Alps Ascent KS3 Tracking Systems

Alps Ascent KS3 Tracking Systems

Understanding KS3 Tracking Systems in Alps Ascent

Before getting started with Alps Ascent, it's essential schools check which tracking system best suits how they monitor and report student progress across Key Stage 3. From our market research, we have identified three distinct tracking models, each designed with a different philosophy around how KS3 progress is defined, measured and communicated.

This article explains each system, who it's designed for and how it works in practice.

Start Bands

All three tracking systems share a common starting point: the start band. At the beginning of KS3, each student is assigned a start band based on available prior attainment data, this might be KS2 scores, CAT4 results, teacher assessment, or a combination of these. The start band represents where a student is expected to perform and all progress measurement flows from it. In Alps Ascent, the number and naming of the start bands is fully configurable, so schools can use their own language and match the number of bands they use.

Please note: you may want your 'Start Band' to be the KS4 Target, or other similar aspirational end point. This should still be uploaded as the Start Band - it is the band that describes the trajectory that your students are expected to follow.

Example: Start Bands 

Start BandKS4 Target
Relative Order
Accelerating
8-9
4
Enabling
6-8
3
Emerging
4-6
2
Developing
2-4
1

The key distinction across systems is how current performance is expressed relative to that start band.

Tracking System 1: Qualitative Descriptors (1A and 1B)

Tracking system 1A is in the initial release. Tracking system 1B is coming in a future release. 

How it works

In System 1, students' current performance is reported using qualitative descriptors, such as Working At, Above Expectation, or Well Below Expectation. These descriptors are fully configurable, so schools can use their own language (e.g., Working Beyond / Working At / Working Towards / Requires Intervention).

Behind the scenes, each descriptor maps to a numerical score:

Descriptor
Score
Well Above Expectation
+2
Above Expectation
+1
Working At
0
Below Expectation
-1
Well Below Expectation
-2

A score of 0 means the student is performing exactly where expected for their start band. Positive scores indicate progress above expectation; negative scores flag concern.

1A vs 1B: What's the difference?

  1. System 1A — Every student has the same start band across all subjects. This is ideal for schools that use a single prior attainment measure (such as a KS2 average) to set expectations.
  2. System 1B — Start bands vary by subject. A student might be Enabling in English but Developing in Maths, reflecting subject-specific prior attainment data (e.g., separate KS2 reading and maths scores, or CAT4 subscores).

Example: System 1A

All students start in the same band — in this case, Emerging.

Subject
Start Band
Current Grade
Score
Art
Emerging
Working At
0
Computing
Emerging
Above Expectation
+1
French
Emerging
Well Above Expectation
+2
Music
Emerging
Below Expectation
-1
Science
Emerging
Well Below Expectation
-2

Example: System 1B

Start bands differ across subjects, reflecting subject-specific data.

Subject
Start Band
Current Grade
Score
Art
Developing
Above Expectation
+1
Computing
Emerging
Well Above Expectation
+2
French
Developing
Working At
0
Music
Accelerating
Working At
0
Science
Emerging
Well Below Expectation
-2


Tracking System 2: Band Assignment (2A and 2B)

Tracking system 2A will be in the initial release. Tracking system 2B is coming in a future release. 

How it works

System 2 replaces qualitative descriptors with direct band assignments. Rather than asking teachers to judge whether a student is "above expectation", teachers assign a current band from the same set used for start bands (Developing, Emerging, Enabling, Accelerating). The system then calculates a score by comparing the current band to the start band.

Start bands have a relative numerical order:

Band
Relative Order
Accelerating
4
Enabling
3
Emerging
2
Developing
1

The score is the difference in relative order between the current band and the start band.

2A vs 2B: What's the difference?

  1. System 2A — Same start band for all subjects.
  2. System 2B — Start bands differ by subject.

Example: System 2A

Subject
Start Band
Current Band
Score
Art
Emerging
Emerging
0
Computing
Emerging
Enabling
+1
French
Emerging
Accelerating
+2
Music
Emerging
Developing
-1
Science
Emerging
Enabling
+1

Example: System 2B

Subject
Start Band
Current Band
Score
Art
Developing
Enabling
+2
Computing
Enabling
Accelerating
+1
French
Developing
Emerging
+1
Music
Accelerating
Emerging
-2
Science
Developing
Emerging
+1

Tracking System 3: KS4 Grade Tracking

Available in Alps Connect

How it works

System 3 tracks KS3 students using GCSE outcome grades (9-1). This is the model familiar to schools already using Alps Connect for KS4/3 progress monitoring. Students are assigned a GCSE grade at each monitoring point, and the score is calculated as the difference between their current grade and their start band grade.

Start Band (Grade)
Relative Order
9
9
8
8
7
7
6
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
2
1
1

Example: System 3

In this example all subjects start with a GCSE grade of 5.

Subject
Start Band
Current Grade
Score
Computing
5
6
+1
Drama
5
3
-2
English
5
4
-1
French
5
8
+3
Maths
5
5
0
Science
5
5
0

If your school wants value-added progress calculated against KS4 thermometers, including Minimum Expected Grades (MEGs) based on prior attainment, then Alps Connect is the more appropriate product. For schools who'd like to use Alps Ascent to track KS3 progress, the setup would be similar to the Tracking System 2A/B approach.

Which Tracking System Fits your Model?


System 1A
System 1B
System 2A
System 2B
System 3
Subject specific start bands
NoYes
No
Yes
Flexible
Progress shown as
Descriptor
Descriptor 
Band
Band
GCSE Grade
Works forSingle prior attainment measure
Subject-level data
Single prior attainment measure
Subject-level data
KS4 grade framework
Available in Alps Ascent
Yes
TBC
Yes
TBC
TBC

If you're unsure which system best fits your school's data and reporting approach, our Customer Success Team is happy to talk through the options with you. Please email support@alps.education. 

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