Build the structure before marks entry starts.
Academic reporting problems often begin before a teacher enters the first mark. The academic year, term, class-subject relationships and assessment structure need to be clear so marks are captured against the correct context.
Once the structure is in place, teachers should have a focused marks-entry process rather than editing broad administrative records. Comments can then be gathered from the appropriate roles and combined into the final student report.
Keep historical context
A school should be able to change teaching assignments or move into a new year without destroying the context of previous records. Good configuration separates the current setup from the historical academic record.