The Student Manager page displays the students in a class and their homework settings:
The Homework level controls the difficulty of homework and volume of work the student receives.
When a student first starts using Sparx Science, this will be the student's Initial homework level
Once Sparx has enough information to automatically adjust the student's level, this will be their Automatic level
The Initial homework level controls the homework level for a student who is new to Sparx, before Sparx has enough information to automatically adjust the level.
The Separate setting controls if the student will be asked questions in the Separate science specification.
Students set to No will not see any questions in the Separate science specification.
The Higher controls if a student will be asked questions in the Higher tier specification.
Students set to No will not see any questions in the Higher specification.
The Set homework setting can be used to turn homework off for an individual student, make their next homework optional or to give students half-length homework.
Each of these settings can be changed individually in the student's Details page, which can be found by clicking on the student. However, they can also be edited in bulk (see FAQ below).
Changing a student's homework length or turning homework off
Changing a student's homework length or turning homework off
Navigate to the Student Manager page by clicking Management and then Student Manager
Select the relevant class in the filter at the top of the screen
Click on the student, ensuring you are on the Details tab
Select one of the following options from the dropdown:
Homework off
Half-length
Full-length
Changing a student to receive Optional homework
Changing a student to receive Optional homework
If you don't want a student to receive compulsory homework, for example because they are experiencing difficulties at home, they're poorly, or they have a special education need that makes compulsory homework difficult or stressful for them, you can set them to always receive optional homework.
When you do this:
The student will still receive the same homework, but it will be clearly marked to them that the homework is optional to complete.
You will still be able to see if the student is completing any of the optional homework package in various reports (e.g. Hand in, Student activity report, student profile).
The student's parents won't receive homework update emails
The student will be excluded from any hand-in rate calculations (e.g. Homework statistics, Homework completion bars on the dashboard).
For multiple students in the class
From Student Manager, select the students that you want to edit by clicking on the boxes next to their name.
Select 'Edit selected students' above the table
Select the 'Homework type' drop-down and change to 'Optional'
Click 'Save' which will apply the change from the next hand-out onwards
What students see
Students will see "Optional" and "Homework ends" rather than "Due" next to their homework package and it is never marked late.
Adjusting a student's Initial homework level
Adjusting a student's Initial homework level
The Initial homework level controls the homework level for a student who is new to Sparx, before Sparx has enough information to automatically adjust the level.
It is possible to adjust the student's initial difficulty level, but only if Sparx is still learning about this student and hasn't yet assigned a level.
To see whether this is the case:
Navigate to the Student Manager page by clicking Management and then Student Manager
Select the relevant class in the filter at the top of the screen
Click on the student, ensuring you are on the Details tab
Scroll down to homework level
If you see a message stating that Sparx is still learning about this student and confirms we are still using the initial homework level - then it is possible to edit the initial homework level:
If you see a message stating that Sparx will deliver work at Level [3] based on their recent activity - then it will not be possible to adjust that initial level:
Changing a student's homework difficulty level
Changing a student's homework difficulty level
Teachers can override the Homework Difficulty Level at any time. Reducing the homework difficulty level for a student will affect the number and challenge of questions a student is set. See Key Concepts of Sparx Science homework for more information on difficultly levels.
If you leave this on the Automatic setting, Sparx will automatically adjust this based on the student's performance in homework.
If you change the level manually, then Sparx will continue offering homework at this level until it is changed back to automatic.
To do this,
Navigate to the Student Manager page by clicking Management and then Student Manager
Select the relevant class in the filter at the top of the screen
Click on the student, ensuring you are on the Details tab
Scroll down to Homework level, click on the drop down and choose the level you would like
Press Save
Excluding higher-only topics from a student's homework
Excluding higher-only topics from a student's homework
The Higher controls if a student will be asked questions in the Higher tier specification; students set to No will not see any questions in the Higher specification.
To adjust this setting:
Navigate to the Student Manager page by clicking Management and then Student Manager
Select the relevant class in the filter at the top of the screen
Click on the student, ensuring you are on the Details tab
Scroll down to the Set higher questions? dropdown menu and select one of the options:
Yes - set higher questions
No - don't set higher questions
Changing whether a student sees questions in the Separate science specification or not
Changing whether a student sees questions in the Separate science specification or not
The Separate setting controls if the student will be asked questions in the Separate science specification; students set to No will not see any questions in the Separate science specification.
To adjust this setting:
Navigate to the Student Manager page by clicking Management and then Student Manager
Select the relevant class in the filter at the top of the screen
Click on the student, ensuring you are on the Details tab
Scroll down to the Set separate questions? dropdown menu and select one of the options:
Yes - set separate questions
No - don't set higher questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make the same changes to multiple students or a whole class at once?
How do I make the same changes to multiple students or a whole class at once?
You may sometimes want to make changes to multiple students in a class, or the whole class. It is possible to do this through Student Manager for the following settings:
Set separate questions?
Set higher questions?
Set homework? (Full length, half length or OFF)
Initial homework level
Homework level
To do this:
Navigate to Student Manager and select the class you would like to adjust
Either tick the box at the top of the column to edit the whole class, or tick students individually
Then select Edit selected students
Make your relevant changes and press Save
When I make changes to a student's homework settings, when will they take affect?
When I make changes to a student's homework settings, when will they take affect?
Changes will apply to the next homework that's set for the student. They won't affect any current or previously set homework.
If I make changes to a student's homework settings, can I change them back again later?
If I make changes to a student's homework settings, can I change them back again later?
Yes, you can return to Student Manager at any time to adjust settings or return them to defaults.
What happens if I make changes to both class and individual student homework settings?
What happens if I make changes to both class and individual student homework settings?
Individual student settings always take precedence over class settings.
Can we turn homework back on for a student after a homework has already been set?
Can we turn homework back on for a student after a homework has already been set?
If a student has homework turned off and it is then turned back on, any homework that has already been generated for that week will not be retrospectively assigned to them. They will still appear on the Hand In page for that week, but it will show as “Homework Turned Off”, as this was their setting at the time the homework was generated. From the following week onwards, they will appear on the Hand In page as normal and will be set homework as expected.
If a student has homework turned on before the homework is generated for that week, they will be assigned the homework alongside the rest of the class.