"Assessment Areas" are key components in the organization of your Competency-Based Gradebook in jmc Teacher whether you are calculating results to a standards-based report card or to an end of term course grade. Add new "Assessment Areas" to a course on the Define Formative Assessments page to define the categories or domains you are assessing throughout the term, then select the assessment area type to choose the summative reporting option that best meets your needs.
To define an "Assessment Area" in jmc Teacher, head to Competency-Based Grading > Define Formative Assessment.
Step One: Select a course from the "Courses" drop-down list to begin defining an "Assessment Area" for a specific course.
Step Two: Click the "Add" button to add a new "Assessment Area" to the selected course.
Helpful Tip: To edit details of an existing "Assessment Area", simply select the appropriate Assessment Area from the "Assessment Area" drop-down list and click the "Edit/Delete" button.
Step Three: Enter a name (for example a category or standard domain) in the "Assessment Area Name" field to create a group for the standards you will be assessing.
Helpful Tip: When organizing your CBG gradebook, consider entering names of skill groups such as "Writing," "Reading Fictional Text," or "Reading Informational Text" in the "Assessment Area Name" field to easily group the standards you are assessing for the selected course.
Step Four: Select the appropriate radio button from the "Assessment Area Type" box to define the summative reporting option you are using for end of term reporting.
Formative: assessment area results that are tracked but are not included on a standards-based or course grade report card at the end of the term.
Benchmark Result (Standards-Based Report Card): end-of-term results that are reported on a standards-based report card.
Calculated to an Assignment Score: assessment areas that are a weighted category that contributes to an end of term course grade.
Fun Fact: Assessment Areas with a "Calculated to an Assignment Score" type will utilize the grade cutoffs established on the Scores > Grade Cutoffs page to calculate an end of term course grade.
Step Five: Click the "Save" button to save your "Assessment Area" to your list or click the "Close" button to discard your changes and return to the previous page.