Remarks

The Remarks feature allows teachers and administrators to document and track student feedback, observations, and concerns. This comprehensive guide covers creating, managing, and analyzing student remarks.

Overview

The Remarks system enables you to:

• Document student feedback across academic, behavioral, and co-curricular areas
• Categorize remarks by type (positive, achievement, improvement, concern, suggestion)
• Track priorities from low to urgent for follow-up actions
• Monitor approval workflow from pending to resolved
• Communicate with parents through integrated notifications
• Analyze trends with comprehensive statistics and analytics

Accessing Remarks

1. Navigate to SIS (Student Information System) in the sidebar
2. Click on Remarks
3. You’ll see an overview dashboard with two main tabs:
   • Overview - Statistics and analytics
   • Remarks - Full list with filters

Note: Access is controlled by permissions under the sis.remarks module.

Understanding the Overview Tab

The Overview tab provides at-a-glance statistics to help you understand remark trends and patterns.

Key Statistics

Category Breakdown

Trend Indicators

Each statistic shows:

• Current value - The number for this academic year
• Trend arrow - ↑ (increasing) or ↓ (decreasing)
• Percentage change - Comparison with the previous month

![Remarks Overview - Screenshot placeholder showing the statistics dashboard]

Creating a Remark

Step 1: Open the Create Dialog

1. Click the “Create Remark” button in the page header
2. The creation dialog will open

Tip: You can also access this via URL parameter: /sis/remarks?action=createRemark

![Create Remark Button - Screenshot placeholder showing the button location]

Step 2: Select Student Information

Academic Year (Required)

• Select the academic year for this remark
• Defaults to current academic year if available

Class (Required)

• Select the student’s class
• This filters the student list

Student (Required)

• Search and select the student by name
• Only students enrolled in the selected class are shown

Step 3: Choose Remark Classification

Category (Required)

Select the area this remark relates to:

Type (Required)

Classify the nature of the remark:

Priority (Required)

Set the urgency level:

Step 4: Add Remark Details

Subject (Optional)

• Select the subject this remark relates to (if academic)
• Helps with filtering and categorization

Title (Required)

• Brief, descriptive summary of the remark
• Example: “Excellent Science Project Presentation”

Description (Required)

• Detailed explanation of the observation
• Include specific examples and context
• Be objective and constructive

Date (Required)

• Date of the observation or incident
• Defaults to today

Step 5: Assignment and Actions

Assigned To (Required)

• Select a staff member responsible for follow-up
• Can be the class teacher, counselor, or relevant faculty

Send to Parents (Optional)

• Check to notify parents about this remark
• Use for important observations requiring parent awareness

Requires Follow-Up (Optional)

• Check if this remark needs future action
• Useful for tracking pending issues

![Create Remark Form - Screenshot placeholder showing the complete form]

Step 6: Submit the Remark

1. Review all entered information
2. Click “Create” to submit
3. On success:
   • Dialog closes
   • Remark appears in the list with “Pending” status
   • Statistics are updated
   • If “Send to Parents” was checked, notification is sent

Managing Remarks

The Remarks Tab

Switch to the Remarks tab to view and manage all remarks.

Filtering Options

Quick Status Filter

• All Remarks - Show all remarks
• Pending Approval - Awaiting review
• Resolved - Action taken and closed
• Closed - Archived/completed

Advanced Filters

Click the “Advanced” button to reveal additional filters:

Clear Filters

• Click “Clear” to reset all filters

![Remarks Filters - Screenshot placeholder showing the filter options]

Understanding the Remarks Table

Status Workflow

┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│    Pending      │───▶│    Resolved     │───▶│     Closed      │
│   (New remark)  │    │ (Action taken)  │    │   (Archived)    │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘

Bulk Actions

Select multiple remarks to perform bulk operations:

1. Select remarks using checkboxes in the table
2. Choose an action from the bulk action buttons:

Note: Bulk actions require appropriate permissions.

![Bulk Actions - Screenshot placeholder showing selected remarks and action buttons]

Pagination

Navigate through remarks using pagination controls:

• Page size selector - Choose 10, 20, 50, or 100 items per page
• Page navigation - Move between pages
• Total count - See total number of remarks

Best Practices

Writing Effective Remarks

1. Be Specific

   • ✅ “Scored 95% on Chapter 5 test, showing excellent understanding of fractions”
   • ❌ “Did well in math”

2. Be Objective

   • Focus on observable behaviors and facts
   • Avoid assumptions or judgments

3. Be Constructive

   • Even for concerns, suggest actionable improvements
   • Balance criticism with positive observations

4. Be Timely

   • Record observations promptly
   • Don’t wait until parent-teacher meetings

Categorization Tips

1. Academic remarks should tie to specific subjects or learning objectives
2. Behavioural remarks should reference specific incidents
3. Co-curricular remarks celebrate achievements outside academics
4. General remarks for health, administrative, or cross-cutting observations

Priority Guidelines

Parent Communication

Use “Send to Parents” wisely:

• ✅ Achievements and positive milestones
• ✅ Important concerns requiring parent involvement
• ✅ Follow-up needed from home
• ❌ Minor day-to-day observations
• ❌ Issues already discussed in person

Use Cases

Positive Reinforcement

Scenario: A student gave an excellent presentation in Science class.

Category: Academic
Type: Achievement
Priority: Low
Title: Excellent Science Presentation on Solar System
Description: Demonstrated thorough research and confident presentation
skills during the solar system project. Used creative visual aids and
answered peer questions expertly.
Send to Parents: ✅ (celebrate achievement)

Academic Concern

Scenario: A student’s grades have been declining.

Category: Academic
Type: Concern
Priority: High
Title: Declining Performance in Mathematics
Description: Test scores have dropped from 85% to 60% over the last
3 tests. Student appears distracted during class and homework submissions
have been inconsistent.
Assigned To: Class Teacher
Requires Follow-Up: ✅
Send to Parents: ✅ (need parent involvement)

Behavioral Observation

Scenario: A student helped a classmate who was struggling.

Category: Behavioural
Type: Positive
Priority: Low
Title: Demonstrated Excellent Peer Support
Description: Voluntarily helped a new student understand the daily
routine and introduced them to other classmates. Shows great
leadership and empathy.
Send to Parents: ✅ (positive reinforcement)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: Cannot create a remark

• Solution: Ensure all required fields are filled
• Check that you have the createRemark permission

Problem: Student not appearing in dropdown

• Solution:
  • Verify correct academic year is selected
  • Verify correct class is selected
  • Student must be enrolled in that class

Problem: Cannot change remark status

• Solution: You may need approval permissions
• Contact your administrator

Problem: Parent notification not sent

• Solution:
  • Verify “Send to Parents” was checked
  • Check parent contact information in student profile
  • Check communication settings

Error Messages

Permissions Reference

Contact your administrator to request permission changes.

Related Documentation

• SIS Overview - Student Information System features
• Students - Student profile management
• Classes - Class and section management
• Communication - Parent notifications
• Reports - Generate remark reports

Quick Reference

Remark Categories

Remark Types

Priority Levels

Quick Links

• View remarks
• Create a remark
• SIS Dashboard
• Help & Support

Last updated: 30 November 2025