Posts tagged ‘Assessment Manager’

Expected Progress Grids with SIMS Assessment Manager

Expected Progress Grids with SIMS Assessment Manager
 
SIMS Assessment Manager can be used to provide schools with very easy to understand ”tracking grids”. The DCSF recently produced a ‘’statement of intent” to primary and secondary schools which included a section on ”Measuring progress between KS1 and KS2”. We can use tracking grids to create a more flexible version of this grid. See below:
 

If you”d like the Schools ICT to install these grids on your school SIMS database please contact the school ICT unit on extention 2034 or email david.pott@bolton.gov.uk

Tricks with Traffic Lights

Tricks with Traffic Lights
 
Introduction
 
Creating traffic lights using SIMS Assessment Manager is well documented. But many users don”t know that traffic lights can tell you more than just who is above, below or on target - they can even show you how far above or below target the pupil is both visually (by using more than three colours) and by actually calculating how many points above or below target they are.
 
Example
 
For example, here’’s a marksheet that highlights pupils who two or more levels below their target in red, and pupils who are just one level below their target in yellow. Pupils who are on target are green, and pupils who are above target are blue:
 
 
 
To create this marksheet we first need to calculate the difference between the target column and the actual attainment column. A DIFFERENCE formula is used as follows:
 
 
 
You can hide this column once the marksheet is up and running. Then we create a ”nested if then else” formula like this:
 
 
If the difference is more than -2 points (i.e. -4 or -6 points or even lower), the column is coloured red and the points difference is displayed. If the difference is equal to -2 points, the column is coloured yellow and the points difference is displayed…and so on.
 
Further Uses
 
When using the final marksheet you can order the marksheet in order of ascending or descending points difference and see your highest achievers grouped together, followed by your middle achievers and lower achievers further down.
 
You can also amend the DIFFERENCE formula to calculate the difference between last terms assessment and this term’’s assessment if you want to highight term-on-term progress, or lack of.

Why Use Performance Analysis? Six Good Reasons.

I”m sometimes asked why a primary school might want to use the Performance Analysis routines in Assessment Manager. Here’’s some good examples of the kind of questions you can answer using Performance Analysis:

  1. Find out the correlation between Foundation Stage points scores and KS1 results. Many schools have a rough idea what the correlation is for their pupils, but few schools actually know for sure.
  2. Graph the progress of your year 3 pupils towards their year 3 targets. RAISEonline makes this easy for pupils at KS1 or KS2, but how can you do this for year 3 (or 4 or 5)?
  3. Identify pupils who are strong in one subject, but weak in others. Once you know ”who”, you can ask ”why?”.
  4. Identify year groups that don”t make the progress you”d expect.
  5. Spot pupils who are being left behind their classmates.
  6. How many people who got a 2B at Key Stage 1 are at 3C by the start of the spring term of year 3? More importantly, how many aren”t at 3C yet (because they should be by ther summer term!)

SIMS .net 7.112 - Secondary Schools

SOLUS 2SIMS .net 7.112 (labelled SIMS 2008 11a November Main 2) is now available for supported secondary schools via SOLUS. Primary, special and nursery schools have already been upgraded.

This release contains new functionality to assist with the submission of the School Census Spring Return 2009.

A number of new Assessment features are also included in this latest release. Please click here for further information.

Full details of this update and the previous release (which wasn’t installed by most schools) can be found in the Release Notes, available at the following internet links:

Please note that SOLUS should be at version 2.20 or higher in order to successfully upgrade SIMS .net to version 7.112.

If you require any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact any member of the team.

New Features in Assessment Manager

The November release of Assessment Manager contains some useful (and timesaving) new features for assessment co-ordinators. Here’’s a list of the main ones taken from Capita’’s release notes:

New Features

This release includes the following new features:

Marksheets Calculating on Data Entry

Marksheets can now be set to calculate results automatically for all summary rows and formula columns. This occurs when you click the Entry key after entering or editing a result, or when the cursor leaves the cell.

Viewing the Student Teacher View Page from a Marksheet

Clicking a pupil/student’’s name on a marksheet now displays the Teacher View page, which displays an ‘at a glance” summary of their attendance, behaviour, achievements etc.

Displaying Multiple Additional Student Information Columns on a Marksheet

Multiple additional pupil/student information columns (i.e. date of birth, gender, age in registration group, etc.) can now display on a marksheet.

Adding a Marksheet to the Favourites Panel

A marksheet can be flagged as a favourite, so that it can be accessed from the Favourites shortcut panel in SIMS .net.

Setting the Default Width of Narrow Columns on a Marksheet

You can set the default width of marksheet columns when a marksheet is viewed in mode.

Copying and Pasting Additional Pupil/Student Information into an Aspect

The functionality that enables the copying and pasting of column contents can now be used to copy additional pupil/student column details into an appropriate aspect.

Adding Multiple Result Sets to a Template

When adding columns and formula columns for data entry to a template, it is now possible to select more than one result set.

Viewing Template Columns in Full Screen Mode

You can expand the Template Columns panel to the screen, by clicking the Zoom button.

Applying Additional Student Information Columns to a Template

Additional pupil/student information columns can be displayed on all marksheets created from the selected template using the Create Template Columns wizard.

I managed to test a few of these changes yesterday and was very optimistic that they would speed up the process of creating templates.

As ever, if you”d like me to come in to school and discuss these changes, or any other Assessment Manager issues, feel free to email me.

SIMS LA Software Update Seminar - October 2008

SIMS .net for Leadership SIMS .net in the Classroom SIMS .net at Home

The Systems Team (SIMS support) are attending a SIMS LA Software Update Seminar at the De Vere Whites Hotel (Reebok Stadium) in Horwich today.

Not only is this an important training day but it gives us the opportunity to get together as a team - something that rarely happens during the rest of the year!

For your information, please find below the agenda:

09:45 Assessment / Curriculum

  • Assessment Update
  • Profiles Checking Screen
  • Exams Update
  • Extended Services
  • Alternative Curriculum

10:15 Technical

11:30 Primary Review

  • Dinner Money 7
  • Primary Assessment

12:00 Partnership Exchange

  • Review
  • New Features
  • FE and Work Based Learning Access

13:30 Statutory / Resources

  • FMS
  • Personnel 7
  • Statutory Returns - Spring 2009

14:15 Core, Attendance and eLearning

  • Homepage/Dashboard
  • Alerts
  • Attendance

15:00 Road Ahead 2009-2010

 

We”re keen to disseminate what we learn to schools, so please check back here for related posts over the coming weeks. Alternatively, subscribe to the RSS feed.

Using AM7 to calculate Five A*-C

Calculating Five A*-C (including Maths and English)

In line with recent changes to Ofsted advice, here’’s how to create a marksheet that counts up the number of A*-C grades, then highlights the pupils with five or more, and also highlights the pupils with five A*-C grades including Maths and English.

This scenario uses a set of grade aspects to record the actual subject grades. The grade aspects are linked to a gradeset that uses the standard points scores got GCSE grades (A*=58, A=52, B=46, C=40 etc). GCSE science is a double award, and a short ICT course counts as half an award. All other courses count as a single GCSE. You might need to change this example slightly to fit the gradesets you use and the exams you offer.

1) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C for single (full) award subjects as follows:

  • Add a column for data review using a formula and call it ”Count Full GCSE”
  • Use the ”Grade Tally” formula to calculate the number of A*, A, B and C grades (see below)

2) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C grades for double award subjects.

  • See above, but just select the double award subjects and call the column ”Count Double GCSE”

3) Create a formula column to calculate the number of A*-C grades for short award subjects.

  • See above, but just select the short award subjects and call the column ”Count Short GCSE”

4) Add a column to multiply the number of double award subjects by 2 and call it ”Equivalent Double GCSE”

See example below:

 5) Add a column to divide the number of short award subjects by 2 and call it ”Equivalent Short GCSE”.

See example below:

You might need to add extra columns for DIDA, CIDA etc. 

6) To obtain the total number of A*-C grades:

simply add together these columns using the SUM formula in a new formula review column:

  • Equivalent Short GCSE
  • Equivalent Double GCSE
  • Count Full GCSE

Call the column ”No A*-C”

7) To display a ”Y” if the student has 5 or more A*-C grades

  • If you don”t already have one, create a gradeset called Yes/No where Y=1 and N=0
  • Create an aspect called ”5+ A* - C” and put it in the Yes/No gradeset
  • Add a ”formula for data entry” column as follows:
8) To calculate 5 A* to C including maths and english
Create an aspect called ”5+ A* - C inc Ma+En” and put it in the Yes/No gradeset
Add a ”formula for data entry” column as follows:
Tip: You can easily amend this formula to show 5+ A*-C grade including just English, or just Maths. Simply omit the references to Maths or English in the above formula.
Finally,
Create a marksheet and test. If you have problems, feel free to phone or email me (david.pott@sict.bolton.gov.uk) and I can arrange to visit.
If there are any errors or omissions in these instructions, please let me know.

Use Assessment Manager to Track EAL Pupil Progress

Assessment Manager and SIMS can be used to help you record the details of your EAL pupils. Not only does it allow schools to record their targets and progress, it also allows their progress to be correlated with other information (admission date, FSM, SEN status etc). Give the Schools ICT Unit Helpline a ring (ext 2034) if you need help, but if you want to try it yourself here are some ideas and tips:

1) SIMS pupil data screens already contain a field that allows schools to record pupils with EAL. Go to Focus Pupil Pupil Details and find a pupil, then scoll down to section 7 (Ethnic/Cultural). The field for EAL is in the second column.

2) You can easily create a report that lists all the pupils classified as EAL by using the SIMS Report module as follows:

a) Go to Report Design Report

b) Click ”Create a new report”

c) Choose ”People - Student” for the focus of the report, the click ”next”.

d) Choose to display just the pupils on roll and click ”next”.

e) Select to display ”pupil name and reg” and pressing the green arrow

f) Scroll down to the Ethnic/Cultural section and exand the list by pressing the + sign.

g) Select ”English as Additional Language” and press the green arrow. Click next.

h) Create a new filter and select ”English as Additional Language”. Tick the ”yes” box and choose the ”is one of” option

i) Run the report to generate Word document that you can print off as required.

A copy of this report is available from the Schools ICT Unit - we can install it for you - contact the Helpdesk and log a call.

3) A template has been created by the Schools ICT Unit to help schools to record EAL scales. It looks like this:

Please click on the image to magnify.

Please click on the image above to view a larger, easier to read version.

For help installing and using the marksheet contact the Schools ICT Unit helpdesk (ext 2034)

4) More advanced schools might want to include new EAL aspects within their existing templates. You can create the aspects and gradesets used in the example above and use them in your existing marksheets. Create them as follows:

Gradeset: EAL TA

Grade Description Value
E Exceptional Performance 57
8 Level 8 51
7 Level 7 45
6 Level 6 39
5 Level 5 33
4 Level 4 27
3 Level 3 21
2 Level 2 15
1S Level 1 Secure 9
1T Level 1 Threshold 3
S2 Step 2 3
S1 Step 1 3

Then create four grade aspects using the gradeset above:

  • EAL TA: Reading
  • EAL TA: Writing
  • EAL TA: Listening
  • EAL TA: Speaking

Results Sets

Note that you are only required to assess pupils against this scale on admission to school. Schools who use results sets might choose to create a results set called ”Baseline” to record this value.

David Pott (email david.pott@sict.bolton.gov.uk, ext 2034)

Using Assessment Manager to Calculate ”Value Added”

Introduction

Our example school wants to create a marksheet that calculates the value added for each pupil in Y4 based on their KS1 result. The school assumes that pupils in year 4 should have acheived 3 sublevels of progress since KS1. A simple formula calculates how many sublevels they have actually acheived and subtracts this from 3 to give a positive or negative score to indicate how many levels above or below their target they are.

Method

1) Create a new template called *Value Added Y4 Maths and add the following aspects and results sets (the names of the aspects may vary on your system):

Attainment Maths (result set = Y2 Summer), column name = KS1 Result
Attainment Maths (result set = Y4 Summer), column name = Attainment Maths Y4 Sum

2) Create a column for data review using a formula. The column will calculate the points score of the KS1 result. Create the formula as follows:

Column name: KS1 PS
Formula type: Value
Column: KS1 Result

3) Create another column for data review using a formula. This column will calculate the points score of Attainment Maths Y4 Sum

Column Name: Y4 PS
Formula type: Value
Column: Attainment Maths Y4 Sum

4) Next we need to subtract Year 4 points score from the KS1 points score:

Column Type: Data review using a formula
Column Name: Y4 - KS1 PS
Formula type: Difference
Column 1: Y4 PS
Column 2: KS1 PS

5) Now we convert the difference in points into sublevels (2 points = 1 sublevel):

Column Type: Data review using a formula
Column Name: Y4 Maths Levels Added
Formula type: Division
Column: Y4 - KS1 PS
Constant: 2

6) Finally, each pupil should have made 3 sublevels of progress by year 4, so we calculate the value added as the difference between their actual number of levels progress (calculated at point 5 above) and 3 levels. We”ll save this result back into the aspect we created earlier, so remember to create a column for data entry using a formula.

Column Type: Data entry using a formula�
Column Name: Y4 Maths Value Added
Formula type: Difference
Column: Y4 Maths Levels Added
Constant: 3

Save your template and create the relevant marksheets for year 4.

Tip: Use ”Data Review” Columns Carefully!

Data Review columns allow you to display information to users but don”t allow users to change the data they contain. Most marksheets will contain at least a few columns that you want to protect like this, usually to stop users accidentally changing data.

But Data Review columns lack flexibility - you can”t change a data review column into a data entry column. You have to delete the column and create a new data entry column.

So, unless you are 100% sure that you”ll never need users to amend the data, always define new columns as data entry and tick the ”read only” option. Ticking this option makes the column read only, just like a data review column, but if you need to open the column up for data entry, just un-tick the option.

I only use the data review button for aspects that contain the official keystage results - the only data that schools should never change.