Maximising the impact of your results analysis using Alps Connect and the Alps Cycle
A key focus of the autumn term for many schools and colleges is
self-evaluation and improvement planning. Results analysis is integral to this and
an essential part of any improvement cycle. When systematic and
effective approaches are applied to results analysis, providers can identify
strengths, pinpoint areas that need improvement, and develop targeted
strategies to enhance educational outcomes. Within this blog I discuss some key
elements of effective results analysis and the role Alps Connect can play in
supporting schools and colleges with this.
Results analysis provides
senior and middle leaders with key information that can be used to evaluate and
enhance the quality of education, inform future decision-making and drive
improvement across educational settings. When analysing examination outcomes,
here are some key questions that
you may want to consider:
- How do examination results compare with
predictions from in-year monitoring and results from previous years?
- What priorities have emerged in terms of
subjects and student groups from the analysis of your exam results?
- Were outcomes consistent across different
teaching sets?
- Were there any results that came as a shock?
- How accurate were predicted grades during the
year and is any training required?
- Is Performance Measures data in line with
predictions? How does it compare to previous years?
Strategic Analysis – my starting point
Once examination data has
been uploaded into Connect, my starting point was to analyse the data in the Strategic
Analysis area. This gave me the opportunity to get an overview on the
value-added progress made by my whole cohort and specific groups that I was
interested in, within this. The Strategic Analysis area was where I used the
comparison group function to compare the progress made by different student
groups, this gave me a powerful insight into my students’ overall progress.
The Strategic Analysis Overview
page provides you with a Quality Indicator (“QI”) score, which shows you how
you have performed overall, compared to all schools in our national benchmarks.
The QI score measures the total points amassed by your cohort or chosen student
groups for each subject, against the total that would be generated if all Alps
Minimum Expected Grades (MEGs) were achieved – measuring ‘actual’ against
‘expected’. This score is then ranked against other providers to generate an
Alps grade, enabling schools and colleges to quickly see whether your outcomes
match the top 25%, lower 25%, or middle 50% of providers in our benchmark datasets.
Analysis of the Banded By Prior Attainment (BBPA)
tables in Connect also allows you to see how students in each prior attainment
band performed as a group – did each group perform as well as the other groups?
Or are there clear patterns of disparity, for example, your higher prior
attainment band was underperforming compared to the other bands?
Subject and Student Level Analysis – the detail that makes the difference
The Subject Analysis area in Connect is key. This quickly shows you which subjects have performed well against national benchmarks for that subject. The 4 Year trends clearly indicate successes or issues over time.Any surprises? How accurate was your monitoring?
For many senior and middle leaders, another key focus of self-evaluation will be the accuracy of in-year monitoring data compared to examination outcomes. If a set of examination results is selected as the main gradepoint within Alps Connect alongside monitoring gradepoints from the same academic year, it is possible to analyse and evaluate the accuracy of predicted outcomes for each subject using the Monitoring Accuracy area of the platform.
Within Alps Connect, providers in England can also track their students’ progress against KS4 and KS5 performance measures, adding to the platform’s power when analysing examination data.
2. The Alps Cycle – supporting you through the year
The start of a new academic year will often be an incredibly busy time for senior leaders. As part of self-evaluation, quality assurance and improvement planning, senior leaders will be reviewing strategic priorities from the previous academic year and establishing new priorities. To further support schools and colleges, we have developed our Alps Cycle, a structured framework that can be used when evaluating current practices, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes to enhance the quality of education. Within the Alps Cycle, each academic term is broken down into distinct phases that guide senior leaders through all aspects of the quality assurance process. The cycle covers key elements such as results analysis, subject reviews, target setting, in-year monitoring, staff training etc. The cycle also provides a timeline of suggested activities as well as supporting senior leaders by indicating the types of data to be collected and how this can be effectively analysed.
In the first part of the autumn term, the emphasis is on the importance
of subject reviews and target setting. Subject reviews are a key element of
quality assurance, providing opportunities for senior and subject leaders to
review results together, have robust, action-focussed discussions and to set
improvement targets if appropriate. They also provide excellent opportunities
to discuss the quality of teaching and learning, the effectiveness of
assessment and intervention strategies, the accuracy of predicted grades, CPD
(Continuing Professional Development) requirements and whether current students
are following an appropriate curriculum for their needs and abilities. We will
be posting more blogs on these topics over the next weeks.
Additional Free
Resources for you
Alongside the Alps Cycle, we have produced a
range of resources that can be accessed from our Champions
Resources page, to support
all staff involved in results analysis, subject reviews, and other elements of
quality assurance. These resources include our Alps Champions Handbook for senior leaders and individual Staff Checklists. Each checklist contains lists of key questions
for staff to consider when analysing both examination results and in-year
monitoring data.
I hope that you have found the tips and links in this blog useful and that they help you when evaluating your examination outcomes and planning your quality assurance processes.
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