These steps takes school administrators and educators through everything that happens at the end of a term in d6 – from capturing marks to generating report cards. Each step is numbered so you can see what applies every term and what is only needed in Term 4, the promotion term. Follow the linked guide under each step for the detailed how-to.

Terms 1–4 · every termTerm 2 onlyTerm 4 · promotion term

What do I need to do at the end of every term?

Complete these steps at the end of Terms 1, 2, 3 and 4. In Term 4 you do all of these and the promotion-term steps further down.

1. Clear outstanding tasks: complete all open items under My School > d6 initiatives:  Compliance > Outstanding Compliance Tasks and remaining curriculum tasks under My Home > My Information:  My Tasks.

2. Check marks-capturing user rights: confirm each educator can capture marks for their allocated subjects before capturing opens. If an educator cannot see their class, an administrator must review their user rights. Guide: Educator marks-capture complete guide.

3. Confirm subject group allocation: every learner must belong to the relevant subject group for the term, with no unallocated learners. If an Unallocated Learners tab shows under My School > People:  Learners > Learner Marks:  Marks per Group, allocate those learners. Guide: How to manage Subject Group Allocation.

4. Capture all marks: capture every mark under My School > Learners > People:  Learners  >  Learner Marks > Marks per Group. Use a for absent (including learners who left), * for not handed in, and 0 for a zero mark. Bulk-capture a for unused assessments – never leave a mark blank. Guide: How to capture marks per group.

5. Activate marks on the d6 Communicator app (optional): to show term marks to parents in the app, activate the marks per grade and per term on the learning programme under My School > Curriculum > Learning Programmes. Guide: How to set up and manage learning programmes.

6. Add report card comments: set general remarks under My School > System:  Curriculum > Setup Remarks and learner-specific remarks under My School > People:  Learners > Learner Marks: Capture Learner Remarks. d6 AI Assist can draft these for you (see below). Guides: How to set up and manage Remarks (general) and How to capture learner remarks (learner-specific).

7. Generate and check report cards: generate, preview and print reports under Reports > Learners > Report Cards. Always check a sample before printing in bulk. If you still need to set up or change your layout, set up a report card template first – the Flexible Report Card builder lets you design your own layout. Guides: How to generate Report Cards, How to set up and generate Flexible Report Cards and How to design a Flexible Report Card template in the Builder.

8. Export to SA-SAMS and run Valistractor: export termly under My School > Compliance > Export to SA-SAMS Database and run Valistractor on the latest SA-SAMS patch (currently 26.1.1). Guide: How to export to the SA-SAMS database.

9. Lock each term once marks are final: lock the term per grade under My School > System:  Curriculum > Curriculum Setup:  Learning Programme to prevent changes and ensure clean SA-SAMS exports. Guide: How to set up and manage learning programmes.

How can d6 AI Assist help me every term?

d6 AI Assist works off your live school data, so it takes the heavy lifting out of routine end-of-term tasks and gives you insights in seconds.

• Report card comments: generate a tailored, learner-specific comment for each learner, then copy the text straight into the relevant field under My School > People:  Learners > Learner Marks > Capture Learner Remarks.

• Top achievers: surface the highest-performing learners per grade, subject or class for awards and recognition.

• Learners at risk: flag learners who are underperforming or whose marks have dropped, so you can step in before year-end.

• Quick reporting: ask for summaries such as subject averages, pass rates or attendance trends without building a report by hand.

Using AI Assist for these tasks saves hours each term and helps you spot the learners who need attention sooner.

What is different about Term 2?

Term 2 only

• June / mid-year exams (if applicable to your school): if your school runs mid-year exams, capture the exam marks, then show the June mark in its own column on the report card so it appears alongside the term marks. Schools without formal June exams can skip this step. Guide: How to show June exam marks in a separate column on the report card.

What do I only do in Term 4, the promotion term?

In Term 4 you complete everything in the every-term list above, plus the promotion and year-end steps below. Schools on the Maintenance Plan: the OSM team sets up and assists with these steps. The tag on each step shows when it starts.

1. [Opens at end of Term 3] Admin Year-End Preparation: under My School > Curriculum > Admin Year-End Preparation, work through the 11 buttons left to right, from Terms to Link Staff Member Subjects. The final step can be done in the current year, but marks must be finalised and absentees and report cards issued first – once you roll over to the new year these cannot be amended. Guide: How to complete the Admin Year-end process.

2. [Complete by Term 4] Promotion formulas: subject-specific formulas must exist for every subject per grade under My School > Curriculum > Subject-Specific Formulas. Preset curriculum: use the Preset Formula button. Manual curriculum: set the formulas manually using the d6 Curriculum Content document. Make sure these are done by Term 4. Guide: How to set up Subject-Specific Formulas.

3. [Term 4] Moderation and condonation: finalise these under My School > Curriculum > Final Results, and activate Final Decisions for Terms 1–4 and the Promotion Mark under My School > Curriculum > Final Decisions. The system shows the * and C indicators automatically – print original or moderated marks. Guide: How to use Final Decisions.

4. [Term 4] Promotion report cards: under Reports > Learners > Report Cards > Edit Chosen Template, open the Marks tab, set Print Additional Mark Types to Yes, show the Promotion Mark as a replacement for the last term or an extra column, move it left to right and save. On the Promotion tab, activate Print learner promotion comments and save. The Promoted / Not Promoted message prints automatically – do not add it as a manual comment. Guide: How to set up and generate report cards.

5. [Term 4] Final database export: before completing the final Admin Year-End step, export and safely store a final District and Valistractor database.

6. [Term 4] Re-registration, promotions and class grouping: process learner re-registration, promotions and class grouping to set learners up correctly for the new year.

Frequently asked questions

Which steps do I need to complete every term?

Clearing outstanding tasks, checking marks-capturing rights, confirming subject group allocation, capturing all marks, adding report card comments, generating report cards, exporting to SA-SAMS with Valistractor, and locking each term are all done at the end of every term.

What do I only do in Term 4?

Term 4 adds the promotion-term steps: moderation and condonation, promotion report cards, and year-end processing such as re-registration, promotions and class grouping. Admin Year-End Preparation opens at the end of Term 3, and promotion formulas should be in place by Term 4.

Do I need to export to SA-SAMS every term?

Yes. The SA-SAMS export and Valistractor run is a termly step, not only a year-end one. Always export on the latest SA-SAMS patch, currently 26.1.1.

Can AI Assist write report card comments for me?

Yes. d6 AI Assist can generate a learner-specific comment for each learner, which you copy into the relevant field under My School > People:  Learners > Learner Marks > Capture Learner Remarks. It can also report on top achievers and learners at risk.

What do the a, * and 0 symbols mean when capturing marks?

Use a for absent (including learners who left), * for an assessment not handed in, and 0 for a genuine zero mark. Bulk-capture a for unused assessments so no mark is left blank.