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Getting Started with GradeXpert
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Summary of Getting Started Steps ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Downloading and Installing GradeXpert................................................................................................................................. 4
Setting up GradeXpert ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Creating Your Own Assessments ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Add Assessment Header .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Add Assessments ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Adding New Users ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Setting Up Classes and Years ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Preparing a Student Import File ................................................................................................................................................. 9
You’re ready to go! ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11
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Introduction
Congratulations on your choice of GradeXpert Student Assessment Tracking Software!
Follow the steps below to ensure GradeXpert is set up correctly at your schools. More detailed
explanations can be found further in the guide.
Remember: we're here to help. Call us on 1300 762 455 or email [email protected] if
you have any questions or problems.
Please consult the easy-to-use GradeXpert help system within the program (by pressing F1) for
more detailed step-by-step help with individual functions.
You can download the full GradeXpert User Manual in PDF format from
http://www.gradexpert.com.au/download/GradeXpert6Help.pdf. This has the same content as the
built-in GradeXpert Help, but you can save the PDF on your desktop for easy reference or printing
out.
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Summary of Getting Started Steps
Step 1
Download and Install
Download the full GradeXpert install from our website.
Install the GradeXpert demo version on all teachers computers and
install the database in a shared folder on your school server.
Ask your school IT staff to assist with this step if required.
Step 2
Load Registration Code
Request your Annual License invoice from GradeXpert (if you haven’t
already received one), including student enrolment numbers.
You’ll be emailed your new registration code once the invoice is paid.
This will fully unlock the demo versions previously installed.
Step 3
Choose Assessments to
Track
Discuss with your school leadership team which assessments you
would like to use to track student progress.
These can include NAPLAN, on-demand tests, end-of-semester
results and other literacy and numeracy assessments in use at your
school.
We recommend you pick a smaller set of assessments to begin with,
giving you time to learn how the software works before expanding to
a greater number of assessments.
Step 4
Set Up Assessments
Add the assessments you have chosen to track into GradeXpert, so
that teachers can enter results and comments for these assessments.
Your list of assessments can also be imported into GradeXpert.
Contact us for assistance.
Step 5
Set Up Users
Add the list of users who will have access to GradeXpert, usually
teachers, school leadership and administrative and IT staff.
Your list of users can also be imported into GradeXpert. Contact us
for assistance.
Step 6
Import Students
Prepare a student list to import. This can be extracted from your
current student management system such as CASES, MAZE, TASS etc.
You can manually add new students arriving during the year.
Step 7
Book a Training Session
Book your free on-site or online training session to show teachers
how to enter assessment results into GradeXpert and generate
progress and performance graphs.
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Downloading and Installing GradeXpert
If you haven’t yet downloaded and installed the database and program, go to
www.gradexpert.com.au/download-full.htm, where you will find instructions on how to
download and install the program. Ask your IT staff to assist you if required.
You can download and install the demo version of the program on all computers, and set up
assessments, users and classes even if you’re using the demo version.
When you receive your registration code, it can simply be entered into your installed demo
version to unlock the program for the number of registered students. This only needs to be
done once on any computer running GradeXpert, not all computers running GradeXpert.
Setting up GradeXpert
After logging in to GradeXpert, click on the “Settings” menu button to access the individual
settings described in the sections below.
Items in each tab are entered or edited directly in the grids, by clicking “Add” to create new
items, or by pressing Enter on a cell to start editing.
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Creating Your Own Assessments
On the “Assessment” tab in Settings, you can set up the tests you want teachers to enter results
for, or you can modify the existing list of assessments to suit your requirements.
We recommend you take some time to decide on the assessments that you would like to store
on GradeXpert before setting up those assessments in GradeXpert, so that you have a clear
idea of how you want them to look beforehand.
We also recommend that you initially select a small group of assessment types to store in
GradeXpert, which will give you time to learn how the software works before expanding the
number of types of assessments stored.
You can delete any assessments from the existing list that you do not want to use by selecting
that assessment and clicking “Delete”.
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Add Assessment Header
An Assessment Header is a heading you can define for a number of similar assessments, e.g.
LITERACY, NUMERACY, MUSIC, etc., allowing you to group similar assessment types together,
usually by subject.
You can add any number of individual tests under an assessment header. Assessment Headers
make it easier to create reports on specific groups of assessments.
Create new assessment headers by clicking “Add Header”, and then typing the name of the new
header directly into the grid.
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Add Assessments
Assessments are the actual assessments, or tests, that your students are marked on. Assessment
results are entered later by selecting an assessment you have set up here.
To create a new assessment, select any row within the assessment header in which you want to
add the new assessment and then click “Add”.
Type in the new assessment name, optional assessment code and optional extended
description. Assessment codes are handy when importing data and extended descriptions are
used to give more detail on the purpose of a test or it’s marking systems etc. to other users.
You can then select up to 5 different predefined result types that will be allowed for this
assessment. This allows teachers to enter up to 5 different results for one assessment, e.g. 95%
and A+. To select a result type, double-click (or press space or click the “…” button) on the first
empty result type column for the current assessment and select a result type from the list. You
can also create your own result types or modify the default values for these result types.
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Adding New Users
GradeXpert Users are staff members who require access to GradeXpert on a regular basis,
usually the administrator of GradeXpert, school IT staff and any teacher that needs to log in to
GradeXpert and enter results and generate graphs.
Add each user into GradeXpert, by selecting “Add” on the Users tab in Settings and then
entering a username, password and full name for each user. You can come back and add more
users at any time. Ensure you don't allow multiple users to log in under the same user.
Access level 3 allows access to all functions (i.e. highest access level), while access level 0 for a
user only allows access to basic functions. See the “Access Levels” tab for details on preset
access levels for GradeXpert functions, which can be modified if required.
Remember to remove or rename the default “demonstration user”, otherwise other users will
be able to log in to GradeXpert as this default user, with access to all functions.
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Setting Up Classes and Years
Before you can enter student details and assessment results, ensure you have your school’s
class structure set up in GradeXpert.
Select “Classes and Years” from Settings, and then ensure you set up the grade (from prep to
grade 12) and each class within that grade.
You can also remove any unused classes and years from this list by selecting a row and clicking
"Delete".
These classes are not yet linked to a year, so the list of classes shown here is not related to the
list of years shown here. Classes are only linked to years when students and results are entered.
For example, if you have a 3A in 2011, and a 3A in 2012, class 3A only needs to appear in this
class list once, as that class name will be reused for 2012.
Preparing a Student Import File
GradeXpert import files are plain text files with the student details arranged in columns and
separated by commas. This is called a comma-separated value file, and has a file extension of
CSV.
A CSV file can be created and saved as a .CSV format file in Microsoft Excel, among other
applications, by creating a spreadsheet containing student details, one column per field and
making the first row of the spreadsheet the header row. A header row is mandatory in a
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GradeXpert import file. Save the file as a “.CSV” file type, e.g. “Student List 2010.csv” from
Microsoft Excel.
Because you can use Excel to create the csv import file, you can use all other features of Excel,
e.g. search and replace; copy and paste, insert columns, etc. to prepare your data before saving
it in CSV format.
The first line of every GradeXpert import file is the “header” line. This line indicates which fields
(i.e. pieces of student or assessment data) are to be imported and the order that they appear in
the CSV file. All additional lines contain the actual data, in the same order as the header line.
The column order is not important.
The student’s grade, class, year, house and any student indicators specified in an import file
must already exist in GradeXpert before importing – they will not be created automatically if
they do not exist. Set them up in Settings > Classes & Years in GradeXpert before importing the
student list.
Below is an example of a csv file containing student import data:
Once your file is ready to import and matching classes are set up in GradeXpert, go to Import
and click Browse to select this import file.
Once all students have been pre-loaded and all rows are green, indicating no problems were
found with the data, click Import to add those students to the database.
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You’re ready to go!
You have now set up the basic structure of your GradeXpert database system and can now begin
entering student details and assessment results in “Students & Results”.
You can come back to these Settings at any time to add or edit assessments, users, student
indicators, teachers, school logos for reports and so on.
See Online Help in GradeXpert (by pressing F1) for more information.
Remember: we're here to help. Call us on 1300 762 455 or email [email protected] if
you have any questions or problems.
www.gradexpert.com.au
© Copyright by GradeXpert. All Rights Reserved.
