Measuring What High-Achieving Students Know and Can do on Entry to School: PIPS 2002–2008

ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE FROM teachers in Western Australia suggested that increasing numbers of on-entry students have been performing at high levels over recent years on the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools Baseline Assessment (PIPS-BLA). This paper reports the results of an investigation into the performance of high-scoring students. Data was analysed using the Rasch measurement model and interactive software (RUMM2030), and standard statistical techniques for the comparison of groups. Results indicated substantial numbers of children performing at high levels on each of the Reading and Mathematics scales (6.80 % and 8.92 %, respectively, according to criteria used for this paper). There have been increases in levels of performance for students in general in 2007 and 2008 relative to 2006. Future data will establish whether these findings constitute a robust trend.