[sims] GCSE & A Level/Tech Level 3 Points for 2016 Summer Results

[Xeba37]

Morning all. Does anyone on here have any inside information on the new interim 1-8 GCSE points and new A Level/Tech Level 3 points and whether these new points are going to be attached to the summer results when we download them. I, perhaps rather ignorantly, assumed so, but the GCSE's our students took in Autumn have come back with the old APS gradeset.

 

I spoke to our SIMS support who advised me to contact JCQ (as they specify to SIMS the gradeset they will be using), which I have done this morning. I will likely have to wait weeks for a reply!

It is important that I know either way so I can manage my results day templates. As much as I would love to rely on the SIMS reports for KS4, in our school we have had issues with these not working correctly with BTEC and also, our LA and Academy Trust require both first and best entry data so I need my templates to be able to calculate these, which rely on points scores and I need to know which! We are not lucky enough to have SISRA which would give us almost instant access to the results data - we have to send away our data! I have to work out all the Level 3 figures myself. Aaaargh!

[bobsmith]

Are you doing your calculations in Excel or are you getting SIMS marksheets to do the work for you?

 

If you did it in excel you could just create lookups to use the grading system you want.

[Xeba37]

I have SIMS marksheets already set up although I can easily amend these to work with 1-8 as long as I know.

 

The sort of information they want 'NOW' as soon as results are out is not just headlines it is in depth (we are a school that is under a lot of scrutiny) and means that I do not have the time to set up a new and complex Excel sheet for summer results in full (long story but I have a lot to deal with next half term and will be spending a significant amount of time working on a project for our academy trust) although I do have one that works from my exported SIMS sheets to give me everything I need in a couple of minutes. But this relies on the SIMS calculations being correct in the first place.

 

Just had a thought though - in KS4 I actually use grades to move things from the results aspects into my own banked grades aspects so it should not cause a massive problem. If I had half a brain I would be dangerous...that said, it would be useful to know what is going on.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Xeba37

[data_guy]

I have done the same today. We are coming to the end of our external exams so I will have a short spell in which to prepare for August. Getting a jump on it would be great.

[ajp233]

Personally I'd tell your LA to take a running jump....performance tables are based on first entry so that is all I would give them