One third of SATs results could be wrong

According to a report published on Friday as many as one in three primary school children is given the wrong marks in the SATs.  The reports document research showing that up to one in three pupils is given the wrong mark at the end of the tests. Short papers with questions that have a narrow range of possible answers mean that pupils' skills are not rigorously tested, leaving a wide margin of error.

"It is estimated that for the end of key stage tests in England this means that as many as one third of pupils may be given the wrong 'level'. Only an increase in length of test beyond anything that is practicable would materially change this situation. Thus there are limits to how accurate the results of tests can be."

It claims that the use of SATs to measure progress year to year is fundamentally flawed. The rapid rise from 1995 to 2000, often cited as evidence that the tests work, was a reflection of schools getting better at teaching pupils to take tests.

Look at this example if you want proof at how bad SATs marking system is!