Split MEG Grades and setting targets
In this article we discuss the ways in which the MEG split grades can be interpreted
In some qualifications, the MEG table will display a split grade for a given prior attainment band.
In the table below for example, you can see that prior attainment bands 1, 5,6,9 and 10 are all split MEGs.
This can lead to some teachers questioning which of the two grades they might select as the 'target' grade for their students.
In reality, each of the MEGs has been determined from a Minimum number of Points. The full benchmark tables are published in the Alps Guides, but the extract below for A level shows that the points needed for band 5 to hit the 75% line would be 89.52. This lies between the C grade at 80 points and the B grade at 100 points, hence the split MEG.
If I had a class of band 5 students, and I had set them all targets of C grade, then I would overall fall short of my overall target for my class in terms of point. Similarly a full house of B grades would exceed that target.
I also have to take into account my unique subject thermometer when I am target setting at an individual student level.
In reality, the MEGs act as the starting point. They give us a guide as to how students in prior attainment bands in the top 25% of providers perform. As teachers we should use this information to set targets based on the individual student.
Many Alps schools will use the higher of the split grade as this starting point
We have more information on target setting in a short video - type personalised targets into the search.
Related Articles
Best Practise for Personalised Targets
Once the Alps MEGs have been distributed to staff, we suggest that teachers set students personalised targets that take into account their flair in their particular subject. These would be negotiated between the teacher and each student and would not ...Add Personalised Targets
Once you have imported your Year Group, teaching data and prior attainment scores, you will be able to import your own Personalised Targets, if you wish to do so. The Personalised Targets wizard can be launched from the quick actions toolbar in the ...Checking that your personalised targets are aspirational
One of the most important aspects of using personalised targets for individual subjects is that subject staff can use the Minimum Expected Grade (MEG) and their own unique subject thermometers to be aspirational for each individual student. This ...Setting personalised targets
MEGs are set at the 75th percentile and based on the banded performance tables across the full suite of qualifications covered by Alps analysis. You can find full details of the MEGs in our Alps Guide, available form the Connect Homepage in Resources ...Generating MEGs
To generate your Alps MEGs (Minimum Expected Grades), you first need to import your Teaching Data. If you need support with this, please see this article: Importing Teaching Data Once you have imported your Teaching Data, you will see the following ...