Anyone understand these CAT scores the kids get nowdays? We used to get an IQ i seem to remember, now they get scores based on verbal, non verbal and quantitative tests...
I found this on another site
The Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) is an assessment of a range of reasoning skills. The tests looks at reasoning with three types of symbols: words, numbers and shapes or figures, i.e. verbal, quantitative and non-verbal reasoning. The verbal reasoning element assesses reasoning processes using the medium of words. Such processes include: identifying relationships between things (e.g. 'big' is the opposite of 'small'); creating correlates of such relationships (e.g. 'big' is to 'small' as 'thick' is to 'thin'); identifying classes ('hat', 'gloves,' ____?’: pyjamas, slippers, scarf), and reasoning deductively ('A' is taller than 'B' and 'B' is taller than 'C'; therefore 'A' is taller than 'C'). It is not therefore an assessment of reasoning with words, nor wider language skills such as speaking, listening or writing. The quantitative tests look at the same processes but use numbers as the symbols. For example determining rules by analogy and applying these to new cases (2->3, 9->10, 6->_? (7)), determining patterns and relationships in series (1, 4, 7, _? (10)), or combining elements to form number sentences (e.g., by combining the following elements you can make one of these answers (2 3 4 + -: 0 2 4 5 7). The non-verbal tests again look at reasoning processes but use shapes and figures. Because these questions require no knowledge of English language, or the number system, they are particularly useful when assessing children with poor English language skills, or disaffected pupils who may have failed to achieve in academic work for motivational reasons.
http://www.satsguide.co.uk/help__other_ ... _tests.htm
And this article in the Guardian, seems to prefer CAT's over STATS (sorry if you are new to this, there is a whole glossary needed nowdays...)
"The Cat assesses a pupil's ability to manipulate and reason, whereas maybe you could classify Sats as being more about knowledge recall," he said. "You do get criticism of Sats because schools spend time teaching to the test. Schools quite like to have what you might call an independent test as well as looking at Sats results."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/200 ... hooltables
I suppose as a father, when faced with that sheet of numbers and predicted Level's in each subject, it all felt a little overwhelming and confusing.... So i'm left with the SO WHAT? question.... what does it all mean? What should / could i do to change any of it?
My boy is above the 100 average in all three but what do they really mean? And do they measure 'intelligence' or something else?
Feeling all a bit confused - is there a Dadtalk guide to all this?
Cheers Ron
Hi Ronaldo,
Sorry but i haven't got a clue about how these figures become meaningful in an 'everyday' human way. I wonder whether there's any decent website out there putting a full description that would help a layman like me to understand.
Anyway, I guess I won't get too dug into these figures and measurement tools because the children we look after are under 2 and under 1.
I can imagine that in some 5 or 10 years time the measurements will be done in a different way and perhaps measure different aspects of a child's development.
I guess there are other members with sats/cats age children on the forum who could chip in with their pennies worth.
Hi Ronaldo
From what I know about these they are much like our old IQ tests, same sort of questions. Test spatial, verbal, numerical reasoning.
It is used as an indicator of how quick you will grasp new concepts, etc.
I will ask my wife how much store, if any, she really puts by these - she is a secondary maths teacher.
Just a quick comment on CATs.
The scores that your child receives are measured against all other children who have taken the CAT test.
As you mentioned, a score of 100 is 'average'. A score of 126 or higher would indicate a 'gift' or 'talent' in the particular skill. Verbal is related to literacy, quantitative to numeracy, and non-verbal to logic/reasoning.
Schools generally use CAT scores in three ways:
- to identify any support that students might need [e.g. literacy support for a low verbal score]
- to identify students who are recognised as 'Gifted and Talented' [e.g. high scores]
- to inform initial class setting [generally used alongside other measures of potential performance]