This lesson will show you how to create a student group, specifically for Elementary Report Cards. Student Groups allow you to classify students by any category of your choosing so you can share access to those students with other users and/or view the site and its reports through the lens of that group.
Each report card is assigned to a particular group of students or a Student Group. For report card purposes, traditionally each student group is made up of specific students by grade level or program, that are to receive a specific report card. For example, all First Graders are to receive a First Grade Report Card. I need to create a student group called "RC Grade 1". When I create the Report Card Template, I will assign it to student group "RC Grade 1".
Special Scenarios:
- When specific groups of students are needed, it is best to create a quick Custom Report.
- One of the sites has a different Report Card than the rest of the district. They will need a separate Student Group such as "IES Grade 1", because it is only for that site. The group must be created with first grade students and shared to users at the site IES only.
- Illuminate supports supplemental Report Cards (i.e., English Language or Special Education). Because they have a separate report card, they will need to have their own Student Group such as "EL Grade 1".
Where to Start
- Click Students.
- Under the General section, select Student Groups.
- Click Create Group.
Create a Group
- Enter a Group Name for your student group. It is advised for Report Cards to add a "RC" in front of the grade level. That way, the convention suggestions to not tamper with this group because it is tied to report cards.
- Click Create to create the group. Once created, it will take you to the Student Group Details page.
- Select Cancel if you need to stop and not create the group.
- To see a list of all student groups created select Group List.
- To edit or change the title, click in the field Group Name.
- For report card based student groups, you DO NOT need Visibility, or the ability to use this group in reports, control panel, etc. This group is mainly for attaching to a report card.
- To build or add students for report card purposes, you may use one of three Data Sources:
- Grade Levels to select all first grade students; most common
- Programs to select all students (regardless of grade level) that are English Learners or Special Education; special scenario typically for supplemental report cards
- Reports to use a student set from a previously created Custom Report such as "EL Grade 1", to create a group containing only first graders that are English Learners; special scenario for supplemental report cards
- Use the available Print Options at any time to print a list of student groups.
- The Summary shows how the group is created or which students make up the student group.
1. Select the data source Grade Levels.
2. Select the Grade Level(s) for the student group.
3. Select Update Grade Levels to save changes.
4. Once saved, the Summary will display all grade levels applied to this student group.
That's it! Just repeat the above steps for each group of students that are to receive a report card.
Using a combination of data sources will not filter and refine, but add to the student set. For example, if the grade level first grade and program English Learners made up this group, the group would contain ALL first grade students and ALL students who are English Learners, regardless of grade level. If a student group of this kind is needed, Create a Student Group from a Custom Report.
Where Do I See This On the Report Card Setup Process?
When you get to the step of Creating Report Cards, a required field is called Student Group. Because student groups have to be assigned to the report card, it must be created beforehand.
Next Steps
Now that you have completed this step, you are ready for Step 4 - Create Print Groups.