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Episode 2: There is more than one type of progress! – hosted by Dale Pickles & Jon Twycross, B Squared
Progress is the difference in attainment or achievement between two dates. Simple, right? So is there really more than one type of progress? The short answer is: very much so.
In episode 2, Dale and Jon explain the different types of progress you can show for pupils with SEND, what each one tells you, and how to decide which report to use for the child in front of you.
in this episode
- The difference between attainment and achievement, and why the two words are so often used interchangeably.
- Linear progress: what a pupil can do independently on their current level, and why it is the only measure most systems offer.
- Non-linear progress: including what a pupil can do on the levels above, and why it matters for pupils with a “spiky” profile. How we show this in our assessment system Connecting Steps.
- Why you can start assessing on the next level before the current level is complete.
- Engagement and achievement: using the yellows and oranges to show small steps of progress when nothing is turning green.
- How Evisense can show a skill being used beyond the classroom.
- Which report to use, and why there is no single report to run for every pupil with SEND.
- Why non-linear and engagement progress can’t be averaged for a group, and why that matters.
One number doesn’t work
SEND data is more complicated. People use B Squared because we have the smaller steps. Trying to have one set of values, one graph to represent all those children, makes no sense.
— Dale Pickles
Free guide – seeing every step of progress
Dale has written a guide to the four types of progress you can show in Connecting Steps and Evisense: linear, non-linear, engagement and achievement, and photo and video evidence. It explains what each one tells you, what the charts look like, and which reports to use to see them.
Download GuideUseful links
- Student Progress report (linear progress)
- Student Non-Linear Progress report
- Student Assessments Achieved report
- Student Assessments Changed report
- Student Achievement Progress report
- Student Achievements on Multiple Levels report
- Viewing small steps of progress using the donut charts
- Student Multiple Subject Donuts report
- Student Next Steps report
- Troubleshooting Reports
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Hosted by
Dale & Jon
B Squared
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about the hosts
Dale Pickles
Managing Director, B Squared
Dale is Managing Director of B Squared and has spent over 20 years working alongside schools to show the small steps of progress that matter most for pupils with SEND. He hosts regular conversations with teachers, SENCOs and sector experts on what genuinely effective assessment looks like in the classroom.
Jon Twycross
Technology Director, B Squared
Jon is Technology Director at B Squared, responsible for the development of Connecting Steps, Evisense and B Squared’s wider assessment tools. He works closely with schools to make sure the software stays practical, reliable and genuinely useful for staff on the ground.
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About B Squared Unlocked
B Squared Unlocked is our new podcast for schools using B Squared’s assessment tools. Each episode, Dale and Jon (sometimes joined by a guest) unpack a topic around assessment and progress for pupils with SEND – with one goal: better outcomes for every learner.
