Return to Home page Cognitive Attainment Tasks
As we know, children learn in many and varied ways and we, as educationists, are always researching the most effective methods and means of teaching and learning to suit every child. Towards this end, we need to know more about children's strengths and preferred styles of learning so that we can adapt our teaching methods to reflect and provide for all our pupils.
Children in Year 3 and again in Year 5 take part in the Cognitive Abilities Test or CATs test. This test assesses a child's ability to reason with and manipulate different types of symbols. Three main types of symbols play substantial roles in a child's thinking: symbols representing words, symbols representing quantities and symbols representing spatial, geometric or figural patterns.
The test is in three parts. The first, which is concerned with symbols representing words, comprises three subtests:
This is a child's ability to work with a text. Although performance depends upon the child's store of verbal concepts, the questions have been designed to draw upon the child's ability to use these concepts.
The second test, which is concerned with symbols representing quantities, also comprises three subtests
This is a child's ability to work with numerical concepts. Each solution requires the child to have a basic store of numerical concepts, but the questions call for children to perceive links and relationships among these ideas
The third test is concerned with symbols representing spatial, geometric or figural patterns or non-verbal reasoning.
Overall, the purpose of these tests is to inform us of individual potential and also to indicate a possible National Curriculum Assessment Level at the end of Year 6. Then, we can do our best to provide support to help promote weaker areas and to ensure that children are making the most of their strengths.
In the National Curriculum, at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) and Key Stage 2 (Year 6) the class teacher assesses the level the pupil is working at. Below is a list of the levels and what they indicate:
At Key Stage One
Level 1 indicates working towards the expected level
Level 2 indicates achieved the expected level
Level 3 indicates that the expected level was exceeded
At Key Stage Two
Level 3 and below indicates working towards the expected level
Level 4 indicates achieved the expected level
Level 5 indicates that the expected level was exceeded
If you would like to discuss the results of your child's CATs test, or would like a more detailed explanation of the test and how it identifies strengths and weaknesses, please do not hesitate to contact the school.