[sims] New 9-1 Grades

[tben2505]

Since most subjects will be moving to this in September for YEAR 10, how are people adapting their templates/reports etc...?

 

I can see no easier way than to create new aspects to house these new grades (since existing aspects are associated with incompatible grade sets)

 

Anyone done any work on this yet - or waiting until the summer hols!?

 

T

[PhilNeal]

We have issued a new resource pack (AMPARK) with all of these defined. Use our ones to get Progress & Attainment 8 "out of the box" analysis.

[bobsmith]

I created new aspects anyway as we are dual reporting where appropriate.

 

There's only about 25 subjects here so 25 aspects needed creating for grades, didn't take too long.

[tben2505]

New aspects and I have to adjust templates too - annoyingly have lots of templates with GCSE aspects integrated with Yellis and formulas, so it's not as quick as just creating the new aspects.

 

Grr.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

We have issued a new resource pack (AMPARK) with all of these defined. Use our ones to get Progress & Attainment 8 "out of the box" analysis.

 

As an independent school we don't need most of these resources - thanks though!

[CAM]

We have issued a new resource pack (AMPARK) with all of these defined. Use our ones to get Progress & Attainment 8 "out of the box" analysis.

 

Are they the ones starting with Act and Tgt? Also they have fine grades but the values are the same for all steps in a grade. I might start using these from September.

[Banjo]

Remember to change your points values in your aspect for GCSE's to 1-8 this year, in preparation for a move to a 1-9 grading system in the following years.

You couldn't make this stuff up?

[RootsSchImp]

It's annoying to have to update lots of templates but as this is something I do a lot, here's my top tip for speeding up the process:

 

KEYS! The keys are your friend, the mouse is your enemy, so after (inevitably) clicking to add a new column and select it's type, use N for the next screen, enter to open aspect/resultset screens and type-tab-space to select. The first letter of a formula to select formula type, multiple times if necessary (so pressing M once gives you MAX, twice MEAN etc). When editing formulas O for OK and U for update. If you've been editing a typeable field (like column heading) you need to use alt as well as the shortcut key. If you're adding lots of formulas columns for one type of aspect (say you're colour coding current grades) SIMS 'remembers' category associations so restrict the aspect list to the category you want, then if the aspects begin with subject code you can select them from the list with one or two keystrokes (typing takes you through aspects lists even when there's no search box).

 

As with learning to touch type you might find it's a little slower at first but the pay off is massive when you internalise the commands.

 

Phil, if you're still following could we have a keyboard shortcut for adding a new column from the template screen please? (or even better five shortcuts, one for each type of column entry). Thanks Ed

[PhilNeal]

@RootsSchlmp please detail this in a change request. We're redesigning AM at the moment.

[RootsSchImp]

Thanks @PhilNeal, is there a way to submit change requests outside of supportnet? I'm an independent consultant so I don't have a support log in.

[Ecclesbury]

I'm happy to add a change request. It would be good to catch all issues in one. Are there any other common actions that don't have a keyboard shortcut? Is there a definitive list anywhere of all of the shortcut commands?

 

That main template page seems to be crying out for shortcuts for New, Open and the move up and down buttons. Are any of these available?

[bobsmith]

If you want another huge time saver - when you do a replace on "resultset" why does the list contain ALL resultsets rather than those that are actually in use in that particular template?

[123sch]

...and "replace with" could then default to the "replaced" so that you only have select the one below, Y7 Assessment 1 to Y7 Assessment 2, for example.

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

A tip for swapping grade type aspects, if you are creating new ones, give them the same gradeset as the ones you want to swap them with. Then clone your template and use the aspect swapping routine to change the aspects tot he new ones, then before entering any results in the new aspects you can change their gradeset to any other gradeset you want and just tweak the formulas. This has saved me hours of re-creating formulas when needing to make fundamental changes to grade type aspects.

[RootsSchImp]

Great suggestions for changes everyone. To summarise what we're requesting:

 

On Focus| Assessment| Template:

 

1, Keyboard Shortcut for New Column for Data Entry

2, Keyboard Shortcut for New Column for Data Review

3, Keyboard Shortcut for New Column for Data Entry using Formula

4, Keyboard Shortcut for New Column for Data Review using Formula

5, Keyboard Shortcut for New Column for Additional Information

6, Keyboard Shortcut for Open Column

7, Keyboard Shortcut for Zoom

8, Keyboard Shortcut for Move Up

9, Keyboard Shortcut for Move Up 5

10, Keyboard Shortcut for Move Down

11, Keyboard Shortcut for Move Down 5

12, Keyboard Shortcut for Replace Resultset

13, In replace resultset: Resultset to be replaced list restricted to resultsets which exist on the template

14, In replace resultset: Resultset to replace defaults to the position in the list of all resultsets of the resultset to be replaced.

15, 'View Gradeset' button on the open column pop up for columns that have a grade aspect (this would be v handy for checking formula entries have the right syntax)

16, Keyboard shortcut for the 'View Gradeset' button.

 

I think this is everything we've said - if anyone can think of more add them to the list, then when it's done, @Ecclesbury has kindly agreed to submit the request.

[PhilNeal]

I'll copy these to our product manager.

Thanks everyone

Phil

[tben2505]

I have just discovered "GRADE SET VERSIONS" which means you don't have to make new aspects, amend individual reports, or change templates.

 

I'm pretty sure this will work as I did a test in a template; and I can't see why it won't work in an individual report:

 

On your gradeset, where it says VERSIONS, click NEW

 

This allows you to add a new date range where a new set of grades will "take over" from the old ones, and subsuquently be applied to any aspect that uses that grade set.

 

So with one change to my GCSE Grade set (currently, of course, A*-U) to a new "version" of 1-9 - everything is sorted!

 

I'm surprised no one else has brought this up? Though I've never seen it before - perhaps it's a new addition.

[123sch]

Wont that be tricky for those transition years - Maths Y10 9-1 and Y11 A*-C; History Y10 points 8.5-1 and Y9 9-1. Edited March 18, 2016 by 123sch

[tben2505]

Not sure what you mean with History - have I missed something?

 

And with Maths it's fine as we'll only be recording 9-1 from Sep 16, where both Y10 AND Y11 will be doing it.

[bobsmith]

I think he means not every subject will be going over at the same time.

 

So if you've changed your gradeset to 9-1 then it will affect ALL subjects now.

[tben2505]

I think he means not every subject will be going over at the same time.

 

So if you've changed your gradeset to 9-1 then it will affect ALL subjects now.

 

Yes I'm aware of that - and as I said that's not an issue for us.

 

I was wondering what he meant with 8.5-1 and History.

[bobsmith]

The unreformed GCSE point score fudge perhaps? http://www.edugeek.net/forums/mis-systems/167757-iferror-lookups.html @Banjo posted the point score table in that thread.

[123sch]

Sorry, our current Y9s are on a 3yr GCSE, 9-1, with our current Y10s having the skewed 8.5-1.

[Banjo]

Sorry, our current Y9s are on a 3yr GCSE, 9-1, with our current Y10s having the skewed 8.5-1.

 

 

Your current Y9 will need to be recorded as 1-9 grade and a 1-9 point score assuming they are all doing reformed GCSE's across the board in 2018. If they aren't, then you will also need to record A*-G for some subjects with the points values of 8.5 to 1. The Gradeset will accept duplicate points values i.e, a grade 'G'=1pt and a grade '1'=1pt. The issue you have is if you try to turn points back into a grade. AM then has a choice of either a G or a grade 1 :-(

 

Once you have updated your gradeset, the result date becomes all important in the points values. Especially so if you have any calculated aspects in the template as the date of the result is now one of the variables to the points value of the grades entered.