KS3/4 - How are KS4 'Residuals' calculated?

This article provides an in depth look at KS4 residuals in the KS4 Reports of Analytics and how it is calculated. This can help with troubleshooting figures, or for those who are interested in the detail behind the calculations.

What are Residuals?

There are two types of residuals calculated in the reports, grade-based and attitude to learning based, explained further below:

Grade-based Residuals

These residuals are calculated based on a student's performance in a particular subject/qualification, and are used to to compare the relative performance of qualifications, faculties, classes, and students. They aim to represent how well a qualification, faculty, class, or individual student has performed in comparison with how the same students have performed across all of the qualifications (with points) they have taken. They’re based on the performance of your students in the report you’re viewing.

In KS3/4 of Analytics, you can have subjects/qualifications with custom points set up by your school, or official points. As such, in instances where a mixture of points are used for a cohort, two separate types of residuals will be generated.

Attitude to Learning (AtL) Residuals

AtL residuals are based on a students judgement in specific AtL categories set up in your school (e.g. Behaviour, Homework, etc.). These can be used to compare the pastoral judgements in a category for students in a specific class, qualification, or faculty with the judgements in that category for the same students across all of their qualifications. For example, how the student's behaviour in one qualification compares to their average behaviour across all qualifications they take.

Note: AtL residuals are only available where average points or average judgements are used.

Calculating Student Residuals

Student residuals can be used to compare a student’s performance in a particular qualification/AtL category with how they’re performing on average across all of their qualifications.

They are calculated firstly for each subject/qualification based on the type of points awarded (custom/official attainment 8). 

Note: As Residuals are based on student performance, Analytics will include all students (including guests) and all grades. Grades that have been discounted and do not count towards Headline measures will still be included in Residuals.

Calculating Class/Qualification/Faculty Residuals

Once student Residuals have been calculated, Analytics can produce class, qualification, and faculty Residuals.

Class Residuals

Class Residuals compare the performance of students in a class to how those same students are performing overall across all of their qualifications with the same point scale. These are calculated by taking the sum of the individual student Residuals and dividing this by the number of students in the class.

Qualification/Subject Residuals

Qualification Residuals compare the performance of students in a qualification to how those same students are performing overall, across all of their qualifications with the same point scale. These are calculated by taking the sum of the individual student Residuals and dividing this by the number of students in the qualification.

Faculty Residuals

Faculty Residuals compare the performance of students in a faculty to how those same students are performing overall across all of their qualifications with the same point scale. These are calculated by taking the sum of the individual student Residuals and dividing this by the total number of student Residuals in the faculty.

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