Equivalentmeasurement is obtained whentherelationsbetweenobserved test scoresand the latentattribute measured by the test are identical across subpopulations.
Education Secretary Michael Gove says he aims eventually to rework the equivalentscores given to vocational courses, with some still be considered to be worth at least one GCSE.
As part of the benchmark, vocational qualifications such as BTecs and NVQs, taken in Key Stage 4 by 14- to 16-year-olds, are given equivalentscores to GCSEs and included in the five GCSEs score.
The difference was equivalent to the average variation in cognitive scores between children born at a normal gestational weight and those weighing less than 3.5 pounds, the researchers said.