Student Mapping Tool
The Student Mapping Tool is a pre-programmed Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which presents an easy-to-read selection of your school’s data held on the CASES21 student database, used by all Victorian Government schools.
The Tool highlights factors which have been shown to increase the risk of student disengagement and early leaving, and maps the programs and initiatives being used within your school. The data can be used to assess and plan for whole-school needs, and to monitor individual student progress, evaluate the efficacy of the interventions being used, and assists schools in reporting and student management.
To learn more about the Tool and how schools are using it, view these videos
New version of the Student Mapping Tool - Version 3.0
A new version of the Student Mapping Tool, version 3.00, has been released, following a trial in the Western Metropolitan Region. Version 3.0 of the Tool draws on NAPLAN data and information on Year 11 and 12 students from the VASS database. New versions of all documentation, including the 'Extraction Guide' have been released on this website, and provide detailed instructions on how to download and access this new information.
The Student Mapping Tool and the Ultranet
During 2010, all Victorian Government schools began using the Ultranet. One of the aims of the Ultranet is to improve the efficiency of the learning environment and school administration.
Although the Ultranet will greatly improve the information teachers are able to access on students’ learning and their performance, it will not immediately replace all of the functionality of the Student Mapping Tool, and all schools currently using the Tool are advised to continue to do so. The Student Mapping Tool is a rich source of data and targeted information on students, much of which is not yet available on the Ultranet, and under the Wannik Strategy must be used by all Government schools (both primary and secondary) with one or more Koorie student enrolments. For more information about Wannik, please see Wannik Education Strategy for Koorie Students
Microsoft Excel and the Student Mapping Tool
In order to get the most out of the Student Mapping Tool, users need to be proficient users of Microsoft Excel. If you think you, your colleagues or your staff could benefit from improved literacy in Microsoft Excel, please consider undertaking appropriate professional development activities, as this will dramatically improve your use of the Tool.
Engagement with and use of the Student Mapping Tool: Guide to using this website
Versions of the Student Mapping Tool have been used in many Victorian schools since 2005. Observation of those schools suggests that there are different ‘levels of engagement’ with the Tool, and most schools begin simply and move on to richer and more sophisticated uses over time. For this reason, these web-based resources have been designed to support schools through a series of 6 ‘levels of engagement’:
1. Obtain your own school’s data
2. Understand what the data can tell you about your students
3. Understand what your school is currently doing to support students
4. Identify student needs and plan for the future
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of support programs and interventions
Please remember that these are not strictly sequential steps. Schools will choose their own path through these levels of engagement. However, you should engage fully at levels 1, 2 and 3 before moving on in order to get the most out of the Tool.
At all levels of engagement, you must consider the privacy issues associated with the information contained in the Tool:
- Who needs to see the spreadsheet and who just needs to receive whole-school statistics?
- Who needs to use the spreadsheet but doesn’t need to see individual student names?
- Who needs to see information about all students, and who only needs information on a certain group of students (e.g. Year level, Koorie, refugee etc)?
- Under what circumstances can you share what information in the Tool with another organisation?
- Your use of the Tool should always comply with the Privacy Guide to the Student Mapping Tool (Word - 1.5Mb)
Care needs to be taken that the Tool is not used to publicly label, stereotype or reduce the school’s expectations of a particular student or group of students.