This lesson is a System Admin's Guide to building Elementary Report Cards in support of Points-Based Grading. This means the use of points and averages make up the child(ren)'s overall mark in an area or by standards.
Before You Get Started
Gradebook Training Plan
Training is essential to any implementation that you may indulge in. Illuminate Gradebooks and Report Cards are no exception!
Training is key, even with this traditional and common practice of points, averages, and percentages.
- Points-Based Gradebook Training for Teachers Beginning of School Year, even for new and returning teachers on gradebook creation, managing assignments, using Custom Marks, Tags, and Categories. This training should also include how to manage assignments for Report Cards (depending on setup) whether they link standards in the assignment or link the assignment to an area on the report card.
- Gradebook Follow-Up, Refresher, and Linking Assessments An early to mid-Grading Period check is also helpful to refresh grading practices, assist in changes necessary by Leadership, and encourage the use of Assessment Linking. This is a great check point on hoping to grab a few teachers who haven't started but also
- Report Card Entry for Teachers A week or two prior the entry window, provide grade level entry trainings to teachers on gradebook data linking, various entry options, and printing.
It is not secret that teachers, students, and parents, do not like surprises. We recommend that when building a Points-Based Report Card, is not a surprise to any member of the audience. For a number of reasons, this supports:
Teachers, so that if grading is conducted as expected and taught, report cards shouldn't be too much of a surprise.
Parents are given an official document or information on the progress of their child(ren). Afterall, it is just a parent's guide to their child(ren)'s growth, is it not?
Bottom line is share the document with teachers from the beginning, even the very first gradebook training. This way the reason for practice is clear and the outcome is the Elementary Report Card.
Where to Start
Most likely, you have already begun the Elementary Report Card setup process. The following setup elements are in support of linking Points-Based Gradebooks to the Elementary Report Card.
Gradebook Practices and Training
From the start, if teachers use gradebook appropriately and in support of Report Card, the end of the grading period will not be as stressful, but a celebration!
Teachers will need to associate their assignments to the appropriate standards. Assignments can be linked to multiple standards where the score will automatically distribute in all the fields that the standard is setup in. This can potentially make the assignment account for a field within Reading (multiple times) but also in Math, when applicable.
All scores in the fields will average together for a value.
If the report card field is setup with Standards, then Teachers would use the Gradebook to:
...link assignements to standards.
Teachers will need to use Link to Area within each assignment in the gradebook. Assignments can be linked to multiple areas on the report card where the score will be manually linked to the fields that the gradebook is setup in. This can potentially make the assignment account for a field such as Key Ideas and Details, Geometry, and maybe even Writing Conventions, when it applies.
All scores in the fields will average together for a value.
If the report card field is setup to an area of the report card, then Teachers would use the Gradebook to:
...link assignments to Link to Report Card and select the field or area such as Key Ideas and Details.
Points-Based Gradebook setup is rather simple. It would be best practice to recommend a gradebook for each Subject a Teacher is teaching. This also supports easier communication with Parents and Students in the Illuminate Home Connection Portal, when printing progress reports, and the Report Card Entry Screen for teachers when entering data.
Link Correct Standards to Assignments
If linking fields to standards, choosing the correct standard for desired results on the report card is critical. To better help teachers with linking the correct standards consider creating and sharing Standard Collections.Learn more about Standard Collections!
Contact your Implementation Manager, who can really help guide you and your implementation down a successful path from the start!
Value Scales
A Value Scale is how the data from a Gradebook or an Assessment knows the value to populate onto the report card. The Admin or Builder can create a scale that is different or the same from how the gradebook collects data. Ideally, any changes should be communicated with teachers.
Depending on what value you are expecting determines how you build your value scale.
Since Points-Based Gradebooks are percentages, you have to create a Value Scale that let's Illuminate know what a 90% means (in this case a 4).
Additional best practices to consider would be matching this value scale to your assessments and even teacher's gradebook scales, to keep a consistant message across the entire school community.
Since Points-Based Gradebooks are percentages, you have to create a Value Scale that let's Illuminate know what a 90% means (in this case a 4).
Additional best practices to consider would be matching this value scale to your assessments and even teacher's gradebook scales, to keep a consistant message across the entire school community.
Field Groups and Fields
Field Groups and Fields are how you populate the Teacher's Entry Screen. Typically, Field Groups are by Subject and Fields are for each of the areas data will populate in the Field Group.
The structure of your Field Groups and Fields depends on design and structure of the Elementary Report Card. This may vary across District/LEA.
The example shows three options on how you may think of setting up Field Groups and Fields in support of Points-Based/Standards-Referenced grading:
| Option | Field Group | Field Type | Setup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Option 1: Gradebook Overall |
Reading Overall | Assessment of Gradebook Score | Gradebook | A field where the overall or entire gradebook score needs to populate. More common for Points-Based, less common for Standards-Referenced practices. |
|
Option 2: Cluster or Domain Specific (link to area) |
Key Ideas & Details | Assessment or Gradebook Score | Gradebook | Teachers manually link assignments as appropriate to the area of the report card. All assignments linked to Key Ideas and Details will average to create an overall score. This setup can work for multiple grade levels if the field group and fields are the same across report cards. |
|
Option 3: Cluster or Domain Specific (multiple standards) |
Key Ideas & Details | Assessment or Gradebook Score | All Standards in support of Domain for all grade levels |
Teachers link assignments to standards in support of Key Ideas and Details. This will created an automated path that assignments know where to go onto the report card, creating an overall score in Key Ideas and Details. This setup can work for multiple grade levels if the field group and fields are the same across report cards. |
Visit Step 8 - Create Report Card Fields for more details on how to create a field.
This step is where the data is coming from and how it should act on the entry screen.
The following settings and options are required:
- Name (2) of the field
-
Select the Field Type (3) of Assessment or GradeBook Score
- Options enabled will default based on selection
- Select the Category Weight Aggregation Algorithum (5) of Percentage-based Weighted Average
- Select the Value Scale (4) created previously to support the value desired in the field
Once these settings have been selected, a new section called Category will appear at the bottom of your screen to confirm how data from a Gradebook will populate on the report card.
A Category in report cards is more like a criteria on how this field will populate data. In this case, the field settings are to pull from a Standards Based Gradebook using a Rubric Value Scale.
This is where the data from an Assessment or Gradebook knows how to be calculated onto the report card. It isn't just a "copy/paste" value, but the data gets recalculated with a new value as you set it, onto the report card.
Because you are using Points-Based Gradebooks, you will have many options available is the Category Type (6): Assessment, Assessment Question Group, Standard, and Gradebook. Depending on your expectations of what type of value populates on the field, will determine the type.
The following fields are required to complete the category and field:
- The Category Name (5) is usually the same as the Field Name or add 'Gradebook'
- Select the Category Type (6) of Gradebook This means the data will be pulling from a Gradebook the teacher will link later
- Select the checkbox Allow Teachers to Link Gradebooks (7) which will enable a teacher's ability to link Gradebooks to the report card using data links
- Weight (8) traditionally is 100% this single category but there may be times you want to create two categories (60% gradebook, 40% state assessment) to complete the final mark for the entire field.
Why did you skip over Allow Teachers to Link Assessments? Because the BEST place for teachers to link assessments is NOT directly to the report card, but to the Gradebook. Talk to your Implementation Manager to learn more!
The following fields are required to complete the category and field:
- The Category Name (5) is usually the same as the Field Name
- Select the Category Type (6) of Gradebook This means the data will be pulling from assignments linked to the area of Key Ideas and Details
- Select the checkbox Allow Teachers to Link Gradebooks (7) which will enable a teacher's ability to link Gradebooks to the report card using data links
- Weight (8) traditionally is 100% this single category but there may be times you want to create two categories (60% gradebook, 40% state assessment) to complete the final mark for the entire field.
Why did you skip over Allow Teachers to Link Assessments? Because the BEST place for teachers to link assessments is NOT directly to the report card, but to the Gradebook. Talk to your Implementation Manager to learn more!
The following fields are required to complete the category and field:
- The Category Name (5) is usually the same as the Field Name
- Select the Category Type (6) of Standard This means the data will be pulling from assignments linked to specific standards in this field
- Select the checkbox Allow Teachers to Link Gradebooks (7) which will enable a teacher's ability to link Gradebooks to the report card
- Required are to select and choose the Standards (8) that should calculate a value in this field. For example, if the field is for MD 1.1, then you need to select all the standards that are acceptable for that field.
- Weight (9) traditionally is 100% this single category but there may be times you want to create two categories (60% gradebook, 40% state assessment) to complete the final mark for the entire field.
- The only calculation available for the Aggregate Calculation (10) is Average.
Why did you skip over Allow Teachers to Link Assessments? Because the BEST place for teachers to link assessments is NOT directly to the report card, but to the Gradebook. Talk to your Implementation Manager to learn more!
Configure Data Links (Entry)
During the entry process or training (as soon as the report card grading window opens for teachers), teachers need to setup Data Links. Data Links is the final step on establishing the connection of which gradebook goes where on the Report Card.
Once Data Links are conifigured, teachers are ready to enjoy the entry process, or Report Cards for Elementary Teachers.
Standards Based fields (or fields links to standards) are considered Automatic Data Links. Because the Admin or Builder set the field up for specific standards, the gradebook assignments and standards "know where to go".
For all gradebooks that have assignments linked to standards, teachers select them in the Automatic Links section.
When fields are setup to link to an overall value from an area (such as a claim) or an entire gradebook, they are considered Manual Data Links. Because the Admin or Builder set the field up to allow the teacher to designate where the data stems from, the gradebook assignments and standards need to be told "where to go".
Within Manual Data Links, teachers would select their gradebook for fields for Overall Performance. Fields that are targeted towards an area or claim such as Ratios and Porportions should be showing assignments that teachers linked to that area from within the Gradebook.
Instead of a Mathematics Gradebook, can we create a Ratio and Porportions gradebook instead? Definately an option that is best discussed with your implementation manager. Breaking up gradebooks by each subject and their claims can get quite busy for parents and students when on the portal as well as create up to more than 10 gradebooks per teacher!
Need help getting started? Illuminate provides report card support such as e-learning trainings, regional workshops, and report card building services. View our flyer here to learn more.
Next Steps
Continue building Field Groups and Fields as appropriate in support of Standards Based Gradebooks. Refer to Step 8 - Create Report Card Fields.