[sims] Assessment for Departments

[tben2505]

Dear all,

 

I'm stuck trying to think of an efficient way to set up internal, departmental marksheets, to record modular marks, and an overall total mark, %, and grade.

 

Obviously it's easy to do. But I want to future proof them for years and years to come.

 

My instinct was to generically name the aspects and reference the module titles in the NOTES on the template, so an eg aspect for English Y10 would be called:

 

Dep_Y10_En_Module 1_Mark

 

And "Module 1 = Macbeth" would be written in the notes, and so on.

 

This way I can just change the notes every year, and keep the marksheets, with as many modules as I like, eg 6 (even if they're not used) and then get the rolling averages at the end, and a grade (according to their boundaries).

 

However, because they want to use marks, and the marks are different for each module and each year - it makes this approach impossible.

 

Eg this aspect: Dep_Y10_En_Module 1_Mark is out of 56. However next year, it may be out of 40. I won't, therefore be able to change it year on year.

 

You could say leave it open, make it out of, say, 120, and then it can take any value, year on year. However, this won't allow for percentages to be calculated (per module) and even the "TOTAL" end column % will still have to be changed in the aspect details to reflect its new maximum total every year, in order to generate the % (and therefore grade.)

 

So, short of creating aspects every year, for example, like this:

 

Dep_Y10_2016_En_Module 1_Mark

 

I can't think of a way round.

 

I suppose I could create just a new TOTAL mark every year but it still doesn't feel correct.

 

I know I could insist they just use % throughout, and that would be perfect - but I think there's value in displaying the marks, and also having SIMS calculate the % for them.

 

Any thoughts!?

 

Cheers

 

T

[bobsmith]

Every time I think about going down this route I end up chickening out and just helping them make spreadsheets that do it.

 

The problem is that teachers (quite correctly) don't want SIMS to be wagging the dog, so it's gotta be in the format they use. SIMS doesn't really work that way.

 

If everyone did their conversions into percentages that would be great - but the teachers are interested in grade boundaries, not percentages - so again a non starter.

 

You could leave each modules marks open (120 or whatever) but then do a percentage column next to it that YOU specify the total in. This would work until some bugger comes along with a module out of 140!!!

 

SIMS sadly isn't the answer to everything.

[Banjo]

I'd go with a aspect called TOTAL and assign a mark for all students to it at the start of every term/year and then hide it on the template/marksheet. This is the only was to calculate % and then convert to grades without swapping out all your aspects for new ones each time.

[tben2505]

I've just solved it!

 

There are VERSIONS for the marks integer, so an aspect can be out of 56 one academic year, and 156 the next - much the same as grade set versions!

 

Just means I have to add the new version every year which is a pain but at least I don't have to touch the templates

 

In fact I'll just do this version for the TOTAL and leave the modules open, since there's no value in % per module IMO.

[tben2505]

I've created versions up to 2025 - running each academic year.

 

They're all out of 100 at the moment, but I just need to change them every time the new modules come in to whatever the new total is, for that particular version, then the marksheets and therefore % will still be accurate

 

I've obviously done this for 1 subject so when I copy for others, I don't have to add the versions again for each aspect

 

[Banjo]

I think this is the long way of doing it. If you had created as aspect called "Total out of" and block filled it against all students with the theoretical max total each year it would have been quicker. You could also have tagged it against a result set to change the year.

[tben2505]

I think this is the long way of doing it. If you had created as aspect called "Total out of" and block filled it against all students with the theoretical max total each year it would have been quicker. You could also have tagged it against a result set to change the year.

 

There's no real difference in the two methods. Either way you're telling SIMS the total, and have to do this every year - whether its by unhiding, then pasting a value into an entire column on a marksheet, then hiding it again (on multiple marksheets), or using a version on an aspect.

 

Your method, as well as being slightly clumsy doesn't account for pupils moving into new subjects, new pupils joining school - and would need to be amended every time that happens, so it's not ideal; it does the trick but it's less refined.

[Banjo]

There's no real difference in the two methods. Either way you're telling SIMS the total, and have to do this every year - whether its by unhiding, then pasting a value into an entire column on a marksheet, then hiding it again (on multiple marksheets), or using a version on an aspect.

 

Your method, as well as being slightly clumsy doesn't account for pupils moving into new subjects, new pupils joining school - and would need to be amended every time that happens, so it's not ideal; it does the trick but it's less refined.

 

You could probably split the aspect (data entry with formula) with a 'calculate on save/entry' to pick up the stragglers or those moving groups and also added all these 'total' aspects into a master template/marksheet to update at the start of the year. Just be careful in Sept when staff are entering/amending marks for students from the previous year they go into the right 'grade' version.

[tben2505]

You could probably split the aspect (data entry with formula) with a 'calculate on save/entry' to pick up the stragglers or those moving groups and also added all these 'total' aspects into a master template/marksheet to update at the start of the year. Just be careful in Sept when staff are entering/amending marks for students from the previous year they go into the right 'grade' version.

 

Yes - entering data for previous years would be tricky - however changing the group membership and/or result date will fix this - and would be necessary for both methods in any event