What is the difference between benchmarking and standardisation?

Standardisation is a quality assurance exercise taken immediately after training, allowing you to begin marking.

Benchmarking is a quality assurance exercise taken periodically throughout the cycle to ensure the highest quality of  marking and the consistent application of the mark scheme is maintained throughout the cycle. 

 

How do I access standardisation?

Click on the 'Online marker applications' link to your left.  

1. Log in using your user name and password.
2. On the 'Marker links' screen, click on the 'Standardisation' link.
3. You will be taken to your first question to begin standardisation.

Please refer to your Making your mark online - applications user guide for detailed instructions on how to standardise.

 

What are my login details?

Your login details consist of a password and a user name. Your user name is the email address you gave us at the time of your application and will remain your username throughout the 2008 marking cycle. 

Please note that your login details are the same for any of the Online marker applications (e.g. standardisation, benchmarking, online mark capture, script verification, etc)

 

What shall I do if I receive a message asking me to display non-secure information?

Please click 'Yes' to perform your standardisation exercise.  

 

Why doesn’t the standardisation link work?

The standardisation link will be greyed out if:

·         you have attempted standardisation and passed

·         you have attempted standardisation and failed your first attempt.

If you have had only one attempt at standardisation you should contact your team leader.  Your team leader will provide feedback before unblocking you for your second attempt at standardisation.

If you have not attempted standardisation and the link does not work, please contact the marker helpdesk and we will unblock the standardisation process for you.

 

I am getting a Java error everytime I try to access a question. What do I do?

You need to ensure you have the latest version of Java. To download the latest version of Java please go to www.java.com. Once you have done this, you will need to resume you standardisation exercise. For further help on using the correct versions of Java, please go to our 'Additional troubleshooting' section.

How do I view my standardisation scripts?

To view your standardisation scripts:

1. Click on the 'Online marker applications' link to your left.
2. Log in using your username and password.
3. On the 'Marker links' screen, click on the mentoring link to review standardisation and benchmarking.
4. Select 'Standardisation' from the drop down box in the 'Folder Type' and select the dates which the standardisation or benchmarking was
completed.
5. Click 'Process Selection' to view the contents of the standardisation or benchmarking attempt on the same screen.

For more information please see page 10 of Making your mark online - application user guide.

 

How will I know whether or not I have passed standardisation?

You will receive a pop-up once you have assigned all marks and clicked 'Folder complete'. This pop-up will inform you whether or not you have passed standardisation.

 

I have schools listed in Online mark capture, does this mean I have passed standardisation?

Yes, you have passed.

What is the 'Stimulus' link for?

The 'Stimulus' link lets you view additional material for a question, such as tables or graphs.

 

What is 'Cluster'?

The term 'cluster' refers to a pupil's paper. All questions in a cluster are responses from one pupil.

 

What is 'Folder'?

The term 'folder' refers to a collection of clusters - or pupil's papers - that make up the standardisaiton test.

 

What shall I do if I cannot see a pupil's response?

Try clicking on the small arrow button along the top of your screen to expand the list of tools that will help you view the screen more clearly.

Please refer to your Making your mark - online applications user guide or our Online marker applications demonstrations for further guidance.

 

I have gone through the entire standardisation exercise and clicked on 'Folder complete'. What do I do next?

What you will do, will depend on the message you receive. Please see the instructions below:

'Pass' - please contact your team leader.

'Fail' - please contact your team leader who will mentor you and help you prepare for your second attempt at standardisation.

'Incomplete' - click on the question in the cluster summary that says 'Incomplete' and then press 'Next' all the way to the end.  This should take you to 'Folder complete'.  If this does not happen then click 'Cancel' and then 'OK' - this should take you out of the exercise.

 

I have completed standardisation and clicked 'Folder complete' but nothing is happening. What shall I do?

For the outcome of your standardisation to be recorded, you must ensure your pop-ups are enabled. Please refer to your for detailed instructions on how to enable pop-ups.

 

Is there a deadline for standardisation?

The deadline for key stage 3 subjects is 14 May 2008 and for key stage 2 subjects 21 May 2008.

 

How can I save the marks I have already assigned?

By moving from one question to next, the system automatically saves what you have marked. This means that you do not have to do the whole standardisation exercise in one go. Instead, you can exit it (which would automatically save your work up to that point in time) and when you go back to the exercise, you will be taken to the questions you have not marked yet.

 

Can I go back to change marks I assigned incorrectly, before I submit my standardisation attempt?

Yes, you can go back to change marks you assigned incorrectly, before you submit your standardisation. To do that, go back into the relevant cluster in the 'Cluster summary' screen. You will be able to view and change the mark assigned to that question. Alternatively if you are already in the relevant cluster you can use the 'Previous' button to go back to the previous questions and change them.

 

I  want to leave a question blank. How do I do this?

To leave a question blank you must select 'BB'.

 

What do I do if I do not pass my standardisation exercise after two attempts?

If you do not pass your standardisation after two attempts, you will no longer be able to mark in this year's cycle and your contract will be terminated. Please contact your team leader to make sure they are informed.

 

Is it possible to print off the standardisation and/or benchmarking scripts?

Yes, you can print off the standardisation/benchmarking scripts. To do that, click on the button in the top middle of the standardisation screen which will expand a list of tools including the print icon. Please also refer to the instructions on page seven of your Making a mark online - applications user guide.

 

Is it possible to stop halfway through standardising? Ie: can you save what you have done and then go back to it later?

Yes you can stop at any point during your standardisation and return to it later on. When you log back in, you will receive a message that you have incomplete folders. Click on the "Sequence number" of the folder you need to go back in to, in order to continue marking, and then click on the "CR Seq No" to go into the question you want to mark.

 

What will happen if my computer crashes part-way through the standardisation process?

If your PC crashes during standardisation, everything you worked on will be saved. When you go back into it next time you will be taken to where you left off. You will receive a message that you have incomplete folders. Click on the "Sequence number" of the folder you need to go back in to, in order to continue marking, and then click on the "CR Seq No" to go into the question you want to mark.

 

How do I exit standardisation if I do not want to save my work?

You need to click on 'Folder summary' and then 'Folder complete'. Then, click 'Cancel' on the first alert and 'OK' on the second alert.