Learning Outcomes Overview

A grade says how well a pupil did on a subject. A learning outcome says what a pupil can do: "Listens to stories with increasing attention" or "Adds fractions with the same denominator". Teachers judge each pupil against each outcome on a scale you define, for example Emerging, Expected, Exceeding.

Early years settings often assess only against a curriculum. Secondary schools often mark only in grades. Many schools use both. MarkBook lets you choose.

The pieces

Piece	What it is	Where
Framework	A curriculum: a tree of subjects, categories and outcomes.	Configuration → Assessment → Learning outcomes
Judgement scale	The levels a teacher can give (Emerging, Expected…).	Configuration → Assessment → Judgement scales
Marking grid	Pupils across, outcomes down. This is where teachers give a level.	Learning outcomes in the main menu
Roll-up	A category shows a level worked out from the outcomes under it.	A setting of the framework. See Category Roll-up
Standards library	Official codes (for example EYFS or Common Core) to align your outcomes to. Never marked.	Configuration → Assessment → Learning outcomes, then the Standards library link. See Standards Library

How the tree is shaped

A framework has levels. The top level is always a subject. Under a subject you add categories (also called subcategories), and under them the outcomes a teacher marks.

Communication and Language          (subject)
  Listening and attention           (category)
    CL.LA.1  Listens to stories with increasing attention
    CL.LA.2  Follows a two-part instruction
  Speaking                          (category)
    CL.SP.1  Uses full sentences of four to six words

The word for the top level can change. Schools can call it subject, area, domain or strand. This changes only the label.

Switch the feature on

Configuration → School year → What we use has a switch for each half of MarkBook. Learning outcomes is one of them. Switching a half off hides its screens. It deletes nothing, and the judgements already recorded stay. Switching it on again brings everything back.

Setup order

1. Make sure the school year, reporting periods and subjects exist. See Academic Years and Subjects.
2. Create a judgement scale for the levels. See Judgement Scales.
3. Create the framework and give it a scale. See Building a Framework.
4. Choose where it applies: which template, school year, periods and classes.
5. Teachers mark. See Marking Outcomes.
6. Optional: turn on Category Roll-up and align outcomes to standards.

Who can do what

Action	Permission
Create and edit frameworks, outcomes and standards	Rubrics and standards
Mark outcomes	Enter and change marks (and you must reach the class)
Open the marking grid	View the marks grid
See a cell's history / restore	See a cell's history / Restore an earlier mark

Roles are set in Configuration → Users & Roles. See Roles & Permissions.

Learning outcomes, standards and rubrics are different things

• Learning outcomes are what your school marks against. They carry a scale.
• Standards are official codes you align your outcomes to. They are never marked.
• Course plans say what you intend to teach. A lesson can name the outcomes it covers. See Course Plans Overview.

Parents

A framework has a setting, Progress visible to parents. When it is on, families see the judgements recorded against it. What a family may see overall is set in Family Permissions.

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