Compare Groups is a new analysis page in Alps Ascent. It lets you build two groups of students with filters and compare how they are performing side by side.

Using the Dashboard, you can see how your whole cohort is performing. Compare Groups goes a step further and answers questions such as "How are our disadvantaged students performing compared with their peers?" or "Is Year 7 progressing in line with Year 8?" You can set any combination of filters for Group A and Group B. Every graph and metric on the page updates straight away, so you can compare one group directly against the other.

Accessing Compare Groups

Compare Groups is on the Dashboard page of Alps Ascent. To open it, click the Comparisons tab at the top of the Dashboard, next to Overview:

Key Benefits

1. Fully configurable: You can apply as many filters as you need to each group and compare any combination against another, e.g. Year 7 Disadvantaged boys vs Year 7 Non-Disadvantaged boys.
2. Instant results: You can change a filter at any point and the whole page updates automatically. There is nothing to save or refresh.
3. Closing the gap analysis: You can compare key student groups directly, such as Disadvantaged, SEND and EAL, against their peers to see where gaps exist and how large they are.
4. Clear, like-for-like comparisons: Group A and Group B are shown side by side in matching colours, and a single Head-to-Head table shows the exact difference between them.
5. Evidence for conversations and reporting: You can quickly produce comparisons to support line management meetings, governor reports and intervention planning.

Setting Up Your Groups

The page is split into two panels: Group A (teal) on the left and Group B (pink) on the right. The header of each panel shows how many students are currently in that group:

Each group has its own set of filters, which you can use in any combination:

1. Academic Year: Choose a specific academic year, or leave as All.
2. Year Group: Choose Year 7, 8 or 9, or leave as All Year Groups.
3. Gradepoint: Comparisons use your Latest Gradepoints.
4. Gender
5. Disadvantaged
6. SEND
7. EAL
8. Tutor Group

To build a group, choose a value from each drop-down you want to use. Any filter left as All will include every student. To clear all filters for a group and start again, click the Reset button in that group's header.

Please note that the filters in Group A and Group B are completely independent. You can compare two different year groups, two tutor groups, or a student group against the whole cohort. You could also compare the same group across two academic years.

Comparison Views

After you have set your filters, the page shows the following views for each group.

1. Summary Tiles

Each group shows three headline figures:

1. Total Students: The number of students who match the group's filters.
2. Average Score: The average progress difference score, which shows how far above or below their start band students are performing on average. A score of 0 means students are performing in line with expectations.
3. Average Grade: The average qualitative grade across the group, e.g. Working At.

2. On Track

The On Track graph shows what proportion of the group's grades are Above Target, On Target or Below Target. Each percentage is also shown underneath the graph. The number of student grades used and the gradepoint date are shown at the bottom of the panel:

3. Average Student Grade

The Average Student Grade graph shows how many students in each group sit at each average grade, e.g. Working Below up to Working Beyond. You can use it to see the shape of each group's performance at a glance:

4. Grade Distribution

The Grade Distribution graph puts both groups on the same chart. The bars show the percentage of each group's students at each average grade. Because it uses percentages rather than student numbers, you can make a fair comparison even when the two groups are very different sizes:

Head-to-Head

The Head-to-Head table at the bottom of the page brings together the key metrics for both groups. It also shows the difference between them in the A - B column:

The table compares:

1. Students
2. Avg Score
3. Avg Grade
4. % Above Target
5. % On Target
6. % Below Target

The A - B column subtracts Group B's figure from Group A's. A positive value means Group A is higher, and a negative value means Group B is higher. Differences in percentages are shown in percentage points (pp). For example, if 45% of Group A are Above Target compared with 40% of Group B, the difference is shown as +5 pp.

Example Comparisons

Here are some comparisons you might find useful:

1. Disadvantaged vs Non-Disadvantaged: Monitor the disadvantaged gap across KS3.
2. SEND vs Non-SEND: Check whether students with SEND are making progress in line with their peers.
3. Boys vs Girls: Spot any gender gaps within a year group.
4. Tutor Group vs Tutor Group: Support pastoral leads and Heads of Year in identifying tutor groups that need attention.
5. Year group vs Year group: Compare progress across Years 7, 8 and 9.

For more information on the Dashboard, please see our article: Alps Ascent Dashboard

If you have any questions about using Compare Groups, please contact our Customer Success Team at support@alps.education.