IHETC School
How real progress is measured
A mark rises for many reasons, some having nothing to do with learning. Here is what we measure instead, and why.
What “progress” means here
A stage is not cleared by time spent but by assessed work. It is the only definition that holds: a pupil can spend three hours on a screen clearing nothing, and twenty minutes clearing a stage. The shape below illustrates the principle — it represents no actual class, and we will not manufacture a curve to look good.
- 1Concept revisited and restated by the pupil
- 2Guided exercise completed unaided
- 3New exercise completed alone
- 4Work assessed by a teacher
Three indicators, and why these
The concept holds over time
A concept passed today and forgotten in three weeks is not learned. It is therefore re-presented later, unannounced.
It transfers
The pupil reuses it in a situation never seen before. The only test that separates understanding from memorisation.
The time is real
Working time is counted, not connection time. An app left open for two hours proves nothing.
What we do not measure, and why
We produce no ranking between pupils: it motivates the top and discourages exactly those who need help. Nor do we count accumulated « points » or badges — a child working for the reward stops when it goes away. What remains are dull, useful indicators: where they stand, what they are stuck on, and since when.
The disengagement alert
It does not trigger on a bad mark but on a halt in progress: several days without advancing, or a topic retried three times without success. That is the signal preceding real disengagement, often by weeks — and precisely the one a termly report card cannot give.