Academic Reporting Checklist - Beginning of Reporting Period

Overview

This checklist is a guide to ensure all setups and procedures are completed correctly in preparation for the entry of Results and Comments in Staff Kiosk program Assessment > Markbook and to print Student Academic Reports in TASS.web.

'Markbook' is the default name used by TASS, but your school may call it something else. An alternate name can be set in Step 21. This document refers to the program as 'Markbook'.

It is very important that you read and understand the concepts that are outlined in the Staff Kiosk Assessment article before attempting to set up this program.

The checklist below outlines the ‘general process’ to follow when setting up for Academic Reporting. Schools will have their own processes to follow, so some steps may not be required, or alternatively, other steps may be required.

Checklist

Step

Menu Path

Task/Details

1

TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the 'Subjects' tab.

Review existing Subjects. Add/edit as required.

Ensure that all assessable Subjects have the following details correctly entered:

The ‘Active’ field is set to ‘Yes'.
The ‘Academic Reporting Description’ is correct.
The ‘Reporting Flag’ is set to 'Yes', for academic results to be entered.
The ‘LMS Flag’ is set to ‘Yes’, so that Activities can be created and assessed.
The ‘Department’ is correct, so that ‘HODs’, ‘Department Administrators’ can access Subject Class information for all teachers within their department.
The ‘Subject Area' is correct, so that ‘Central Repository Co-Ordinators’ can be set up and manage Learning Objects in the Central Repository. This will also determine the top-level Subject Area folder where the Subject’s Activities and other Learning Objects are filed in the school's Central Repository.

Set the 'LMS Flag' to 'No' for those subjects that you do not want displayed or used. For example, Homeroom or Tutor Group Comment.

Click the ‘Print’ icon to review and compare details for all Subjects.

You can bulk edit ‘Subject’ information in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Subject Grid.

2

For unitised timetables use TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the 'Subjects' tab.

OR

For non-unitised timetables use TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Subject Outlines.

Review the ‘Subject Outlines’. Add/edit as required.

The program to use for this, depends on which type of timetable mode your school is running.

Please contact TASS Support if you are unsure which timetable mode your school is running.

Click here for more information.

Unitised timetables have a unique subject code for each subject and year group combination. For example, English is defined with separate subject codes to represent the units if study equivalent to each year group.

Non-unitised timetables are likely to have subject codes that are the same for subjects across multiple year levels. For example, English has a Subject Code of 0001 and that same subject code is used for multiple year groups.

If you would like this ‘Subject Outline’ to display on Academic Reports, use TASS.web program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Report Processing and ‘Export To PDF’ to ensure your ‘Subject Outline' meets the spacing requirements.

3

TASS.web Student Admin > Teacher Records > Listings & Reports > Teacher Subject Listing.

Check that ‘Subjects’ have been allocated to the correct Teachers. Add/edit as required.

Subjects are automatically generated and added to Teacher records when uploading the Timetable. As the data within the timetable changes, the TASS.web program Student Admin > Timetable will automatically update the Teacher Subject records to ensure they are in sync. For more information, refer to 'Timetable Rollover Checklist (Year and Term/Semester)'.

Schools not using the TASS.web Timetable module can maintain Teacher Subject records manually in TASS.web program Student Admin > Teacher Records > Teachers > ‘Subjects’ tab.

4

TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the ‘Subject Depts.’ tab.

Review the 'H.O.D.' (Head of Department) and 'Department Administrator' information. Add/edit as required.

‘H.O.D.s’ and ‘Department Administrators’ can access the Staff Kiosk Assessment programs for all Subject Classes and Teachers within their department.

These users can assign Activities to multiple subject classes in webBook program Progressive Assessment and Staff Kiosk program Assessment.

Note that they must also be given the Reporting User Maintenance Access Level of 'Restricted Supervisor Access' or 'Unrestricted Supervisor Access' to determine what level of interaction they can have with the other Teacher's activities. (This is covered further below in Step 18).

5

TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the ‘Subject Areas’ tab.

Review the ‘Central Repository Options’. Add/edit as required.

The ‘Subject Areas’ define the top-level folder where Teachers will file Activities and other Learning Objects in Staff Kiosk Assessment > Learning Objects (Maintain & Assign).

Assign a 'Central Repository Co-Ordinator’ for each Subject Area. For example: This could be the Subject Area Coordinator, a HOD or Department Administrator.

The ‘Central Repository Co-Ordinator’ has full edit and delete rights over any Learning Objects (Activities, Resources, Questions and Online Tests) filed in the Central Repository for this Subject Area. They can also maintain Topics.

6

TASS.web Student Admin > Student Records > Student Classes > Class Lists.

Check that Students have been assigned to the correct Subject Classes.

Add/edit as required using one the following methods:

TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Classes > Generate Subjects for Students
TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Classes > Build Classes
TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Student Classes > Student Subject Grid Entry
via import/API.

Students will display in Markbook subject classes when the Subject is listed in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Students > ‘Subjects' tab and the ‘Reporting Flag’ and ‘LMS Flag’ are both set to ‘Yes’ in TASS.web program Student Admin > Student Records > Setup Information > Student Records Setup on the 'Subjects’ tab.

7

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting Setup

Review the Academic Reporting Setup on the following tabs and edit as required.

8

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Report Types' tab.

Review the existing Report Types. Add/edit as required.

9

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Result Periods’ tab.

Create a ‘Result Period’ (also known as a ‘Reporting Period’) and mark it as 'Current'.

Set the 'IA Lock' to 'Staff Kiosk Only', so that staff are not able to access the reporting period in Staff Kiosk at this stage. This allows time for the set-up process prior to allowing staff to access the reporting period in Staff Kiosk Assessment.

10

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Objectives’ tab

Review the 'Objectives' that will be used to record results for:

Activity-related Assessment Criteria / Final Results
and Overall Subject Grades

‘Objectives’ are used to record results. They can be selected and used for ‘Activity Assessment Criteria’, ‘Final Results’ and ‘Overall Subject Grades’ in Staff Kiosk Assessment programs.

Click the ‘Print’ button to generate a report/listing.

Add/edit as required.

Add and edit ‘Objectives’ in bulk using the ‘Editable Grid’ and ‘Bulk Entry Grid’ buttons.

11

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Objective Groups’ tab.

Review the 'Objective Groups'. Add/edit as required.

‘Objective Groups’ are used to group ‘Objectives’ together in Staff Kiosk Assessment > Enter Results and Comments and on Academic Reports.

12

TASS.web program Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Assessment Methods’ tab.

Review the 'Assessment Methods'. Add/edit as required.

‘Assessment Methods’ need to be set up for each Objective. They are used to calculate and validate results in Staff Kiosk Assessment. ‘Assessment Methods’ and ‘Objectives’ are linked together using 'Result Formats' in Step 13.

Click the ‘Print’ button to generate a report/listing. Tick the ‘Include 'Print on Academic Report' option’ checkbox to review which Assessment Methods are setup to appear on Academic Reports.

13

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > 'Result Formats' tab.

Review the Result Formats. Add/edit as required.

‘Result Formats’ must be set up for each ‘Report Type’ ‘Year Level’ and ‘Subject’ that will be assessed. They determine how ‘Objectives’ appear in Staff Kiosk Assessment and on Academic Reports.

The ‘Result Format’ also determines the Objectives display order, the ‘Assessment Method’ to be used for marking.

The Progressive Assessment Type determines how each Objective will be used for ‘Activity Assessment Criteria’, ‘Final Results’ or ‘Overall Subject Grades’ in the Staff Kiosk Assessment > Markbook or Enter Results and Comments programs.

Once the result formats have been finalised, the validation process must be performed by selecting your Result Formats and clicking the 'Validate' button on the 'Result Formats' screen.

For more information refer to the Result Formats article on TASS Knowledge Base.

14

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Comments’ tab.

Review the 'Comments' and 'Comment Categories' that will be available to Teachers in the Comment Banks. Add/edit as required.

These ‘Comments’ are available to teachers in the ‘Comment Bank’ when entering comments in Staff Kiosk Assessment programs Activity Planner, Markbook and Enter Results and Comments.

Click the ‘Print’ button to generate a report/listing.

Review the Comment Size Hierarchy and ensure that character limits are sufficient.

The comment sizes/character limits used in webBook, Staff Kiosk Assessment are set by your school.

There are multiple possibilities for how the program determines this:

Comment Size Hierarchy
1	Reporting Setup	TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting Setup on the ‘Reporting Parameters’ tab, in the 'Maximum Student Comment Size' field.	Sometimes referred to as the ‘Global Comment Size’. This field displays the maximum number of characters allowed in webBook/Markbook for each student's subject comment.’ The system allows a 'Maximum Student Comment Size' entry of 4000 characters.
2	Assessment Setup	TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup on the 'Result Periods’ tab, in the 'Max. Comment Size' field.	A maximum comment size unique to a specific Results Period. Your school may have used this if the length of the comment is different between an interim report and an end-of-semester report. Leave this field blank if you would like to use the comment size defined set up in Reporting Setup. If there is a 'Max Comment Size' number on this tab it will override size limits set in Reporting Setup.
3	Year Group specifications	Your web server tassportal\webBook > webBook.ini file.	A comment size that is unique to a Year Group. Located in the tassportal\webBook directory on your webserver. Open the file using Notepad. You will need to add one year level per line with the corresponding comment size, e.g. Year_12=300. Example webbook.ini file: You do not need to add a line for all year levels, just the ones that have a different comment size. Save the file and check the comment size for a student in a particular year level in webBook or Markbook. Comment sizes set up this way will override size limits setup using Assessment Setup and Reporting Setup. Contact your system administrator for further information.

15

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Result Based Comments' tab.

Review the 'Result Based Comments'. Add/edit as required.

‘Result Based Comments’ are only necessary if you intend to have the student academic report include a 'Result Related Comment' that is determined by the result each student achieves. e.g. If the Student receives the result of 'COM', the report would print 'Competent'.

16

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Calculation Rules' tab.

Review the ‘Calculation Rules’. Add/edit as required.

Calculation Rules are required for Staff to use the 'Calculate Results' function in Staff Kiosk Assessment > Markbook for Activity Total Scores, Final Results and Overall Subject Grades and in Staff Kiosk Assessment > Activity Planner for Activity Total Scores only.

To perform calculations, each possible non-numeric grade must be assigned a numeric value range in a Calculation Rule. (e.g., A+ = 15 to 15, A = 14 to 14, A- = 13 to 13, etc.).

17

TASS.web System Admin > Users > Reporting User Maintenance > ‘Assign Reporting Periods'.

OR

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting User Maintenance > ‘Assign Reporting Periods'.

Assign the relevant Teachers to the ‘Reporting Period’ (also known as ‘Result Period').

Teachers must be assigned to a ‘Reporting Period’ to access the appropriate classes in Markbook.

18

TASS.web System Admin > Users > Reporting User Maintenance > 'Maintain User Access Levels'.

OR

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Reporting User Maintenance > 'Maintain User Access Levels'.

Assign appropriate Access Levels to Teachers.

Teachers must be assigned the appropriate Access Level to access the appropriate classes in Markbook.

19

TASS.web System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions > Teacher Kiosk

Review the user permissions under the ‘Assessment' section for your ‘User Role’ groups or 'Individual Users’.

Teachers must be assigned the ‘Markbook' and 'Enter Results and Comments’ permissions to view and use Staff Kiosk Assessment > Markbook.

20

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Result Periods’ tab.

Set the 'IA Lock' to 'Unrestricted Supervisor Access' or 'Restricted Supervisor Access', to enable an appropriate user/s to perform some quality checks in the Staff Kiosk Assessment and Markbook programs prior to opening reporting to Teachers.

For more information on ‘User Access Types’ and ‘IA Lock’ access refer to Reporting User Maintenance.

21

Staff Kiosk Assessment > Parameters (Setup)

Log into Staff Kiosk and review the Assessment Parameters. Edit as required.

Ensure the ‘Current Year' and 'Current Semester' settings are correct, as these determine the 'Result Period’ (or Reporting Period) to which new Activities will be assigned.

'Markbook' is the default name used by TASS, but your school may call it something else.

The Staff Kiosk user who is adjusting the Assessment Parameters must be assigned the Assessment 'Parameters (Setup)' permission in TASS.web program System Admin > Users > Portal Security Permissions.

22

Staff Kiosk Assessment

Perform some quality checks in the Staff Kiosk Assessment and Markbook programs to ensure everything is set up correctly to meet your expectations.

Ghost into Staff Kiosk as a user who has been granted ‘Unrestricted Supervisor Access' and navigate to Markbook. Perform some checks. See Staff Kiosk Toolbar > 'Ghosting’ section for more information about ghosting.

Follow the Staff Kiosk Progressive Assessment Guide, incorporating Markbook to check setup.

Examples:

Check Teachers can access the correct Subjects/Classes in My Classes and Markbook.
Check classes contain the correct Students.
Check Teachers can create or assign Activities to their classes in Learning Objects (Maintain and Assign).
Check Teachers can view Activities in the Activity Planner.
Check Teachers can access the relevant ‘Reporting Period’ (also known as ‘Result Period’) in Markbook.
Check Teachers can access the ‘Activity Assessment', ‘Enter Results and Comments’ and 'Results Grid’ links in Markbook for their Subject classes.
Check Markbook displays the correct Objectives in the Final Results and Overall Subject Grades sections.
Check Teachers can enter results appropriately, according to the Objective's Assessment Methods.
Check Teachers can Calculate Final Results and Overall Subject Grades appropriately, and the Calculation Rules are correct.

You may also like to perform some quality checks on users with ‘Restricted Supervisor Access' and 'Teacher Class Access', changing the 'IA Lock’ accordingly.

23

TASS.web Student Admin > Academic Reporting > Setup Information > Assessment Setup > ‘Result Periods' tab.

Change the 'IA Lock' to 'Teacher Class Access' to open up the reporting period to all users.

Staff can now set up/assign Assessment Activities in Staff Kiosk and enter/calculate results in Markbook.

For further information see Staff Kiosk Progressive Assessment Guide, incorporating Markbook (for Teachers).

24

When Teachers have completed result and comments entry, refer to 'Academic Reporting Checklist (End of Reporting Period)' to finalise the Academic Reporting Period.

Related Resources

For more information, refer to:

Staff Kiosk Progressive Assessment Guide, incorporating Markbook (for Teachers)
Academic Reporting Checklist - End of Reporting Period.
Staff Kiosk Assessment documentation.
Staff Kiosk Markbook documentation.
How to guides for 'Academic Reporting'.
How to guides for 'Assessment'.
Frequently Asked Questions for ‘Assessment'.