ABOUT CVA

Why CVA?

Value added (VA) measures were introduced into the secondary Achievement and Attainment Tables in 2002, to give a better and fairer measure of school effectiveness than raw results alone. VA allows meaningful comparisons to be made between schools with different intakes, by taking into account prior attainment, the biggest single predictor of pupil results.

However, a number of other factors which are outside a school's control, such as gender, mobility and levels of deprivation, have also been observed to impact on pupil results, even after allowing for prior attainment. CVA goes a step further than the current VA measures by taking these factors into account. This allows us to reflect more realistically, and therefore more fairly, the impact each school makes considering the particular circumstances of its intake. As with existing VA, CVA produces a single measure which can be used when comparing schools against the national average, or against each other.

About the 2005 CVA Pilot

430 secondary schools took part in a 2 year pilot designed to test and evaluate the introduction of CVA to the Achievement and Attainment Tables. These schools have helped shape the development of the CVA measures and test the necessary data checking procedures. The first year of the pilot involved consultation on the methodology, including a trial of the CVA measures in the Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT). In the second year, the pilot schools were asked to check the accuracy of pupil characteristic and results data for their Key Stage 4 pupils.

The pilot will be evaluated both in terms of the impact on schools and the wider audience and from a data handling and processing perspective.

Understanding CVA

Some users may wish to understand the model and calculations used to produce the CVA measures. Throughout the pilot, information has been made available to the pilot schools to assist their understanding of how CVA is calculated and the impact that various factors have on their school's CVA measures. Of particular value in this regard have been the Guide to CVA document (included as the technical annex to this booklet) and the ready reckoners (available for each key stage from the PAT website, http://www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/performance/1316367/CVAinPAT2005/?version=1). While the Guide explains the methodology in some detail, the ready reckoners reveal the particular effects of each factor on a school's CVA measures.

Development of the CVA measures

In January 2004 the Department announced its intention to develop a more sophisticated VA measure for use by the Department and its partner organisations. A group was formed to advise on a suitable CVA methodology. The Value Added Methodology Advisory Group, which included a number of experts in the field, reached a broad consensus on the way forward. They advised that our CVA should aim to include all contextual pupil or school factors which make a significant difference to performance, provided robust, accurate information is available and there is no policy reason not to. The Department developed a CVA methodology to meet these criteria and discussed it with pilot schools. The methodology was further developed for the pilot and will now be fully evaluated, taking account of the views of the pilot schools.

Our existing value added measures arise from a national 'median line', plotting the relationship observed between attainment at the start of the period over which progress is being assessed ('input point scores') and attainment at the end of that period ('output point scores'). The value added score for each student is the difference (positive or negative) between their own output point score and the median (middle) output point score achieved by others with the same or similar input point scores.

To take account of contextual factors as CVA seeks to do, we need a more complex model, but the principle remains the same as for the median line. We obtain a prediction for the pupil based on nationally observed patterns; their contextual value added score is then the difference (positive or negative) from this prediction.  The model looks at the impact of each factor, over and above the impact of all other factors.

The development of CVA has taken advantage of recent improvements in data collection and quality, particularly the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC). PLASC is completed each January and provides information on a range of pupil characteristics.

Further information on the factors included and the statistical model employed is provided in the Guide to CVA, the technical annex to this booklet.

What will CVA be used for?

CVA is being developed for use across Government, wherever there is a need to assess school effectiveness. Ofsted and the Department for Education and Skills are committed to consistent use of an agreed methodology. The current planned uses include:

• Achievement and Attainment Tables
• Ofsted Inspections (for information only - see below)
• Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT)
• PANDA
• RAISEonline (which will replace the PAT and PANDA from 2006)
• School Profile
• conversations between schools and their School Improvement Partners.

As this list shows, it is clear that CVA is intended to support both the accountability framework, and self-evaluation and improvement at a school and pupil level.

Ofsted

England's Ofsted inspectors will have access to CVA data for all key stages to help inform their judgements of school effectiveness during inspections. Until final decisions are taken on the CVA methodology, inspectors will only use the CVA data to inform judgements made on the basis of other evidence. At present they use a database called PANDA. From 2006, PANDA will be merged with the PAT in a new web-based system called RAISEonline. Schools, inspectors and all those professionally concerned with school effectiveness will be able to access this system and see the same data and set of indicators, including the CVA information that will appear in the Achievement and Attainment Tables.

Pupil Achievement Tracker (PAT)

Schools can already see CVA measures for all key stages for their own pupils, in the PAT. This is an interactive tool the Department makes available to all schools, to use for self-evaluation, school improvement and setting targets for future progress. Teachers can now interrogate the PAT database to see how an individual pupil, a group of pupils or a whole year group have progressed, compared to others nationally with the same characteristics.

Fine Grades

We are also testing the use of fine grading as part of the CVA Pilot. The levels achieved at KS2 and KS3 have been split into ten possible outcomes (e.g. level 4 becomes 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 etc). Fine grades use the underlying marks data to create this finer measure of achievement. The quality of the marks data and the calculations used to establish fine grades are being tested and evaluated as part of this pilot. If this evaluation proves successful, we will use fine grades in the secondary tables from next year.

This year, fine grades have only been used in the CVA calculations. This means that fine grades may contribute to any differences between VA measures and CVA measures for the pilot schools published in this booklet.

A further explanation of fine grades is provided in the Guide to CVA, the technical annex to this booklet.

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