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Grades

Students may be assigned Grades for various Assignments within GPA Teacher. To get started, click on the Grades icon from the Navigation Bar at the top of your window. You may also click on the Grades link for one of your classes.
 
 
The Grades window allows you to add assignments for your classes, assign grades to students, finalize grades, and export grades to an Excel-compatible document. Aside from the Traditional mode of viewing and editing grades, you may also select from the modes shown in the Editing Mode sidebar menu on the right-hand side of your window. Note that you can also switch to other classes from the Classes links in this sidebar menu.
 
Initially, no assignments or grades exist for your classes. You'll first set up grading categories, then add one or more assignments. Finally, you'll assign grades for your students.

Grading options, categories, and codes

To begin, you'll first set up grade categories and other options by clicking on the Grading Options link in the sidebar menu.
 
 
You may modify how GPA Teacher rounds numbers, shows decimal values, and determines letter grade brackets. You may also specify the calculation method to use for standards-based grading. Select the Average Standards option to average all standards together. Or select the Use Lowest Standard option to automatically use the lowest standard in grading calculations.
 
If you decide to make changes to the options shown on the left-hand side of the Grading Options window, be sure to click on the Update Options button at the bottom of the window (scrolling down if necessary).
 
Before you move on to the next step of creating assignments, you first need to add at least one Grading Category. GPA Teacher uses a Grading Category to group your assignments (e.g. homeworks, quizzes, tests, etc.). In the Grading Options window, click on the + Add a Category link to add a category.
 
 
Enter a Name for the new Grading Category. You may also specify the overall weight this category will have in calculating each student's final grade. You may also check the Drop Lowest Score checkbox to automatically ignore the lowest grade each student receives in this category. You may also enter a description of the category. Once you've made your selections, click on the Add Category button at the bottom of the window.
 
You are strongly encouraged to define all of your grading categories and their corresponding weights. The sum of these weights should equal 100%. As an example, you could define the following categories and weights for a given term or semester: Homeworks (50%), Tests (30%), and Class Participation (20%).
 
 
You are also encouraged to define codes to help in your grading. In the Grading Options window, click on the + Add a Code link to add a code.
 
 
Specify the Name and abbreviated Short Code for the code you are defining. You may then decide whether to count the corresponding assignment as missing (via the checkbox) or graded at a reduced point scale (via the dropdown box). You may also enter a description of the code. Once you've made your selections, click on the Add Code button at the bottom of the window.
 
 
Codes that you add are subsequently shown in the Grading Options window in which you may also delete or edit such codes.
 

Adding an assignment

Before you add an assignment, be sure you have added at least one Grading Category, as described above.
 
From the Grades window, click on the Assignments link in the sidebar menu on the right-hand side. From the Assignments window that appears, click on the + Add Assignment link.
 
 
Enter a Name for the new assignment, then specify the due date, the grading category, and the number of points this assignment is worth. You may also use the checkboxes to specify whether this assignment is extra credit or should not be included in the final grade calculations. You may also enter a description of the assignment. Once you've made your selections, click on the Add Assignment button at the bottom of the window.
 
 
Continue to add assignments as necessary. When you're done, close the Assignments window to return to the Grades window.

Defining a grading standard

To define your grading standards, click on the Standards link in the sidebar menu on the right-hand side.
 
 
From the Standards window that appears, click on the + Add Standard link.
 
 
Enter a Name and optionally a Description for the new standard. You may also select the Show on Report Card checkbox to include this standard on the Standards Based Report Card available via the Reports link. Once you've defined a grading standard, click on the Add Standard button at the bottom of the window.
 
 
Continue to add standards as necessary. When you're done, close the Standards window to return to the Grades window. You will see the standards as part of your Traditional view of grades. You may enter values up to 4 to specify the degree to which each standard has been met by each student. Averages and final grade values automatically update after you enter in this data.
 
 
Note that you may also select the Standards List option in the sidebar menu on the right-hand side to summarize your standards values on a per standard basis.
 

Assigning and viewing grades

If you're not already there, go to the Grades window. Each assignment is shown in a separate column. Click and type in numeric grades for your students. Note that you may use the TAB key to move from one cell to another.
 
As grades are entered, the Final Grade column automatically updates, as does the Average row at the bottom of the table. If a student receives a low grade (i.e. D or F), the grade is shown with a red background. Further, if a grade is outside the valid range (i.e. greater than the maximum grade for the given assignment), the grade is shown with a yellow background and requires your attention.
 
 
Multiple editing and viewing modes are available for your use. Select from the modes shown in the Editing Mode sidebar menu on the right-hand side of your window.
 
The Seating Chart mode shows your seating chart with grades for an individual assignment. You may select from the menu of assignments on the left-hand side of the window. Grades may edited within the seating chart.
 
 
The Class Roster mode enables you to view all grades for an individual student. Click on a student from the list on the left-hand side of your window to see his or her individual grades, including the calculated final grade. Grades may edited within this view.
 
 
The Assignments List mode allows you to view all grades for an individual assignment. Click on an assignment from the list on the left-hand side of your window to see corresponding student grades, including the overall average. Grades may edited within the assignment list.
 

Exporting grades to Excel

Grades may be exported in an Excel-compatible format at any time. To do so, first go to the Grades window and select the class for which grades are to be exported. Click on the Export Excel/CSV link in the sidebar menu on the right-hand side. Note that CSV is an acronym for Comma-Separated Values.
 
 
Depending on your Operating System, you'll likely see a dialog box asking you whether you'd like to save the exported file or simply open it using Microsoft Excel. In the example screen shot below, click Open to view the file in Excel. Or click Save to save the file.
 
 
Note that the exported file contains all data for the selected class, including averages and final grades. It's recommended that you do not make any changes to the exported file, since such changes should be made within GPA Teacher.