What it shows
Teachers have term marks in spreadsheets but rarely get quick views of weak topics, class comparisons or students at risk. A Streamlit dashboard reads a marks file and shows distributions, correlations and a list of students needing help, which teaches data handling, statistics and responsible use of student data.
The science
Pandas groups and summarises the marks. Histograms show the distribution, box plots show spread and outliers, and a correlation matrix shows how subjects move together. Z-scores identify students far below the class mean. Streamlit turns a Python script into a web page with widgets, so a teacher can filter without coding.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- A laptop with Python 3, pandas, plotly and Streamlit
- An invented marks data set of 120 students across 6 subjects and 3 terms generated with random numbers
- A browser
- A notebook for the design
Safety
For this project: Use only invented data. Real marks are private and must not be used without permission from the school and parents.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
12 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Generate the invented data with numpy so that subjects are correlated and a few students are weak, and save it as CSV.
Write the load function with caching and basic validation of columns and ranges.
Add sidebar filters for class, subject and term.
Show key numbers: class average, pass percentage and highest score for the selected subject.
Plot histograms and box plots of marks for the subject.
Plot a line chart of average marks over the three terms for each subject.
Calculate a correlation matrix and show it as a heat map, with a sentence on what it means.
List students whose marks fell by more than 15 percent between terms or are below the pass mark in two subjects.
Add a download button for the at-risk list as CSV.
Write notes on how the dashboard should be used and misused, such as ranking children publicly.
Test with a second data set with missing values and fix the failures.
Write the report with screenshots, design choices and the ethics section.
What you should see
The dashboard loads instantly, updates charts as filters change, finds the planted at-risk students and exports the list. The ethics section explains how to protect student privacy.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1What does a box plot show?
The median, the quartiles and outliers of the data.
2What is a z-score?
The number of standard deviations a value lies from the mean.
3Why does correlation not mean cause?
Two subjects can move together because of a third factor such as attendance.
4Why use invented data?
Student marks are personal data that need consent and protection.
Take it further
Add a simple prediction of the final term marks from the first two terms with a regression line and show the error.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
Computer & office
Excel Formulas Workbook
Sixty formulas and functions, each with a worked example from school, shop or office