Working with Qualifiers

1. Creating Qualifier Sets
2. Organizing Qualifier Sets
3. Deleting Qualifier Sets
4. Editing Qualifier Sets
5. Copying Qualifier Sets
6. Qualifier Values
7. Printing Qualifier Sets

As you observe learning, you may also describe the level of competency. For example, is the skill at a novice, apprentice, or mastered level? In Learner Profile, these levels of development are referred to as Qualifiers. A grouping of Qualifiers (such as novice, apprentice, and mastered) is referred to as a Qualifier Set. These Qualifier Sets are used in conjunction with Observables to describe student learning as it is observed. It is most practical for all Learner Profile users in a community to use the same set of qualifiers so there is a basis for comparing learning. Consistent qualifier sets assist in teacher training and in reporting to students and parents. Using a consistent set of qualifiers will also help to assure concordant assessment by different observers, improving inter-rater reliability.

1. Creating Qualifier Sets

1. Click on the OBSERVATION tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. In the left column, labeled Qualifier Sets, you will see a number of folders. Select the folder where you would like the new qualifier set created by clicking on it (if you are not the administrator, you may not have permission to create qualifier sets anywhere but in your personal qualifier set folder). For more information about qualifier set folders, see Organizing Qualifier Sets.
3. Click the NEW SET button. You should see the qualifier set name "Untitled" appear in the Qualifier Set column, as well as in the Qualifier Set text field to the right.
4. Click in the Qualifier Set text field to the right to edit the name of your Qualifier Set.
5. Once you have named your Qualifier Set, you can begin adding Qualifiers to it. You should see a chart with two columns labeled "Qualifier" and "Value" below the area where you entered the name of the Qualifier Set. Click in the first row of the Qualifier column and type in the name of a qualifier.
6. Optionally, you may enter a corresponding numeric value for that qualifier by typing in a number from 0 - 100 in the Value column to the right. By providing reference values to your qualifiers, you will be able to generate reports which quantify the results of your assessment in ways that otherwise could not be done. See Qualifier Values for more on this topic.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have finished entering all the qualifiers in your qualifier set. Your qualifier set is automatically saved.

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2. Organizing Qualifier Sets
If you have several qualifier sets, you may find it helpful to organize those qualifier sets into folders. To create a new folder, follow these steps:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. In the left column, labeled Qualifier Sets, you should see a number of directories, such as "Public Qualifier Sets." Click on the directory where you would like your folder to be created.
3. Click the NEW FOLDER button.
4. Enter a name for your new folder in the pop-up window and click OK.

To place existing Qualifier Sets in the new folder, follow these steps:

1. In the left column, select the qualifier set you wish to move by clicking on it
2. Choose CUT from the Edit menu
3. Select the folder you have just created by clicking on it
4. Choose PASTE from the Edit menu. The Qualifier Set will be placed in the new folder.

To place a new Qualifier Set in a folder, follow these steps:

1. Choose the folder where you would like your new observable set to be created.
2. Click the NEW SET button.
3. Enter a name for your new observable set and add qualifiers to it.
4. The qualifier set will be created in the folder you selected.

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3. Deleting Qualifier Sets
To delete a qualifier set, follow these steps:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. Select the qualifier set you want to delete.
3. Click the DELETE button.

NOTE: You will not be able to delete a qualifier set if it is associated with one or more observables. In order to delete the qualifier set, you will need to edit each observable that uses it by associating the observable with a different qualifier set (or by deleting the observable).

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4. Editing Qualifier Sets
To edit the name of a qualifier set, follow these steps:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. Select the qualifier set you want to edit by clicking on it in the left "Qualifier Sets" column.
3. The name of the Qualifier Set should appear in the "Qualifier Set" text field to the right. Place the cursor in this field to edit the name of the Qualifier Set.
4. When you have finished, click back in the Qualifier Sets column. You will see that your Qualifier Set has been renamed.

To edit the qualifiers in a qualifier set, follow these steps:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. Select the qualifier set you want to edit by clicking on it in the left "Qualifier Sets" column.
3. In the column to the right, you will see the qualifiers in your set. To edit the text of the qualifier, place your cursor in the cell containing the qualifier and make your changes. To edit the value of a qualifier, click in the cell containing the qualifier value and make your changes.
4. Your edits are automatically saved.

NOTE: Changes to the names or values of a qualifier that has been previously used to record observations are retroactive. For example, if a qualifier is changed from "Proficient" to "Mastered," then any observation that had been made using the "Proficient" qualifier will now be reported as "Mastered." Qualifier values are effected accordingly: if the value of "Proficient" is changed from "90" to "100," then any observation previously recorded with "90" as a value will be reported with a value of "100."

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5. Copying Qualifier Sets
Learner Profile makes it possible to copy a Qualifier Set from one directory to another; however this functionality should be used with caution. As mentioned above, it is most practical for a community of Leaner Profile users to work with the same qualifier sets. By copying qualifier sets, users may think they are assessing with the same qualifiers, but those qualifiers could have inconsistent reference values, and reports may have unexpected results. Whenever possible, users should try to work from the same group of qualifier sets. That said, here are a couple reasons why you may want to copy Qualifier Sets:

• A teacher or other faculty member may have created qualifier set that the administrator wants to copy to the Public Qualifier Sets directory so that all users may access it
• A teacher or other faculty member may want to copy a qualifier set from the Public Qualifier Sets directory to modify and use with their own observables

To copy a Qualifier Set:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. Select the Qualifier Set you wish to copy by locating it in its directory and then clicking on it
3. Choose COPY from the EDIT menu.
4. Select the directory where you want the Qualifier Set to be copied.
5. Choose PASTE from the EDIT menu NOTE: Qualifier Sets are always duplicated. When you paste a Qualifier Set into another directory, the copied qualifiers are not linked to the original qualifiers--they can be modified without affecting the original qualifiers.

NOTE: By default, only the administrator can copy Qualifier Sets into the Public Qualifier Sets directory. The administrator can give this privilege to other users by modifying their permissions (see the Managing Users section of the guide).

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6. Qualifier Values
Similar to the way a "B" roughly translates to an "85" in most grade scales, you can assign a numeric value to each qualifier in a qualifier set. Giving qualifiers a "reference" value enables Learner Profile to provide you with reports that could not be generated otherwise:

• Average: A numeric "average" can be quantified using the values you provide for your qualifiers.
• Progress: A weighted numeric average based on the the trend in assessment for a particular observable.

If the value of the selected qualifiers has increased over time (moving from a qualifier worth 85 to a qualifier worth 95, for example), then the student's progress score will be slightly higher than their average score (e.g., 92 instead of 90). Observables that are assessed repeatedly over a span of time will benefit most from having the numeric values assigned to their qualifiers. Observables that are evaluated only once on a Pass/Fail or Yes/No basis do not benefit from assigned numeric values.

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7. Printing Qualifier Sets
To print out the qualifiers in a qualifier set, follow these steps:

1. Click on the OBSERVABLES tab, then select the SET UP QUALIFIERS radio button.
2. Select the qualifier set you want to print. You can print all of the qualifier sets in a folder by selecting the folder that contains them.
3. Choose PRINT... from the File menu.
4. You can commence printing in the window that next appears.

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