Peter Tymms

Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness: Their impact on academic achievement and progress

BACKGROUND Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been found to achieve lower grades at school than their peers. Does this extend to pupils who are apparently exceptionally inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive, but have not been diagnosed as having ADHD? AIMS This study determined the proportion of children who were assessed by their teachers as exceptionally inattentive, hyperactive or impulsive in the classroom. The relationships between these traits, achievement and progress were examined. SAMPLE The participants comprised 4148 children from a nationally representative sample of schools in England. METHODS Reading and mathematics achievement of the participants was assessed at the start and end of the reception year, and in year 2. Behaviour was assessed at the end of reception using a rating scale based on the diagnostic criteria for ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). RESULTS The proportion of children with exceptional scores on the behaviour rating scale was reported. The reading and mathematics attainment and value-added of children with high scores on the behaviour rating scale were found to be educationally and statistically significantly lower than children with zero scores. CONCLUSIONS The achievement of children with high scores on the behaviour rating scale replicated previous studies which investigated the achievement of children with ADHD. The behaviour rating scale could be a useful tool for raising the awareness of teachers to young children with severe behavioural problems of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity who have not been diagnosed as having ADHD but may nevertheless be at risk of similar outcomes.

Role models, school improvement and the 'gender gap' ­ Do men bring out the best in boys and women the best in girls?

A number of countries are running role model recruitment drives under the assumption that like is good for like: ethnic minority teachers should teach ethnic minority children, women should teach girls, and so on. The empirical basis for this would appear to be case study and personal reflection. This article will examine quantitative data to test the hypothesis that male teachers produce more positive attitudes amongst boys and female teachers amongst girls. Using data from the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) Project, information from 413 separate classes for 11 year-olds (in England) was examined. One hundred and thirteen were taught by males and 300 by females. All the pupils completed questionnaires that were designed to measure attitude to school, reading, mathematics and science. In addition, background data on those pupils were collected, including cognitive measures, attainment scores, ability measures and home background measures. The data were examined to look at attitudes using multilevel models controlling for background factors. The analysis concentrated on interaction effects between the gender of the teacher and the gender of the pupil and the results gave little support for those who advocate recruitment drives with role models in mind.

The Effects of Student Composition on School Outcomes

This article explores the concept of compositional effects in school effect studies, their generation and some of the difficulties that arise in their interpretation. Some basic issues are addressed using data from a New Zealand study of secondary schools, and further illustration of some of the “pitfalls” is provided from an English study of primary school performance indicators. The importance of model specification, predictor reliability, and cautious interpretation are highlighted.

Are standards rising in English primary schools

The officially reported impressive rises in standards in mathematics and English in primary schools since 1995 are challenged. The article looks at the increases from four different perspectives. First, the general pattern of change is considered. Secondly, the statutory test data are compared with the results from several different studies. These indicate a complex pattern with clear rises in standards, but not as strong as the official data suggest up to 2000. Since 2000 the official data have shown little change and this is largely confirmed by independent tests. Thirdly, the standard setting procedures are considered and mechanisms by which the observed patterns could have been produced are set out. Finally, parallels are drawn with the experience in Texas where an apparently remarkable set of data was shown to be largely illusory. A case is made for an independent body to be set up with the express and sole purpose of monitoring standards over time.

The First Year at School: A Quantitative Investigation of the Attainment and Progress of Pupils∗

ABSTRACT In England children must start school after their fifth birthday, but it is common for children to start when they are four in what is known as the Reception class. The Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) project collected data on 1700 pupils’ early mathematics and pre/early reading levels at the start and end of their Reception year. The on‐entry assessment proved to be a good predictor of performance in reading and mathematics at the end of reception and the progress which each child made was estimated. This progress was found to vary considerably between schools and the variation was much greater than that typically found in school effectiveness studies. The data provided a unique opportunity to compare the progress of children who had, and had not, been to school. The Reception year was found to have had a major impact on the literacy and numeracy of children. Multi‐level models were employed for the analysis and from the models Effect Sizes were computed to assist in comparing t...

Baseline assessment, value‐added and the prediction of reading

Value-added approaches aim to make fair comparisons of the academic progress of pupils in different settings. They rest on measurements at two time points and it has been suggested that the assessment of 4-year-olds cannot provide a sufficiently strong base from which to make comparisons at the end of Key Stage 1. Data on a range of potential predictors from the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) are related to measures of reading and mathematics in Year 2. The questions addressed include: a) To what extent is it possible to predict the reading of 7-year-olds? b) Which measures of 4-year-olds are the most predictive of later success? c) What are the implications for baseline assessment nationally? The results suggest that on-entry assessments, which last about 20 minutes, can predict the reading and mathematics scores of seven-year-olds with correlations around 0.7. Several measures are identified as potential predictors. The quickest to administer reliably include digit and letter identification, counting, writing and doing simple sums. The analysis suggests that value-added measures are possible for schools but that individual pupil predictions remain problematic.

Homework and Attainment in Primary Schools

Abstract An analysis of data relating to homework in the final year of primary school is reported in the core areas of mathematics, English and science. Information was available on achievement levels, attitudes, developed ability, cultural capital and sex. Widespread variation in reported homework frequency emerged in the core subjects in primary schools, as did significant differences between girls and boys for mathematics and reading. The findings indicated that the highest test scores were achieved by those pupils who reported doing homework ‘once a month’ in each of the core subjects. Homework reported more frequently than ‘once a month’ was generally associated with lower attainment. Multilevel models that controlled for important variables did not lend support to the ‘more is better’ view of homework. Our contention is that the assumptions about the value of homework (largely derived from secondary school practice and experience) should not be automatically ‘grafted on’ to primary practice. More se...

A test of the big fish in a little pond hypothesis : an investigation into the feelings of seven-year-old pupils in school.

The feelings (self-concepts and attitudes) toward maths, reading and school of 21,000 seven-year-olds in England were investigated using multi-variate multi-level models. The most important explanatory variables were the teacher and the academic level of the pupils supporting the view that it is important to track attitudes in any monitoring system. Data are presented to support the Big Fish in a Little Pond hypothesis and estimates were also made of importance of sex, age, home background and first language to the attitudes of pupils in school.

Impact of Early School-Based Screening and Intervention Programs for ADHD on Children's Outcomes and Access to Services Follow-up of a School-Based Trial at Age 10 Years

OBJECTIVES To investigate the impact of early school-based screening and educational interventions on longer-term outcomes for children at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the predictive utility of teacher ratings. DESIGN A population-based 5-year follow-up of a randomized, school-based intervention. SETTING Schools in England. PARTICIPANTS Children between 4 and 5 years of age with high teacher-rated hyperactivity/inattention scores. Follow-up data were collected on 487 children in 308 schools. INTERVENTIONS Following screening, using a 2 x 2 factorial design, schools randomly received an educational intervention (books about ADHD for teachers), the names of children with high hyperactivity/inattention scores between ages 4 and 5 years (identification), both educational intervention and identification, or no intervention. OUTCOME MEASURES Parent-rated hyperactivity/inattention, impairment in classroom learning, and access to specialist health services for mental health or behavioral problems. RESULTS None of the interventions were associated with improved outcomes. However, children receiving the identification-only intervention were twice as likely as children in the no-intervention group to have high hyperactivity/inattention scores at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-4.00). Regardless of intervention, high baseline hyperactivity/inattention scores were associated with high hyperactivity/inattention and specialist health service use at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS We did not find evidence of long-term, generalizable benefits following a school-based universal screening program for ADHD. There may be adverse effects associated with labeling children at a young age.

Dysfunctional Effects of League Tables: A Comparison Between English and Scottish Primary Schools

League tables based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have become an important part of the management of the UK’s education system. While the performance measured by KPIs has apparently improved, concerns have been raised that they may have unintended or dysfunctional effects. This article compares English with Scottish schools. The authors found that English primary schools perceive their KPI systems (with league tables), as being significantly more dysfunctional than those of their Scottish counterparts (without tables). The article provides empirical evidence to support the many arguments that high-stakes single proxy indicators can have significant dysfunctional effects.