VALUE ADDED TECHNICAL INFORMATION

This section describes the methods that have been used to calculate the Key Stage 2 (KS2) to Key Stage 3 (KS3) value added measure.

KS2 to KS3 Value Added Measure

Pupils included

The KS2 to KS3 value added measure is based on the results achieved by pupils:

• who were eligible for KS3 tests in 2005;
• who were on your school roll at the time of the tests in May 2005; and
• whose KS2 test results have been found.

KS2 and KS3 test results: Allocation of points

The "input" and "output" measures for the value added calculation are based on the points awarded to pupils' results. The following tables show how points are allocated to pupils' KS2 and KS3 test results.

The input measure (KS2)

The KS2 input measure for each pupil has been calculated as the average point score achieved in the English, mathematics and science test results, using the point score allocation shown below in paragraph 13. A pupil achieving test Levels 4, 4 and 5 in each of the KS2 subjects respectively would score:

( 27 + 27 + 33 ) / 3 = 29

If any KS2 results have been disregarded, the input measure is calculated as the average of the remaining one or two results. For example a pupil achieving test Level 5 in English and Level 6 in science but with no mathematics result would be:

( 33 + 39 ) / 2 = 36

The output measure (KS3)

The output measure for each pupil has been calculated as the average point score achieved in the English, mathematics and science KS3 tests using the KS3 point score allocation shown in the table below in paragraph 13. For example, a pupil achieving test Levels 5, 6 and 4 in each subject respectively would score:

( 33 + 39 + 27 ) / 3 = 33

Calculation of a pupil's KS2 to KS3 value added score

A pupil's value added score is calculated by comparing their average KS3 performance with the median KS3 performance of other pupils with the same or similar prior attainment at KS2. The median value is the middle value - with half of the pupils having a KS3 average point score below the median, and half above the median.

The graphs below give the median KS3 point scores across the range of KS2 point scores nationally - joining the medians gives the 'national median line'. There are two graphs: one shows median scores for pupils in mainstream schools and the other shows median scores for pupils in special schools only.

The national KS2 to KS3 median scores are shown in the tables below. Table A lists median scores for pupils in mainstream schools and Table B lists median scores for pupils in special schools.

Table A: Mainstream schools

Table B: Special schools

Calculation and presentation of a school's KS2 to KS3 value added measure

In the following example, school A has 4 pupils eligible for inclusion in the value added measure with KS2 and KS3 average point scores as shown. The median average point scores have been allocated according to the national median line for mainstream schools shown above, and a value added score calculated for each pupil. A school's value added measure is a simple average (arithmetic mean) of the value added scores for all pupils in the school. See the following example for a mainstream school:

The school's value added measure will be presented as a measure based around 100. This is done by adding 100 to the score. The school in the above example would be shown as: 101.3 (rounded to one decimal place)

Calculation of a school's coverage percentage

This is based on a number of pupils eligible for KS3 tests in 2005 who were included in the value added calculation. It is possible that not all eligible pupils will be included in the value added calculation because some may have been absent for all the KS3 tests, and other may have no KS2 information available.

For example, if a school had 10 pupils who were eligible for KS3 assessment in 2005 but only 6 were included in the KS2 to KS3 value added calculation, the coverage percentage for that school would be:

( 6 / 10 ) x 100 = 60%.

A value added measure has not been published for schools with less than 50% coverage.

Calculation of a school's average point score (APS)

A school's APS is calculated by using the following formula:

(Total points for English + Total points for maths + Total points for science) / (Total number of eligible pupils for each subject) = APS

The total points for each subject are calculated by awarding each pupil a number of points, according to the table below, and then adding the total points together. This gives you the total points for a subject.

The APS calculation does not include those pupils that were absent at the time of the tests or working at the level of the tests but unable to access them.

In the following example, a mainstream school has 10 pupils eligible for inclusion in the school's average point score with levels as below: