Sten test results
|
re : Sten test results 
08/07/2008 13:43 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
Hi Annemarie
We have uploaded to our website the NCCA Parents leaflet explaining the STen and Standardised test results. You can visit the relevant pages on our site by clicking the following link
STen Scores
Hope this helps
| re : Sten test results
31/08/2008 15:12 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
regards the Stens 1-4 is below average 5-7 is average and 8 and over is above average.
| re... : Sten test results
03/09/2011 13:55 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
Hi you seem to have a lot of information on the subject. I wonder would you be able to help me on my question. I have 4 children, 2 tend to get stens of 9 and 10, what should I expect of these Kids in secondary. I am hoping that is this continues and they work hard that they will be getting the 500+ point leaving certs, does it show that they would be capable of this. ? I am not being a pushy parent just am wondering how hard I need to push them if they are that able, I dont want them wasting a lucky talant.
| re : Sten test results
07/07/2008 22:44 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
Hi, my son scored a ten in the sten maths test,which means he is well above average,so if your son scored a six that means he did fine.If ten is well above avearage,it may be that 7 or 8 could be the avarage,so no worries.
| Sten test results
28/06/2008 10:07 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
Hi there
Can anyone tell me what a score of 6 out of 10 for sten test in Maths actually means? Does it mean that my child is not doing well at maths? Sound like a low score to me. Schools really should discuss these matters with parents as I am sure there are people like me who dont understand this and now I am really worried. This came in the post with the school report after the school had closed for Summer!! Can anyone advise me on this please as am really bothered about this.
Thanks
| re... : Sten test results
04/09/2011 10:20 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
A STEN of 9 or 10!! Yippee!!! That´s excellent!!! Some schools report on "class based scores" which compare to the class and if your children are older than average for their class this could give them an advantage that would actually even out quite a bit as they get older as their "age based score" would be a bit lower. The inverse is also true, if your children are young in the class their age based STENs would be higher than their "class based" scores. So do take age into consideration...but a 9 or 10 would really only drop to 8 or 9 if your children were say 5 1/2 or more starting school...so they are stil doing exceptionally well.
Not all children getting these very high scores do very well at 2nd level!!! Some of these children will be on the gifted spectrum and may have difficulties associated with that.... bordom in school, feeling isolated, unmotivated, (some experience social difficulties and behaviour problems too), these difficulties can hold them back even though the potential to do very well in school is there -this I´m sure is very frustrating for parents and teachers alike.
I would advise checking out CTYI -centre for tallented youth Ireland as they provide very good weekends and summer courses for those getting scores over the 95th percentile on their IQ assessments (it sounds very exclusive but that is 1/20 -the top 1 or 2 in the class really and not top of the school or anything) -they recommend assessing anyone getting a STEN of 8-10 as some children don´t test well in school. Their website is http://www.dcu.ie/ctyi/.. Attending classes might not suit your family at the moment as the locations are limited to Dublin and Cork but it may be worth keeping in mind for later on -you could arrange a family holiday to coinside with a course. Children who attend these classes find them very interesting and often find it great to meet other children with similar interests and to finally "fit in" without having to try so hard. Don´t expect tham to give advice or deal with issues in school -they just provide courses really!!
I would also have a look at giftedkids.ie -it´s one of the best resourses available to parents of gifted kids and I´ve heard it mentioned on international sites and facebook pages!! It´s Irish so information is based on our education system and most people on the forums would be based in ireland too. Have a good look at their website and get chatting on the forums, it would give you a good idea of the issues that lie ahead in secondary!!!
I would guess from your chidren´s scores that they are very bright and more than likely fall somewhere on the gifted spectrum. I have no personl experience of a gifted child at second level but I´m sure you´ll find plenty of advice and tips there. Best of luck!!!
| re... : Sten test results
18/07/2014 14:52 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
HI
My daughter is 10 and scored a 5 in english - I would like to get her some extra lessons to help her - would you have suggestions on who to contact in Cork ? Thank you
| re : Sten test results
10/06/2010 20:46 - School Specific
-----------------------------------
http://www.sess.ie/faq/glossary-terminology-relates-assessment
A STen of 8-10 is well above average.
A STen of 7 is above average
5-6 is average
4 is below average
1-3 is well below average.
1-3 is having significant difficulty and will usually need learning support. The school would usually be concerned and I would expect that they would have contacted you to ensure that you are aware of the level of difficulty your child is having. I would continue some work over the summer months and meet with the new teacher in September to ask what you can be doing at home to help your child progress. Attendence everyday is important. (approx. 5/30 children will have a STen score of 1-3, so we´re talking the bottom 5 in the class).
4 I would be worrying about this child as a parent but the learning support team in the school may not be able to support as teachers are allocated to the whole school and hence the hours are not linked to the number of children experiencing difficulty in the school. In my experience most children with a STen of 4 are not supported by learning support but the class teacher sould be aware that the child is having difficulty and should give extra support in class, and may be able to advise you on extra activities you can engage in with the child. Parents should be supporting homework and reading both to and with the child daily. (approx. 5/30 will score a STen of 4, so we´re talking the bottom 10 in the class)
5 - 6 is doing just fine. If you feel your child is working hard and you are helping with homework I would not worry. If you feel your child should be doing better than average I would be paying more attention to homework and ensuring your child reads aloud to you daily and is encouraged to read by keeping a positive attitude and having access to interesting books. The library is great for this! (approx 10 children out of a class of 30 will score a STen of 5 or 6: you´re child is neither in the bottom 10 or the top ten in the class, but in the middle 10)
7 I would not be worried at all about this child as they are doing very well. (5 children out of 30 will score a STen of 7: these children are in the top 10 but not the top 5 in the average class of 30)
8-10 These children are doing exceptionally well and I would be concerned that some may not be challenged sufficiently. As a parent I would be aware that they may need to read books beyond their age group (and I would be watching the content if these are teenage books and my child was not a teenager), maths wise I would expect this child to enjoy puzzles and I would be encouraging them to explore maths activities/games on the computer. Many children are unaware that they are very good at maths and may find the subject boring as it is easy for them. I would be aware that the class teacher is understandibly not the slightest bit concerned about this child as (s)he will have 29 other children, 15 of whom will have scores that are below average and need her help. On the law of averages about 10 of the 30 will have scored a STen of 4 or less. (5 out of a class of 30 will score a STen of 8 -10: so these children are in the top 5 in the average class of 30)
I would always be concerned when a child´s score is a surprise! And a huge discrepency between reading scores and maths scores always strikes me as odd. A low maths score may indicate that the child needs help with maths homework next year...we tend to read at home much more than we help with the maths. A low reading score paired with a very high maths score may be an indicator of dyslexia. for example I would be concered about a 4 on reading paired with an 8 for maths: I would then be looking out for ´silly reading mistakes´ such as mixing up common/easy words (like, the, as), spelling difficulties, family history of dyslexia, b/d confusion over age 8, laboured reading, and general lack of progress with reading. I would be bringing this pattern of difficulties to the attention of the teacher. (S)he may also be concerned and have information about helping at home or may be able to put your mind at rest when your child´s difficulties are compared to her peers.
A significant change in a child´s results from one year to another should also be explained in some way. A child may score worse than last year if attendence drops, parents are busier and there is less help with homework, they lose interest in reading during the year, they find the content of the curriculum for the new class more difficult etc. Differences in the school can also make a difference, changing teachers, bigger classes and new programmes being used in the class can make a difference. There seems to be a jump in scores moving from 4th to 3rd for a lot of children in many schools for the micra-T when the format of the test changes. I would be looking at the trend in my childs results and asking what has changed in their life.
If you are concerned about your child´s score you may ask the teacher to allow you to look at the test your child did to see the type of errors he made and what was involved in the test. The school is not allowed to copy the test or to allow you to take it home, but you may look through it in the school. Some children are careless in tests but understand concepts better than the tests may indicate. Also consider the possibility that your child may have under performed/over performed slightly on the day of the test due to illness, nerves or other factors. I would always ask the teacher if (s)he thought the results matched my child´s performance in class tests and during lessons.
The profile of your child´s class is also significant. If your child´s class is a ´strong class´ and your child is average, it is possible that she will not feel that she is doing as well as she is. The teacher will aim many activities a little higher than the average class and your child will be challenged. If your child is a little young in the class she may have a similar situation as lessons will be aimed at a child a few months older. Classes vary quite a bit in ability and age can be more significant than many parents would think. Of course if the whole class are quite young and your child is a little older the work will be aimed at children a little younger and she may find it easier/babyish. This is somethin that you may like to ask the teacher about. Is my child one of the younger children in the class? How did my child place in the class, is she towards the top the middle or the bottom? With all this information you will be better equipped to help your child learn to his full potential in school next year.
Early to bed, healthy eating, well hydrated at school and full attendence all year are factors in how well your child concentrates and learns at school. A healthy home attitude to their teacher, to school and to learning is important. Given all of these, your child should be reaching her full potential and really that´s what it´s all about! A test is just a test and I think the greatest benefit of the Micra-T and Sigma-T is that they ensure that a child who is not doing well is noticed and the child who is doing very well is noticed too, and this allows teachers to cater for each childs individual learning needs (as much as you can with 30+ children).
|
|
