Introduction
Topic libraries are used to ensure consistent terminology at topic level across different assessments. They are also used to group sets of questions within Smartgrade and can be tiered using up to four levels.
This article covers:
Examples of tiered topics
Using KS4 core GCSE subjects, here is an example of how topics can be tiered across 4 levels:
When adding the above topics in Smartgrade, you will see them displayed in a hierarchical list as shown in this screenshot (for mathematics):
Once created, a topic library can be reused with any assessment (for the same subject).
To access topic libraries, go to My Assessments, then Topic Library Editor.
- You can use the search bar at the top of the page to search for topic libraries.
- You can view topics for any topic library in My Topic Libraries by hovering over the hyperlink:
Creating a topic library
To create a topic library, you must have activated a publisher profile in the Configuration area.
- Go to My Assessments and select Topic Library Editor.
- Click ADD A LIBRARY.
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In the Details section:
- Enter a Title, for example KS4 Maths. We recommend including a reference to the key stage and subject.
- Select the Subject. Topic libraries cannot be used across multiple subjects.
- You can add topics manually or upload from a csv file - see the guidance below.
Hints and tips:
- There are a range of ways to analyse results grouped as topics, so do consider how you want to cluster questions when deciding your topics.
- A question can have multiple topics assigned to it, so it is okay to have topics that overlap with each other.
- You cannot duplicate topic names or topic IDs.
Adding topics manually
- Click ADD A TOPIC. Complete the following:
| Prompt | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Topic Name | Enter the name of your topic. This must be unique. |
| Topic ID | Enter an ID for this topic (e.g. 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.1.1). This must be unique and will only be displayed in the topic library. It does not need to be numerical. |
| Parent topic | For a top-level topic ensure None (root level) is selected. To associate a child topic with a parent topic, select an option from the drop down box. |
| Short name | A long topic name can make analysis a little unwieldy. A topic can also be given a unique ‘short name’ (maximum of 25 characters). Teachers can then toggle between long and short topic names in the topic level analysis screen. |
| Resource URL | Link an external URL to a topic so that when teachers spot gaps, or identify an area for reteaching, they can be taken straight to curriculum resources, intervention tasks or lesson plans straight from the analysis screen. |
| Inherit resource URL | Tick the box if you would like a child topic to inherit the resource URL from the parent topic. If the parent topic’s resource URL is updated, the resource URL on the child topic will be automatically updated. |
- Click Save Changes to create a topic.
- To add a new topic or child topic click ADD A TOPIC and repeat the above steps.
- Once you have finished adding your topics, see Saving a topic library.
Adding topics via csv upload
- Go to Upload topics and click BROWSE FILES to upload a csv file using our Excel template. This can be found at the bottom of this article.
- Download the template and input the relevant information, taking care to follow the instructions for the column headers to include the necessary information:
| Column Header | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Topic ID | Enter an ID for this topic (e.g. 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.1.1). This must be unique and will only be displayed in the topic library. It does not need to be numerical. |
| Topic Name | Enter the name of your topic here. This must be unique. |
| Topic short name | A long topic name can make analysis a little unwieldy. A topic can also be given a unique ‘short name’ (maximum of 25 characters). Teachers can then toggle between long and short topic names in the topic level analysis screen. |
| Parent topic ID | This should be left blank for top level parent topics. To associate a child topic with a parent topic, enter the parent topic ID. |
| Resource URL | Link an external URL to a topic so that when teachers spot gaps, or identify an area for reteaching, they can be taken straight to curriculum resources, intervention tasks or lesson plans straight from the analysis screen. |
| Inherit resource URL | Insert ‘Y’ if you would like a child topic to inherit the resource URL from the parent topic. If the parent topic’s resource URL is updated, the resource URL on the child topic will be automatically updated. |
An example of a completed csv file can be seen here:
- Once you have selected a file to upload, you will see the contents of the file in the Topics section of the screen.
- If you wish to add further topics or edit the csv file, make your changes in the csv file, save and then click UPLOAD NEW FILE. This will overwrite all existing topics in the library.
- Alternatively you can add further topics manually by clicking ADD A TOPIC, or you can edit topics. See step 3 in Editing a topic library.
- Once complete, see Saving a topic library.
Saving a topic library
Click SAVE LIBRARY. You be will prompted to select the following:
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Audience - who you want to share the topic library with i.e. yourself, your school or your MAT. If you select an audience of ‘Me’, ‘publish as’ will automatically default to your personal profile. Publisher Admins, MAT Owners and MAT Admins are able to publish topic libraries to a global audience, making them visible in the Marketplace and Topic Library selector to all MATs and schools.
Note: The topic library should be shared with the same audience you intend to publish the assessment to.
- Publish as - who you want the topic library to be seen as published by (i.e. with your own profile or your MAT's profile).
Editing a topic library
You can edit topic libraries created by you, your school, or your MAT (depending on your permissions). Any changes made will apply only to future assessments; topic libraries will not be updated in assessments where they have already been used.
- Go to the Actions column, click the three dots next to the relevant topic library, and select Edit.
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To edit existing topics, hover over the topic name and you will see two or three icons as indicated in the screenshot below:
- Link - click to open the associated resource.
- Pen - click to open the Edit topic window and make changes as required.
- Bin - click to remove a topic. If you delete a parent topic any related child topics will also be deleted. You will see a prompt asking whether you wish to cancel this option or click DELETE TOPIC to proceed.
- Update the subject if necessary and add further topics by clicking ADD A TOPIC if required.
- Click SAVE LIBRARY to continue. You can save using the current audience and publish as, or update as required.
- Click SAVE LIBRARY to finish.
Duplicating a topic library
If you wish to create a topic library similar to an existing one, you can duplicate it.
- Go to the Actions column, click the three dots next to the relevant topic library, and select Duplicate.
- The duplicated library’s title will be prefixed with “Copy of”. Rename as required.
- Update the subject and edit the topics as required.
- Click SAVE LIBRARY to continue. You can save using the current audience and publish as, or update as required.
- Click SAVE LIBRARY to finish.
Deleting a topic library
A topic library can be deleted to prevent it from being used in the future; however, it will not be removed from any assessments where it has already been selected. For example, if you go to Analysis, you will still be able to see the topic-level analysis.
- To delete a topic library, go to the Actions column, click the three dots next to the relevant topic library, and select Delete.
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A pop-up box will appear asking you to confirm whether you wish to delete the topic library.
- Click Cancel to keep the topic library.
- Click Delete to permanently remove the topic library.
Viewing topic names and resources in attainment analysis
In Assessment Analysis, select an assessment family e.g. Smartgrade Assessment Series (SAS) - Reading Comprehension and click Attainment. Select the Topic Level view.
This image demonstrates how the topic short name is used. In this example, Structure/Calc replaces Structure and Calculation.
You can switch between short and full names by using the toggle shown here:
In this image we can see how to access a resource if one has been associated with a topic. Click the hyperlink to open the URL in a new tab: