Grading Event Setup and Execution

1. Overview

Grading events (also called belt tests or examinations) are formal assessments where students demonstrate their skills and knowledge to advance to the next belt rank. DojoMaster provides a comprehensive system for creating, managing, and executing grading events with automatic eligibility checking and result tracking.

2. Prerequisites

Before creating a grading event, ensure you have:

• ✓OWNER or SENSEI role (required to create and manage grading events)
• ✓Belt system configured (see Belt System Configuration Guide)
• ✓Students enrolled with belt ranks (see Student Enrollment Guide)
• ✓Stripe requirements configured (optional but recommended - see Stripe/Theme System Guide)
• ✓Attendance tracking active (for minimum training days validation - see Attendance Tracking Guide)

3. Understanding Grading Events

Grading events are formal assessments where students demonstrate proficiency to advance to the next belt rank.

When to Create a Grading Event

• •Regular Schedule: Quarterly or bi-annual belt tests for all eligible students
• •Individual Assessments: When a student has completed all requirements and is ready to test
• •Special Events: Black belt examinations or advanced rank testing
• •Historical Recording: Document past grading events for record-keeping

Grading Event Statuses

4. Creating a Grading Event

Follow these steps to create a new grading event:

1. 1.
   Navigate to Grading Events

   Go to Grading → Events in the main navigation

2. 2.
   Click "Create Grading Event"

   Opens the grading event creation form

3. 3.
   Fill in Basic Information

   • Name: Descriptive name (e.g., "Q1 2025 Belt Test", "Black Belt Examination") - 3-100 characters
   • Date: When the grading will take place (past dates allowed for historical records)
   • Location: Where the grading will be held (optional) - 3-200 characters
   • Status: SCHEDULED (default), IN_PROGRESS, COMPLETED, or CANCELLED
   • Notes: Additional information about the grading (optional) - up to 2000 characters
4. 4.
   Configure Belt System (Optional)

   Select a specific belt system if you want to limit the grading to students from that system (e.g., "Traditional Karate" vs "Junior Karate"). Leave blank to allow students from any belt system.

5. 5.
   Set Minimum Rank (Optional)

   Specify the minimum belt rank required to participate (0-20). For example, set to 5 for an advanced grading that only allows students at rank 5 or higher. Leave blank to allow all ranks.

6. 6.
   Save the Grading Event

   Click "Create Grading Event" to save. The event is created with SCHEDULED status by default.

5. Setting Grading Requirements

Grading requirements are configured at the belt rank level, not at the grading event level. This ensures consistency across all grading events.

Types of Requirements

6. Determining Student Eligibility

DojoMaster automatically validates student eligibility when enrolling students in a grading event. The system performs comprehensive checks to ensure students meet all requirements.

Automatic Eligibility Checks

When you attempt to enroll a student, the system validates:

1. 1.Student is Active: Inactive or archived students cannot be enrolled
2. 2.Student Has Current Belt: Students without a belt assignment must be assigned a starting belt first
3. 3.Belt System Match: If grading specifies a belt system, student's current belt must be from that system
4. 4.Sequential Progression: Student must attempt the next belt in sequence (rank + 1). Cannot skip belts or attempt lower ranks
5. 5.Minimum Age: Student must meet the minimum age requirement for the target belt (if configured)
6. 6.Required Stripes: Student must have earned all required stripes for their current belt (if configured)
7. 7.Minimum Training Days: Student receives a warning if they haven't met the recommended training days (but can still be enrolled)

Eligibility vs Warnings

7. Managing Grading Participants

After creating a grading event, you need to enroll students who will participate in the belt test.

Enrolling Students

1. 1.
   Open the Grading Event

   Navigate to Grading → Events and click on the grading event

2. 2.
   Click "Enroll Students"

   Opens the student enrollment modal

3. 3.
   Select Students and Target Belt

   Choose which students to enroll and specify which belt they're attempting. The system automatically filters to show only eligible students.

4. 4.
   Review Eligibility Status

   Each student shows their eligibility status with any warnings or blocking issues

5. 5.
   Confirm Enrollment

   Click "Enroll Students" to add them to the grading event

Viewing Enrolled Students

The grading event detail page shows all enrolled students with:

• •Student name and student number
• •Current belt rank
• •Belt they're attempting
• •Result status (pending, passed, or failed)
• •Actions to record or view results

8. Conducting the Grading Event

On the day of the grading event, follow this workflow to manage the assessment process.

Grading Day Workflow

1. 1.
   Start the Grading

   Change the grading status from SCHEDULED to IN_PROGRESS. This locks student enrollment and signals that the grading is underway.

2. 2.
   Conduct the Assessment

   Have students demonstrate the required skills and techniques for their target belt rank. Refer to the "Required Skills" field on the belt rank for the assessment criteria.

3. 3.
   Record Results During or After

   You can record results as students complete their assessment, or wait until the end of the grading to record all results at once.

4. 4.
   Complete the Grading

   Once all students have been assessed and results recorded, change the status to COMPLETED. This triggers automatic belt promotions for students who passed.

9. Recording Grading Results

After assessing each student, record their grading result with pass/fail status, optional scores, and feedback.

Recording a Result

1. 1.
   Click "Record Result" for a Student

   Opens the result recording form for that student

2. 2.
   Select Pass or Fail

   Choose whether the student passed or failed the grading

3. 3.
   Specify Achieved Belt (Required for Pass)

   If the student passed, you must specify which belt they achieved. Typically this is the belt they attempted, but you can select a different belt if needed (e.g., conditional pass to an intermediate rank).

4. 4.
   Add Scores (Optional)

   Record scores for different categories (e.g., Kata: 8/10, Kumite: 9/10, Basics: 7/10). This is optional but useful for detailed feedback.

5. 5.
   Provide Feedback (Optional)

   Add feedback for the student (up to 2000 characters). This is visible to the student and parents.

6. 6.
   Add Assessor Notes (Optional)

   Add private notes for instructors (up to 2000 characters). These are NOT visible to students or parents.

7. 7.
   Save the Result

   Click "Save Result" to record the grading outcome

Understanding Pass/Fail Outcomes

10. Belt Promotion Process

When a student passes a grading, DojoMaster automatically handles the belt promotion process to ensure data consistency and proper record-keeping.

Automatic Belt Promotion

Belt promotion happens automatically when:

1. 1.A grading result is recorded with passed = true
2. 2.An achieved belt is specified
3. 3.The result is saved (either during or after the grading)

What Happens During Promotion

11. Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting

12. Related Features

Grading events work together with other DojoMaster features:

13. Next Steps

Now that you understand grading events:

1. 1.Configure belt requirements: Set minimum training days, required stripes, skills, and age requirements for each belt rank
2. 2.Create your first grading event: Set up a belt test with name, date, and location
3. 3.Enroll eligible students: Use the automatic eligibility checking to identify ready students
4. 4.Conduct the grading: Change status to IN_PROGRESS and assess students
5. 5.Record results: Document pass/fail outcomes with feedback and scores
6. 6.Complete the grading: Mark as COMPLETED to finalize belt promotions