Understanding the Calculation of Course Grades used in At-Risk Metrics

Introduction:

Previously, users have noticed that in some instances, the count of students appearing in At-Risk Metrics related to course grades (e.g., Ds and Failed Marks) may not match the count of students in the student marks table. The purpose of this article is to break down the logic behind how these At-Risk tallies are calculated to facilitate an understanding of why there may be a discrepancy between these two parts of the Oregon Data Suite (ODS) when, intuitively, they seem as though they should be identical.

What are 'At-Risk' Metrics?

'At-Risk' metrics identify students potentially heading toward academic trouble. These could be due to low grades, sudden declines in performance, or other factors that schools consider red flags. This article is focused on At-Risk metrics related to student marks.

Breaking Down the Logic:

Each night, ODS analyzes the most recent student marks to fetch the most recent grade for each student's courses within certain parameters and stores the results temporarily. Only the grades determined by ODS will be counted in the summation of marks. For example, say a student has two grades in a class (a D and a C). Let’s say the D is the older grade, and the student has improved their performance in the class, and now they have a new grade, which is a C. ODS will consider the C to be the latest grade and will exclude the D from any tallies and calculations of At-Risk metrics.

1. Latest Course Grades:
   ODS determines which grades are considered the latest using a hierarchy based on Mark Date, Mark Type, and Marking Period End Date. Within each course, the most recent grade is considered to be the one with the most recent Mark Date. If there is a tie and two marks have the same date, ODS will then examine the Mark Type. Final Grades are given priority over period grades, and period grades are given priority over grade book grades. For example, let's say that in the previous example, the C and D both had the same Mark Date, but the D was a progress grade, and the C was a final grade. In this instance, ODS would consider the C the latest grade, and the D would be excluded. In the unlikely event that there is also a tie between Mark Type, ODS will examine the Marking Period End Date and assign priority based on the nearest Marking Period End Date. So, if the C and D were both on the same date and both were of the same mark type, but the D was associated with Q1 (assume this quarter will end one week from now) and the C was associated with S1 (assume this semester will end ten weeks from now). In this instance, the D would be counted as the latest course grade because the end of Q1 is closer than the end of S1.

2. Additional Filtering:

After calculating the latest marks, any student marks associated with a dropped course on the student's schedule are excluded. For example, if a student had a D in a course that was previously dropped, this grade would be excluded and would not count towards the sum of Ds and Failed marks on this metric.

Situations where Discrepancies may Arise:

1. Dropped Courses - Not counted in the count of marks for At-Risk metrics but may be included in the Student Marks table depending on filter settings.

2. Hand Entered Transcript Grades with a future Mark Date - Counted in the tally of At-Risk Student Marks but may be included in the Student Marks table depending on filter settings.

3. Student Marks Filter is for a different Marking Period - At Risk Student Marks will always be based on the latest course grades, while the Student Marks table can be filtered for any marking period. This can be particularly troublesome when a “Running Total” approach is taken and marking periods have identical begin dates and different end dates (as opposed to the traditional approach of distinct marking periods that do not overlap).