It is easy to edit your custom report to meet your specific needs. Grouping is needed when there are multiple rows or records for a student and you want to gather or group them into a single row of data.
The Grouping tab allows you to group rows of data to provide you with summarized information, such as totals or averages for particular groups.
Grouping can be done with different data columns, producing different results.
1. Grouping by Name shows each student's name once with their scores and dates associated to the student.
2. Grouping by Score shows each score once with the students and dates associated to the score.
3. Grouping by Date shows each date once with the students and scores associated to that date.
As you create your grouping(s), you will need to select Grouping Order(s) and Grouping Function(s). Grouping Order shows the column that combines multiple rows into one row. This action will "smash" all the entries that are alike into one single entry. In #1, the grouping order "smashes" names into one row. In #2, the grouping order "smashes" scores into one row. In #3, the grouping order "smashes"dates into one row.
Group Function shows how the multiple entries are displayed.
4. - Count of records will count each record in the column. In #1, Chris' scores will count as 2.
- Count of distinct values will count each distinct record. In #1, Chris' scores will count as 1.
5. - Comma-separated list of values will show each value as many times as it appears. In #2, Chris' name appears twice.
- Comma- separated list of distinct values shows each value listed only one time. In #2, Chris' name would appear only once.
Grouping tells the system: in the event that there are multiple rows, group the data by one of the columns in the report. The "Group Function" tells the report what to do with the extra data in the "non-group" columns. For example:
For a report like:
student ID first name teacher name
12345 Mark Gleason
12345 Mark Madrid
Grouping on student ID (by putting a 1 in the Grouping Order column) will ensure that only one row is returned for each student. The Group Function basically asks, "OK, so then what do I do with the other columns?" For first name, since the value is exactly the same in each row of data for the group, it is somewhat irrelevant (just give me the "alphabetically first" result). It is relevant, however, for teacher name, since this is where the data is different for each row. We thus want a "comma separated list of distinct values" (basically, take all the original values and separate them by commas). This type of grouping would yield the following report:
student ID first name teacher name
12345 Mark Gleason, Madrid
This same approach can be used for other reports, such as grouping by student ID to present each student's health cautions as a comma-separated list.
As another example, you might wish to see average scores for students performing a particular way, and how many students performed that way:
For a report like:
CST perf level CST scale score student ID
3 340 12345
3 320 67891
4 370 23456
4 360 78912
Grouping on performance level (by putting a 1 in the Grouping Order column) will ensure that only one row is returned for each performance level. The Group Function basically asks, "OK, so then what do I do with the other columns?" For other scores (e.g., scale scores), you probably want the average (e.g., use "average of values" as the group function). You can use the student ID column to count how many students scored at each performance level (e.g., use "count of distinct values" as the group function), and you may even retitle the column header as student count. This type of grouping would yield the following report:
average student count
CST perf level CST scale score student ID
3 330 2
4 365 2
Where to Start
1. Click on Reports.
2. Click View Reports (Prebuilt & Custom Reports).
3. Select your report from the list.
Click the Advanced tab and select Grouping.
Think carefully about your selections:
1. A number placed under Grouping Order will group all data that is of the same value.
- For example, by selecting "1" grouping order for "2009 CST ELA Performance Level," all proficiency scores of 4 will be grouped together and all proficiency scores of 5 will be grouped together, etc.
2. Utilizing the Group Function drop-down menus will tell the system how you want data handled when results are grouped.
- For example, by selecting "Average of values" grouping functions these score types will be averaged (e.g., as opposed to totaled or treated in another manner) when results are grouped by the "2009 CST ELA Performance Level" grouping.
3. When you are making edits, click Submit.
To see your report, click View.
All unhidden columns in a custom report need a Grouping Order or Group Function.
This option allows you to choose whether window functions will use grouped data or not.
This will default to Yes if performance band(s) are added, or hidden field(s) are being used in filters or grouping order.
For more information on window functions, see the help document "Add a Window Column to a Custom Report".
Next Steps
If you are interested in other tab-related tasks, visit the lesson (e.g., "Edit a Custom Report ") that pertains to it.