over the final ii years, maths has gained extra teaching fourth dimension inwards most schools. This has oftentimes come upward at a damage to other subjects. Many schools direct keep gone from iii maths lessons a calendar week to four, or fifty-fifty more. But the extra fourth dimension inwards the classroom has non been spent improving fluency inwards algebra together with tackling key misconceptions - which would direct keep been the best agency to pass the extra time. Instead nosotros direct keep had to pass the extra fourth dimension teaching all the new, random, bitty topics that were added to GCSE - quadratic sequences, functions, iteration, frequency trees together with and then on. The breadth of the GCSE is vast - at that spot are 97 topics listed inwards the government's specification. Why precisely were all the novel topics added? 

It isn't a caput get-go on H5N1 flat at all - if our students pass a few lessons rushing through functions inwards Year 11, nosotros volition even together with then direct keep to instruct them functions from scratch inwards Year 13. Due to fourth dimension constraints, most students volition entirely attain a superficial agreement of the H5N1 flat topics that were added to GCSE.

What would direct keep been ameliorate - what would direct keep genuinely made a deviation to our H5N1 flat mathematicians - would direct keep been fewer topics on GCSE. I am pleased that Higher GCSE got harder, it used to survive likewise slowly for many students, just inwards my thought it got harder inwards the incorrect way. I would direct keep liked to direct keep seen the questions on the of import materials - algebra, number, trigonometry - made harder. I'd direct keep liked it if it was impossible to larn a high GCSE flat without truthful algebraic fluency together with understanding.

This increased flat of difficulty - just on fewer topics - would direct keep ameliorate equipped our students for the challenges of H5N1 level. Depth was the answer. And depth is the reply inwards many high performing jurisdictions. But our regime went for breadth.

It all comes downward to curriculum. It volition survive a few years until nosotros are able to get-go measure the comport on of GCSE reform inwards whatever meaningful agency - possibly fifty-fifty longer, equally nosotros await for the changes at Key Stages 1 together with 2 to filter through to Key Stage 4. But at the moment, whilst the specification remains together with then broad, it's hard for me to run into at that spot beingness whatever important comport on on our time to come generation of mathematicians". 

There were or together with then genuinely interesting points raised during the debate, together with I was frustrated that I couldn't address every betoken inwards equally much exceptional equally I'd direct keep liked (particularly points relating to the suitability of the Foundation specification together with the sense of students who struggle amongst maths). Apologies if yous were at the session together with raised something that nosotros didn't direct keep fourth dimension to properly explore - it would survive neat if nosotros (ie the maths teaching community) could proceed the conversation on Twitter or at a time to come conference. It's genuinely of import that teachers brand their vocalism heard inwards discussions almost qualifications together with curriculum.

Many thank yous to the Institute of Ideas Education Forum for organising the debate, together with to Tom Bennett together with all those involved inwards researchED for hosting an fantabulous conference.

Looking At Twelvemonth Half-Dozen Sats

I mean value it's a skillful thought for secondary schoolhouse maths departments to pass some fourth dimension looking at Year six SATs papers. Ideally this should live on done at the start of September when our novel teams are inwards house in addition to we're planning lessons for the offset few weeks of term.

When nosotros aspect at papers it's of import to comport inwards heed that merely because a theme was on their destination of twelvemonth assessment, it doesn’t necessarily hateful that an incoming Year vii knows that theme well. Just similar at GCSE, degree boundaries are relatively low. This twelvemonth a Year six kid needed to acquire 53% of the answers right inwards their maths SATs to make 'Expected Standard' (ie a scaled score of 100). It's a really similar province of affairs to the Year xi to Year 12 transition - when a educatee starts H5N1 flat alongside a Grade vii it's of import for us to live on aware that they only knew how to produce to a greater extent than or less one-half the questions on their GCSE exam. Plus nosotros all know that a lot of forgetting happens over the long summertime break. So both at H5N1 flat in addition to inwards Year vii (and inwards fact at the start of every schoolhouse year) nosotros should never just assume that topics that bring been previously taught in addition to assessed are totally secure.

Saying that, nosotros know that many pupils joining us inwards Year vii are vivid picayune mathematicians. Often they bring fantabulous fluency inwards arithmetics in addition to times tables in addition to good developed reasoning in addition to work solving skills. But nosotros won't know that merely from looking at their SATs score. H5N1 skillful SATs score might only say us that dorsum inwards May the kid had a skillful flat of fluency inwards written methods of arithmetic. H5N1 short, focused baseline bear witness alongside incoming Year 7s might assist us piece of work out if that's yet the instance in addition to laissez passer on us an thought of a sensible starting yell for for each pupil.

When my previous schoolhouse had incoming Year 7s sit down baseline tests inwards September, nosotros were surprised yesteryear the variation inwards results. The graph below shows pupils' Key Stage 2 SATs lawsuit against the score they got on their Year vii baseline assessment. Although nosotros regard a full general correlation every bit expected, the middle chunk of the information (expected scores betwixt 100 in addition to 110) was all over the place. For instance notice that pupils who got 104 on their SATs scored everything from 35% to 80% on their September baseline test. If your schoolhouse sets inwards Year vii based alone on SATs results yous remove to live on aware of this potential variation.

Schools are able to access information for their incoming Year vii pupils that shows their SATs marks yesteryear question. Like the QLAs nosotros piece of work for mock exams at Key Stage 4, this information is of express use. Getting a unmarried enquiry right or incorrect on a exceptional theme at a exceptional fourth dimension doesn't actually say us really much almost a child's agreement of that topic. We bring no thought how much a kid actually understands something until we've spent fourth dimension questioning them, working alongside them, assessing them, drawing out misconceptions. Clearly nosotros remove to acquire to know our students in addition to nosotros can't brand whatsoever assumptions based on information inwards a spreadsheet.

Saying that, let's bring a quick aspect at a chip of national data just because it's interesting. The next 2 questions were the worst answered questions inwards in conclusion year's maths SATs.

Paper 3 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 24% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 4.

Paper 2 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 31% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 6.

And here's the worst answered enquiry on the 2018 arithmetics paper:

Paper 1 2018. Answered correctly yesteryear 45% of pupils. Content offset taught inwards Year 6.

I mean value this is a pretty grim question. I'm surprised it's only i mark. I'm too surprised how many pupils got it right given the unnecessarily fiddly numbers. It would live on interesting to regard how many Year 7s tin recall how to produce this inwards September. And it would live on interesting to regard how many Year 11s tin acquire this right.

I mean value it would live on skillful maths subdivision CPD to beak over all these questions inwards exceptional in addition to mean value almost what pupils would bring constitute difficult.

The breakdown of topics in the 2019 Year six SATs was similar to previous years. H5N1 large chunk of the questions were calculations in addition to fractions, decimals in addition to percentages. This is unsurprising. There weren't many questions on shape in addition to statistics.

I notice that Year vii teachers are sometimes unsure what algebra their pupils bring seen before. Here are 2 algebra questions from this year's Paper 3.

Here's the primary curriculum content relating to algebra:

It's mainly 'missing number' stuff. So when nosotros instruct collecting similar price etc inwards Year 7, it's their offset fourth dimension manipulating algebra inwards this way.

I've been trying to notice fourth dimension to write this postal service for almost xviii months hence I'm glad I finally finished it! I promise it's a helpful starting point. The original yell for I'm making is that SATs information is of express piece of work - instructor sentence is means to a greater extent than of import - but I strongly recommend looking through all iii 2019 maths SATs papers inwards a subdivision coming together inwards September to assist teachers acquire to know the primary curriculum better. If yous don't bring fourth dimension to aspect through all iii papers in addition to hence mayhap merely bring a aspect at the Third Space Learning blog which has an analysis of this year's maths SATs papers including some examples of questions to discuss.

By the way, if you're didactics Year vii inwards September (I am!) in addition to hence yous mightiness similar my postal service almost activities for a offset lesson alongside Year 7.