Grading Setup for Managers

Grade Labels are used to associate grade values with a recognizable term. Grade Labels or Abbreviations can appear on report cards and transcripts in place of a numeric grade.

When a student's grade average for a course falls between a specified range, then they can be awarded the respective grade. Otherwise, a teacher will be able to select the Grade Label.

When a respective grade is awarded, both GPA Equivalent values can be used in a GPA calculation formula.

Standard Grade Translations are used to define the scores achieved by your students for use in GPA calculations, whether credit is awarded, and visually represent them on report cards and transcripts.

If your school offers courses that require different grading scales (Honors, AP), then you only need one Grade Translation table if the GPA Equivalent trend is consistent between grades.

If your school weighs certain classes when calculating the GPA, the weight can either be applied at the course level if it's consistent across the board (I.e. AP classes get a GPA bump of 1 point and honors classes get a bump of .5 points) or at the translation level if it is not consistent (I.e. AP classes get a bump of 1.0 as long as a student earns a C or above). In the latter scenario, create a Grade Translation for each scaling difference.

Grade Translations apply to non-numeric grades and accommodate for skill-focused grading needs typical of Lower or Elementary school levels.

Grade Labels, in this instance, are phrases that can be associated with skills to define student performance.

Create a Skills-Based Translation table for each unique instance of grading requirements. If different Skills-Based courses require different sets of Grade Labels to describe the grade, then create a Grade Translation table for each instance.

There may be instances where a student withdraws from a course and is unable to complete it. In these instances, your school may deem it inappropriate to assign a grade point calculation value to a grade.

Add Alternate Grades to existing Standard or Skills-Based Grade Translation tables. By doing so, a teacher will be able to easily select W (for Withdraw) or ML (for Medical Leave) when recording grades.

Note: Alternate Grades are best used if teachers record letter grades and display letter grades on report cards.

• To display a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) or skills-based grade label (+, -, etc.) on the report card:
  

  Enable Translate Score on Output. Otherwise, the Numeric Equivalent (or Max if there is no Numeric Equivalent will display). If BOTH Input and Output options are off, then the raw grade appears on report cards.
  

  Note: For Skills-Based Grading, the Abbrevation will appear instead of the Grade label.

• To have teachers access a drop-down consisting of Grade Labels when recording grades:

  Enable Translate Score on Input. Otherwise, they will enter a numeric grade.
  

  Selecting this option will allow teachers to select Alternate Grades for students when they submit recorded grades at the end of a grading period.
  

Grade Categories can be used to collect comments from teachers. Comments can appear on report cards. Comment Grade Categories do not need a translation table associated with them.

Create one Grade Category called Comments if you record comments; the Comments Grade Category can be used across multiple Marking Periods.

Note: If your teachers copy and paste comments, then ensure Plaintext is selected for Comment Editor.

Tip: Read more about Grade Categories

Transcript Categories allow you to take courses grouped by a common factor, and then use those categories to determine how they are arranged on a transcript.

Visual Arts, World Languages, English, History, and so forth, are examples of categories you will place courses in.

Transcript Categories also allows for credit calculation for a certain subject (ex. how many English credits does a student have?). 9 total categories can fit on a transcript.

Create a Transcript Category for each course category.

Transcript Categories will also determine the order in which courses appear on transcripts, and on hybrid and standard report cards.

Tip: Read more about Transcript Categories

The Skills-Based Grading Period is the link between the grades you record in courses and the report card itself. When creating a Skills-Based Report Card, you will specify a Skills-Based Grading Period to draw data from.

Create a Skills-Based Grading Period for each instance during the semester where Skills-Based report cards are issued; if you issue Skills-Based Report Cards once a quarter, and you have four quarters in a school year, then create four Skills-Based Grading Periods.

Social Skills

• Abides by classroom rules

• Collaborates with students on group projects

• Considerate of others

Literature Skills

• Identifies critical themes

• Articulates thoughts coherently

• Clearly reads aloud in class

Fitness Skills

• Cardiovascular Endurance

• Cooperates in team activities

• Reached fitness goals

Grade Groups

Grade Groups are used to link courses with marking periods. A Grade Group can contain several marking periods. Grade Groups must either be defined as standard (typically used for letter/effort grades and comments) or skills-based (typically used for skill-based grading and comments). Each class can be attached to one standard marking period and one skills-based marking period if your school uses a hybrid report card.

Create Grade Groups based on the needs of courses. For example, if a set of courses require a different grading scale than a standard set (ex. AP/Honors), you would need to create Grade Groups to accommodate for each course type.

Create Grade Groups

Marking Periods

Marking Periods are the periods during a school year where grading takes place. They are effectively time-sensitive buckets that teachers drop grades into.

Create a Marking Period for each period when you want teachers to record grades specific to a term. Examples of grading periods could be Q1 Report Card, Q1 Progress Report, Tri 2 Report Card, and so forth.

Create Marking Periods

Grade Columns

Grade Columns are what you allow teachers to record for that period, whether that be a comment or a traditional grade. If Marking Periods are akin to buckets, then Grade Columns are the contents of those buckets.

Grade Columns are linked to your Grade Categories and, therefore, your Grade Translations, are added to report cards and transcripts.

Create Grade Columns

Traditional

Used to associate letter, numeric-based grades with a course. Only Traditional Grade Groups will contribute to GPA calculation. Linked with standard, AP, and honors courses.

Skills-Based

Used to associate Skills (i.e. Working with others) with Grade Translations. Does not contribute to GPA calculation. Linked, often, with Lower School courses.

Create a Grade Group for each instance where a course requires unique grading parameters. For example, if all your Upper School courses use the same Grade Translation table for determining letter grades, then create one Grade Group.

• If you have Elementary or Middle School level courses, then create Grade Groups for each School Level.

• If you offer courses that operate on a different grading scale (AP, Honors, University of California GPA calculations), then create a Grade Group to accommodate for these types.

• If your school records Final Grades, and offers both single-term and multi-term courses, then create Grade Groups for both Multi-term and Single Term courses.

Create a Grade Group for each instance where a course requires unique grading parameters.

• For example, Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 in your Elementary School may be graded on a different set of skills than one another. As such, you would create four Skills-Based Grade Groups (one for each grade level).

• In addition, you may create Grade Groups for each subject area within a grade. If Grade 1 has different types of courses that require different sets of skills, then create a Grade Group for each of these areas. For example, Grade 1 Visual Arts might differ from Grade 1 Music and require Grade Groups with Skills matched with each of those areas.

Tip: Read More about Grade Groups

Create a Marking Period for each period when grading occurs.

For example, assume you have two semesters throughout your school year. During those two semesters, you may have four quarters. Within those four quarters, you may record grades for a progress report and then a report card.

To follow the above example, we would need 8 Marking Periods added to the Grade Group where grades are collected.

The Marking Periods for Semester Term 1 and 2 can be created to calculate the End of Term grade, which is the appropriation of credits and the calculation of GPAs based on grades within that term.

Tip: Read More about Marking Periods

Grade Columns are the links to the Grade Categories/Translation you created. Grade Columns are what teachers record – both grades and comments. Grade Columns are tied back to the Grade Categories created earlier in the setup.

Grade Columns are added directly into Marking Periods; The Marking Period determines when a teacher has access to recording grades, and the Grade Column determines what exactly is being recorded.

Tip: Read More about Grade Columns

Grade Columns can pull from other Grade Columns when calculating a grade. For example, if a teacher records a numeric final exam grade in the Marking Period, that grade can be factored into the final grade calculation.

Additionally, Grade Columns can draw from the Grade Book Cumulative of each course. This allows teachers to neatly and uniformly apply grades based on a formula determined by the Grading Manager.

Tip: Read More about Marking Period Formulas

Skills are what Skills-Based Marking Periods rely on to determine what skills are associated with courses. They are structured in the same manner as Grade Columns in that they rely on Grade Categories to determine what grading scale is associated with each skill, and that Comment Grade Categories are also required to add comments.

Create Your GPA Formulas

A formula is an equation used to calculate grade point averages. The formula draws data from several different areas to perform this calculation.

Pull From Marking Periods

Courses that are placed within the Marking Periods that you associate your GPA calculation with will follow that formula.

Determine GPA Types

Select which GPAs you wish to calculate for. These options can appear on report cards and transcripts.

Step #1: Formula

The Formula is the equation used to calculate students' grade point averages.

Create a formula that follows your criteria for calculating grade averages, noting the following:

• GPA Equivalent 1 & 2

  relate to the value of the fields belonging to the Grade Translation table of the recorded Grade Column.

• Weight & Alt Weight

  set at the course level provide an overall bump to the GPA Equivalent.

• Grade draws from the Numeric Equivalent of a grade in a corresponding Grade Translation table.

Create as many formulas match your school's precise needs, such as having them for Quarters, Mid-Year Cumulative, Final GPAs, and so forth. You may also need separate formulas for weighted and unweighted calculations, and term and final. Additional formulas might be needed for academic performance and honor rolls.

Step #2: School Years

Select the School Years you want to include in the GPA calculation. If you want final transfer grades to be included, check the include transfer grades checkbox.

Step 3#: Marking Periods

If your Grade Groups are not differentiated by term (for example, multi-term and single-term Grade Groups), then simply select the Marking Period to be used in determining the GPA for both the Multi-term courses and single-term courses columns. If you'd like to include term transfer grades check the box for Include term transfer grades.

If you follow a Final Grade setup and have courses that are segmented into Multi-term and Single-term Grade Groups, then you must ensure that you only select a Marking Period within the corresponding column.

For example, in the row containing your Multi-term Grade Group, under the Multi-term courses column, select the Marking Period that contains your Final Grades. Repeat the same steps, but for your Single-term Grade Group next.

Tip: Read More about GPA Calculation Formulas

Step #4: Types

Each Type selection will determine what calculates from your formula. Term GPA and Year to Date GPA can both appear on a report card. Cumulative (GPAs across multiple years) and Term GPAs can appear on transcripts.

Step #5: Excluded Courses

Excluded Courses are courses that are not included in GPA calculations. Study halls and Homerooms, for example, may fit into this category.

Courses do not need to be excluded if they are not in a Marking Period selected in the previous step.

Ranks use either the Cumulative, Term, or the Year to Date value calculated using a specified GPA calculation formula to display information on a transcript.

Final grade schools need different grade average formulas for mid-year vs end-of-year, often because the Semester 1 grade for year-long courses should be counted in the cumulative grade at the mid-year, but only the final at the end-of-the-year.

Step #1:

Academic Performance can be used to compare students' grade averages against a metric you define. The outcome can range anywhere from a list of Probation-ranked students to assessing Honor Roll worthiness.

You can associate similar Academic Performance measurements with one another. For example, President's List and Honor Roll can be subcategories within the same category, because they similarly reward success.

The priority will determine which Academic Performance measurement is used if a student meets more than one requirement. In this example, a student would receive the Principal’s List designation if they met that requirement because of its higher priority.

Step #2:

Each subcategory must be assigned a means for comparing the GPA with a standard. Select the threshold that should be reached by the student to achieve the academic performance designation.

In this example, Principal's List is set to a higher threshold requirement. If a student meets that threshold, and because Principal's list has the higher priority, the student will appear on the Principal's List and not the Honor Roll.

Step 1: Link Grade Group

Begin by selecting the Grade Group that contains the Marking Periods, and therefore Grade Columns, that are specific to this course.

You can associate a course with one Standard and one Skills-Based Grade Group, allowing for two unique report card representations of performance.

Step 2: Credit Worth

Determine how many credits should be awarded for completion of a course.

If a course is year-long, and therefore spans more than one term, toggle Specify Credit Awarded per Term to award partial credit only if a different credit amount should be awarded each term. Credits must be specified every year in the Offer Courses task.

Step 3: GPA Weight Determination

Weight influences GPA calculation. If you offer AP/Honors courses that are graded on the same scale as standard courses (4.0, for example), then give standard courses a weight of 1 and AP/Honors an appropriate bump.

For example, students might get a .5 bump for AP courses, and a .3 for honors; this can be stored in the GPA Weight/Alt Weight fields in the Course.

Step 4: Transcript Organization

Enter an Abbreviation if the Abbreviation of the course should take place of the course name on the transcript. Enter the Transcript Category to determine how the course is organized on the transcript.

Note: An Abbreviation is best used if the course title is too long and does not appear on transcripts fully.

Build the report card template

Report Card Builder allows you to put grade, attendance, GPA information, and more on a report card that can be communicated to students, parents, and faculty.

Generate report cards

Once you have created a report card template, you can either generate a report card from a student's profile in Academics or generate them in bulk from Report card setup. Report cards and transcripts are viewable online by parents, teachers, students, and administrators.