Teacher: Gradebook Overview & Settings
Prior to creating assignments in the gradebook, there are options for determining how the gradebook will function and how assignments will appear that should be configured for each section individually or configured once and applied to all gradebook sections.
Before using the gradebook, you must decide whether to apply the same settings to all gradebooks or to configure each gradebook individually. Additionally, when multiple courses are scheduled during the same period, there is the option to consolidate them into a single gradebook or to create custom groups for combining sections, irrespective of the course/period schedule. This option may not apply to elementary teachers, except for those teaching Specials/Related Arts.
1. In the menu, click Preferences.
Gradebook configuration options vary depending on how sections are scheduled.
The Preferences screen defaults to the Display Options tab.
2. Select the Configure Gradebooks separately for each section check box to require selecting Gradebook Settings for each scheduled section.
3. Select the Combine Sections for taking attendance check box to combine different sections that take place during the same period in order to take attendance by period, as opposed to taking attendance for every section separately even though they take place during the same period. Note: You must have multiple sections in at least one period for this option to display.
4. Select the check box to Combine sections for gradebook to combine multiple different sections into the same gradebook as a way for teachers to enter grades for several sections all at once.
a. Teacher gradebooks can be combined By period or by Custom Groups.
b. If you select Custom Groups, more options will displays starting with Ungrouped Sections. To create a new group of sections, click Add Group.
i. Once a new group has been added, you can edit the title of the group by clicking the provided text box, as shown in the image.
ii. To add sections to the group, drag and drop the desired sections from the Ungrouped Sections box to the created group, in this case the ALG 1 box.
iii. If there are groups that do not contain sections, click the Remove Empty Groups button to delete them. You can also click the red X in the corner of the group to delete it.
iv. To delete all groups, click the Remove All Groups button.
5. Click Save.
Combining sections using either option will not list students according to their actual scheduled section or period. An alphabetized list will be displayed instead.
Set up gradebook options, if applicable.
This section provide an overview of the teacher gradebook to ensure an understanding before making selections to setup the appearance and functionality of the gradebook.
1. Select a section from the course section pull-down in the Portal header.
2. In the menu, click Gradebook.
In the top left, there are several tabs, which can be clicked to determine what information is displayed on the screen. All displays all assignments and categories (if set up) for all students.
The Totals tab displays average points/percentages per category for each student.
Click the Category tab to display all categories in a left panel which contains the ability to edit, add, and import categories.
Click the Assignment tab to display Assignments in the selected Category, as well as all assignment Details, Grades, Rubric, Resources, Standards, and Options. Here you also have the ability to edit assignments, add new assignments to a category, import assignments to a category, and import grades to an assignment.
Click the plus sign (+) to add an assignment to the gradebook for a selected category.
Hover over the Grade Legend to view all applicable grades and custom grades including grade letters, numbers, percentages, etc.
Enter Grades By displays a pull-down of options so you can determine in what method grades are to be entered, such as Points, Perecent, Letter Grade, etc.
Click Reports to display reports containing various grade data.
Click Settings to view and enabled additional options, configure the gradebook, create custom grades, create gradebook groups, select grade colors, and enable Third Party Systems (i.e. Google Classroom).
The Assignment Header displays data for the assignment. Hover over the i symbol to display additional assignment information including: Title, Points, date Assigned, date Due, Category, Average, Range, and Description. Click the i symbol to edit the assignment.
Click the Hide/Show arrow to open the Assignments panel.
While viewing the Assignments panel, click the student icon to view a list of students in the course. Click the student to view and enter grades by student.
Click the Assignments icon to close the student list and view the Assignments panel again.
To close the Assignments panel, click the Hide/Show arrow.
Click the modal icon to open the applicable data, in this instance, student's grades in all categories, in a new pop-up window. Here you can view and edit applicable fields just as you can in the Gradebook but from a different point of view.
If enabled by the district, you can click the clipboard icon to enter notes for individual students. The notes will display on the Student/Parent Portal if enabled on the note.
If Configure gradebooks separately for each section was enabled in Preferences, the teacher will need to select the settings for each gradebook in each section that is taught.
If Configure gradebooks separately for each section was not enabled in Preferences, the teacher will only select the configuration options once and selections will be applied to all gradebooks.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Settings to open the following tabs and enable settings or configure the gradebook: View Options, Configuration, Custom Grades, Groups, Grade Colors, and Google Classroom.
4. Once settings have been created/enabled, click Apply to apply the changes made to the gradebook.
If you try to navigate away from the Settings window without applying changes, a pop-up window displays giving your the option to Apply unsaved settings changes. Click Apply to apply changes or click Close to close the pop-up window without saving changes.
5. Click Close if changes have been applied or no changes have been made and you'd like to close the Settings window.
The View Options tab allows teachers to customize the view of the gradebook in deciding what columns and options are displayed, such as Gradebook Group, Grading Legend, Grading Cells, and more.
1. Click the View Options tab.
2. Select the Include Inactive Students check box to display inactive students along with active students. This option is helpful if needing to input grades for students who have already been withdrawal from your class.
Hover over the icon with the mouse to display the following message “This student isn’t actively scheduled in this class” indicating the student is inactive. Note: The row for inactive students is also dimmed as an added indicator. Grades and comments can still be entered, as needed.
3. Select the Alert Icons check box to display Alert Icons assigned to students, such as 504, ELL, Immigrant Student, etc.
4. Select the Grading Legend check box to display a Grade Legend on the gradebook. Once enabled, hover over Grade Legend to display more information about each grade.
5. Select the Grading Cells check boxes for Points, Percentage, and Letter to determine which columns display on the gradebook for grades.
Select the check boxes in the Optional Columns section to determine which additional columns display in the gradebook.
6. Select the Grade Level check box to display students' grade levels on the gradebook.
7. Select the Gradebook Average check box to display the Grade column in the Gradebook and display the running Gradebook grade on the Parent/Student portal. If the Gradebook Average setting is not enabled, the Grade column will not display in the teacher gradebook nor will it display for students and parents.
8. Select the Semester Average check box to display a column that displays a semester average grade.
9. Select the Full Year Average check box to to display a column that displays a full year average grade.
10. Select the Student Number check box to add a column where you can enter a special number/code for each student. This helps when printing the grades to post since students can identify their grade using the special assigned codes as opposed to using their names.
11. Select the Gradebook Group check box to display the Group column where students can be assigned to created Groups. Gradebook groups are created on the Groups tab of Settings.
12. Select the check boxes in the Assignment Column Headings section to determine what information displays in the header for each assignment, such as Due Date, Assigned Date, Points & Questions, and the Assignment Icon (image added to the assignment from the Details tab).
13. Click Apply to apply changes made to View Options.
Adjust the View Options Settings as necessary for the gradebook.
The Configurations tab enables teachers to customize the settings of the Gradebook, such as Default Due Date, Score Rounding, Assignment Sorting, and more. Note: Some of the configuration settings displayed may be disabled for teachers due to permissions set by the district.
1. Click the Configuration tab.
2. Enter Default Assignment Points to populate the Points field automatically when adding a new Gradebook assignment.
3. In creating a new assignment, select the Default Due Date of Today or Tomorrow. Note: The selection made here will populate in the Due Date field of assignments, but the date can be edited for any assignment as needed.
If a set Due Date is set outside of calendar days, a warning pop-up will display. However, the assignment and due date can be saved regardless.
4. Select how scores containing decimals should be rounded in the Score Rounding section. Scores can be rounded Up, Down, or rounded Normally.
5. Select a Gradebook Method from the following options:
Default: Select Default to have a separate Gradebook for each marking period (e.g. quarter 1, quarter 2, quarter 3, quarter 4).
Full Year: Select Full Year to have one running Gradebook for the full year. This is often used if students are allowed to turn in assignments at their own pace over the course of the year, such as in adult education.
Semester: Select Semester to have one running Gradebook for each semester. Quarter 1 grades will factor into the Quarter 2 average.
6. Select the New Assignment Method radio button. Options include:
Linked Sections: When Linked Sections is selected, one assignment is created, which may be linked and unlinked to other sections. You can then select the applicable sections from the “Linked Sections” pull-down on the Details tab upon creating a new assignment, which links the assignment to the selected sections. Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the Linked Sections pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
Copy: When Copy is selected, the assignments are treated as two separate assignments and changes/grades in one section do not affect the other section. I.e. selecting Copy creates an assignment linked to the current section and copies the new assignment into additional selected sections. You can then select the applicable sections from the “Copy to Sections” pull-down on the Details tab upon creating a new assignment, so a copy of the assignment will be added to each of the selected sections; after which, each assignment can be edited individually. Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the Linked Sections pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
Select Each Time: When Select Each Time is selected, a “Create as Copy in Other Sections” check box is added to the Details tab upon creating a new assignment. You can then select the “Create as Copy in Other Sections” check box on assignments to link the assignment to each selected section. When the check box is selected, the Copy to Sections pull-down displays (explained above). Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the Linked Sections pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
7. Select an Assignment Sorting; options are as follows: Newest First, Newest Last, Assigned Date, Due Date, Publish Date, Category, or Alphabetical, which allows you to determine how the assignments are ordered in the gradebook. Note: Newest Last displays closest to the "paper gradebook."
8. Select the Automatically save all changes to student grades check box to ensure that you do not have to click Save upon entering and saving grades. If you do not want grades automatically saved upon being entered, clear the selected check box. When this setting is enabled, the Save button no longer displays because changes save automatically.
9. Select the Weigh assignment grades by category check box if you want the Gradebook to assign a percentage of the total grade to your categories of assignments. This option can be helpful if, for example, you count overall participation as 10% of a student's grade, etc. Note: Percentage of Total must equal 100%.
10. Select the Add assignments to all sections of your course by default check box if you would like to automatically add new assignments to all sections of the same course. You also have the option to set this manually upon creating each assignment. You should also select the check box if you want a new category created for all other section groups in the same course automatically.
11. Select the Hide assigned and due date on student portal check box to ensure assigned dates and due dates for assignments do not display on the Student/Parent Portals.
12. Select the Show all assignments on student portal check box to ensure students/parents can see all gradebook assignments in the Portal regardless of publish date, including those where the publish date is null.
13. Select the Show gradebook average to three decimal places on student detail to display the “Current Grade in Class” as the average rounded by gradebook setting and the average rounded to three decimal places in parentheses, such as “93% A (92.500%)" in the student view of the Gradebook.
14. Select the Display Assignment Class Average on grades (Assignments) Screen to Parents/Students check box to display a "Class Average" column to the left of the Comments Column on the Grades (Assignment) screen, showing the class average for the assignment to display for parents and students via the applicable portals.
15. Click Apply to apply changes made to the gradebook.
Make Configuration Settings as necessary for the gradebook.
When custom groups are defined, students can be broken into the selected groups, and the gradebook can be filtered to pull a specific group of students.
1. Click the Groups tab.
2. In the last row, enter the Name of the group in the provided text box. When complete, press Enter to save the data.
3. Click Apply to save the group.
4. Click the View Options tab and select the Gradebook Group check box to display the Group on the gradebook.
The group names can be edited at any time by clicking on the underlined Name.
Click the delete button (red minus sign) to delete a student group. Click Apply to save changes.
See the steps below to assign students to the groups created.
In the Gradebook, select the applicable Group from the pull-down for each student.
Click Randomize to randomly assign groups to all students.
If the student’s group is changed, this will not affect the student’s grade. Grades are attached to the student and not the groups. If the names of the groups are changed, the students will still be attached to the assigned groups.
1. Create Groups as necessary for the gradebook.
2. Assign students.
Custom Grades can be created for excluded grade or zero grading systems.
1. Click the Custom Grades tab.
2. To create a new Custom Grade, use the last line in the table. The blank text boxes indicate where new information can be entered.
3. Enter the Grade, a Display Name, and select a Type from the pull-down. Once all information has been entered, press Enter to save the grade.
4. Click Apply to officially save the custom grade.
Click the delete button (red minus sign) to remove a custom grade. Click Apply to apply changes.
Click the text boxes to edit the text of existing custom grades and click the pull-down to change the selection when applicable. Click Apply to apply changes.
A down arrow indicator displays next to assignments when the grade has been dropped.
