Category Roll-up
A parent reading a report does not want 40 outcome levels. They want one level for "Listening and attention" and one for "Communication and Language". Roll-up works those levels out for you from the outcomes beneath each category.
You change roll-up on the framework: Configuration → Assessment → Learning outcomes, open the framework, Structure step. You need the permission Rubrics and standards.
Turn it on
Switch on Automatically give parents a level of their own. The hint says: "Each subcategory and subject is filled in from the outcomes beneath it, instead of being a heading only."
Then choose How a level is worked out.
| Method | What it gives |
|---|---|
| Whatever the scale allows (the default) | Average of the levels if the scale has numbers, otherwise the most common level. |
| Average of the levels | The mean of the numbers on the levels, rounded to a level. Needs numbers on every level of the scale. |
| Most common level | The level most outcomes have. |
| Lowest level | The weakest level among the outcomes. |
| Highest level | The strongest level. |
The scale decides what is possible
The average needs a number on every level. Open Configuration → Assessment → Judgement scales to check. If even one level has no number (for example "Not applicable" is blank), the average is off for the whole scale, and only the most common level is possible. MarkBook says: "Add numeric values to the scale in Grades to unlock the rest."
If you choose Average of the levels and later remove a number from the scale, MarkBook does not show a blank. It falls back to the most common level.
Example
Scale Developing = 1, Secure = 2, Mastered = 3. Category "Number" has four outcomes. Hana's levels are Mastered (3), Secure (2), Secure (2), Developing (1).
| Method | Hana's level for "Number" |
|---|---|
| Average of the levels | 8 ÷ 4 = 2.0, so Secure |
| Most common level | Secure (two outcomes) |
| Lowest level | Developing |
| Highest level | Mastered |
What counts
- Every outcome under the category counts, however deep. It does not depend on how far down the page you scrolled.
- Only outcomes judged on the same scale as the category count. Two scales are never mixed. An outcome on another scale is ignored.
- A category with no judgements below it shows nothing. That is normal.
- A level a teacher typed on a category is never replaced by a worked-out one. This is decided per pupil. A category can be typed for one child and worked out for another.
When a category stays blank on purpose
If the category has judgements below it and every one is on another scale, it shows no level and the grid explains: "No level can be worked out here. This row is judged on X, while the outcomes beneath it were judged on Y — averaging two different scales would give a level that means nothing." Two common causes:
- A category has its own scale (for example Effort) while its outcomes use another.
- The framework default scale was changed after marks were recorded.
Headings and markable categories
Two further switches decide what teachers can do on a category.
- Include categories that are headings. A category shows a level even if teachers cannot type on it. Nothing is stored. Switch it off and the curriculum is as before.
- Let teachers type a level on a category. The action Make N categories markable turns every heading into a row where a teacher can enter a level. A level typed this way stands instead of the worked-out one.
Before it acts, MarkBook shows the categories it will change (the first 25, then "and N more") and asks you to confirm. This edits the curriculum itself and cannot be undone from here. To undo it use Make N categories headings. That keeps every level already typed. What goes is the ability to type a new one. MarkBook records in the activity log which categories it changed.
What on and off really mean
| Switch | Meaning |
|---|---|
| On | The level is worked out and filled in. A teacher can still type over it on a markable category. |
| Off | Nothing is worked out. But a category that is already markable can still be typed on by hand. |
Switching roll-up off does not make categories headings again. The off state shows "N categories are still markable" and offers Make them headings again.
Reports and parents
A rolled-up level is what a parent sees for a category. On a printed report it is drawn in italic, so a reader knows a computed level from a teacher's level. See Marking Outcomes and Report Templates.