Baseline Assessment and Progress during the First Three Years at School

Abstract

Abstract An analysis of data involving over 1,000 pupils in 62 classes focused on the progress made during the first 3 years of schooling in England. The pupils started school at the age of 4 and they were assessed on entry to school. They were then assessed 1 year later and again 2 years after that. Building on work reported in an earlier paper this study considered: • The adequacy of the baseline assessment for 4-year-olds in predicting later progress. • The differences between classes in value-added terms. • The long-term impact of being part of a class that made rapid academic progress during the 1st year at school. • Differences between pupils who started school in different terms. • Differences between pupils of different ages. Overall, the analysis supported the view that effective early provision has a positive impact on children's academic progress to the age of 7.