Overview

This article explains how to view and interpret student Flight Paths. In Sisra Analytics, student Flight Paths graphically represent the performance of individual students across particular data sets compared with their expected performance (across terms).

Controlled by your Sista Administrator, the expectations for students are taken from the expected grades that have been entered into your school’s EAPs (based on the student’s baseline / starting point).

Prerequisites

• Your Sisra Administrator must have generated the Flight Paths. 

Instructions

Follow these steps to view a student's Flight Path:

1. Select REPORTS.
2. Select KS3/4.
3. Select the Cohort (either a Current cohort or Leavers cohort).
4. Select which Year of the selected cohort’s data you want to view, for example, the reports from when the students were in Year 11.
5. Choose the data set you wish to view.
6. Ensure Take me to the reports is selected, then select a report, for example, Whole Cohort, Qualifications or Students.
7. From the report:
   
   
   1. Select View (if not selected)
   2. Select Student Detail.
   3. Select Overview.
   4. Select Students.
8. Select a Student:
   
9. After the student's details load, scroll down the page until you find the Flight Path section.

Outcome

The Flight Path is displayed:

1. Select a qualification from the subject menu
2. Select the Flight Path type from either Plotted Expectation or Line of Best Fit (if your Sisra Administrator has generated both). 
3. Select (hamburger icon) to download the Flight Path as an image. 

Interpreting Flight Paths

Select a Flight Path type below to understand what it shows and how to interpret it:

• Plotted Expectation

  This chart is especially useful for schools that use the same grade method from KS3 to KS4.

  This Plotted Expectation Flight Path plots a line of expectation using all the individual expected grades from each term, that have been entered into the EAP for that qualification (controlled by your Sisra Administrator). Because these grades can differ each term, the line often changes to reflect those specific expectations.

  

  In the example above, two lines are plotted:

  1. A dotted line shows the pupil's expected grades each term.
  2. A solid line shows the student’s performance across each term, based on the grades uploaded into the data sets / assessments chosen by your Sisra Administrator.

  You can see at which points the student is Above, On, and Below track  by comparing the actual performance (solid line) with the expected performance (dotted line).

• Line of Best Fit

  This chart is especially useful for schools who use a combination of grade methods across KS3 and KS4, for example, On, Above, and Below in KS3 and then official GCSE 9-1 in KS4.

  The Line of Best Fit Flight Path plots a line of expectation using just the student’s first and final expectation that have been set in the EAP for that qualification (controlled by your Sisra Administrator):

  

  In the example above two lines are plotted:

  1. A dotted line starts with the student’s initial expected grade (for Y7 Term 1) and progresses at a steady incline towards the final expectation of a grade 4 in the KS4 exams.
  2. A solid line shows the student’s performance across each term, based on the grades uploaded into the data sets / assessments chosen by your Sisra Administrator.

  You can see at which points the student is Above, On, and Below track  by comparing the actual performance (solid line) with the expected performance (dotted line).

Flight Paths are plotted against the number of master grades included in your grade method, rather than the points that are awarded for each grade within the method. Therefore, if a student has achieved a grade worth the same points across two flight path points, these could show as above/below each other based on their ranking in the method. This is so that the flight paths show an incline towards the KS4 Ending Point.

Related information

• Sisra Analytics: How do I generate Flight Paths?

Updated 06 October 2025 10:34