MarkBook® section 9-4
Individual Modal Analysis by Level for "Most Consistent" Performance MarkBook® section 9-4
Individual Modal Analysis by Level for "Most Consistent" Performance 
The sample student shown has the largest number of entries in the 4+ level.
Notice that the weighted average and weighted mode are displayed simultaneously.
The
vertical scale of the graph shows the percentage of entries in each level. Since
this is weighted mode, Wt. Mode, the height
of each bar incorporates the category and assessment weightings assigned. Clearly,
this student's most consistent level is 4+ (tallest bar) which provides a different
interpretation than the calculated mean of 77%. To weight all assessments equally, from the
main screen click Mark Sets in the upper menu bar, select Edit [subject], and
check the Equal Weight selection. Save and return to this screen. Similarly,
mode can be displayed with Entry Weight selected. To display Mode as an
equivalent percentage, click the Mode as % cell near the bottom of the
screen. The top of this screen shows the current percentage as calculated using your entry and weighting system.
In the upper right corner is the number of
assessment entries for this student - 40 in this example. Note that this student has
no zeros,
and there are no missing entries or "NoMark" entries. Age and attendance data show at the lower left. To Print student reports as in section 9-5, click on the
Print/Communicate tab near the upper right of this screen. See section 8-6
for printing class modal reports. To view class modal results, see section 8-9. The following example
is from the DEMO sample class provided with MarkBook. It uses five levels set by the teacher: R
(<50%), 1 (50s), 2 (60s), 3 (70s) and 4 (80%+).
Set these levels as described in section 7-1.
To display to one decimal place, uncheck the Round Off cell. The Weighted mode selection is used and each
student's most consistent level appears next
to their percentage grade near the top of their Modal Analysis screen. The next four students
are in the same class. All
have completed the same assessments and there are no zeros or missing entries (i.e. NoMarks). Each student has the
same calculated percentage grade,
71%, but their Modal
Analysis graphs are far different. Who is the best student? The worst? How can
one make this distinction when their averages are identical?
Despite an
identical average, the four individuals above are very different. Clearly, calculated
means don't always give a complete picture of performance. That's because
averages/means take into account anomalous or 'outlying' entries. The further away
from 'center' an assessment is, the greater its impact on the mean or weighted
average.
On the other hand, modal analysis
ignores anomalies and reports consistency. Because of this, some argue that mode
is a better measure of central tendency for students. The third student, Lisa,
has the best achievement among these four individuals. Sixty percent of the time, Lisa performed at
level 4. The fifth student
in this class has the lowest average/mean but the tallest level 4 bar. John is
non-compliant - note the twelve zeros out of thirty assessments to date.
Collectively, these were insignificant measures given the height of the 'R' bar.
John is an abstract learner and seldom does anything that doesn't have a
significant weight. He argues that he understands without doing his homework.
Despite his poor work habits, he scores well on all significant assessments. He
is as annoying as he is bright.
1. How well has the student acquired the
curriculum? and 2. What score would
one expect from the
student on a significant curriculum-based exam if written tomorrow?
Typically, teachers agree that
John has acquired the curriculum very well and he would likely get the highest
mark of these five students on an exam. In making an informed professional
judgment about John's final grade, a number greater than 80% is warranted based on this
bar graph.
If a MarkBook
user switches calculation method, other numbers appear as in this next image.
This is the same student, John, with a grade now calculated at 81% as a Blended
Mode (weighted average of the modes in each category). The raw Mode, now shown
as a percent, is 90%. Similarly, the calculation of weighted median will yield a
high grade for John. These alternate calculations of 'central tendency' provide a strong rationale for
assigning a grade that's much higher than 66%.
A major concern arises with modal analysis and the assignment of
grades. Teachers who must use "most consistent" grade assignment may wish to avoid interim communication with students and parents. Given the potential difference between
mean and mode for grades, as described above, teachers may wish to avoid any criticism arising from comparing
averages on interim reports with modal grades on final reports. This "no communication" reaction negates the best motivator teachers have: good and frequent feedback. To avoid this problem, we
recommend the following:
Inform students and parents through every
conceivable means about how grade assignment will be done. Planners, Principals' newsletters, course description sheets, etc. should communicate about
evaluation procedures. Select the option
to print Mode on all interim MarkBook report cards. To do this, select the Mode button under the General Options tab in section 9-5. Inform
students and parents what "mode" means and how it will impact the final grade.
Select the option NOT to print the average.Asylum Software's Home Page | Send Us Email | LockerManager | MarkBook CNX for handheld computers | Why Use Class Management Software? | Start of the MarkBook Manual | Order a printed MarkBook Manual | LogiNotes (MarkBook En Français) | Bar Coded Attendance | MarkBook's Home Page | Electronic Report Cards | Order MarkBook