4 Plus Academic Testing

4 Plus Academic Testing

While the most important area for the 4 Plus is the behavioural work, there is an academic element which is important. We do Language and Mathematics testing, Motor Skills testing, and Numeracy & Phonics attainment testing using both standardised, adaptive testing and also testing against our database of 4 Plus clients. We do this testing with all our children on our standard package. All testing is shared in both a report format and also with a 30 minute’s consultation afterwards in order to explain the results and develop a concrete action plan.

For some children we additionally do Communication, Speech and Language testing if we feel this is needed.

Language and Mathematics Testing

Firstly, we do standardised, adaptive testing of children’s language and mathematics ability. This is done in conjunction with Cambridge University. Some schools are beginning to include such standardised testing in their 4 Plus assessments, so this is also a good practice for the children. The results then give us a sense of the child’s current academic attainment against the total population. This can be helpful in letting a parent know whether an academically selective school is right for their child and help us to focus any tutoring.

We additionally do this test again when children leave us. From this we can tell the educational value add that our programme delivers, beyond the narrow lens of school entrance. Last year, this data showed that children that we saw gained an average of two weeks per session that we saw them. For example, if we saw a child every week for a month, rather than grow in academic attainment by a month (due to the passage of time) they on average grew by two months.

From this, parents get a detailed written report as well as the raw tables of data. As well as sharing with parents the standardised scores vs the population we have an extensive database of children who have taken the 4 Plus and we also rank and share this data with parents. This allows parents to see how their child compares against children of a similar schooling aspiration.

Motor Skills Testing

Secondly, we do standardised testing of a child’s fine and gross motor skills ability. There is some adaptive element to this testing. This is also done in conjunction with Cambridge University. All 4 Plus tests include some fine motor skill activities though it is not always scored as such. Some schools also do gross motor skills activities with all or some of the children – this sometimes depends on the child’s performance in other tested areas.

As with the language and mathematics ability we share both total population scoring and also rankings against other children going for or who have gone for the 4 Plus. There is also a written report.

Numeracy & Phonics Testing

As well as the standardised language and mathematics testing, we have developed in-house a series of tests to measure numeracy (which is a subset of mathematics) and phonics (which is a subset of language). These tests are developed to match a child’s age. In this case, when we share the results as part of a written report, we share the results vs the standard for the schools that you are applying for, the results against other children applying for the 4 Plus and give you an action plan to resolve any issues.

Communication, Speech and Language Testing

Finally, for some children we do additional Communication, Speech and Language testing. We only do this where we want to measure language adoption and understanding, following our initial behavioural assessment. The ability to talk to adults is a critical part of the 4 Plus and we sometimes need to know why a child is quiet or reticent so that we can best help them. This testing can also help get the right plan for bi-lingual children. This testing is done in conjunction with Oxford University using an approach developed by their speech and language department. Parents get a written report which shares their child’s data and we have a subsequent follow up call to explain it.