Scale conversions
Some schools report in two scales: their own, and a national one that a ministry or a parent expects. A scale conversion maps one attainment scale onto another once. You then switch it on for the columns that should carry both labels. The mark itself never changes. The second label sits beside it.
Where: Configuration → Assessment → Attainment scales, then the link at the top, "Map one attainment scale onto another, so a mark can be shown in both." The page is called Scale conversions.
Who can change this
A manager, or a person whose role includes Grade and assessment scales.
Creating a conversion
- Select New conversion.
- Name: what teachers pick from when they turn it on for a column. For example
A*–U letters → 1–10. - From scale: the scale teachers actually mark in.
- To scale: the scale you want to read alongside it.
- In The mapping, give every band of the From scale a band of the To scale under Maps to. The page shows a worked line, for example "A mark of A will also read as 9", and a progress count ("5 of 7 mapped").
- Points is the number the second scale gives that grade. It is filled from the band you pick. Change it if your school counts it differently.
- Select Save.
Swap direction mirrors the mapping if you picked the scales the wrong way round.
Each conversion in the list shows its Mapping and its Coverage: Complete, or "N unmapped".
Switching it on for a column
Saving a conversion changes nothing on its own. You choose where it applies:
- Open Column Library (Value Types) and edit the column, for example Report Grade.
- In Value configuration, set Also show as to your conversion.
- Save.
From then on every mark in that column carries both labels. Also show as is offered for grade and judgement-scale columns only, because a conversion maps a label. A free number or a comment has nothing to look up.
Where the second label appears
| Place | What you see |
|---|---|
| The marks grid | The second label, only when the viewer turns on the "show converted" switch. It is off by default, because a second label that appears unasked can look like the grid second-guessing the teacher. |
| The Summary | The same switch. |
| CSV and Excel exports | One column, written as A (10), so a download reads like the screen. |
| Report cards and their PDF | Both labels, always. Reports and exports are documents. |
The switch appears in the grid only when at least one loaded column has a conversion.
Example
A school marks in British letters but must also print the Romanian 1–10 grade.
| British grade | Romanian grade | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 10 | 10 |
| A | 9 | 9 |
| B | 8 | 8 |
| C | 7 | 7 |
| D | 6 | 6 |
| E | 5 | 5 |
| U | 4 | 4 |
A teacher enters B for a student. The grid shows B. With the switch on it also shows 8. The report prints B (8). The export cell reads B (8).
Edge cases
- An unmapped grade. A grade with no mapping keeps its own label and shows no second label. The list warns: "{bands} aren't mapped yet. Marks in those bands keep their own grade and show no second label." Nothing is made up and no blank is shown.
- Deleting a conversion. Columns that pointed at it quietly go back to showing one label.
- Different scales per subject. The conversion is chosen on the column. If a subject uses a different attainment scale, the labels still match by text, so a conversion built on another scale applies only when the labels line up.
- Averages. A conversion is display only. Averages and calculations use the original scale's points.