The First Mathematics Standard Assessment Tasks at Key Stage 1: issues raised by a five school study

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Abstract
This paper assesses the value parents can put on the mathematical Standard Assessment Task (SAT) score as an indicator of what children are achieving in mathematics. The results of a study of a sample of all the Year 2 children (176) from five randomly selected primary schools within one Local Education Authority (LEA) are presented. Pupils' scores on Mathematics 7, a standardised mathematics test for 7 year‐olds (National Foundation for Educational Research INFER], 1987a), are compared to the mathematics Standard of Assessment Task (SAT) score elicited by them in the previous half term. Results show that children with the same NFER 7 score may be designated Level 1, 2 or 3 on the mathematics SAT. No child in social class three (unskilled, manual) or four (unemployed), comprising 50% of the sample, attained Level 3. Conclusions, based on such a small study, are tentative. There is a need to be aware that measuring a child's attainment in mathematics may be more complicated than simply looking at the SAT results.

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