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School specific display of residuals

Due to the work many schools completed during the summer term to create their school based assessment schemes for Life without Levels e.g. mastery and 9-1 GCSE-like schemes, we have received requests for additional functionality to utilise residual data, and provide mechanisms for showing alternative labels to students and parents. We are planning a phased introduction of several new pieces of functionality to achieve this.

  • Preferred scale You will be able to choose what values you want to measure residuals on, and how to display certain values in markbooks. Options will include the 9-1 scale, APS, percentages, and the school defined numeric score from the internal grading scheme.
  • Residual scheme A residual is the difference between a student’s progress and target grade. You will be able to define new labels and colours to apply to residuals, down to decimal level residual values. It is possible to create multiple residual schemes. This scheme enables the display of a new residual band column. Schools will then have the option of displaying the residual label to parents and students instead or as well as the preferred progress grade.
  • Preferred progress grade numeric value If you have chosen a preferred scale, in your markbooks you will see a new numeric value column displaying your preferred progress grade (e.g. the current grade) in terms of your preferred scale. For the current grade type, the current grade numeric value will provide more information than can be represented by the current grade. For example, a student’s current grade may have been calculated from the marksheets to be 4, however this grade loses the fine detail of the markbook calculation. If your preferred scale is the 9-1 scheme, the current grade numeric value might be 4.3, providing a greater level of detail.
  • Residual value If you have chosen a preferred scale, the residual value will be calculated in order to select the correct label from your residual scheme. If you have chosen to display the residual value you will then see this as a new column.

Working with a residual scheme will enable schools to track increments in residuals between progress and target grades, providing detailed information to teachers for intervention purposes and the monitoring of key groups. It will also allow schools to translate detailed attainment scores into simple language to communicate to parents and students on the student page and in take home reports.

Example residual schemes

At KS4 and KS5, you may want to set a tolerance for the residuals at half grade increments, but at KS3 you may want to track smaller steps across the curriculum (similar to sub-levels). The residual values you set up in your residual scheme will depend upon your preferred scale chosen for the school. Note, you will also be able to choose your own colours to accompany these labels:

KS4 scheme

  • 1.0 Above
  • 0.5 Slightly Above
  • 0 On Target
  • -0.5 Slightly Below
  • -1.0 Below

KS3 scheme

  • 0.6 "+ +"
  • 0.3 "+"
  • 0 "="
  • -0.3 "-"
  • -0.6 "- -"

Where will the new residual labels be displayed?

  • Student page Where a residual scheme has been set up, a new range of residual charts will replace the old residual chart. The detailed progress table will have new columns to show the preferred progress grade numeric value and residual band. Schools will be able to choose which of these values to display to students and parents.
  • Take home reports Schools will be able to choose whether to show the progress grades and/or the residual band in take home reports.
  • Markbooks and data explorers New columns will display the preferred progress grade numeric value based on the preferred scale, and the residual band label and colour.

Worked example

A markbook is setup to use a 9-1 GCSE-like internal grading scheme for a KS3 subject. A student has a target of 4, and a current grade of 4. The school have chosen a preferred scale of the new 9-1 scheme, and so the current grade can be displayed in a new column as a numeric value (as well as a grade), and this student has a current grade numeric value of 4.3. According to the school’s residual scheme a purple label of “Good Achievement” will be also be displayed. Hovering over the residual label will show the residual value of 0.3. When reporting to parents, and on the student and parent views of the student page, the school can choose to display “Good Achievement” instead of the grade of 4 if preferred.

What you need to do next?

If you wish to implement a residual scheme please raise a ticket with our support team and they will provide further information and guide you through this process. You need to have a school residual scheme planned, and once we have the details of your requirements we will work with you to find out how we can make your scheme fit into GO 4 Schools. Management pages for this functionality are not yet available, but we hope to release these over the coming months. If you are happy with the current default residual functionality you do not need to take any further action as this functionality will remain available.