Alps Analysis of KS5 Vocational qualifications ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 2024
This article presents a breakdown of the Alps Provider benchmark analysis for VTQs. We have a timeline in place for the release of our benchmarks, and therefore content will be added incrementally.
The timeline:
- Release of BTEC and Cam Tec L3 qualifications - 9 September 2024 - Status: Live in Connect and Summit using toggle
- Release of WJEC Criminology - 17 September 2024
- Release of T level feasibility outcomes - 30 September 2024
- Release of UAL outcomes - 7 October 2024
Analysis of BTECs and Cam Tecs
What we know about VTQs nationally:
Single grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 at M & P but more generously at D & D*.
Double grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 below DD but more generously at DD+.
Triple grade qualifications were awarded in line with 2019 at DDD but were slightly more generous at grades D*DD+.
Alps Analysis of 2024 Providers
The baseline average prior attainment of students was slightly lower than that of previous years, based on the provider data submitted to Alps:
In terms of Minimum Expected Points, diagrams below compares the target points required at the 75th percentile across Alps bands.
The Ext Certs
The Dips
The Ext Dips
Summary
Implications on QI (Quality Indicator) grade
If we consider the impact of the difference in MEPs between 2019 and 2024 on the overall QI grade, we see the following pattern when we switch between the two benchmarks.
On average, switching to the Alps provider benchmark has very little effect on the QI grade. In 2023 this inflation was 0.43 of a grade.
In summary, 8some providers will see the QI grade increase on toggling, most will see no change and some will see a drop.
•Compared
to the National benchmark more providers gain grades 1
&
2
using the 2024 provider benchmark.
•However,
using the 2024 provider benchmark, more providers slip into grades 8
& 9.
The Alps Provider Benchmark for 2024 is available in Connect and Summit now via the benchmark selector toggle.
What
causes the variability in QI grades between benchmarks?
Unlike
at A Level where the Prior Attainment (PA) of students taking A Levels soared
in 2024 (compared to 2019) the PA of students taking vocational qualifications
was slightly lower in 2024 than in 2023 or 2019.
Applied
General outcomes were higher for example at DD+. The QI grade thresholds rose
slightly in our 2024 provider benchmark.
Some
vocational subjects had benchmarks in the national benchmark but not in our
customer benchmark and vice versa.
Many
schools use a very small number of vocational qualifications, and the
variability of subject performance influences each provider’s QI score.
At A level, we recommend colleagues consider the use of the Alps Provider benchmark to analyse 2024 outcomes. This is because the 2024 A level context is again unique and the Alps benchmark gives a more representative value-added comparison. This argument is less strong for L3 vocational outcomes as detailed above.
In this article we have therefore attempted to set out the facts of our analysis to allow colleagues to make individual decisions at provider level on which benchmark to use for improvement purposes.
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