Gradebook Category Tab Field Descriptions

Use this tab to select the categories to be used. Your school administrator defines the categories used in Gradebook, such as homework, quizzes, and exams. For each category, you can indicate the default weight of the category when calculating IPR and Report Cards marks.

If your school has assigned a Gradebook category type to the selected course, you may not be able to edit fields on the page. Category types allow your school to pre-define the Gradebook rules for courses. For more information, refer to What Is a Gradebook Category Type?

Enter Gradebook Category Information

Calculate Average Using Total Points:

If checked, the Category Weight fields will not be used. The average posted to the mark slot will be the total points given in each category divided by the total possible points for the categories.

If checked, you cannot override the average for category tabs, because marks are not calculated using category averages.

Apply Weight to Course Competency:

If checked, the category weights will be used to calculate the mark for any course competency that uses the Average accumulator type. For more information on how the average is calculated for the Average accumulator type, refer to the What is an Accumulator Type? help topic. help topic.

This checkbox is only enabled for courses which have a course competency. It is not available for student competency groups.

Calculation:

Determines whether averages for categories are rounded or truncated.

Your building administrator can turn this field off if teachers are not permitted to change the calculation option. If the field does not display, averages are rounded.

Note: If a student is assigned a Gradebook scale, the average for a mark is not rounded or truncated, and this setting will not affect how marks are returned from the Gradebook scale.

Default Scale:

Select a default grading scale to be used when returning student mark values.

If teachers are not permitted to set the default gradebook scale, your building administrator can turn this field off.

To add a category, click

Add New Row. Next, select category from the drop-down field, select options for the row, and click

to add the new category to the course.

- If you do not select a marking period, the new Category row displays with Default listed in the Marking Periods column.
- If you select a marking period when creating a category, two rows display for the new category: one with Default and a second with the marking periods you selected in the Marking Periods column.

To edit existing categories, click the

on the far right of a row in the table or double-click any cell in a row.

To delete a category that is not associated with any assignments, click

to delete it.

Category

The code and description of the category defined for your district, for example, HW for Homework.

Weight

The default weight of this category in calculations of IPR marks and Report Cards marks that are based on the average of categories. This field only displays when Calculate Average Using Total Points field is unchecked.

Drop Lowest

Determines if a certain number of low scores for each student are dropped. For example, if set to 2, the lowest two scores in this category for a student are dropped. The lowest score is determined as the lowest percentage score; not the lowest number of points. For example, if a student earned 4 out of 5 points on a quiz and 20 out of 100 on a test and you drop only one score, the 20 out of 100 assignment would be dropped.

Scores are not dropped until you have entered one more score than the number entered on the Drop Lowest field of the category.

The default of 0 means no scores are dropped.

Marking Periods

Determines the marking period(s) to which the Weight, Drop Lowest, and Exclude Missing values apply. Default indicates that these rules apply to all marking periods that do not have a specific rule defined. When you edit the Default row, no marking period checkboxes are selected. If you select a marking period, then on save, the system inserts a new record for the selected marking periods and the Default row is not updated.

If you want to change the weight of the category, drop a different number of lowest scores, or change how missing scores are processed for a marking period, add a row for the marking period. Refer to Vary Category Averaging Options by Marking Period for more information.

Note that it is invalid to have a scenario where you have one row with Default and another row with all marking periods selected. If all marking periods use the same rules, specify those rules on the Default row and delete the row where all marking periods are selected.

Exclude Missing

Determines whether missing scores should count as zero or be excluded from the average. A score is considered missing when the current date is on or after the due date.