Working with Gradebook

You can use your gradebook to record student grades for assignments, discussions, papers, assessments and more.

Teachers access gradebooks from their class pages. From your Faculty persona, select Classes, choose a class section, then select Launch gradebook.

You can also access your gradebooks and assignments from My Day > Schedule & Performance > Gradebooks. All available gradebooks are listed along with the current grade average.

Once you've opened your gradebook, you can switch between classes and marking periods using the dropdowns at the top of the page.

Before you start entering grades, go through your gradebook settings to ensure everything is set up correctly.

Tip: If you are a Gradebook Manager looking for instructions on how to manage gradebooks for teachers, see Manage Gradebooks.

Before you start using your gradebook, you will want to make sure it is set up correctly. You can use Settings from your gradebook to set the following:

Under Display options, you can control the following display settings:

  • Column header information: You can select to display the Assignment type, Date due, and Date assigned information as needed. If your school is using Competency based education, you can also control displaying the Skill code and Skill name.

    Note: The Title, Max points, and Number of Skills will always be displayed.

  • Section indicators: You can select which indicator icons you would like to see in your gradebook.

  • Default displays: You can setup how your gradebook will display by default. You have the following options:

    • Group by assignment type

      Tip: Assignment groups will be sorted alphabetically.

    • Sort assignment columns by: Assignments can be sorted by Due date and Assigned date as well as oldest to newest.

    • Show student names: Names can be displayed with First name or Last name first.

    • Row sorting: You can select how students should be sorted in your gradebook. In addition to the traditional A-Z and Z-A sorting options, you can also Sort by custom order. If this is selected, use the Edit option to drag and drop your students into your preferred order.

    • Skill column display: Select if Skill columns should be hidden or displayed. This setting will only be available for teachers using Competency based education.

Under Gradebook access, you can set what gradebook information specific roles can access. You can use to available checkboxes to provide access by role to the following:

  • Marking period cumulative

  • Year cumulative

  • Assignment grades

  • Assignment comments

These settings can also be configured globally. If your school is using global settings, you can view but not edit the settings on the Gradebook access tab.

Under Grade calculation, select the calculation method that will be used to calculate the assignment grades for your course section. There are several steps you need to take here:

  1. Under Set calculation by, select if the calculation method is based on the entire Year or by each Marking Period or term individually.

  2. Next, use the Calculation method dropdown to select the calculation method for the course. Here are descriptions and examples for each of the 3 gradebook calculation methods, you can also use the blue info icon next to Calculation method to view the calculation method descriptions:

    1. Total Points: In this calculation method, the students' cumulative grade is based on the total points earned divided by the total points attempted. Select this option if the cumulative grade is based on straight points, and you do not take into account the type of assignment when calculating the grade. 

      • Formula
        sum(assignment grade * assignment factor) / sum(maximum points * factor) = Total cumulative grade

      A class has five total assignments and one extra credit (EC) assignment.  Each assignment is worth 4 points, and each has a factor of 1.  The students receives the full 4 points on all regular assignments, and 3 points on the extra credit assignment.

      Tip: Factor references if an assignment should count more than once. For example, if an assignment has a factor of 2. In the calculation, the total points for the assignment will be multiplied by 2.

      Tip: Extra credit assignments will NOT negatively impact a student's grade. If an assignment is marked Extra Credit, only the points awarded are included in the grade calculation. The maximum points on an extra credit assignment are excluded from the denominator in the calculation.

      To calculate the total cumulative grade for the class, we must first add up the total points the student earned for all assignment types, multiplied by the assignment factor.

      Assignment 1: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 2: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 3: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 4: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 5 (EC): 3 * 1 = 3
      Total = 19

      Then sum up all the assignment maximum point values multiplied by the assignment factor, excluding any extra credit assignments. 

      Assignment 1: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 2: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 3: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 4: 4 * 1 = 4
      Total = 16

      Next, divide the sum of the points earned by the sum of the maximum points.
      This is your cumulative grade.

      19 / 16 = 1.1875
      118.75%

    2. Total Points with Weight: In this calculation method, the students' cumulative grade is based on the total points a student earned, divided by the total points attempted within each assignment type. The assignment type grades are then averaged together based on their weights. Select this option if the cumulative grade is based on something like 30% homework, 40% quizzes, and 30% tests, but each assignment within those categories is worth varying points. 

      • Formula
        For each assignment type: sum(assignment grade * assignment factor) / sum(maximum points * factor) = Assignment type grade
        Then: sum(assignment type grade * weight) / sum(weight) * 100 = Total cumulative grade

      A class has five total assignments and one extra credit (EC) assignment.  Each assignment is worth 4 points, and each has a factor of 1.  The students receives the full 4 points on all regular assignments, and 3 points on the extra credit assignment.

      To calculate the total cumulative grade for the class, we must first calculate the assignment type grade.
      For each assignment, divide the assignment grade by the assignment factor.
      Add the sums together.

      Assignment 1: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 2: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 3: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 4: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 5 (EC): 3 * 1 = 3
      Total = 19

      Then sum up all the assignment maximum point values multiplied by the assignment factor, excluding any extra credit assignments.  

      Assignment 1: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 2: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 3: 4 * 1 = 4
      Assignment 4: 4 * 1 = 4
      Total = 16

      Next, divide the sum of the points earned by the sum of the maximum points. This is your assignment type grade.

      19 / 16 = 1.1875

      Apply weights to each assignment type grade by multiplying each assignment type grade by it's weight.

      Homework: 1.1875
      Weight: 50%
      1.1875 * 0.50 = 0.5938

      Classwork: 0.9102
      Weight: 50%
      0.9102 * 0.50 = 0.4551

      Add all the weighted grades together, and divide by the sum of the weights. Multiply by 100.
      This is your cumulative grade.

      Assignment type grades: 0.5938 + 0.4551 = 1.0489
      Weights: 0.5 + 0.5 = 1

      1.0489 / 1 = 1.0489
      104.89%

    3. Percentages: The assignments are averaged together within each assignment category, the average is used to calculate the cumulative grade based on the weights the teacher has entered. Select this option if the cumulative grade is based on something like 30% homework, 40% quizzes, and 30% tests, but each assignment within those categories count equally.

      • Formula
        For each assignment type: sum(assignment grade / maximum points * assignment factor) / sum(factor) = Assignment type grade
        Then: sum(assignment type grade * weight) / sum(weight) * 100 = Total cumulative grade

      A class has five total assignments and one extra credit (EC) assignment.  Each assignment is worth 4 points, and each has a factor of 1.  The students receives the full 4 points on all regular assignments, and 3 points on the extra credit assignment.

      To calculate the total cumulative grade for the class, we must first calculate the assignment type grade.
      For each assignment, divide the assignment grade by the maximum points, and multiply by the assignment factor.
      Add the sums together.

      Assignment 1: (4 / 4 * 1) = 1
      Assignment 2: (4 / 4 *1 ) = 1
      Assignment 3: (4 / 4 * 1) = 1
      Assignment 4: (4 / 4 * 1) = 1
      Assignment 5 (EC): (3 / 4 * 1 ) = .75
      Total = 4.75

      Then sum up all the assignment factors, excluding any extra credit assignments. 

      Assignment 1: 1
      Assignment 2: 1
      Assignment 3: 1
      Assignment 4: 1
      Total = 4

      Next, divide the assignment averages by the sum of the factors. This is your assignment type grade.

      4.75 / 4 = 1.1875

      Apply weights to each assignment type grade by multiplying each assignment type grade by it's weight.

      Homework: 1.1875
      Weight: 50%
      1.1875 * 0.50 = 0.5938

      Classwork: 0.9102
      Weight: 50%
      0.9102 * 0.50 = 0.4551

      Add all the weighted grades together, and divide by the sum of the weights. Multiply by 100.
      This is your cumulative grade.

      Assignment type grades: 0.5938 + 0.4551 = 1.0489
      Weights: 0.5 + 0.5 = 1

      1.0489 / 1 = 1.0489
      104.89%

  3. Use Select assignment types to select the assignment types you will use for the section.

  4. For each assignment types you can set:

    • Letter grade scale: Letter grade scales allow you to use letters when entering grades for students and students will receive a fixed point assignment value based on the parameters of the letter grade scale set by the Administrator.

      Warning: If your cumulative grades for students are incorrect and you are using a letter grade scale, please speak with your Administrator to verify the letter grade scale goes up to 100.

    • Weight(if Total points with weight or Percentages is used as your calculation method)

    • Number to drop per marking period

    • Default max points

      Note: If Total points with weight or Percentages is used for a calculation method, you will see a running total of the overall assigned weight.

  5. Finally, you can select if these settings should apply to any of your other courses. You will not able to apply settings to courses that have already been setup.

The last item under Settings is Mastery calculation. This will only be available for teachers at schools using Competency based education and your school needs to allow teachers to set a Content-area skill computation method in their Mastery settings. Simply use the Computation method dropdown to select your calculation. Select Student must demonstrate mastery N times before mastery is acknowledged if a student must master a skill a specific amount of times. Finally, use the available checkboxes to apply these settings to your other courses.

When you are finished with all of these settings, select Save.

Once you access your gradebook, you can use Filter to filter your assignments by Assigned date and/or Assignment type. You can see the following information at the top of your roster:

  • Total number of students in the class

  • Total number of assignments that have been added to the gradebook

  • Class Average

  • Number of grades that are Ready to commit

Select Grade columns to choose which summary grades you want to display, Current marking period, Last marking period, or Year cumulative. You can also highlight grades less than a grade you specify.

Gradebook Indicators

Gradebook indicators provide quick visual queues about students and assignments, such as if a student’s work is incomplete or missing and if an assignment is associated with a rubric. These indicators help teachers find information faster without needing to drill down into each individual grade. For an explanation of what each icon means, select More > See key. The key also includes available keyboard shortcuts used to quickly add status indicators for students.

Gradebook Key

Show dropped students

To display students who have dropped the class in the gradebook, select More > Show dropped students. A count of dropped students appears above the roster and dropped students display in red with a Dropped indicator. Enter and commit grades for dropped students as you would for students currently enrolled in a class.

Skills

On the right side of the gradebook, you can select:

  • Show skills: All skill columns will appear in your gradebook.

  • Hide skills: This will hide all skills columns in your gradebook.

Assignments

The header for an assignment displays the max points, factor, and how many skills are attached to the assignment. You can also select the down arrow at the top of each assignment column to view additional options, including:

  • Sort by high to low, low to high, or default order

  • Bulk actions for adding grades, comments, and gradebook indicators to multiple students at once

  • See performance summary: View statistics for the assignment, such as Mean, Median, High Grade, Low Grade, and the number of Missing, Incomplete, or Late submissions.

You can select the left side of a grade field to enter a grade for a student. You can also select right side of the grade field to open the Evaluate assignment modal. From here, you can add a grade, select any applicable indicators, and add a comment for the student. You can also view the Change history for the student's assignment grade from here. Select Save or Save and next student to continue grading.

Review your Gradebook settings to see who can view assignment grades and assignment comments.

Tip: For assignments that use letter grades or skill ratings, you can select a cell, then select it again to display a dropdown listing the grade or skill rating choices.

Tip: For more information on grading different types of assignments, including assignments with online files submissions, assessments, and graded discussions, see Assignment Details.

In the gradebook, you can use your keyboard to enter letter grades and skills.

  1. Select a grade field to activate editing mode for that grade field. If using your keyboard, navigate to the grade field and press Enter on your keyboard to activate editing mode.

  2. Use the up and down arrows, letter, or number keys on your keyboard to choose a letter grade or skill rating.

    Tip: To display the dropdown with letter grade and skill rating choices, press Enter again.

  3. Once the desired letter grade or skill rating is selected, press Tab on your keyboard to move down to the next student row. If you’re editing the bottom row, press esc to exit editing mode.

    Tip: If the letter grade or skill dropdown is displayed, press Tab twice to exit editing mode and move down to the next student row.

Additional keyboard details:

  • Editing mode is indicated by a blue outline around the grade field.

  • You can exit editing mode by pressing esc on your keyboard. Press esc twice to exit editing mode if the grade or skill dropdown is visible.

  • When the grade/skill dropdown is visible, you can select the desired grade or skill rating, then press Enter to exit editing mode.

  • When you’re not in editing mode, use the arrow keys to navigate between grade fields.

  • Letters I (Incomplete), L (Late), M (Missing), X (Exempt), and C (Collected) are keyboard shortcuts for gradebook indicators. If you type these letters without pressing Enter to activate editing mode, you’ll update the gradebook indicators. To enter a letter grade using these letters, activate editing mode first by pressing Enter on your keyboard, then type the letter grade.

  • To open the full Evaluate assignment modal, press the spacebar on your keyboard.

Select the cell next to the grade cell for the student to see the Rubric for the assignment. This will appear as a pop up in your gradebook. You can move through and select the appropriate proficiency level for each skill. You can provide a comment for each skill or an overall assignment comment if needed. In addition, if you need to edit the Points total after you have selected each proficiency level, you can edit the total points if you need to make any adjustments to the overall grade.

Note: You can bulk add in status indicators for students if needed for assignments with rubrics.

If your skills for these assignments are hidden, you can select the down arrow at the top of the assignment column and select Show skills. The skills will appear to the right of the assignment column in your gradebook. You can use the available dropdown in the Grade cell for a student to add a skill rating. In addition, you can also select the cell to provide a Rating and comment.

Once you have finished adding grades and comments for students, you can commit your changes. Uncommitted grades will be highlighted in blue in your gradebook. In addition, you will see a Ready to commit notification at the top of your gradebook along with a Commit button at the top of the assignment column with the number of commits available. When you are ready, select Commit at the top of an assignment column and the evaluations will be committed to your gradebook. If you need to commit evaluations for multiple assignments, select Commit All to commit evaluations for all of the assignments in the class and marking period currently selected in the gradebook.

For each assignment, you can bulk add grades and comments when you select Bulk actions from the assignment column header. From here, you can:

  • Select Add bulk evaluation to set a grade for students. In addition, you can select if any of the available indicators should be applied for these students.

    Tip: If you are using a letter grade scale for the selected assignment, the grade text field will instead be a drop down menu you can use the select the applicable letter grade.

  • Select Add bulk comment to add a comment for students.

  • You can also use the available list of students to select which students the bulk actions should apply to.

    Tip: You will see both committed and uncommitted changes for students in the Apply to list if grades or comments have previously been entered for students.

In addition, you can use Bulk actions on a Skill column for Mastery only and Hybrid assignments to add a bulk evaluation or comment for the skill for specific students.

When you select a student from the list, you can:

  • See learning profiles: Select See < learning profile name> to generate the learning profile as a PDF.

  • Compose official note: you can compose an official note for the student.

  • Access the Student Gradebook: Select See student's gradebook to view a breakdown of the individual student's grades by Assignment type, their Status counts, Marking period grade, and more. See Student Gradebook for more information.

You can view the grade change history for a student for a specific assignment when you are in the Evaluate assignment modal. Changes will be listed with the most recent changes first. Columns include:

  • Changed item: the category of the item being changed.

  • Changed from: the original grading designation.

  • Changed to: the new grading designation.

  • Changed by: the user that made the change.

  • Changed time: when the change was made.

    Note: The format for Changed time is DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM

The following are changes that would be included in the change history along with their category. The category will appear under Changed item in the Change history. If multiple changes are made at once, each change will have their own row in the change history:

Change Category
Total points Score
Skills rating Name of skill
Unchecked box becomes checked [Name of indicator] status
Checked box becomes unchecked [Name of indicator] status
Number of days late [Name of indicator] status
Rubric Rubric [Name of skill] rating
Assignment comment Comment
Skill comment [Name of skill] comment
Rubric comment Rubric [Name of skill] Comment