2006 Versions are not significantly different to 2005. They
have, of course, been updated so that the questions match
the 2006 tests.
Looking Closer at Key Stage and QCA Tests
Summary
These are a series of subject specific workbooks one for each of the
national curriculum tests at key stage 1, 2 and 3 and the optional tests in
Years 3, 4, and 5.
Each sheet requires input for each pupil’s individual question responses. If
this is done the spreadsheet does the necessary arithmetic to count and
produce average marks for each question. This enables an analysis of
those questions (and curriculum areas and strands) that have been
well/poorly answered in the test.
The set of spreadsheets can be configured to have space for a class or set
or for a whole year group.
The spreadsheets are all ‘open’ and can be changed to suit school
requirements.
The Excel workbooks should operate with Excel 97 and later releases.
Version 3
This is the new version of the spreadsheets that use the latest (2006) Year 3/4/5 tests and
the NC assessments for 2006.
Please note that some of the detail shown on the screen shots in these notes may not
exactly match the new versions. When there is any new feature a description has been
added to these notes.
All the spreadsheets should show Version 3 on the first (set up) sheet.
Since there are no new KS1 tests in 2006 (teachers may use either 2004 or
2005 tests) there is no new version of the KS1 spreadsheet for 2006.
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Changes from Version 1/2
o
Key Stage 3 English Reading Added
o
New QCA optional tests are used for Year 3/4/5. Schools still using the
older versions of the tests should use version 1 or version 2 of the
Question Analysis spreadsheets which were distributed in 2002 and
2003.
o
Validation of mark entry has been made more consistent by making use of the entry
in the ‘maximum mark’ row.
o
Bexley Logo changed
o
Version number changed on ‘front’ starting sheet changed to show version 3
o
The macro that adds lines ready for the names to be added has been simplified.
This will make it slightly faster to operate.
o
The grey lines are now added in a different way . One result of this is that they will
stay ‘in place’ when the rows of the spreadsheet are sorted into order.
To Use a Question Analysis Worksheet
1. Load the required workbook by:
Either
Locate the spreadsheet using Windows Explorer
or My Computer
and double click on the file icon. Assuming that
Excel has been installed on your computer Excel should load automatically
followed by the file.
or
Load Excel first following your usual method and then locate the file from the
Excel open file icon
.
2. Make sure you can see a sheet like the one below. If not click on the Set up sheet
tab at the bottom of the screen. It may be necessary to change the zoom setting so
that the whole screen can be seen. Use View/Zoom
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3. You now need to decide how many blank lines you need to put in the names and
results for the group(s) of pupils you have in mind. In some cases you may need
different size groups for some of the tests. (This will particularly apply for KS1
where there may be different pupils in the level 2 and level 3 Reading
Comprehension tests). Choose the largest number – lines can be deleted
afterwards if necessary.
Move the mouse pointer to the yellow cell that shows the number of blank lines
required and click the left button to move the highlight. Alternatively use the arrow
keys. Once the cell is highlighted, type the required value and press the return key.
4. Then point to and click on the
button. This will then add the
required lines to each sheet and copy the necessary formulae so that each sheet is
ready for use. The screen will flash as the rows are added.
Important!
5. You should now save the spreadsheet (now modified with blank lines) so that the
original remains unchanged for future use. Use the file/save as option and give the
file a new name (and a new location, if that is what you want).
6. You can see the other sheets by clicking on the various sheet tabs at the bottom of
the screen. An example is shown below:
7. There should now be sufficient space on each sheet to add the names. There are
some options that may make entry easier/quicker. One reason for putting a name
(or a reference number) is to link the record in the spreadsheet to the pupil’s test
paper in case possible errors need to be tracked and checked. It also stops
entering the same answer paper twice!
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The calculations for each question will only be correctly completed when the names
(or some text) are added in the appropriate column.
The main options are:
i.
Use the full names
ii.
Use initials rather than the full names.
If the aim is to just map school performance then the names may be
immaterial. Schools may want to track the comparative performance of
different classes or sets in which case a code (say 2DF for Set 2, David
French) may offer all the information that is needed.
For (i) and (ii) the names can be typed in before the rest of the data entry
begins or (perhaps better) they can be typed when the answer data is
entered.
iii.
Make use of a list of names from SIMS
Make SIMS save a list in comma separated value format (CSV) and then
load this into a temporary Excel blank spreadsheet using the Excel
file/open command or
using SIMS. Then:
iv.
icon. See Appendix A for detailed advice on
Make use of a list that you already have on Excel
Briefly the process is to:
Copy the names from your source spreadsheet and paste them onto a
temporary spreadsheet in case a valuable original is changed in error.
Make changes. Copy onto the appropriate Question Analysis
Worksheet. See Appendix B for more details of using Excel to do this.
Please note that for KS1 the list of names will be different for the Level 2 and Level
3 Reading Comprehension Test and for the level 2 and level 3 mathematics tests.
This is best dealt with by having a list of names on a temporary Excel workbook and
modifying there before copying them into the sheet. For Yr 3/4/5, KS2 and KS3 the
list will be very similar if not the same.
You may not want to include any pupils that did not achieve the minimum level for
entry to the tests – just those that took part.
8. Entering data. You will need to:
o
Ensure the correct Question Analysis spreadsheet is open and the sheet you
need (reading, maths etc) open.
o
Have the marked pupils’ answer papers ready, preferably in the same order as
on the screen (if the names have been input already).
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o
Move highlight to the space for the first name and type it in (if necessary)
o
Move highlight to the first mark, enter the mark and then the  arrow key to
move to the next question. Put the mark gained (1/2/3 etc) a zero if the
question was attempted but no marks awarded and leave a blank if the question
was not attempted.
o
Occasionally check that the marks are being input under the correct heading.
It may be easier to do this with a friend to handle the papers and read out the
marks.
9. After all the mark data has been input you can delete unwanted rows that are not
needed for pupils. Mark the whole row by pointing to the row number and clicking
with the RH mouse button and choosing delete. The whole row will be deleted and
the others will move up.
10. Each worksheet can be printed as required. To print just one worksheet (say the
Reading Test)
o
click on the Reading Test worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen to make
reading the current sheet
o
just click on the print icon
at the top of the screen.
11. To print all the worksheets use the File/Print menu from the top of the screen and
tick the Entire workbook option before choosing OK
Methodology
The software does not carry out a very sophisticated analysis and in some ways just
tabulating the results and allowing a ‘by eye’ look at the results gives a feel for well/poorly
answered questions.
The software will only work when names (or identifying text) are added. Entries in the
name column are used to see how many results are being used so that percentages can
be calculated. The full name does not have to be used just initials are fine – and this
reduces the data entry!
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The above example shows how the totals are calculated. The
group percentage correct is calculated from the number of names
and the total number of marks per question.
When there are two (or more) marks per question the percentage
will be scaled accordingly. See example on right.
The mean score is not corrected so for questions that have more
than one mark the mean score could range between 0 and the
maximum mark.
At the bottom of some sheets a summary line has been added to
show the distribution of marks for each question. This has not been put on those tests
where all the marks are all1 like the maths mental tests and some spelling tests.
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Drawing Conclusions
It is always difficult to draw firm conclusions about how well pupils have performed on
particular strands on the basis of just one test. The diagnostic information may be just
enough to prompt a search for further information from class work and other assessments.
 Use the results alongside a copy of the question paper so that the context of the
question is available. Pupils find some questions difficult because of the language
used or an unfamiliar context for the question.
 Make a judgement on the expected difficulty of the question.
 Did the more able pupils get this question correct? In some cases there are questions
that the weaker candidates gain full marks while more able pupils see difficulties and do
not perform as expected.
 Are any questions universally poorly answered? Are these just difficult questions or
due to a lack of curriculum coverage? Is the topic difficult?
 Do boys perform differently to girls on some questions? This may be difficult to
establish with smaller groups (say one class of 30 pupils).
 In larger year groups do some classes perform less well? Classes may be in ability
sets so this may be expected but are there surprises?
 Although the statistics are provided it would be wrong to judge solely on the basis of the
numbers. Part of the advantage is just tabulating the results in this way and making
‘visual’ judgements.
Notes
 New versions of the workbooks that cater for the NC tests will be made available each
year as the question/mark breakdown will vary. This version uses the ‘new’ 2006
versions of the optional tests.
 Consider using a sample rather than the whole cohort if the data entry task is
too great. One way of getting a fairly random sample is to use just those pupils
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with surnames from A – M (for example). This should get a group that has
age and other contexts fairly evenly distributed.
 National figures can be downloaded from the QCA website in the January after
the tests have taken place to enable school comparisons to be made with
national results. These are available for the 2003 Key Stage 1/2/3 tests and
appear in the Technical Appendices to the various Standards Reports. These
are available on the NAA website.
 There are no worksheets for writing (KS1, Yr3/4/5) have not been developed.
Please let me know if this is something that you would find valuable.
 There is no provision for the mathematics task at KS1. It would be possible to
add an extra sheet if felt worthwhile. However, the number of pupils is often
quite low and may not yield a reliable analysis.
 If a number of schools make use of these spreadsheets without modification
then it will be possible to collect this data from schools and issue a composite
picture of question performance (for those schools able to do so) within Bexley.
 If you are considering adding more columns then this must be done to the
working copy after the blank rows have been added. It will then pose no
problem and columns can be added for gender or class for example. Use
these columns to add other data that you can then sort on.
Examples include class, gender, set, TA level, ethnicity, age/dob etc.
Excel and the Computer:
 Some of the cells have a small red marker in the top right-hand corner. This indicates
that a comment has been inserted. By hovering the mouse (you don’t need to click any
mouse keys) the comment will be shown. As the mouse pointer is moved away from
the cell the comment disappears.
You can add comments of your own. This could be to highlight an unusual result with
some reasons.
 Unless you have some expertise in Excel, do not add or change data anywhere other
than where expected. Nothing has been ‘locked’ so all cells can be edited.
 You should save a copy of the spreadsheet as soon as you have used the set up sheet
to create the blank lines you need. To do this use the File/Save As option to give a
new file name (and a new location for the file if that is what you want).
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 Some cells that show the result of a calculation may show an error message #DIV/0!
This will commonly occur when some values have not been entered. The error will be
removed when data is input.
 It may be worth saving all the files from the floppy disc they were supplied on to an area
on the network or hard drive for future use.
 Excel may be configured to move the highlight to the cell to the right (rather than down)
on pressing the <return> key. This may make data entry easier. Use
Tools/options/edit and change the Move selection after Enter direction to right .
 Don’t forget the undo button
like save.
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can cope with many mistakes but not major actions
9
Summary of Contents of each Question Analysis Workbook
Workbook
Worksheets
KS1
Set Up
Mathematics
test Level 2
Mathematics
test Level 3
Spelling Test
Reading
Level 2
Reading
Level 3
Year 3
Set Up
Mathematics
Written A
Mathematics
Written B
Mathematics
Mental
Spelling Test
Reading
Year 4
Set Up
Mathematics
Written A
Mathematics
Written B
Mathematics
Mental
Spelling Test
Reading
Year 5
Set Up
Mathematics
Written A &
B
Mathematics
Mental
Spelling Test
Reading
KS2
Set Up
Mathematics
Written A &
B
Mathematics
Mental
Spelling Test
and HW
English
Reading
KS3
English
Set Up
Reading Test
KS3
Maths
Set Up
Mathematics
tier 3 - 5
Mathematics
tier 4 - 6
Mathematics
tier 5 - 7
Mathematics
tier 6 - 8
Science
A and B
Mathematics Mental test
A
KS3
Science
Set Up
Science Tier
3-6
B
Science Tier
5-7
Please contact me for further assistance or with comments on how this
software tool could be improved
Steve Waller  020 8303 7777 Ext 4398
Software and documentation
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 steve.waller@bexley.gov.uk
© Bexley Council 2002
C
Some schools in Bexley will have been updated to
SIMS.NET during 2005.
If you have been updated these instructions will not
apply. Please ask the SIMS Support Team for
assistance if required.
Appendix A
Using SIMS to provide a list of Names Electronically
Go into SIMS LAUNCHER
Go into REP GEN LITE
This is a standard report that should be
available on all Bexley primary school
SIMS systems. If it is not available then
a report needs to be designed. It
should have columns for surname and
firstname or name. Consult you SIMS
manual or SIMS support.
1.
Select Focus, Student Detail Report.
2.
Select the report called UPN.
3.
Select Run report.
4.
When the Report Criteria message box appears click OK.
5.
You will be asked to fill in the year. Enter the appropriate group OK.
6.
The report will appear on screen (It should have information on surname,
forename, date of birth, gender and UPN).
7.
Click on the Disc Drive icon (next to the print icon).
8.
Change the drive letter (if necessary) and type in a file name. Choose either tab
separated or comma separated as a file type. Both will load into Excel equally well.
9.
Click on OK.
10.
A message box will appear to tell you the report was successfully exported. Click on
the OK button.
11.
Close the report.
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Many ‘class list’ type of standard report
would be equally suitable.
11
Appendix B
Using Excel to Prepare a List of Names from another Spreadsheet
Follow these instructions when you have a list of pupil names available as a column(s) of
another spreadsheet.
o
Use
o
Mark the list of names by clicking on the top name, hold the LH mouse button
depressed and draw downwards to mark those names needed. The
background of the cells will change to indicate they have been marked.
o
Copy this list with
o
Open a new blank workbook with
the temporary sheet)
o
Paste the list of names onto the new sheet. Use the mouse to highlight the cell
where the list should start at by pointing and clicking with the LH mouse key.
to open the spreadsheet with the names .
, this makes a copy onto the ‘clipboard’
Then use the paste icon
(so that one of the sheets can be used as
to place the list of names.
o
Make any changes so that the sheet shows the correct list of names.
o
The Question Analysis Worksheets expect the names to be in just one column if
your list is in two (first name and surname for example) Excel can help add the
two into a single cell. Your temporary spreadsheet may look like this:
Copy this formula into
cell C1:
= A1 & " " & B1
There is a space
between the “ ”
Your spreadsheet will now show:
Result of joining cell A1
to a space and to cell B1
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Now highlight the cell C1 by pointing the mouse and clicking, then point, hold the LH
mouse key and drag using the bottom RH corner of the highlight marker, from cell C1
down the list of names so it is copied beside all of the names.
This will have copied the formula and changed it so that it refers to the relevant first
name and surname on each line. However these are still results of formulae that need
the contents of columns A and B to be able to show the full name in column C. We
need to replace the formulae with actual text values with no dependence on columns A
and B, which will not be copied into the Question Analyser workbook.
To achieve this, first highlight all the names in column C:
Copy the highlighted cells with
. Then choose edit/paste special and mark the
paste values button on the menu and click OK.
All the formulae will be replace by the value (result) with no dependence on column A
and B.
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o
Make use of the temporary spreadsheet to delete rows with names you don’t
want to include and add names manually for any not listed.
o
Last look, then mark all the column of names, press copy
, move to the
Question Analysis workbook, open the appropriate sheet position highlight the
cell for the first name and press copy
. Move to any other sheets and
repeat so that all names are entered. Copy will also copy the (white) format
onto the Question Analysis workbook. To avoid this use Edit/Paste Special and
check the Values button. See picture above.
o
You may need to make a column wider to accommodate the longer name:
move the pointer so it hovers over the column
division.
When it changes to
hold the LH mouse button and drag the column
division to the desired position.
Please note that for KS1 the list of names will be different for the Level 2 and Level 3
Reading Comprehension Test. This is best dealt with by having a list of names on a
temporary Excel workbook and modifying there before copying them into the sheet. For Yr
3/4/5, KS2 and KS3 the list will be very similar if not the same.
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