Difference between revisions of "Edit PARS grade element"

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===Student review===
 
===Student review===
  
Student review elements are similar to SIMS Assessment Manager aspects. These elements are used for the majority of data collection, and can be reported on using [[grade reports]] or pulled into a [[customised reports|customised report]] for parents. Student review grades do not write back to SIMS though - see the SIMS section below for elements that write back to SIMS. <br> <br>
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Student review elements are similar to SIMS Assessment Manager aspects. These elements are used for the majority of data collection, and can be reported on using [[grade reports]] or pulled into a [[customised reports|customised report]] for parents. Student review grades do not write back to SIMS though - see the SIMS section below for elements that write back to SIMS. <br>
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===On Report===
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An on report element is used when a pupil is placed on report card, as part of the behavioural policy. When pupils are on report, they are usually assessed by their teachers every lesson. You will need one element for each of the things that you would want to assess pupils on e.g. work quietly, behave well, etc. <br> <br>
  
 
==Adding or editing an element==
 
==Adding or editing an element==

Revision as of 09:07, 9 May 2014

Different types of PARS elements

Core

Core grades are used to record grades that pupils only ever receive one of. This would be something like "KS2 entry level" because a pupil only ever gets this grade once.

Gradebook

Gradebook elements are used by staff to create their own markbooks. Once gradebook elements have been created, staff can add extra columns to their grade entry page to record grades about whatever they like - class tests, homework, revision, etc.

Student review

Student review elements are similar to SIMS Assessment Manager aspects. These elements are used for the majority of data collection, and can be reported on using grade reports or pulled into a customised report for parents. Student review grades do not write back to SIMS though - see the SIMS section below for elements that write back to SIMS.

On Report

An on report element is used when a pupil is placed on report card, as part of the behavioural policy. When pupils are on report, they are usually assessed by their teachers every lesson. You will need one element for each of the things that you would want to assess pupils on e.g. work quietly, behave well, etc.

Adding or editing an element

To create a new element, first click the "Add element" button on the top toolbar. This will take you to a new page with tabs at the top. Each of the tabs are explained below.

Basics

You will first see the Basics tab. Here you can enter some of the details about the element you are creating.

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Description

This is the name of the element i.e. Attitude to Learning

Code

Each element in PARS needs to have a code. Each code is made up of two sections, each with a maximum of 3 characters. The first section of the code should abbreviate what the element is, Attitude to Leaning in this case, as well as which year groups it applies to. This element will apply to all year groups, so the first part of the code might be "AL3" (AL for Attitude to Learning, 3 for KS3). The second part of the code should show which subjects the element applies to. This element will be linked to all subjects, so the second section of the code might be "ALL". Your finished code would then be: "AL3_ALL".

Grade scheme

A grade scheme is the equivalent of a grade set in SIMS. It is a list of the grades that staff are allowed to use with this element. PARS has 3 default grade schemes (incremental, comment & percentage) but you can create more via the configure grade schemes page.

Type (not available for On Report elements)

Choose whether the element is going to be Student Review, Gradebook, or Core. See above for details about the different types of element.

Tickboxes

Display only (read only) (not available for On Report elements)
Staff will not be able to enter grades for this element as it is read-only (although there is a permission to overrule this).
Hide when no members
When staff are entering grades, if there are no pupils that this element applies to then the element will be hidden. This setting is very rarely required.
Hidden from grade entry screen
Staff will not be able to enter grades for this element. Grades can still be imported or viewed in grade reports.
Always visible on active view (not available for On Report elements)
PARS can filter teachers' marksheets so that they only see columns for the grades that need to be entered right now. This is called the Active View. You can force elements to appear on Active View (even if they do not need to have grades entered) by using this option. See the enter grades page for more information about Active View.

Priorty

The priorty affects the position of the element on teachers' marksheets. Elements will be grouped together based on their schedule (see below), and then by their priority. So if two elements are both open for grade entry at the same time, the one with the higher priority will appear further left of teachers' marksheets. If two elements are not being assessed at the same time, the one that closes soonest will be furthest left.

Years

Here you can set which year groups the element will apply to. By default all of the years are selected, so untick any year groups that should not be associated to your element.

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Associations

The associations tab links your element to subjects or groups. You can link the element to a subject by clicking the tickbox next to the subject's name. The element will then be associated to all classes in that subject. Note if you deselected any year groups on the "Years" tab (see above) then the element will not be associated to classes in those year groups, regardless of the options you choose on this tab.

If you have selected a subject, then all classes in that subject are selected. If you click on the name of the subject, a drop-down will appear showing all of the classes in that subject. You can exclude any of those classes by ticking them. This is usually done where different classes have different grade schemes, usually because one it BTEC and the other is GCSE or something similar.

You can also select "Associate with all subjects" or "Associate with All tutor groups" to link the element to all classes or form groups respectively. If the element is a Student Review element, then you can choose to link it to user defined groups instead.

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Schedules

A schedule in PARS is like a resultset in SIMS; it is the period where staff can enter grades into the element. You can have multiple schedules for an element, so that staff can enter grades into the element multiple times.

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To create a new schedule, click the calendar icon next to "Start". This will allow you to choose the date where staff will be able to begin entering grades. Then click the calendar icon next to "End". Staff will not be able to enter grades if they have not finished by the time the end date has passed.

You can add extra schedules by click the drop-down and choosing "New schedule", then entering a new set of dates. Alternative you can edit or delete existing schedules by clicking the drop-down and selecting the schedule in question. If a schedule can be deleted you will see a "Delete schedule" button. If grades have been entered for that schedule, then you will not be able to delete it.

If you are creating an On Report element, you should schedule it for the whole academic year.

Affinities (student review elements only)

If you are creating a Student Review element, you can set up affinities. An affinity allows you to exclude pupils from receiving grades for this element. This might be required if you have a class with a mix of BTEC and GCSE pupils, and you want an element to apply only to one group of pupils.

On the affinities tab, there is a drop-down which will show the schedule(s) that you have created for your element. Each schedule can have an affinity. If no pupils' names appear then the element is linked to all pupils. However if you add pupils to the affinities tab, then only the pupils you have added can receive grades.

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