Understanding assessment progress percentages

What the percentage shows

The progress percentage shown on a student's profile is a measure of how much of the curriculum has been assessed and to what standard. It combines two things:

• Coverage: what proportion of the curriculum's indicators have been recorded
• Attainment: the average level of the recorded assessments

A high percentage does not necessarily mean the child is developmentally advanced, it means the teacher has recorded assessments across a wide range of indicators, and those assessments show a reasonable level of attainment. A low percentage early in the year simply means fewer indicators have been observed yet.

How the percentage is calculated per framework

EYFS (Judgement scale)

Emerging = 1 point, Expected = 2 points, Exceeding = 3 points per indicator. The percentage is: (total points earned ÷ maximum possible points) × 100. Maximum possible points = 3 × number of indicators in the assigned age band.

Cambridge Early Years (Rubric 1–4)

Same principle: (sum of rubric scores awarded ÷ maximum possible score) × 100.

Checklist / Montessori (Achieved/Mastered)

Percentage = (items marked Achieved or Mastered ÷ total checklist items) × 100. Items marked Emerging do not count.

NERDC Primary (Numeric)

Progress percentage is not used for NERDC Primary, instead, the academic suite shows subject averages and grade distributions. The percentage on a primary student's profile refers to overall subject completion (how many subjects have marks entered vs. total subjects) rather than academic attainment.

IEYC, HighScope, Reggio (Observation-based)

These frameworks use an "evidence coverage" indicator rather than a traditional percentage, the number of learning areas or KDIs that have at least one linked observation, expressed as a fraction of the total.

Where to see assessment progress

Each student's individual progress percentage is shown on their profile — open the student from the Students list and the percentage displays on the Overview tab. For a curriculum-level breakdown, click the Assessment tab on the student profile, where the assessment form shows a real-time progress indicator as you complete domains.

To compare progress across a class, go to Assessment Reports from the main sidebar. The report view groups students by class section and shows assessment coverage and attainment at a glance. Use it to:

• Spot students with very low assessment coverage early in the term, they may need more focused observation time
• See which curriculum domains have the lowest coverage across the class
• Identify students who are consistently Exceeding across multiple areas, they may need extended activities

Explaining the percentage to parents

If a parent asks what their child's 48% progress means, a clear explanation is:

"This shows that we have formally assessed Adaeze against just under half of the learning objectives for this term. The assessments we have recorded show she is working at the expected level. As we observe more areas throughout the term, the percentage will increase, it is a running total, not a report card grade."

Common mistakes

• Treating 100% as the goal for every child by the end of term, some indicators will never be observed simply because the opportunity did not arise. Complete coverage is aspirational, not mandatory.
• Comparing percentages between children, two children in the same class can have very different percentages for entirely valid reasons. Use it as an individual planning tool.
• Panicking if a parent asks about the percentage without context, it is a tool, not a grade. Prepare a simple explanation ahead of parent evenings.