Writing an Assessment

Use the Assessment module to write concise reports for your pupils. Include grades, test scores and brief comments. This is useful for mid-term reviews of pupil progress.

Step 1: Prepare to Write an Assessment

To start using the Assessments module, follow the steps below:

1. Select the Assessments module to open the OAS Home tab and select the report cycle you want to work in:
   
2. In the View as Other section, select the user whose assessments you want to access. This defaults to display your own username but depending on your user permissions you can select another user.
   A tab is displayed for each of the report types allocated to the selected report cycle:
   

3. Select a tab to work with. Each tab uses the same format for writing assessments. In this example we have selected the Subjects tab but the processes are similar for each of the report type tabs.
   An example of the Subjects Reports screen is shown below; this is displayed when you select the Subjects tab:
   
   Each of the subjects that you have to write assessments for has a sub tab and is also listed in the Overview tab. The number of assessments you have to write for each subject is also displayed. In the example shown '7' assessments have to be written for 'Art'.

   The Download and Upload tabs are only displayed if these tools have been set up for the reports cycle.

4. Select a subject/group to work with. Either:
   • Click in the subject/group name in the Overview tab.
     or
   • Click on a sub tab in the Subjects Reports screen.
   The Sets and Forms screen is displayed. This breaks down the subject by each set and form that you teach. Sets are highlighted grey. Forms are highlighted red. The number of assessments you have to write for each set/form is displayed.
   An example of the Sets and Forms screen is displayed below:
   
5. Click on a set/form to display the Reports screen. All of the pupils in the selected set/form are listed:
   

6. Write a General Comment for assessments.

   • The green header bar is only displayed when General Comments have been set up in the reports template being used.
   • General Comments display on assessments for all of the pupils listed. This is useful for writing curriculum information on subject assessments.

   1. Click in the green header bar, if it is displayed. The Edit General Comment window is displayed:

      

   2. Enter the General Comment in the field available.

   3. Click  to use the spell check function, if required. The spell check function works in the same way as a standard Word spell check.

   4. Click Save & Close to return to the Reports screen.
   5. Now follow Step 2: Write an Assessment.

Step 2: Write an Assessment

After completing Step 1: Prepare to Write an Assessment you are ready to complete the pupil assessments.

The selections available in the Reports screen depend on the settings for the report template being used and how the report cycle you are working in is configured.

To write an assessment, follow the steps below:

1. Use the drop down lists available to select 'grades' for the pupil:
   

   • Click in the Pupil's Name column header to reverse the order that pupils are displayed in the Reports screen, if required.
   • Click on a pupil's name in the Reports screen to view school information and contact details.
2. Add a 'result' in the field available. Ensure that you use a standard convention for results. For example, this may be a percentage score or a grade for an exam.
3. Enter a Comment in the field available. Use this for concise comments only, use the Reports module for full written reports.
4. Add the pupil's Position in the form/set. This refers to the ranking position a pupil in their form or set.
5. Click  to run the spell check function, if required.
6. Continue to work through the pupils listed. You do not have to complete all the assessments at the same time.
7. Click Save Reports in the bottom left to save the assessments in their current status.
   A brief report is displayed listing any changes to pupil assessments:
   
8. Click Return to the Subject Reports List once the assessments are displayed as saved.
   You are taken back to the Reports screen. The status of each pupil assessment is listed and colour coded (when configured):
   • Completed assessments are green.
   • Incomplete assessments are blue.
   • The saved version number of each assessment is displayed next to pupil names. 
   • The number of assessments written to date is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Use this to review your assessment writing progress:
     
9. You can now preview the completed assessments.