Assessment builds explored - Assignment averages used in assessments

Assignments are used in the continuous assessment module/gradebook module. Educators can grade projects, homework, and quizzes during the scholastic year. The grades are calculated into an assignment average. Educators, students and guardians can follow this average via their respective portals. It provides a performance indicator that can be discussed individually or as part of a formal parent-teacher meeting. Assignment averages can be used in your assessment reports.

Understand your term configuration

We have two types of terms, Schedule and Exam. The schedule terms appear on the assignment grade grid/grade book. The average column is the average calculated between the term start and end date. If you have also classed the term as an Exam term then you can use this grade in your reports and assessment build. If you are using an assignment average within an 'is exam' term only, then this will calculate an average which may not match your 'is schedule' term score. 

The options available in subject specifications are;

We will first look into the most commonly used Assignment average with Override.

Assignment averages and the override

This average will then be available in the assess grid and greyed out meaning these cannot be changed on the assess grid. If you wish to adjust the grade before publishing or add additional values to override showing this grade then choose assignment average with override. 

One of the most important fields to configure is the applicable terms. If this is left as 'all terms' then the system will calculate an average of all assignments during all terms. it will not show the true average of the 'is schedule' term as you see on your grade grid. 

If you wish to show other term assignment averages in a half-yearly or full-year summary then you should use the stated term grade to fill in this information from each assessment build. 

You can alter the scale and normalise it out of a lower number, if you wish to have a simple sum of two grades, with a 50/50 max score. This could be used to combine an average and a simple grade for example. e,g if the assignment average for a student is 75% in T1, and the student has achieved 50% in a standard exam or test. You can reduce the assignment average scale in subject specifications to show a score of 37.5 (75% of max 50), and enter the grade with a max out of 50. This allows students and guardians to easily calculate their overall score. 

Assignment average calculated using an is exam term

If you wish to calculate a year-long assignment average for your grade report. This is best achieved by creating an 'is exam' term which covers the same dates as your scholastic year settings in year management.  The system will calculate an average across the whole year. 

Assignment sum

A different way to calculate an average across terms is the assignment sum assessment type;

This will take the assignment sum of grade scores and add these across the applicable terms.

For example;

The sum average would show a score of 450, instead of a normalised score.

LO assignment average

The LO assignment average allows Educators to use the assignment grade grid to collect evidence during the term and grade learning outcomes using an achievement scale. This is then returned as a numerical total percentage in the average column. You can use this score in your assessment builds. The average is calculated using the points assigned to the achievement scale. 

The scale must contain points against each level to allow the system to calculate a numeric average. 

You must first select the average type in the subject or assignment configuration. Select normalises average per learning outcome. Each time a learning outcome is graded in an assignment, the score will populate the average column. 

Using specific assignment types for the average

You can choose which types of assignments are to be used for your assessment report average. The calculation will take all the appropriate types during the designated term period and create an average based on the assignment average type selected for the subject.

Continuous assessment average

The continuous assessment is an average applied to a Learning outcome using the assignment grade grid. An overall numerical average is calculated and can be pulled into your assessment build. To better understand how this average is calculated, check out the assignment average article.

Note that each LO is graded individually, and an overall average is shown. Also the value on the grade grid is a running average so will change when the educator updates in term 2, term 3 etc.