Video
How to Assess Students via the Class Term Gradebook
Note: Pre-requisites for Term Grades assessment:
- Classes must be created, with both students & teachers added as members.
- Term Grades Assessment Framework will need to be configured by an admin. To read more, click here.
Types of PYP Classes
There are two types of classes that can be created on ManageBac+ for PYP, either:
- Homeroom
- Specialist Class (single subject)
Depending on the class type configured for you, your gradebook will differ. Within Homeroom classes teachers will be able to assess:
Specialist classes will only show content related to the subject found in the class settings.
Within a Specialist Class, you will be able to assess:
Please note that in some cases, schools will opt to have both Homeroom and Subject teachers provide feedback within a single Homeroom gradebook.
If you are a single subject teacher entering your grades into a Homeroom gradebook, you are able to filter the gradebook for content related to your subject by using the Subject filter on the right-hand side.
Please note that this guide will cover all possible assessment types, and may not reflect exactly what is configured in your school account.
Accessing the Term Gradebook
via your class > Gradebook > Term Grades.
Select the Term dropdown to change the academic term that grades are added to, or view grades from a previous term in the same year.
To enter the grades for another student, click the student name to select another student from the drop-down.
How Standards are added to your Term Gradebook
For Subjects, Approaches to Learning and Learner Profile assessment, your administrator will choose between the following two options:
- Only assess standards that have been selected in units during the selected term will automatically display any ATL skills, Learner Profile, and Subjects along with their Strand and/or Leaning Outcomes chosen in units in the gradebook for assessment.
- Allow Teachers to choose which standards to assess in their class will permit you to select the specific ATL skills and Learner Profile in addition to the Strands and/or Learning Outcomes to grade within the Gradebook.
If the first option is selected, you will automatically see your gradebook populated, and can start entering in your assessment marks using comments or the criteria model set up by the administrators.
To view a description of the values of the criteria model, please refer to the Evaluation Criteria found on the right-hand side.
If the second option is selected, you will have the ability to select your own standards regardless of what was entered into the unit planner's gradebook. Please read below on how to add these standards to each section.
Adding an Observation Comment
At the top of your Term Gradebook, you will see a space for an Observation Comment. This is a text box that allows you to provide an end-of-term comment on the student's progress.
Teachers are able to use the rich-text editor to add the following to their comments:
- Customise font format (bold, italicize, strikethrough, underline)
- Add line breaks, images, tables, hyperlinks
- Justify or center the text and switch text direction.
Unit Assessment
A unit will appear in the gradebook for assessment if the following conditions are met:
- More than 50% of its duration falls within the selected term.
- The unit template type has been enabled for assessment by your administrator.
- The unit is not drafted or archived.
Within a unit, you will be able to assess the below items. This content is pulled into the term gradebook directly from the unit planner and therefore any changes must be done within the unit planner.
- Overall Unit Assessment
- Scope & Sequence (Subjects)
- Approaches to Learning (ATLs)
- Learner Profile Attributes
- Overall Unit Comment
Please note that the units will appear within the term gradebook sequentially by date.
If standards are missing or need to be adjusted in the gradebook, navigate back to the unit planners taught in the term and enable any missing standards under the corresponding section.
Subject Assessment
Depending on what your administrator has set up, you will be able to assess the following for single subjects:
- Overall Subject
- Strands
- Learning Outcomes
- Subject Teacher Comment
If you see the standards automatically appearing in the Term Gradebook, you can first select your subject, then use the dropdown menu to assign a grade value to each item using the assessment model.
If scope & sequence items are missing from the gradebook, navigate back to the unit planners taught in the term and enable any missing scope & sequence items. See Creating a Unit of Inquiry for further guidance.
If you see an Edit button under the Subjects section, you will be able to select the standards you add into your gradebook.
First, select your Subject from the drop-down, select a Phase, then tick all Strands and Learning Outcomes you wish to add to the gradebook.
At the bottom of the page, teachers will be asked if they wish to apply these changes to all classes with this subject enabled, or if they wish to make it specific to that classroom. To standardize the gradebooks for all classes in a year level with that subject, select the first option. You can see which classes the changes will be synced to in list form:
Assessing Approaches to Learning (ATLs)
Please note this section does not relate to ATLs within Unit Assessment - please see here for further guidance.
Under the ATL section, depending on what your administrator has set up, you will be able to assess the following items:
- Skill categories
- Sub-Skills
- What student's do
- Add a comment
If you see the standards automatically appearing in the Term Gradebook, you can use the dropdown menu to assign a grade value to each item using the assessment model. You can also apply the same grade to all ATL items via the "Mark all" drop-down.
If standards are missing or need to be adjusted in the gradebook, navigate back to the unit planners taught in the term and enable any missing standards under the Approaches to Learning section. See Creating a Unit of Inquiry for further guidance.
If you see an Edit button under the Approaches to Learning section, you will be able to select the standards you add into your gradebook.
Please note that the Approaches to Learning section is only available in the Homeroom Term Gradebook. If you do not see the Approaches to Learning section at all, please check if your class has been designated as a Homeroom, or single-subject class by navigating to the Overview > Edit Class Settings.
Assessing Learner Profiles
Under the ATL section, depending on what your administrator has set up, you will be able to assess the following items:
- Learner Profile attributes
- Add a comment
If you see the standards automatically appearing in the Term Gradebook, you can use the dropdown menu to assign a grade value to each item using the assessment model. You can also apply the same grade to all Learner Profile attributes via the "Mark all" drop-down.
If standards are missing or need to be adjusted in the gradebook, navigate back to the unit planners taught in the term and enable any missing standards under the Learner Profile section. See Creating a Unit of Inquiry for further guidance.
If you see an Edit button under the Learner Profile section, you will be able to select the standards you add into your gradebook.
Please note that the Learner Profile section is only available in the Homeroom Term Gradebook. If you do not see the Learner Profile section at all, please check if your class has been designated as a Homeroom, or single-subject class by navigating to the Overview > Edit Class Settings.
Assessing Rubrics
Rubrics allow you to assess custom items within the term gradebook independent of any curriculum components.
Example: You can use Rubrics to assess student Effort.
Note: The option to assess rubrics firstly needs to be enabled by an Admin in PYP Assessment settings.
FAQ
1. I am a specialist teacher entering my grades into a Homeroom class, but I am unable to view my subject.
If your subject assessment options aren’t visible, check the subject filter to the right-hand side of the page. The filter allows teachers to show and hide subjects to allow for a more refined view, ensuring teachers are only seeing content relevant to them.
2. I am trying to assess a Unit, but I am not able to see it in my term gradebook.
If a unit is not showing in a gradebook for a particular term, check the unit’s start and end via the Unit Calendar and adjust the start month, week, and duration via the Summary.
3. I can see my unit under the Tasks & Units tab, but I don’t see it in my Term Gradebook
If you are unable to view a unit within your term gradebook, you should first check Summary to see if 50% or more of its duration is within the selected term.
If so, you should reach out to your administrator to ensure that the template you have selected has been permitted to appear in the gradebook.