PAT Results for 2022
New Zealand teachers use a variety of tests to determine what level students are at, what progress they are making, and where they may need extra help. Progressive Achievement Tests, commonly known as PATs, are one of the main sets of tests schools use.
PATs are multiple-choice tests designed to help teachers determine achievement levels. We use the Mathematics, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, and Listening Comprehension PAT. The test results help teachers decide what kinds of teaching materials are needed and which methods or programmes are most suitable for their students. PATs are also important because they identify the progress a student is making from year to year.
This year the students who received a stanine 8 or 9 in 2021 were assigned a test one year ahead of their Year Group. This was advised by NZCER PAT administrators as best practice. Students who received an 8 or 9 stanine last year had made very few errors in their test. By giving them the test, a year level ahead, the teacher is more readily able to identify their next learning steps.
PAT: Mathematics covers number knowledge, number strategies, algebra, geometry and measurement, and statistics. PAT: Mathematics is for Years 4 to 10
Our results are very good with 94% of our students in the within and above categories. This is represented by the graph below. It’s certainly not a bell curve, rather it is heavily weighted to the right, within and above.
Key; Below = Stanine 1-3, Within = Stanie 4-6, Above = Stainine 7-9
PAT: Reading Comprehension assesses how well Year 4 to 10 students understand the text they are reading. Each test is organised around several extended pieces of writing which include stories, poems, reports and explanations.
Our results are again very good with 89% of our students in the within and above categories. This is represented by the graph below. The bell curve is centred above the midpoint.
Key; Below = Stanine 1-3, Within = Stanie 4-6, Above = Stainine 7-9
PAT: Reading Vocabulary assesses Year 4 to 10 students’ ability to understand the words they read. Each question is based around a keyword that is embedded in a short sentence. Students are asked to choose a synonym that best represents the meaning of this word from a list of five possible alternatives.
Our results are very good with 94% of our students in the within and above categories. This is represented by the graph below. Again this is not a bell curve, rather it is heavily weighted to the right, within and above.
Key; Below = Stanine 1-3, Within = Stanie 4-6, Above = Stainine 7-9
PAT: Listening Comprehension measures Year 3 to 10 students’ ability to understand spoken material. Students listen to a passage and then answer questions. It helps teachers detect children with poor listening skills and is also useful in identifying those children whose listening comprehension performance is significantly different from their ability to comprehend written material.
Key; Below = Stanine 1-3, Within = Stanie 4-6, Above = Stainine 7-9
This is an area that, I’m sure many parents would agree, needs further development. 86% of our students are in the within and above range,while we remain ahead of the national comparison.
What do we do with these results
These results are discussed with the Board of trustees, with the leadership team and shared with staff. They were also shared with parents at the assessment snapshot meetings held at the end of term 1.
Our teachers use the information to triangulate their assessments of where students are learning. They also inform the learning that is required by students to accelerate their individual learning. We call this assessment for learning.