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Awarding Merit Points

Tawaasal's merit system lets you recognise positive student behaviour and academic achievement by awarding points. You can also record demerit points for behavioural issues. Students and guardians can see their points balance, earned milestones, and leaderboard position.

Accessing Merit Points​

  1. Navigate to Recognition from the sidebar.
  2. You will see the Student Recognition dashboard showing recent awards you have given and a quick-access button for awarding points.
  1. Recognition in the sidebar opens this page.
  2. Award Points starts a new award.
  3. Filter the Recent Awards list by student name.

Awarding Points to a Student​

  1. Click the Award Points button.
  2. Select the Student you want to award points to.
  1. Award Points opens the dialog.
  2. The dialog opens on Select Student.
  3. Type at least two characters to search for the student.
  1. Choose a Category — categories are defined by your school and may include options such as "Academic Excellence", "Good Behaviour", "Helping Others", or demerit categories like "Late to Class".
  2. Enter the number of Points — a default value is pre-filled based on the category, but you can adjust it.
  3. Optionally select the Class context where the award was given.
  4. Add Notes (optional) — a brief explanation of why the points were awarded.
  5. Click Save to record the award.
Quick Awards

For common awards, the category's default point value is pre-filled to save you time. You only need to adjust the points if the situation warrants more or fewer than usual.

Merit vs Demerit Categories​

Your school defines two types of categories:

  • Merit (positive) — Rewards for good behaviour, academic achievement, helpfulness, and other positive actions. These add to the student's balance.
  • Demerit (negative) — Records of behavioural issues such as lateness, uniform violations, or disruptions. These reduce the student's net balance.

The category type is shown when you select it, so you always know whether you are awarding merit or demerit points.

Viewing Award History​

  1. Navigate to Recognition from the sidebar.
  2. Use the Filter by student name box above the Recent Awards list to narrow it down to one student.
  3. Each award shows the student name, category, points, date, and any notes you added.

Understanding Milestones​

Your school may configure milestones — achievements that students earn automatically when their merit balance reaches a certain threshold. For example:

  • Bronze Award — 50 points
  • Silver Award — 100 points
  • Gold Award — 200 points

When a student reaches a milestone, it is recorded automatically and the student receives a notification. You do not need to award milestones manually.

Leaderboard​

Depending on your school's settings, a leaderboard may be visible to students. The leaderboard visibility is controlled by the school administrator and can be set to:

  • Public — Students can see all positions.
  • Anonymised — Students see rankings but not names.
  • Own Position Only — Students can only see their own rank.
  • Staff Only — Only teachers and administrators can view the leaderboard.
Consistency

Award points fairly and consistently. Students and guardians can see the full history of awards, including the category, points, and your name as the awarding teacher. Be specific in your notes so the reason for the award is clear.

Tips​

  • Be specific — When adding notes, describe the behaviour or achievement clearly. "Excellent presentation on climate change" is more helpful than "Good work".
  • Balance merit and demerit — Use the system to recognise positive behaviour, not just to record infractions. A healthy balance encourages student engagement.
  • Award promptly — Recognise achievements as soon as possible so students connect the award to their actions.
  • Check balances — Before awarding points, you can view a student's current balance to understand their overall standing.

Applies to Tawaasal 2.5.0