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 Band | KS4 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
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.
Year-Level Bands vs Subject-Level Bands: What's the difference?
- Year-Level Bands — 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.
- Subject-Level Bands — 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: Year-Level Bands
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: Subject-Level Bands
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
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.
Year-Level Bands vs Subject-Level Bands: What's the difference?
- Year-Level Bands — 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.
- Subject-Level Bands — 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: Year-Level Bands
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: Subject-Level Bands
| 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
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 2 approach.
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.