Define assessment columns
Define the columns you want to appear on an assessment. These columns of information are similar to user-defined fields and are how Aspen organizes the student assessments you track and report during the school year. The columns allow you to customize the assessment definition and can be used in field sets, queries, and sort orders.
| Note: The columns you define are also the columns that appear on the Assessment Input page in the School and Staff views. |
To define the columns of an assessment definition:
- Log on to the
- Select Assessment > Assessment Definition. The Assessment Definitions page appears.
- Select the checkbox next to the transcript definition you want to define columns for.
- On the Assessment Definitions side-tab, click Columns. Any columns you already defined for the assessment appear.
- Do one of the following:
- To edit an existing column, click the number listed in the Field index field next to the column's Name.
- To add a column, on the Options menu, click Add.
-
The page to define columns appears.
- Use this table to enter information in the fields:
-
Field
Description
Field index
Type a number to determine where this column appears in Aspen in such areas as field sets, lists, and queries.
Long name
Type the name of the column (field) that appears on detail pages.
Short name
Type the name of the column that appears as a column header on list pages.
Alias name
Type the name that your state report uses for this column.
User data type
Click this drop-down to select the data type that determines the type of value users enter in this column. The default value is Character. The most frequently used types are:
- Character
- Date
- Number
- Binary
- Logical
- Text
- Text Long
Note: You can select Text for type D user-defined fields (columns), and Binary, Image, Text, and Text Long for type E user-defined fields (columns). User field length
Type the maximum number of characters a user can enter in this column. The value you type must be less than or equal to the number of characters allowed for this type of user-defined column.
For example, if you are creating an A-type user-defined column, you cannot type 15. You must type a number less than or equal to 10.
Note: If you define a D-type user-defined column with Text at the User data type field, you can either leave this field blank to allow for unlimited characters, or type the maximum number. If the user reaches the maximum number of characters you define, a message appears. User decimal
If you selected Number at the User data type field, type the number of decimal places users can enter in this column.
Column audit type
Select one of the following from the drop-down to determine whether Aspen will track changes made to information in this assessment column:
- Off: Aspen will not track changes made to information in this assessment column.
- On: Aspen will track changes made to information in this assessment column.
Note: The setting for the Assessment audit type field, which you can find by clicking Details on the Assessment Definitions side-tab, overrides the setting for the Column audit type field. For the system to apply any Column audit type settings, you must select Partial in the Assessment audit type field. Long name
Click 
and select a field in which the data
will be stored. This lets you choose a different field from
the one Aspen automatically assigns.Object identifier
These fields are automatically populated based on your selection for the Long name field.
Java bean name
Database field name
Database field type
Database field length
Database field decimals
Enabled
Select this checkbox to enable this column.
Note: If you do not select this checkbox, the column cannot be used. Required
Select this checkbox if users must enter a value in this column before they click Save. If they do not, Aspen warns them that they have not entered a value in a required column. Required columns display a red asterisk next to the column name.
Read only
Select this checkbox if this column is read-only.
Mass update
Select this checkbox if users can mass update this column.
List edit
Select this checkbox if users can edit the values in this column when they use the Modify List option on a list page.
Reference Table > User name
If you want users to select a value from a reference table at this column, begin typing the reference table name and select the one you want, or click
to make a selection from a pick list.Detail control
If you selected a reference table at the Reference Table > User name field, do one of the following to determine how users select a value:
- Select Checkboxes to determine that users must select one or more predetermined values from the reference table via checkboxes. This option is useful in situations where administrators want users to select from a small number of values, as opposed to the entire table.
- Select Dropdown to determine that users must click the drop-down arrow to view and select a value from the reference table. This option is the default selection for type A, B, and C user-defined fields.
- Select Pick
list to determine that users can either click and select a value
from the reference table on a pop-up, or type a value. This option is the default selection for type D user-defined fields.
- Select Picklist/Checkboxes to determine that users can either select from all reference table values via a pick list or select from a set of predetermined values via checkboxes. This option is useful in situations where administrators want to highlight common choices for easy selection, but also want to grant users the freedom to choose from the entire reference table if necessary.
Valid reference code required
If you selected a reference table at the Reference Table > User name field, do one of the following:
- Select this checkbox if a user must select a value from the reference table.
- Leave this checkbox blank so users can either select a value from the reference table or type a free-text value.
- Click Save.
