[SIMS] - Assessment Manager, Progression Lines/Trend Lines ? Somethign else?

[Bev]

I use AM for all our data tracking and reporting and am pretty comfortable with most aspects, but haven't ventured into the analsyis side of things at all.

I've been asked to create a graph for each child, which will show their expected 'flight path' and their actual progress. So, based on KS1, QCA3, QCA 4 data we would predict KS2 SATs and QCA 7/8 results and plot actual results against this.
(we are a middle school Y5-8).

I think I need to use trend and/or progression lines for this, but I can't find any documentation and when I've just experimented with is, I am getting results for the entire year group rather than for an individual child.
I have looked at SupportNet but I didn't see anything.

Can anyone point me in the direction of documentation, or suggest which feature I need to look at within SIMS.

Thanks
Bev

[ChrisH]

Click on the dots on the graphs or use batch printing to see the individual results.

Also are you using the stuff under Focus > Assesment > Trend Analysis ? You may need to import some of these lines via Routines > Data In > Performance Analysis.

[vikpaw]

Performance Analysis sounds the way to go.
There is a good book from Optimus publishing about assessment manager and performance which could be useful, it's not just technical so useful to give to staff who may not necessarily know what they want out of sims, or even what's possible.
Another thing that could be useful is tracking grids. Have you looked at those? They were aimed at primary schools (which i see as < Y7).
If you click on documentation in SIMS you should have access to the centrally stored documentation area. There is a quick reference sheet on Tracking Pupil Progress in Primary Schools which could give you a head start.
In addition under Handbooks there's a section for Pupil / Student Performance - the Analysis of SIMS should be the one you want.
I'd love to spend some time reading that one, 200 pages! If you already know what you are after, you can probably jump in and out to get what you need.
HTH

[Bev]

Thank you! It sounds like a little light reading is in order

[vikpaw]

Also, don't forget your local support team. i don't think it's that hard to use the module, i'm just one of those people that likes to do things from first principles and learn the whole thing.
I've had people come along and show really quick demos of plotting kids and groups against trendlines, so it's worth trying your LA or Capita - that's what they are there for after all.

[Banjo]

I woundn't invest too much time and effort getting to know PA, as it's being replaced in the near future.

[resin1]

I woundn't invest too much time and effort getting to know PA, as it's being replaced in the near future.

Would be interested in your source in making that statement Banjo. If you are referring to Discover, then the line I had received from an AM at Capita and from direct dialogue with the Product Manager, is that this offering is NOT a replacement to PA, but will offer some higher level (and hopefully more intutitive and usable) facility for doing, for example, progress summaries for things like 5+ A*-C etc. They are not revamping SIMS AM or PA to do that.

Unfortunately thats as much knowledge as I have - I had hoped by now that we would see a far more detailed description of what it will offer. If Phil Neal is able to offer anything, that would be useful to me and others I'm sure :-)

[LosOjos]

Would be interested in your source in making that statement Banjo. If you are referring to Discover, then the line I had received from an AM at Capita and from direct dialogue with the Product Manager, is that this offering is NOT a replacement to PA, but will offer some higher level (and hopefully more intutitive and usable) facility for doing, for example, progress summaries for things like 5+ A*-C etc. They are not revamping SIMS AM or PA to do that.

Unfortunately thats as much knowledge as I have - I had hoped by now that we would see a far more detailed description of what it will offer. If Phil Neal is able to offer anything, that would be useful to me and others I'm sure :-)

+1 to that resin1, and also it's not looking set for release any time in the 'near future' I heard from a reliable source on these forums a couple of weeks back.

[Banjo]

Would be interested in your source in making that statement Banjo. If you are referring to Discover, then the line I had received from an AM at Capita and from direct dialogue with the Product Manager, is that this offering is NOT a replacement to PA, but will offer some higher level (and hopefully more intutitive and usable) facility for doing, for example, progress summaries for things like 5+ A*-C etc. They are not revamping SIMS AM or PA to do that.

Unfortunately thats as much knowledge as I have - I had hoped by now that we would see a far more detailed description of what it will offer. If Phil Neal is able to offer anything, that would be useful to me and others I'm sure :-)

A case of Chinese whispers. We were informed that Discover would run side by side with PA for a limited period of time (Nova T4/6), and then PA would be retired. This information came from the product update conference in Milton Keynes a few weeks ago. The annual conference is the 23rd of this month, so it will be interesting to see if their policy has changed.

[resin1]

ok - your info is more current than mine then, and sounds promising. Clearly they are aiming to do what they should do with it!

[vikpaw]

sounds good, but it's a long way off, and will it do what we want. my understanding was that it just used the data you had in sims, am, and pa, and presented it. but being a concept, it can do pretty much whatever you want it to. i mean the minority report style demo was awesome, but at BETT there were still some questions left unanswered.
i'd just be glad to see the dynamic groups function that has been on the cards for a while. i don't want to hear it's all going to be fixed in Discover, as that's a panacea i can't wait for.