Updating Calculation Types for Grading Periods

If your administration allows, you may adjust the Grade Calculation settings for each grading period in your class. The available Calculation Types include Assignment Total Points, Assignment Average Percent, Category Weighting, Grade Weighting, Cumulative Assignment Score Weighting, Not Graded, Subjective, Decaying Average, Subject Weighting, and Academic Standard Weighting. The options available to you are determined administratively. If you choose Assignment Total Points or Decaying Average, you can indicate which Categories, such as classwork, quiz, or lab, will count towards the grade for that grading period. If you choose one of the weighted calculations, you must designate to what extent each selected subject, category, or academic standard will impact the grade for the specified grading period. For example, if you choose Subject Weighting for your Math class, you may assign what percent of the grade each subject, such as geometry or algebra, represents. You can also use Grade Weighting or Cumulative Assignment Score Weighting in a Semester or Year grade bucket. These options enable you to weight the term buckets or the assignments from the term buckets, along with the semester exam if necessary.
You may set different grading calculations for each Grading Period, or you can copy settings from one grading period to another. For example, you could select to use Category Weighting for all of the grading periods in your class. For semester 1, you set homework, labs, projects, classwork, and quizzes at 10% weight each, and tests at 50%. Then, you copy the settings to all of the remaining grading periods in your class.
In a standards-based gradebook, you can also calculate grades for Subjects and Academic Standards using the Power Law or Mastery calculation types. However, these calculations must be set administratively and cannot be modified within the gradebook.

Adjusting grade calculation settings is optional. Grade calculations can only be adjusted in open grading periods. All adjusted settings are specific to your class.

Scroll past the video to access the step-by-step instructions.

Before you begin

  • Categories must be set up for the entity administratively.

  • Calculation groups must be set up for the entity administratively.

Audio Transcript

The Gradesheet Calculation Type identifies the method for which a grading period grade is determined. If enabled administratively, calculation types can be updated by a teacher at the section level if you choose to assign a different Calculation Type than the default setup for your course. For example, in your English Language Arts class, you want to switch to a Calculation Type of Category Weighting for your Mid-Term 1 grading period. We can begin this process by navigating to the Gradesheet feature of the Gradebook module. We’ll select the tile of the class we wish to modify the calculation type for and navigate to the Gradesheet Settings. Then, we’ll open the Grade Calculations sub-tab under the Calculations Settings tab group. Now, we’ll open the grading period that we would like to update. We will select the Calculation Type of Category Weighting. Now, we will need to select the categories and the weight percentages we'd like to use for these categories, totaling up to 100 percent. Once we’ve updated our percentages and categories, we can click Save Changes. Now that you know how to modify Gradesheet categories and weighting, you can properly structure Gradesheet calculation types for any class.

Procedure

The Gradesheet Calculation Type identifies the method for which a grading period grade is determined. If enabled administratively, calculation types can be updated by a teacher at the section level if you choose to assign a different Calculation Type than the default setup for your course. For example, in your English Language Arts class, you want to switch to a Calculation Type of Category Weighting for your Mid-Term 1 grading period. We can begin this process by navigating to the Gradesheet feature of the Gradebook module. We’ll select the tile of the class we wish to modify the calculation type for and navigate to the Gradesheet Settings. Then, we’ll open the Grade Calculations sub-tab under the Calculations Settings tab group. Now, we’ll open the grading period that we would like to update. We will select the Calculation Type of Category Weighting. Now, we will need to select the categories and the weight percentages we'd like to use for these categories, totaling up to 100 percent. Once we’ve updated our percentages and categories, we can click Save Changes. Now that you know how to modify Gradesheet categories and weighting, you can properly structure Gradesheet calculation types for any class.





  1. Select Menu > Teacher Access > Gradebook.
  2. Select Gradesheet under Features.

    If you have already opened a gradesheet in your current session, you return to the most recently opened gradesheet. To select a different class, click Class List near the top right of the screen.

  3. Verify you are in the correct school year by checking the information at the top left of the screen.
  4. Select the class tile where you wish to make changes to the Grade Calculations.
  5. Click Settings near the top right of the screen.
  6. Select the Calculation Settings tab group at the left of the screen.
  7. Select the Grade Calculations sub-tab.
  8. Click the Open icon for the grading period you would like to make changes to.
  9. Under the Section Grade Bucket Details heading, choose the Calculation Type you would like to apply to the grading period from the drop-down list.
    The table below provides a description of each calculation type available.
    Assignment Total Points

    Enables you to select which categories to use in the calculation of total points for the selected grading period. For example, if you want all points to count equally toward student grades, you would select Assignment Total Points as your calculation type.

    Continue to the next step.

    Assignment Average Percent

    When selected, the sum of the percentages earned on all assignments attached to the academic standard will be divided by the number of attached assignments. For example, if you want the percentages earned on assignments to count equally toward students' grades, you would select Assignment Average Percent as your calculation type.

    Continue to the next step.

    Category Weighting
    Enables you to select which Categories to use and the extent to which those categories will impact students' grades for the selected grading period by assigning a weight percentage to each. For example, if you want tests to count for more of the students' grades than homework, you would select Category Weighting as your calculation type.

    Continue to the next step.

    Grade Weighting

    Enables you to select which term or semester grades should be used to calculate the students' grade for the selected grading period. This option is only available for semester or final grades. For example, if you want to calculate a semester 1 grade where 40% of the grade comes from term 1, 40% of the grade comes from term 2, and 20% of the grade comes from the semester exam, you would select Grade Weighting as your calculation type.

    Skip to step 11.

    Cumulative Assignment Score Weighting

    Enables you to select which terms' assignment grades should be used to calculate the students' grade for the selected grading period. This option is only available for semester or final grades. Assignment scores are added together and treated as a cumulative assignment score. This score can be weighted along with exam buckets, if there are exam buckets associated with the semester or final bucket, to calculate the overall grade for the grading period. For example, if you want to calculate a semester 1 grade where 80% of the grade comes from assignment scores from Term 1 and Term 2, and 20% of the grade comes from the semester exam, you would select Cumulative Assignment Score Weighting as your calculation type.

    Skip to step 12.

    Not Graded

    When selected, you will not give a grade for the selected grading period. For example, if you wish to track assignment scores but do not wish to provide a grade for report cards and transcripts until the end of the semester, you would select Not Graded as your calculation type.

    Continue to the next step.

    Subjective

    When selected, the grade for the grading period will not be calculated. The teacher will assign grades based on what grade they think the student earned for the grading period. For example, if you wish to assign grades to students instead of having the system calculate grades, you would select Subjective as your calculation type.

    Continue to the next step.

    Decaying Average
    This option is only available if the gradebook is using Subjects or Academic Standards and enables you to calculate the students' grades based on past assignments, where older assignments have less impact on each student’s current grade. For every new assignment that is added, the older assignments have less and less impact on the overall grade.

    Continue to the next step.

    Subject Weighting
    This option is only available if the gradebook is using Subjects and enables you to select which subjects to use and the extent to which those subjects will impact students' grades for the selected grading period. For example, if you want the reading and writing subject grades to count for more of the students' overall grades than the spelling subject grade, you would select Subject Weighting as your calculation type.

    Skip to step 14.

    Academic Standard Weighting
    This option is only available if the gradebook is using Academic Standards and enables you to select which academic standards to use and the extent to which those academic standards will impact students' grades for the selected grading period. For example, if you want the counting to 100 standard to count for more of the students' overall grades than the identifying simple shapes standard, you would select Academic Standard Weighting as your calculation type.

    Skip to step 15.

  10. Under the Categories heading, check the box in the Include column for each Category you wish to include in the grade calculation. If you selected a calculation type of Category Weighting, enter the Weight Percent for each category you selected.

    The weight amounts you enter must total 100.00.

    Skip to step 16.

  11. Under the grading period heading, check the box in the Include column for each grading period you wish to include in the grade calculation. Then, enter the Weight Percent for each grading period you selected.

    The weight amounts you enter must total 100.00.

    Skip to step 16.

  12. Enter the Grade Buckets to Cumulate or click the Magnifying Glass icon to choose from the drop-down list.
  13. Under the grade bucket heading, check the box in the Include column for the exam bucket if appropriate. If you checked the box, enter a Weight Percent for the exam bucket.

    When you enter a Weight Percent for the exam bucket, the Weight Percent for the Cumulative Assignment Score updates so the sum is 100.

    Skip to step 16.

  14. Under the Subjects heading, check the box in the Include column for each Subject you wish to include in the grade calculation. Then, enter the Weight Percent for each subject you selected.

    The weight amounts you enter must total 100.00.

    Skip to step 16.

  15. Under the Academic Standards heading, check the box in the Include column for each Academic Standard you wish to include in the grade calculation. Then, enter the Weight Percent for each academic standard you selected.

    The weight amounts you enter must total 100.00.

  16. Choose one of the options near the top left of the screen to save your work.
    OptionDescription
    Save & BackSaves the calculation details and you return to the Grade Calculations sub-tab of the Gradesheet Settings screen.
    Save ChangesSaves the calculation details and you remain on the Grade Calculation Details screen or the General tab of the Grade Calculation Details screen.

Results

For more detailed information, please refer to the "Updating Calculation Types for Grading Periods" article in the Help Center.