Discrepancy

Tom

Discrepancy

Tom has been on his teacher’s radar for a while as his attainment is within low average ranges. Although he has had intervention support for skills related to literacy, gaps are growing, and he is not making the progress that his teachers had hoped for.

His non-verbal and quantitative SAS are within average ranges but there is a discrepancy between those and his verbal score – his profile is uneven.

Key Questions

  • Investigate unexpectedly low ability results. Is there a need to mitigate for environmental factors and/or engagement?
  • Consider if Tom’s ability data is aligned to current attainment – speak to teachers to understand any concerns.
  • Delve deeper into data - explore wider contextual evidence that helps to support a hypothesis of strengths and challenges.
  • Investigate specific areas of difficulty using appropriate screeners.
  • Consider how best to support areas of low ability through universal design for learning and well-matched interventions.

*These profiles are for illustrative purposes and have been created to help introduce just some of the varied learner profiles your CAT4 data may show you, and to help support personalised learning. The profiles from your own CAT4 data may share some similarities with the example profiles but it is important to consider each learner individually.

60 100 140 Verbal Quantitative Spatial Non-Verbal

Verbal

Verbal classification

Verbal analogies

These learners will likely excel in debate, developing strong connected arguments. It’s also probable that they draw upon advanced reading skills to use rich and effective language/vocabulary for creative writing.

These learners will likely find accessing tasks involving the written word more challenging and may find it difficult to keep pace in group discussions where they should be given clearly defined roles to avoid being a ‘passenger’.

Non-verbal

Figure classification

Figure matrices

These learners will quickly build a puzzle, solve a Rubix cube or spot the difference as they prefer to think with numbers or images. They will likely thrive with activities that require them to problem solve with abstract information.

These learners may find it difficult to keep up in the learning environment as they may not follow instructions or find new information easy to follow. They will likely find challenge with following logical approaches to problem-solving including model building and science experiments.

Quantitative

Number analogies

Number series

These learners will likely excel in tasks related to arithmetic and computation. They will solve number problems, find patterns in numbers and identify relationships within data sets with greater ease.

These learners will likely experience barriers with number related learning which may manifest as an anxiety toward maths. They may have difficulty with recall of number facts, recognising the value of a group of objects, seeing patterns in numbers and with basic arithmetic skills.

Spatial

Figure analysis

Figure recognition

These learners will be quick to visualize and will learn best through concrete resources, graphics/images or in the virtual world. Concepts that can be explored actively and in three dimensions (model design and building) will likely be easier for them to grasp

These learners may need additional support with organisation and navigation as they may miss clues in their environment. Learning may need to be scaffolded/demonstrated particularly if represented in abstract two-dimensional diagrams.