Exploring the Diagnostic Tool: Spotlight on class data and spread of ability

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Class data: Student levels report and spread of ability

On the homepage of the Diagnostic Tool you will find a Class distribution graph illustrating the overall level for each of your students –each gold bar represents a student that can be identified by hovering over the graph. This also represents the overall spread of ability you need to manage in your class.

The Class data report provides an overview of your class according to substrand, strand or overall level. It also acts as a gateway to exploring individual student data – you simply click on a student name to access their personal profile.

Spread of Ability 

When planning lessons and targeted support for students, it can be useful to have access to data that shows different class groupings. There are 3 types of student groupings you can view: groupings according to substrand, strand, or overall level. 

In this example we have grouped students by substrand.

The number on each square section of the curriculum grid represents the number of  students in each group. You will also notice the squares vary in shading from light yellow to solid gold. This colour key indicates the mastery of related concepts by students in the group.

Simply click on the interactive tile to access the list of students and a recommended lesson plan for the group.

Three ideas of how you can use these reports:

1.  Different classes in the same school can have quite different makeups. Some classes might start at a lower level of attainment overall; and some might have a wider spread than others. Seeing this data at a faculty level could help target support and planning across classes.
2.  Before teaching a new unit, this data lets you see at a glance where each student sits in the relevant substrand. This sheds light on what learning from prior years you can rely on for the majority of students – and which bits might need some extra attention.
3.  An individual student could be much stronger in one area than another. There could be a student who normally does fine, but is likely to struggle with a particular unit because of gaps in prior learning. This data lets you identify those individuals ahead of time unit by unit.

Think this could help others in your School?

Invite colleagues to also get FREE access to the Maths Pathway Diagnostic Tool