Parental Access to Assessment Summary Data AMUG Assessment Manager User Group UPDATE
Assessment Manager and Data Analysis In this edition . . . . .
SIMS Autumn Release 2011, demonstration of DecemberAutumn 2011 Term new Assessment Manager tools • Globally Replacing Result Sets in Templates • NESTED IF THEN ELSE formula - Autofill
Fischer Family Trust (FFT) - downloading and using Key Stage 3/4 estimates from FFT Live
SIMS Discover Training Opportunities
December H o s t s
Whitstone School
Produced by the Education MIS Team
Issue No. 13 swoicthelpdesk@somerset.gov.uk 01823 355090
AMUG Update ● December 2011 1 SIMS Autumn Upgrade 2011 Version 7.142 Assessment Manager Updates
Globally Replacing Result Sets in Templates
It’s been a long time coming, but the process of creating/cloning templates is about to become a whole lot faster. For some time now, Assessment Man- ager users have been requesting a tool allowing a Result Set attached to aspects [in templates] to be changed to a different Result Set . . . . in bulk, as the current process involves changing these one at a time, an extremely time consuming process when December 2011 large numbers of templates are involved containing hundreds of aspects/result sets.
How does it work?
In the Template design view, a new Replace button has been added that allows an existing and new Result Set to be specified. For example, a GCSE Year 10 template is shown below. This template was initially set up to record an End of Year 10 Target and a Current Attain- ment Level for each subject. The current attainment aspects are attached to a Year 10 Au- tumn Result Set. The template now needs to be duplicated for the Spring term assessments, so the Year 10 Autumn Result Set will need changing to a Year 10 Spring Result Set.
The process is simple: 1) Clone the Template 2) Rename the new version as required (e.g. Year 10 Spring KS4 assessments), SAVE 3) Click Replace
AMUG Update ● December 2011 2 SIMS Autumn Upgrade 2011 Version 7.142 Assessment Manager Updates
Globally Replacing Result Sets in Templates
4) Click Result Set to be replaced browse button (magnifying glass)
December 2011
5) Select Result Set to be changed (or one of your choice if there are several to change) 6) Click Select 7) Click Result Set replaced by browse 8) Select new Result Set 9) Click Select 10) Click Update (change is made) 11) Repeat for others (if any), save
AMUG Update ● December 2011 3 SIMS Autumn Upgrade 2011 Version 7.142 Assessment Manager Updates
NESTED IF THEN ELSE Formula - Autofill
When creating a NESTED IF THEN ELSE formula, it is fairly common to replicate certain crite- ria through each condition. In the example below, the Current Attainment Level in GCSE Art is being compared with the Art Target . These criteria (columns in this case) are constant, just the comparator (>, =, <) and the outcome (Above, On Target, Below) change. December 2011
Until now, every part of this formula detail had to be added field by field (except when us- ing the Clone From function). Now, once the first condition has been entered, the user may click the new Autofill button (see following page). This copies the first part of the condition (the two parts being compared) down to the next three condition sections. The remaining cri- teria must then be completed and any excess conditions removed (as Autofill will always populate the next three conditions - 4 in total - the final one of which may not be needed).
AMUG Update ● December 2011 4 SIMS Autumn Upgrade 2011 Version 7.142 Assessment Manager Updates
NESTED IF THEN ELSE Formula - Autofill
December 2011
NB: If not all conditions are required then use Delete Condition to remove the occurrence
AMUG Update ● December 2011 5 SIMS Autumn Upgrade 2011 Version 7.142 Assessment Manager Updates
Opening Marksheets - Default cursor position
A small change has been made re- garding the default position of the cursor when opening marksheets. Until now, the cursor would appear within the Result Date field of a marksheet. December 2011 This could lead to problems, specifically when users started typing before moving the cursor away from this field (as then it was impossible to move out of the field until a valid date had been inserted).
The cursor is now focused within the basic details panel when opening a marksheet.
Result Sets - ‘Locked’‘Locked’ statusstatus nownow displayeddisplayed whenwhen creatingcreating templattemplate
A locked result set is now correctly in- dicated as such when a new marksheet template is created (via Focus | Assessment | Template ).
AMUG Update ● December 2011 6
Fischer Family Trust (FFT) - Update
Downloading Key Stage 3/4 Estimates
Background
Key Stage 3 and 4 pupil level estimates may now be downloaded from the FFT Live website, ready for import into SIMS. Previously, a ‘converter’ has been required to turn KS4 data obtained from FFT Live into a format suitable December 2011 for import into Assessment Manager. Fortunate- ly, the CSV file now produced by FFT Live no longer requires conversion.
Link to Guidance
Two documents have been produced detailing the steps involved in generating and down- loading the necessary estimates - one document for KS3 estimates and another for KS4. The- se documents can be accessed through the following links:
Generating and Downloading Key Stage 3 Pupil Level Estimates using FFT Live
Generating and Downloading Key Stage 4 Pupil Level Estimates using FFT Live
AMUG Update ● December 2011 7 COURSES
SPRING 2012
SIMS Discover - Preparing Assessment Data - 1½ Days (Secondary Schools / Academies)
All dates in January and February are now full. An additional course will be arranged during March if sufficient numbers are interested. An December 2011 on-site version of this course can also be arranged, if required. Please e-mail [email protected].
Course Information Attendees: Secondary Schools and Academies (please note that a separate course has been arranged for Middle Schools - please e-mail for details, if required) Duration: 1½ Days Suitable For: Assessment Co-ordinators or similar Course Detail: The main areas to be covered on the course are: • Discover Overview – What type of assessment data might we want to use from Assessment Manager, and how could it be displayed? • Creating Discover Aspects in SIMS .net • Populating Discover Aspects with data from Assessment Manager aspects • Using the Discover Configuration utility (a separate application which moves the data/ aspects/result sets from SIMS .net to Discover) • Specifying how the data should appear in Discover (type of graph) – also done using the Configuration utility • Data Analysis in Discover using the data transferred
On-Site Training Available on request for Assessment Manager, Discover or Exams Organiser - 1/2 or full day.
To register your interest in any of the above please e-mail Alistair Gregory ([email protected])
AMUG Update ● December 2011 8 NEXT MEETING OF AMUG
SPRING TERM 2012
Venue: The Blue School, Kennion Road, Wells. BA5 2NR Date: Tuesday 20th March 2012 (10am-12 midday)
To confirm your attendance at the next meeting, or to raise any items that you would like discussing, please e-mail Alistair Gregory ( [email protected] ) with details. December 2011
Agenda Items to include: ♦ Demonstration of on-line reporting to parents by The Blue School (via SLP) ♦ Enhancements to marksheet filtering (due in Spring 2012 upgrade) ♦ Enhancements to Discover functionality (due in Spring 2012 upgrade)
AMUG Update ● December 2011 9 AMUG ARCHIVE
Previous Editions of AMUG Update Newsletter (click to open)
July 2011: Kingsmead School, Wiveliscombe
March 2011: Maiden Beech Middle School, Crewkerne December 2011 November 2010: Courtfields Community School, Wellington
July 2010: Crispin School, Street
March 2010: Buckler’s Mead Community School, Yeovil
November 2009: Robert Blake Science College, Bridgwater
June 2009: Heathfield Community School, Taunton
March 2009: King Arthur's Community School, Wincanton
November 2008: Oakfield Middle School, Frome
June 2008: Ladymead Community School, Taunton
February 2008: Westfield Community School, Yeovil
September 2007: East Bridgwater Community School, Bridgwater
AMUG Update ● December 2011 March 2011 10 10