Welcome to MarkBookWeb : You re about to become acquainted with the finest classroom management program available today.

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1 QUICK START GUIDE INTRODUCTION Welcome to MarkBookWeb : You re about to become acquainted with the finest classroom management program available today. MarkBookWeb will work for you as a 1. Class Manager: Print seating plans/charts with or without photos, attendance forms, and loan agreement forms. 2. Grade Book: Analyze achievement, analyze attendance, record notes and keep student and parent phone numbers and addresses. 3. Communication Tool: Print detailed report cards and, using MarkBookWeb CONNECT, on-line With these functions, MarkBookWeb will enhance your professional image, enhance your school s image, and cause your students to learn more of the curriculum. The instructions of this Guide have been designed to take you through just those features which are essential to run the program successfully. Advanced features have been omitted. We re confident that you ll find MarkBookWeb makes your teaching life a lot easier. We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions at our website at markbookweb.com. Sincerely, The Acadiem Group. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 1

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS System Requirements Page 2 Getting Started Create an Account..... Page 3 Starting a New Class Create a New Class (without using an import) Page 4 Import a Class from MarkBook Windows... Page 8 Create a Class List from the Trillium SIS Export... Page 9 Home..... Page 10 Entries Home > Entries > Add Entry.. Page 11 Home > Entries > Edit Marks.... Page 12 Analyzing and Reporting Home > Entries Overview... Page 13 Home > Class Report... Page 13 Home > Student Report... Page 14 Home > Combined Report Page 14 Appendix A: Creating the Import File for MarkBook Web from MarkBook Windows Page 15 Appendix B: MarkBookWeb Math.... Page 15 Appendix C: MarkBookWeb Browser Version... Page 18 Appendix D: MarkBookWeb Connect.. Page 20 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Desktop Version x 720 or better screen resolution - Download software from markbookweb.com > DESKTOP. - Windows XP through Windows 10 - OS X / macos 10.8 and up Browser Version x 720 or better screen resolution - Browser must support the latest version of Flash See Appendix C - No additional software is required. Note: Desktop and Browser Versions access the same data base and may be used interchangeably. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 2

3 GETTING STARTED Create an account: To create the account first, visit markbookweb.com; then, click on SIGN UP. If the software is installed first or you re using the browser version, click on the Sign Up button on the opening page. There are 3 steps in this process: 1. Complete the billing information form. All fields are required. 2. Complete a payment form or provide a coupon code 3. Register the account using the sent for this purpose. Once this is complete, enter your user name and password in the sign in fields to start using the program. MarkBookWeb (MBWeb) may be used on your computer in two ways: Browser mode and as a desktop application (APP). Both require an Internet connection to be fully functional but if a connection is not available the APP may still be used. Its data will be saved to the Cloud when a connection is available. To use the Browser version, use this address: To install the desktop APP, download the software using the links on our website, markbookweb.com Please note: - The desktop APP and browser versions use the same account and data base. - Adobe Air is required by the APP. This will be installed or updated if necessary. - You may download the software to multiple computers. Only one account is needed. - The same account may be used on Windows and Mac computers. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 3

4 STARTING A NEW CLASS On the opening form, you may start a new class by clicking on the Create New Class button (red arrow) or by clicking on Import a Class (blue arrow). If you already have classes, you may create a new class on the My Classes form Import a Class has two options - Import from MarkBook for Windows: This creates the class, with Mark Sets, Categories, Entries and Learning Skills that exist in one of these versions of MarkBook. - Import from a Trillium Export: A Trillium export file contains data for all the students in a school. With this import, once the course code is selected the students for that course selected for the class. Note: If this a new account, the Class and Mark Set buttons will be blank and disabled; the Open Class buttons will be disabled. Create a New Class (without using an import) Step 1 Class ID Enter the class information (A sample is shown in the screen shot to the right). Except for the Class Code and Name, most of the fields will be filled with the information entered when you registered. The Class Code is used to identify the class; the Description will appear on screen and printed forms. The Start Date should be the month and year when your school year begins. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 4

5 Step 2 Mark Sets In situations where more than one subject is taught to the same class or students in a single class represent more than one course, each subject or course may treated as a separate Mark Set (or Set of Marks). Each Set is totally independent with its own categories, calculation method, and mark entries. However, results from any combination of Sets are possible using the Combined Report option. Every class must have at least one Mark Set but as many as needed may created at any time. To create a set - Enter a Short Code to identify the Set. This can be a piece of the class code or any other unique code you want to use. Note: You ll not be able to use this same code for any other Mark Set you create for this class. Four (4) characters is the recommended length. - In the Description cell, give this Mark Set a name/description. (Examples: Chemistry 11, English 12 Applied, 7A History, Gr. 9 Business Studies). This description will print on class and student reports. Twenty (20) characters is the recommended maximum length. - The Master Course Code is the official identification for this class and course. - The Block Title is used to classify assessments according to a block of time such as term or semester of a block of work such as a unit. Choose a label from the dropdown that best suits your situation. - Select from the five available Calculation Methods. This may be changed at any time. - Select from the three available Weighting Methods. This may be changed at any time. Note: Please see Appendix B MBWeb Math for details regarding Calculations and Weighting. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 5

6 Step 3 Entering Students This form has two panels, Students in Course on the left and Available Students on the right. If students are listed in Available, they may be selected for the new class; otherwise students must be entered manually by clicking on New. New student form - Red fields are required Note: - DOB (Date of Birth) may be entered manually. YYYY/MM/DD is the recommended format. - Data in any field may be edited at any time. Step 4 Entering Categories Assessment entries may be grouped by categories. Categories may be assigned weighting factors so that the entries a given category collectively contribute a specific percent to the overall mark. In this section, categories are created and their weightings are assigned. Here are some examples of how categories/strands can be organized For a Language Course For Mathematics For any subject Reading 30% Algebra 20% Appl 17.5% Writing 30% Geo 20% Comm 10% Comm 20% NumSense 20% Think 17.5% MediaLit 20% Measure 20% KnowUnd 25% DataMan 20% Exam/CA 30% MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 6

7 Recommendation: Limit Category names to about 8 characters (e.g. Data Management -> DataMang, Knowledge and Understanding > Know/Und) in order to fit within the available space on screen and printed reports. Note - Although not necessary, it s convenient to have your category weights total 100%. - Each Mark Set must have at least one Category. - The Misc category should be deleted once other categories have been entered. - On some forms, Color may be used to visually identify an entry s category. Step 5 Entering Blocks The Block title was entered earlier. In this step, the Blocks are named. (e.g. Units such as Phys, Bio, Chem; Semesters such as 1, 2 etc.) Note - There must be at least one block. - Block names are limited to 5 characters. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 7

8 Import a Class from MarkBook for Windows This option uses a CSV file generated in MarkBook for Windows. The Class List, Mark Sets and marks are imported from the source program. See Appendix A for more information. 1. Class Export (CSV) from MarkBook should be selected by default. If not, select it from the dropdown. 2. On the right side of the Import from box, click on the Browse button; then, locate the CSV file 3. If the Desktop version of MarkBook Web is being used, the option to load Student pictures is available. Click on its Browse button to locate the folder containing these files 4. Click on Start Import > Load 5. Click on Next (bottom right), when it s enabled. Note: This may take a few minutes. 6. Step through forms to check and, if necessary edit the data in the file. 7. Click Finish to complete the import. Note: - The import file will contain student names and associated information, Mark Sets, assessments, attendance and Learning Skills from the source program. - Picture files must be named student_number.jpg (or bmp) where student_number matches. - Use the Export Class feature to transfer data back to MarkBook Windows. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 8

9 Create a Class List from the Trillium SIS Export The file exported from the Trillium SIS contains data for all the students in your school. When the appropriate course code is selected, students taking that course will be extracted to create the class with the fields completed for each. 1. Select Trillium Import from the Import Type dropdown. 2. On the right side of Import from, click on its Browse button to locate the file. 3. If the Desktop version of MarkBook Web is being used, the option to load Student pictures is available. Click on its Browse button to locate the folder containing these files. Note: The files in the folder must be named student_number.jpg (or bmp) where the student_number matches. 4. Click on Start Import > Load; then click on Next when it s enabled. 5. In the next screen, select the appropriate Course Code from the Class Code dropdown 6. Enter a Class Name; then click on Next 7. In the forms that follow, Mark Sets, Categories and Block descriptions are entered to complete the process. Update a Class List from the Trillium SIS Export To update an existing class 1. In the Classes form, click on Import Class 2. In the Import Type dropdown, select Trillium > Load > Next 3. Select the class code for the existing class from the Course Code dropdown. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 9

10 HOME The Home form acts as the Central Command for the program. It s from here that you ll navigate to information or perform various functions within the program. The Home form is divided into two major sections: - The panel on the left shows the class list along with buttons that access features associated with the Class List. - The panel on the right shows the entries in the selected Mark Set along with buttons that access features associated with entries and reports. The Options button at the bottom of the left panel is for modifying: - Your profile including your password. - The class and Mark Set displayed by default on the Open a Class screen. - The symbols and their percent equivalents for mark entry and modal analysis. - Your account status Note: To exit any form accessed from this screen, click on the Home icon in the upper right corner. You will have the option of saving changes on exit. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 10

11 ENTRIES Home > Entries > Add Entry 1. From the Home screen, click on the Entries button. 2. If this is your first entry, only the Add Entry button is enabled otherwise, existing entries are shown on the left and several options are available. To create a new entry, click on the Add Entry button. 3. In the form that appears, complete all the required fields; then, click on Save. 4. A dialog box will appear asking whether you want to enter marks for the new entry. If you want to create a heading for another entry, click No; otherwise, click Yes. Note: - Weight determines the importance of an entry within its Category. - Out Of does not indicate importance. It s used to calculate the percent equivalent of the raw mark. - Type: Assessments are classified as Summative, Formative, Diagnostic, Self or Peer. Along with Block and Category, this parameter may be used to look at results for a subset of entries. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 11

12 Home > Entries > Edit Marks This screen is used to enter or edit marks for an entry. If this is a new entry, the initial mark for all students is NM which stands for No Mark. If the mark for a student is NM then that assessment is not included in any calculation for that student. When entering marks for a new entry, the Edit Marks button (circled in green) is already selected. To edit an existing entry, click on its title; then, click on the Edit Marks button.. The two buttons in the upper left of this form affect how marks are entered. Format (circled in red). If the format is changed, marks are converted. - Actual: Marks are entered as x/out of. In this case the Out Of is 53 so the marks entered would range from 0 to Percent: Marks are entered as a percent no matter what the Out Of. - Level: Marks are entered as symbols such as ABC or 4, 3, 2, 1, R. Symbols have percent equivalents established through Options > Level Equivalents. Input Method (circled in orange) - Keyboard: Data (numbers or symbols) is entered by clicking on the cell for a student in the Marks column and typing the value. - Stamp: A value or symbol is determined; then, entered for students by clicking on appropriate cells in the Marks column. - Fill: Enter the value and select whether to fill only blank entries ( NM ) or to fill all students with the Fill value. To apply this click in heading of the marks column (Actual/Percent/Level). Save and Home buttons - The Save button allows you to save changes without leaving the form. If there is updated data, a red star appears in its upper right corner. - The Home button returns you to the Home screen. If there is updated data that s not been saved a dialog will appear with Save, Don t Save and Cancel options. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 12

13 ANALYZING and REPORTING Home > Entries Overview On this form you may: - See and edit the results of all assessments in the current Mark Set. - Sort and filter the results using a number of parameters. The overall mark will be recalculated based on those parameters. - Change the calculation and weighting methods to see how overall marks are affected. Home > Class Report On this form, a number of options for viewing and analyzing results for the class are available. - Summary: A general overview of the marks. - Entries: For each student, displays the overall result, mark by entry and entry statistics. - Categories: Analyses the data by the categories that the assessments were placed into. - Distribution: Presents a breakdown of the class data in a bar graph format. - Modal: Presents each student s most consistent level of achievement. - Seating: Shows a seating plan with each student s results. This may be helpful in creating a more balanced room arrangement. - Comparison: Shows results using different calculation algorithms. - Print: Generates various printed reports. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 13

14 Home > Student Report This form resembles the Class Report, except that the data shown is for one student at a time. Students are selected from the list on the left. Click any tab to access the various types of analysis. Home > Combined Report To combine the marks for two or more Mark Sets, click on Combined Report. The Overall mark is the weighted average of all Mark Sets for this class. The class in the screen shot below has 6 Sets; 3 for Math and 3 for Science. Initially, the Mark Sets are weighted equally but this may be altered by clicking the Set Weighting tab. That screen shows a table listing the Mark Sets with their current weightings as percentages of the total. To change the weighting of a Mark Set, click on the Target box beside the Mark Set you wish to change. Type the new weight; press the Enter key. Repeat this process for all Mark Sets until you re satisfied with your weight changes. Note that the pie graph is updated each time. To exclude a Mark Set, give it a weight of 0 (zero). This will not affect calculations or entries within that Mark Set. To print the results of a Combined Report, click on either the Class Report or Student Report tabs and choose the desired options from the new screen menus. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 14

15 APPENDIX A CREATING THE IMPORT FILE FROM MARKBOOK Current users of MarkBook for Windows, may import class lists and Mark Sets with their categories and entries into MBWeb. The first step is to create the export file from MarkBook; the second is to import that file into MBWeb. (See page 3) 1. After, opening the class, click on the MB Exchange - Export button. 2. A dialog box will appear where you may edit the suggested file name and the path where it will be saved. Click on Save when the file name and path are OK. APPENDIX B MarkBookWeb MATH Terms: - MARK SET: A set of marks associated with a class. Each Mark Set is totally independent with its own entries, categories, weighting and calculation method. The result of any combination of Sets may be seen in a Combined Report. - OUT OF: The denominator of an assignment (i.e. Freddy got 45 out of 78 (45/78) on the test). The ONLY role for this number is to convert the raw mark to a percent (45/78 = %) for calculations - WEIGHTING METHOD: There are three: o ENTRY: The weight assigned to the entry is the only weight considered. Category weights are ignored o CATEGORY: The effective weight of an entry depends on its raw weight AND the weight of the category it s in. o EQUAL: All entries are considered equal in weight. Categories are ignored. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 15

16 Weight There are three weights used in MBWeb. All are just numbers their values are not necessarily percents and their values do not need to add to 100. The higher the value the more that entry is worth in calculations: - Entries: Each entry (test, assignment etc.) is given a weight. This value may range from 0 to 999. Any entry with a weight of zero is, in effect, deleted. - Categories: Entries are assigned to categories such as Knowledge, Thinking, and so on. Each category is assigned a weight that indicates the importance of that category but only if the Calculation Method incorporates Category Weighting. - Mark Sets: In Combined Reports, each Mark Set may be assigned a weight to indicate its importance in calculating an overall mark of those Sets. A Set with a Set Weight of zero is not included. A Combined Overall mark is always the weighted average of the included Sets. Weighting Factor This is a value calculated for each entry and each student in a Set. This value is then used one way or another in most calculations. The way this number is calculated depends on the Weighting Method. - ENTRY WEIGHT: The raw weight is converted to a percentage. Category assignments and weights are ignored in effect; all entries are treated as if they are in the same category. o EXAMPLE: If the total raw weight of all entries is 89 and entry #15 has a raw weight of 12, then its weight factor is 15/89 = %. - CATEGORY WEIGHT: Raw entry weights are converted to their percent equivalents WITHIN each category and then the category s weight is applied. o EXAMPLE: The raw weight for Entry #7 represents 20% of the total raw weight of its category and it s in a Category that is supposed to be 30% of the overall mark. In this case the Weight Factor of entry #7 is 20% of 30% or 6%. - EQUAL WEIGHT: The Weighting factor is simply 100 divided by the number of entries. The Weighting Factor is dynamic for each student. To be specific, any NO MARK a student receives for an assessment means that assessment doesn t count for or against that student. This affects the Weighting Factors used for that student. In other words for any given calculation, the Weighting Factors used may be unique for each student. The Weighting Factor also depends on any filters applied. Filters include Category (a teacher may want to calculate using only Knowledge entries), and/or Block (Term, Unit etc), and/or Type (Summative, Formative, Diagnostic, Peer or Self 32 combinations here). These may be combined in any number of ways. Any entry not included within the filters has to be treated as a NO MARK. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 16

17 Calculation Algorithms Average: The mark earned for each entry, as a percent, is multiplied by its Weighting Factor. The sum of this calculation for all valid entries is the student s weighted average. Median Valid entries, as percents, are sorted from highest to lowest. Then starting at the top, Weighting Factors are added until the total is greater or equal to 50%. If the sum is greater than 50% then the mark at that point is the median; if the sum is 50%, then the number at that point plus the next one down are averaged. Mode (or Most Consistent Level of Achievement) A scheme that sets out Levels with mark ranges has to be established. A typical scheme is Level R from 0 to 50%, Level 1 (50 to %), Level 2 (60 to %), Level 3 (70 to %) and Level 4 (80 to 100%+). Schemes may have up to 19 Levels, may be edited by the teacher and may be changed at ANY time. Schemes apply to ALL Mark Sets. Each entry (as a percent) is evaluated to determine in which Level it belongs. When that s determined its Weight Factor is added to the Weight Factors of other Entries at that Level. The winner is the Level with the most weight. In the case of a tie, the highest level is the winner. The mark as a percent is the mid-point of the Mode. So, if the most consistent Level is Level 3 (70 to %), then the percent equivalent of that is 75%. Blended Mode This is a combination of two calculation methods Mode and Average. First, the Weighted Mode of each category is determined and the percent equivalent is assigned. To do this, the raw weight of each entry within a given category converted to a percent of its category; then, these values are used to determine the Mode of the Category. Each category s Mode is then converted to a percent; then, the results of all Categories are averaged using their Category Weights Blended Median The principle is the same as Blended Mode but the Weighted Median of each category is used instead. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 17

18 Appendix C Browser Version The desktop and browser versions of MarkBookWeb access the same account and may be used interchangeably. In general all features are available in the Browser version but there are some differences: - The Desktop version requires a small program, downloaded from markbookweb.com, to be installed on either a Windows or Mac computer. The Browser version may be used on any platform in a browser that supports the latest version of Adobe Flash. - Both versions require a minimum screen resolution of 1280 by 720 but in the Browser version you may have to close toolbars and/or the Task bar in Windows or the Dock in Mac to access all buttons and features. - In the Desktop version, you may print reports. In the Browser version, the print option is disabled but on most platforms you may generate reports as PDFs and send reports by . - The option to upload student pictures from a folder when importing a class is disabled in the Browser version but in most browsers, pictures may be imported individually when editing a student in the Class Enrollment form. Windows - Tested browsers include Edge, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox on XP and up. - Save PDF and Import/Export features may use any available path on the host computer. Mac - Tested browsers include Safari, Chrome and Firefox. - Save PDF and Import/Export features may use any available path on the host computer. Chromebooks - The Save PDF option opens your Google Drive account. Once the file is saved, it may be opened on a computer with access to your Google Drive; then, printed from there. - Google Drive is also the service used to Import or Export a class in the My Classes form. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 18

19 Tablets Note: - The Puffin browser from CloudMosa Inc was used to test MarkBookWeb on Android and ios tablets. - Since your account may be accessed on all platforms and versions of MarkBookWeb, data entered and manipulated on a tablet browser with limited features, those features are available when the account is accessed on Windows, Mac, or Chromebook devices. Android - The screen resolution must be at least 1280 by 720 in landscape orientation. Examples: Samsung Tab E, (9.6 ), Acer Iconia One (10.1 ) and others. Smaller tablets, even with an advertised resolution of 1280 by 720 may not be suitable. - The use of an external keyboard and stylus is highly recommended - The Save PDF option is not functional but on the Student Report, a PDF report may be sent by . - Classes may be imported from MarkBook Windows through Google Drive or external storage (an SD card) - The Export Class option is not functional ipad (ios) - Only the 12.9 ipad Pro meets 1280 x 720 screen resolution in landscape orientation. The effective screen resolution of all other models is 1024 by 768 (see - The use of an external keyboard and stylus is highly recommended. In Puffin, to activate an external keyboard, tap on Play in Fullscreen in the upper left corner; then, tap on the keyboard icon in the lower left corner. Once in Fullscreen, if it s necessary to reactivate the keyboard, tap the icon in the lower left. - The Save PDF option is not functional but on the Student Report, a PDF report may be sent by . - The Import Class feature is unusable at this time since the folder it accesses is Photos. - The Export Class option is not functional. Linux (Ubuntu): At this time no tested browser supports Flash. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 19

20 Appendix D MarkBookWeb Connect This feature provides a way for teachers to keep parents and students informed on student progress through an online website. To get started, from the Home form, click on the Connect button. This opens the Connect form which has three tabs: My CONNECT Account, Distribute Login Instructions and Publish Marks to CONNECT My CONNECT Account This step must be completed before any other. It sets up the teacher s account and page. To do this, simply click on Login to CONNECT in Browser. One set up, this button is used to access your CONNECT page in the future. Note: The login for your teacher account is the address stored in User Preferences, the password is the one you use when you login to MarkBookWeb MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 20

21 Distribute Login Information In order for parents and/or students to access CONNECT, they need to setup their accounts. This is done by distributing an information document, to those selected using options on this form, by or printed forms which will contain a web address and code to be entered on the sign up form CONNECT Sign Up Enter Code Note: If the option is used, addresses must be entered with the student information on the Enrollment form. Note: To send notices to both Parents and Student, you must choose one and then the other. Once the code is entered, on the next form first name, last name, address and a password must be entered. CONNECT Sign Up Enter Name, and Password When Sign up is clicked, an will be sent to the address entered to confirm the account and complete its setup. The address becomes the user name for the account. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 21

22 Publish Marks to CONNECT This form is used to publish data to the accounts. There are several options that determine which accounts are updated and the data that s included Options Include Combined Report: If you have more than one Mark Set, this option includes the PDF report that s generated from the Combined Reports > Student Report form using options selected on that form. Include Student Report: This includes the PDF report that s generated from the Student Report > Report form for each selected Mark Set. Note: If neither of the above options is checked, then just the overall mark and entry results are included. Mark Sets: If you have more than one Mark Set for this class, using this option lets you select the ones to be included. The default is that all Sets are included. Select the Students to Publish: These are the same selection options found on the Distribution form to select which accounts are updated. MarkBookWeb Quick Start Guide Page 22