TL_DR: The Mastery Heatmap is a visual tool that shows you exactly how your students are doing with specific skills, helping you spot learning trends and gaps at a glance.
When you are teaching a group of students—whether it is a small family pod or a large tutoring group—tracking everyone's progress can be tricky. The Mastery Heatmap makes this easy by turning your data into a color-coded grid. This helps you see where the whole group is strong and where they might need extra help.
What is the Mastery Heatmap?
The Heatmap is a special part of your group analytics. It shows your students' names on the left side and specific high-level skills along the top. Each box in the grid shows a student's current skill level. This is powered by SparkAI, which looks at their finished work to see what they have learned.
Green tones: These show high levels of mastery. The student understands the topic well.
Yellow tones: These mean the student is still practicing and needs more time.
Red or Gray tones: These show a learning gap where the student is struggling or hasn't started the topic yet.
Using the Heatmap to Spot Trends
The best part of the Heatmap is seeing patterns across your whole group. Instead of looking at students one by one, you can look at one skill column. If the whole column is yellow or red, you know it is time for a group review session on that topic.
This information updates automatically. Every time a student finishes a lesson and you give feedback, SparkAI updates their Mastery Profile. The Heatmap changes instantly to show the new data.
💡 Good to know: If you see a gap for many students, use the SparkAI lesson generator to create a group review session focused on that specific skill.
Managing Multiple Tutors and Groups
If you are running an agency, you can filter the Heatmap to see specific tutors or student pods. This helps you see which groups are moving fast and which ones need more support. It is a great way to make sure everyone is getting a high-quality education.
For more help with setting up groups, check out our guide on Managing Tutors and Students in an Agency Organization.
How to Access Your Heatmap
Log in to your Admin Dashboard.
Click on the Performance tab.
Select Mastery Heatmap from the menu.
Use the filters at the top to choose the Subject, Grade Level, or Student Group you want to see.
Great job! You are now using data to help your students succeed. By finding these trends early, you can keep every learner on the right track within your LearnSpark experience.
⚠️ Heads up: The Heatmap needs you to log lessons regularly. If SparkAI doesn't have enough data, some boxes may look empty. Make sure to log all activities to keep the data accurate!
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does the Heatmap update?
The Heatmap updates in real-time. As soon as a lesson is marked complete and processed by SparkAI, the student's mastery score and the Heatmap box will refresh.
Can I export this data for parents?
Yes! You can download a PDF of a student's personal progress from the Performance tab. While the Heatmap is for teachers, the reports are perfect for sharing with families.
Why are some skills showing a "gap" even if we haven't taught them yet?
The Heatmap compares your students' current skills against the Expected Learning Levels you set. If a skill is required for their grade but they haven't learned it yet, it will show as a gap.
Does using the Heatmap cost credits?
Viewing the Heatmap is free. However, when SparkAI updates a student's Mastery Profile after a lesson, it uses your monthly credit balance.