Running Assessments and Entering Grades in Elimu Bora

Set up tests, exams, and projects, move them through the grading lifecycle, enter student scores, and trigger guardian alerts — all from one place.

Assessments in Elimu Bora cover any evaluated activity — end-of-term exams, class tests, practical sessions, or project work. Once you create an assessment, the system guides it through a defined lifecycle from draft to closure, at which point report cards can be generated.

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Assessment categories and types

Every assessment has two classification fields:

Category — describes the purpose of the assessment:

• Formative — ongoing evaluation during the learning process (quizzes, class tests, homework)
• Summative — end-of-period evaluation of overall outcomes (final exams, end-of-term projects)

Type — describes the format of the assessment:

• Paper 1 — Multiple Choice (MCQ)
• Paper 2 — Structured Questions
• Paper 3 — Practical

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The assessment lifecycle

Every assessment moves through four stages:

Draft → Scheduled → Grading → Closed

Stage	What it means
Draft	The assessment is being set up. You can still edit all details.
Scheduled	The start date has been set and the assessment is underway. Editing is locked.
Grading	The assessment period is over. Teachers can now enter marks.
Closed	All grades are in. The assessment is locked and report cards can be published.

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Creating an assessment

1. Open the Assessments list

   In the left navigation, go to Assessments & Grading → Assessments and click New Assessment.

2. Fill in the assessment details

   Complete the form:

   • Name — a clear title, e.g., “Term 1 End-of-Term Exam 2026”
   • Curriculum — select CBC or 8-4-4
   • Grade Level — the year group being assessed
   • Grade Stream — leave blank to target all streams in the grade level, or select a specific stream
   • Assessment Category — Formative or Summative
   • Assessment Type — Paper 1, Paper 2, or Paper 3
   • Grading Scale — the scale that maps raw scores to grade bands (A+, A, B+…)
   • Start Date / End Date — the assessment window
   • Subjects — add the subjects this assessment covers, with total marks per subject
3. Save as Draft

   Click Create. The assessment is saved with Draft status and can still be edited.

4. Mark as Scheduled

   When you are ready to lock the assessment for editing, open the assessment and click Mark as Scheduled. This signals that the assessment is underway and prevents further changes to its setup.

5. Open for Grading

   Once the assessment period is over, click Open for Grading. The status changes to Grading, and teachers can now navigate to the Enter Grades page to input scores.

6. Close the assessment

   When all grades have been entered, click Close Assessment. You have two options:

   • Close & Generate Reports Now — closes the assessment and immediately generates report cards for every student with a grade
   • Close & Generate Reports Later — closes the assessment without generating report cards; you can generate them manually from the Report Cards section

   Once closed, no further grade changes are possible.

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Entering grades

Grade entry is only available when an assessment is in Grading status. If you try to access the grade entry page for an assessment that is not in Grading status, you will be redirected back to the assessment view. Ask a principal or administrator to open the assessment for grading if needed.

To enter grades for a Grading-status assessment:

1. Open the assessment and click Enter Grades.
2. Select a subject from the dropdown. The dropdown shows how many students have been graded for each subject (e.g., “Mathematics (12/30)”).
3. In the table, type each student’s raw score in the Score column. The system automatically calculates the percentage and looks up the grade band from the assessment’s grading scale.
4. Optionally, type a qualitative note in the Remarks column — this appears on the student’s report card as teacher remarks.
5. Switch to the next subject and repeat.

The table refreshes every 5 seconds, so multiple teachers can enter grades simultaneously without conflicts.

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Automatic grade alerts

When a student’s score falls below the threshold defined on your grading scale, the system automatically sends a Low Grade Alert notification to the student’s guardian — both in-app and by email. No manual action is needed. Teachers also receive a copy of the alert.

If you want to leave a specific note for a guardian about a low grade, use the Remarks field when entering the grade. Your remarks appear on the report card and can provide helpful context beyond the raw score.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I target one stream or all streams at once?

Yes. When creating an assessment, leaving the Grade Stream field blank targets all streams within that grade level. Selecting a specific stream limits the assessment — and grade entry — to that stream only.

What happens if I enter a score and no grade band is found?

The system requires that every possible percentage falls within a grade band on the selected grading scale. If a gap exists in your scale, you will see an error when saving the score. Go to Settings → Grading Scales and ensure all bands cover the full 0–100 range without gaps.

Can I change a grade after the assessment is closed?

No. Once an assessment is Closed, grade entry is locked. If you need to correct a grade, contact your system administrator. Note that any report cards already generated from that assessment will not be retroactively updated — they are immutable snapshots.

Who can enter grades?

Teachers assigned to a subject can enter grades for that subject. HODs and principals can also access the grade entry page for any assessment in their school.