Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools with SIMS Assessment Manager

1. Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools with SIMS Assessment Manager Natasha Marsh Product Manager Primary Sector Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools using SIMS Assessment Manager Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools using SIMS Assessment Manager

2. Summary of Main Features Aim: To support Primary School use of Assessment Manager, particularly in Pupil Progress Tracking, with: Tracking Progress Marksheet Templates; Additional Group Filters with multiple filtering; Graphing Grade Distribution in Marksheets; Pupil Tracking Grids;* Automatic installation and update of AMPARK resources;* And related improvements to usability. *Available August 2008 New features developed within Assessment Manager 7 as part of the Primary Review Project. This project aims to support primary schools in pupil progress tracking through the provision of pre-installed tracking templates and grids. Tracking Progress Marksheets, Additional Group Filters, Graphing Grade Distribution available May 2008. Pupil Tracking Grids and Automatic AMPARK installation available August 2008.New features developed within Assessment Manager 7 as part of the Primary Review Project. This project aims to support primary schools in pupil progress tracking through the provision of pre-installed tracking templates and grids. Tracking Progress Marksheets, Additional Group Filters, Graphing Grade Distribution available May 2008. Pupil Tracking Grids and Automatic AMPARK installation available August 2008.

3. Tracking Progress Marksheet Templates Provided from May 2008 for optional automatic installation, for tracking pupil progress: Templates for Years 1 – 6 in Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Maths, Science. English Templates for Years 3 – 6 that aggregate Speaking & Listening, Reading and Writing. Templates for Years 3 – 6 to check comparative progress in English and Maths. A Template to summarise year on year progress.

4. Tracking Progress Marksheet Templates Aspects include a yearly estimate calculated from previous summer’s result, teacher target, and termly teacher assessments. Traffic light colour coding is pre-defined from the difference between the teacher target and each termly teacher assessment. A comment column is also provided.Aspects include a yearly estimate calculated from previous summer’s result, teacher target, and termly teacher assessments. Traffic light colour coding is pre-defined from the difference between the teacher target and each termly teacher assessment. A comment column is also provided.

5. Marksheet Filtering

6. First Language Year Group (All Years) Free School Meals Gender SEN Status English as an Additional Language Looked After Gifted/Talented Asylum Status Traveller Status Term of Birth Academic Year of Admission Prior Attainment Band Boarder Status (Independent Schools only) User Defined Fields Multiple Include / Exclude Saving Filters

7. First Language This is the Language list supplied by DCSF; Both First and Home Language will be available for the time being, pending review.

8. Year Group (All Years) There will be an additional Group under the Year Group node for All Years; At Template level this will allow a Marksheet to be created for effectively the whole school; Further Filters may then be applied at Marksheet Level.

9. Free School Meals The options for Free School Meals are Yes or No; The filter applied is eligibility for Free School Meals, not what meal, if any, is actually taken; The response is only Yes if the selected date falls within the start and end date (if present) of any Eligible for Free Meals period for the pupil on the effective date of the Marksheet; This is the same as the additional Marksheet column.

10. Gender Gender will be removed from its current location on the Marksheet, as it will be included in the Filters.

11. SEN Status SEN Status options are: N No special provision; A School action; P School action plus; S Statemented. One or more may be selected, e.g. A and P.

12. English as an Additional Language The Options for EAL are: Yes No

13. Looked After The option available is In Care.

14. Gifted/Talented The option available is Gifted/Talented.

15. Asylum Status The options are: Asylum Seeker Refugee Both options may be selected.

16. Traveller Status The options are: Gypsy/Roma (Housed) Gipsy/Roma (Traveller) Occupational (Traveller) Traveller (Other) One or more options may be selected.

17. Term of Birth The Terms of Birth are Autumn, Spring and Summer; The Term of Birth is simply determined by the month of birth – this matches RAISEonline: Autumn - Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec Spring - Jan, Feb, March, April Summer - May, June, July, August One or more options may be selected.

18. Academic Year of Admission This provides the ability to filter on the Term of Admission, e.g.

19. Prior Attainment Band The options for selection are: Key Stage 1 Below Level 0 – 12 points At Level 13 – 17 points Above Level 18+ points Key Stage 2 Below Level 0 – 25 points At Level 26 – 29 points Above Level 30 + points Key Stage 3 Below Level 0 – 31 points At Level 32 – 35 points Above Level 36+ points The criteria is the same as in RAISEonline. Prior Attainment is looking at KS Average Point Scores for Key Stages 1 to 3. This data will be held in the system if the school has used the Average Point Score Calculator Templates, or calculated them themselves and stored the outcome against the appropriate APS Aspect and Result Set.Prior Attainment is looking at KS Average Point Scores for Key Stages 1 to 3. This data will be held in the system if the school has used the Average Point Score Calculator Templates, or calculated them themselves and stored the outcome against the appropriate APS Aspect and Result Set.

20. User Defined Fields The UDF is Active; The UDF is of the Field Type Lookup (single) or True/False; The Data domain is Person; The data area is Student Details or SEN Student Details; The ‘Apply to Assessment Manager Filters’ flag has been checked (new functionality);

21. Multiple filters with Include or Exclude

22. Save a Filter Save a filter selection with a user defined name; Apply saved filters to a Marksheet; Still be able to apply filter directly to a Marksheet and save, as now.

23. Graphing Grade Distribution Right click on a results column and select Show Grade Distribution; Options now include Count as well as Percentages; Select Graph to produce a bar chart of the grade distribution. Graphs shown will match any filters applied to the Marksheet. Right click on a results column and select Show Grade Distribution; Options now include Count as well as Percentages; Select Graph to produce a bar chart of the grade distribution. Graphs shown will match any filters applied to the Marksheet.

24. Primary National Strategy Pupil Tracking Grid Use of Pupil Tracking grids has been recommended by the Primary National Strategy, particularly for schools within the Improving Schools Programme. Pupil names may be added manually to the Grid in Word or Excel.Use of Pupil Tracking grids has been recommended by the Primary National Strategy, particularly for schools within the Improving Schools Programme. Pupil names may be added manually to the Grid in Word or Excel.

25. Pupil Tracking Grids Assessment Manager Pupil Tracking Grids* will enable teachers to establish visually whether pupils are on target, or need intervention to enable them to fulfill their potential. Tracking Grids can be populated automatically once teacher assessments are entered in the Tracking Templates; They can be cloned and customised for use with other templates; There will be options to select the type of grid and the subject, and customise the grid layout; Types of grid include termly tracking, yearly tracking and tracking current against KS1 results. Advanced users in any school phase will be able to create these grids. *Available from August 2008

26. Pupil Tracking Grids

27. Automatic AMPARK Installation and Update Specific AMPARK resources may be optionally installed / upgraded in Schools depending upon their school phase; This aims to reduce future issues with out of date grade sets being used, for example; Resources may also be imported from the Workstation or downloaded from the AMPARK Website as now.

28. Other New Features May 2008: New System Category for ‘Tracking’; Apply Nested if then else colour to an additional column; August 2008: Delete Result Sets; Delete Wizards; Make Templates, Aspects or Result Sets Active or Inactive; Open Marksheets from Template focus; Improve hidden columns;

29. New System Category for ‘Tracking’; A new category has been added under System, titled ‘Tracking’. Where used this will allow filtering of Tracking Marksheets and Templates.

30. Apply Nested if then else colour to an additional column An additional option has been added to ‘Also colour this column’, with a browse button to select any column already present in the Template. The user may then hide the Nested If then Column, so that the colour displays directly on the target column, thus reducing the size of Marksheets. If there are a number of formulae in the Template that colour the same column in conflicting colours, then the colour of the last formula takes precedence.

31. Delete Result Sets or Wizards Results Sets supplied by CES Assessment Services may be deleted by users if they have not been used in Templates and do not have associated results. Wizards supplied by CES Assessment Services may also be deleted.

32. Make Templates, Aspects or Result Sets Active or Inactive The user may make a Template, Aspect or Result Set Inactive in order to remove it from the default browsers. This may be because the user does not want to view Templates installed with the upgrade, or because they don’t want to use the Template now, but may want to keep for reference, or use at a later date rather than deleting.

33. Open Marksheets from Template focus The user will be able to open associated Marksheets from the Marksheet pane within Assessment Manager Templates. This will make it easier for the user to navigate between the Template focus and the Marksheets created from the Template.

34. Improve hidden columns To improve this feature: The user may choose to hide multiple columns; The position within the Marksheet of the hidden column(s) will be made apparent to the user; The teacher may display single hidden columns, or all hidden columns.

35. The End Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools using SIMS Assessment Manager Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools using SIMS Assessment Manager