Sisra Analytics: KS5 - How does Sisra Analytics apply discounting at Key Stage 5?

Overview

This article explains discounting and how it is applied at Key Stage 5 in Sisra Analytics. 

Definition

Discounting is the approach taken when calculating a school's performance data to ensure that when a student sits two or more overlapping or similar qualifications, only one qualification counts for school performance purposes (although all count for the student).

DfE discounting principles

Discounting in KS5 is based on discounting principles outlined in the DfE’s 16 to 18 Discounting Guidance. Put simply:

  1. If two qualifications share the same discount code, they are seen as covering similar content, for example, AS Maths and A Level Maths.
  2. If a student passes a larger qualification (like an A Level) that overlaps with a smaller one (like an AS Level), then:
    • The larger qualification counts for the school.
    • The smaller one is discounted (ignored for school performance purposes).
  3. If the student fails the bigger of the qualifications, for example, if they fail the A Level but pass the AS Level, then:
    • The AS points count for performance measures.
    • The entry size is still based on the A Level (i.e. more weighting for the school, even though the student failed it).
  4. Where qualifications are the same size, only the one with the higher point score is counted.
  5. If qualifications are equal in size and points, one should be picked randomly (this only happens in rare circumstances).

Discounting in Sisra Analytics

Matching Page

Discounting is applied automatically in Sisra Analytics based on the setup of your Matching page:

This page is completed by entering the QN codes for the qualifications your students take and matching them to the official DfE qualification (see Sisra Analytics: KS5 - How do I complete the Matching Page? (Admin).

Sisra Analytics uses information to identify how your qualification should count, and will display the Official Discount Code in italics below, next to the performance cohort. This information (alongside discounting families) is taken from the DfE's Qualifications and Discount Codes spreadsheet.

Any qualifications that share identical Discount Codes and are within the same discounting family outlined by the DfE, will have best grade discounting applied. This means that where one student is taking two or more qualifications sharing identical official discount codes, the school can only take credit for one of those grades in the performance tables and that would be the best grade.

This is determined by Sisra Analytics based on the value of the points and entries for a student's uploaded grades.. For example, if you have some students taking AS qualification worth 0.5 entry such as AS Maths,who then take A2 Maths worth 1 full entry, the AS grade will be discounted and the A2 grade will count in the school's Headlines (unless they failed the A2).

Sub grades are also taken into account when applying best grade discounting.

Reports

If a student takes two or more qualifications that discount one another, the discounted grades will be flagged with a Discounting icon in the Student Detail Reports. It is flagged on school-based performance reports, for example, the Headlines Summary view. This indicates that this grade will not be counted in the school’s performance measures:

Related information

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