Contextual value added
Encyclopedia
Contextual value added is a statistic used by the government of the United Kingdom
to assess the performance of schools.
The statistic is intended to show the progress children have made whilst attending a particular school. Unlike statistics such as exam performance, contextual value added attempts to take into account the circumstances of children attending the school that are beyond the school's control.
The statistic works by comparing a child's performance with that of children with a similar prior performance and similar circumstances. There are three levels; Level 1 measures performance of primary
age children. It measures the performance of pupils between the end of Key Stage 1
and the end of Key Stage 2
. It is based around a median
score of 100. Level 2 CVA measures performance of secondary schools
(i.e. between the end of Key Stage 2
and the end of Key Stage 4
). Unlike Level 1 CVA , Level 2 CVA is based around a median score of 1000. Level 3 CVA measures performance of post 16 pupils from the end of Key Stage 4
to the end of Key Stage 5
. Like Level 2 CVA, it is measured around a median score of 1000
CVA takes into account nine factors that are known to affect the performance of children, but outside of the schools control The factors are
In 2009, there will additionally be bonuses provided for the inclusion of English and mathematics- these are based on a pilot which took place in 2008.
The statistic is not without questions as to its accuracy and its use. For example, care needs to taken when making comparisons between small differences. In particular, CVA has a margin of error
, and the degree of uncertainty in the score increases as the size of the cohort decreases. For example, a different set of students at the same school will almost certainly produce differing CVA scores. The nature of Contextual Value Added being averaged across the country also means that it is not possible to directly compare an individual school's score across a number of years. Some schools have also claimed that contextual value added disadvantages schools with a record of high performance.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to assess the performance of schools.
The statistic is intended to show the progress children have made whilst attending a particular school. Unlike statistics such as exam performance, contextual value added attempts to take into account the circumstances of children attending the school that are beyond the school's control.
The statistic works by comparing a child's performance with that of children with a similar prior performance and similar circumstances. There are three levels; Level 1 measures performance of primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
age children. It measures the performance of pupils between the end of Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 1 and Year 2, when pupils are aged between 5 and 7. This Key Stage normally covers pupils during infant school, although in some cases this might form part of a first or...
and the end of Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
. It is based around a median
Median
In probability theory and statistics, a median is described as the numerical value separating the higher half of a sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half. The median of a finite list of numbers can be found by arranging all the observations from lowest value to...
score of 100. Level 2 CVA measures performance of secondary schools
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
(i.e. between the end of Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
and the end of Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
). Unlike Level 1 CVA , Level 2 CVA is based around a median score of 1000. Level 3 CVA measures performance of post 16 pupils from the end of Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
to the end of Key Stage 5
Key Stage 5
Key Stage 5 is an unofficial label used to describe the two years of post-compulsory education for students aged 16-18, or at sixth form, in the United Kingdom, to align with previous Key Stages as labelled for the National Curriculum....
. Like Level 2 CVA, it is measured around a median score of 1000
CVA takes into account nine factors that are known to affect the performance of children, but outside of the schools control The factors are
- Gender
- Special Educational Needs
- Eligibility for free school mealFree school mealA Free School Meal, provided to a child or young person during a school break, is paid for by Government. For a child to qualify for a Free School Meal, their parent or carer must be receiving particular qualifying benefits as stated by Government...
s. - First languageFirst languageA first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
- Whether pupils move between schools
- Ethnicity
- The age (i.e. the month they were born in) of different pupils within the year group
- Whether a pupil has been taken into care (e.g. Foster CareFoster careFoster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
) at any stage - The level of deprivationPovertyPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
in the area the pupil lives (using the Income Deprivation Affecting Children IndexIncome Deprivation Affecting Children IndexThe Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index is an index of deprivation used in the United Kingdom.The index is calculated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and measures in a local area the proportion of children under the age of 16 that live in low income households. The local areas...
)
In 2009, there will additionally be bonuses provided for the inclusion of English and mathematics- these are based on a pilot which took place in 2008.
The statistic is not without questions as to its accuracy and its use. For example, care needs to taken when making comparisons between small differences. In particular, CVA has a margin of error
Margin of error
The margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in a survey's results. The larger the margin of error, the less faith one should have that the poll's reported results are close to the "true" figures; that is, the figures for the whole population...
, and the degree of uncertainty in the score increases as the size of the cohort decreases. For example, a different set of students at the same school will almost certainly produce differing CVA scores. The nature of Contextual Value Added being averaged across the country also means that it is not possible to directly compare an individual school's score across a number of years. Some schools have also claimed that contextual value added disadvantages schools with a record of high performance.