Visualizing Student Performance: Creating a Heat Map

 

A heat map can effectively visualize the data from the sources by representing student performance on various skills with different colors. The intensity of the color would correspond to the magnitude of the deficit or surplus compared to the national average.

Here's a step-by-step guide to creating a heat map:

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Choose a data set: Decide which data from the sources you want to visualize. For example, you could create a heat map for:

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All Grade 1 skills at Green Bank.

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All Grade 5 math skills at Green Bank.

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National scores for "Use of past tense" across all available grades.

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Organize your data: Create a table or spreadsheet to organize the selected data. The table should include the following columns:

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Skill Name

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Grade Level

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Local Score (if applicable)

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National Score

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Score Difference (Local Score - National Score)

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Select a color scheme: Choose a color gradient that represents the range of score differences.

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For example:

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Red: Significant deficit (large negative score difference)

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Orange: Moderate deficit

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Yellow: Small deficit

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Green: At or near national average (score difference close to zero)

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Blue: Small surplus

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Dark Blue: Significant surplus (large positive score difference)

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Assign colors to score differences: Determine the range of score differences that will be assigned to each color. For example:

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Red: Score difference less than -15

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Orange: Score difference between -15 and -5

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Yellow: Score difference between -5 and 0

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Green: Score difference between 0 and 5

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Blue: Score difference between 5 and 15

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Dark blue: Score difference greater than 15

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Create the heat map: You can create a heat map using:

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Spreadsheet software: Programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets allow you to create heat maps by applying conditional formatting to your data table.

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Data visualization tools: Specialized software or online platforms like Tableau, Power BI, or Datawrapper offer more advanced features and customization options for creating visually appealing and interactive heat maps.

 

Example Heat Map

 

Here's an example of how a heat map could visualize Grade 2 math skills at Green Bank, using the data from our conversation:

Skill	Grade Level	Local Score	National Score	Score Difference	Color
Computation/Subtraction	2	50	67	-17	Red
Recognize Identity Element	2	63	78	-15	Red
Identify Numbers from Expanded Notation	2	54	68	-14	Orange
Identify Fractions	2	69	82	-13	Orange
Identify Appropriate Arithmetic Operation	2	58	69	-11	Orange
Count Coins	2	79	89	-10	Orange
Identify Numbers to 1000	2	58	64	-6	Yellow
Skip Counting	2	63	65	-3	Yellow
Determine Elapsed Time	2	54	56	-2	Yellow
Identify Place Value	2	58	60	-2	Yellow
Reason Logically	2	52	53	-1	Yellow

In this example, the heat map clearly shows that "Computation/Subtraction" and "Recognize Identity Element" are areas of significant concern for Grade 2 students at Green Bank, while skills like "Identify Numbers to 1000" and "Skip Counting" exhibit smaller deficits.

Benefits of Using a Heat Map

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Visual representation: Heat maps make it easier to quickly identify patterns and trends in the data.

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Easy comparison: They allow for easy comparison of performance across different skills, grade levels, or even schools.

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Effective communication: Heat maps can effectively communicate complex data to a wider audience, including teachers, administrators, and parents.

By creating a heat map using the data provided in the sources, you can gain a more intuitive and comprehensive understanding of student performance at Green Bank Elementary.