Evaluating school performance – Resources

Level setting

The level setting procedure ensures that standards are maintained year on year in National Curriculum tests. Level thresholds are set for the attainment of each level. The process in outline for each threshold is:

• the statistical techniques are applied to the pre-test checking for comparability across the years and key stages;
• professional judgements by teachers are made about a pupil working at a specific level, by identifying the probability that such a pupil would be capable of answering each question in the test;
• pupils take the second pre-test alongside the statutory test with the data from both tests being used to compare the two tests and establishing the year-on-year continuity of standards.

In this way not only are the test's outcomes comparable between subjects, key stages and the year of the test but they also relate to the knowledge, skills and understanding identified through the attainment targets.