Naming or Describing a MarkBook Class &/or Mark Set

    MarkBook^®     section 2-2

Naming/Describing a Class and/or Mark Set

Each grouping of marks in MarkBook is called a Mark Set. You will get the CURRENT MARK SET screen following when setting up a new class as in section 1-3. After the class is created, you may edit the data entered for that existing Mark Set.

To get to the CURRENT MARK SET from MarkBook's main operating screen, section 3-1, click on Mark Sets in the upper menu bar and select Edit [subject]. Use this screen to create or modify a description and/or categories for

This following sample shows a description and categories for a Biology 11 class. This sample has only one Mark Set because all students are taking the same course, the teacher does not teach any other subject to this group, and the course is not divided into "terms", "semesters" or "quarters". Since there is a single Mark Set, the Default button labeled Make Default Set is grayed out.
Class Setup Screen - Naming & Describing a Class

Class Setup Screen - Naming & Describing a Class

Selected convenient letters, BIOlogy, for creating the Mark Set Short Code. You could use a code from your curriculum or syllabus guideline for this course. The Master Course Code cell automatically fills. This full code distinguishes this class from all others within the school. If you are bar coding your attendance as in section 6-6, this full code will print on the bar-coded attendance form, section 6-4. You can edit this Master Course Code as necessary for bar coding.

Enter a Description of the course as it is generally known within the school: Biology Form 11 in this example. Other examples: World History, Grade 5 Mathematics, Early Childhood Ed'n, Foods 10. This description will appear on printed reports and MarkBook's operating screens but it is not used for a file/folder name by Windows.

The Block Title enables a division of your data into units, terms, semesters, quarters, clusters, or some other grouping as you see fit. Type or edit a name for the group. MarkBook's supplied default is "Units" and student performance by Unit can be analyzed. See section 8-1. However, if you edit the Block Title to "Term", then analysis by Term is possible. You could also use "Sem", "Qrtr", or any other word up to six letters that describes how your data is to be subdivided. There is another way to divide your course into Terms or other time blocks: see the fourth part of section 4-3 on Mark Sets.

If you know which weighting system will be used, click on it. The Average/Category system is set by default. This can be re-set at any time later such as in this example where the teacher has switched to Blended Modes/Category. Changing calculation method doesn't affect entered assessment data. In the preceding screen sample, the teacher elected to build all categories (aka "strands") for this course and assign pre-determined weights for each (e.g. Know&Und - 17.5% and so on). Categories are typed into the Category Desc. cell and their weights typed into the Target cell. If you can do this at the start of a course, great! If you can't, you have the option to set up new categories and change their weights/values at any time!

Once some categories have been created, MarkBook remembers these and the weightings last used. All of these are stored in the Master List window at the bottom center. Double click or drag any item in the Master List to pop it into your category list on the left for the current class. Click in the Target cell and edit for a new weight. Click Enter on your keyboard. If one category is used more frequently than others, make it your default category by highlighting it (KnowUnd in the example) and click on Make Default Category. Click F1 at any time for Help.

Delete any category now or later by dragging it to the trash can. Warning: if you have any assessments in this category for this class, MarkBook will not let you delete it! You must go into the assessment description, section 7-2, and move all assessments in this category into another category before you can delete the category.

If there is a subset of students within the class (also called a Mark Set) that requires separate evaluation (e.g. another academic level/stream), click on New Mark Set. This will allow you to set up a description, categories, and weights for this subset of the class. Then click on Attach Names and you will be able to drag and drop selected students into the subset group. In effect, you have created two separately-evaluated student cohorts within the same classroom. They can have a common seating plan/chart and attendance form if you wish, but are assessed differently and compared only to their peers within the subset group. Section 4-3 has more information on the concept and uses of Mark Sets.

If you have more than one Mark Set, you will likely prefer that one come up by default when you open the class file/folder. Beside Mark Set Short Code at the top of the screen, click on Make [subject] the Default Set to have this particular subset open automatically when you retrieve this class file. If there is only one Mark Set, it will be your default.

Manual: Go to section 2-3 to see how to move your classes onto a PDA handheld computer.