You can add assignment categories, customize category weighting, and more by referring to the topics below:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How Weighting Works
- Add Assignment Categories
- Edit Assignment Categories
- Assignment Category Commands
- Customize Category Weighting
- Customize Column Weighting
- Customize Semester and Final Average Weighting
How Weighting Works
The most direct way to determine the importance of an assignment is by setting an appropriate number of Possible Points; however, if you want the difference in importance to be determined by assignment column, by assignment category, or by marking period, you can achieve this using weighting.
Weighting Type Summary
Weighting in the TeacherPlus Gradebook consists of the following three weighting types:
Weighting Type | Definition |
Category Weighting | Determine the relative value of assignment column categories, such as Quiz, Test, and Homework. |
Column Weighting | Determine the relative value of individual assignment columns. |
Marking Period Weighting | Determine the relative value of each individual marking period. |
Category Weighting
When you add an assignment column to your gradebook, you set a category. This category's weight determines what percentage it contributes towards the overall class average. Category weights that you set are automatically translated into percentages. Your TeacherPlus administrator determines whether or not categories can be weighted as well as if you can edit those weights.
To manage categories, complete any of the any of the following tasks:
To manage category weights, complete the following task:
Column Weighting
When column weighting is active, you can assign a column weight to each assignment column in your gradebook. The default weight is 1. You have full control of individual column weights in your gradebooks as long as your TeacherPlus administrator has made them available.
To manage column weights, do the following task:
Marking Period Weighting
You can weight marking periods individually, or you can combine marking periods to equalize marking period weights and rely on category and/or column weighting. If you want to assign any number of possible points to your score columns and still have each column be worth the same before weighting, you can convert scores to a percentage before calculating marking period averages.
To manage marking period weights, complete the following task:
Add Assignment Categories
When you create a score column, you're required to assign a score category to the column. Default score categories are created and customized in the TeacherPlus Management Site; however, if you've been given permission, you can add them to the Weighting tab. You can add as many assignment categories as you need, allowing you to create a selection of categories that suits your class.
To add an assignment category, do the following:
- On the side navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Weighting tab.
- At the bottom of the Weighting tab, click
. - In the Add Category dialog box, do the following:
- To select which section to add the category to, click Current Section, All Visible Sections of Current Course, or All My Visible Sections.
- To name the category, enter a name into the Category box.
- To choose a custom color, click the Color selector button, and then choose a color from the dialog box.
- At the top of the Add Category dialog box, click OK.
Edit Assignment Categories
Once you've created assignment categories, you can edit them at any time. When editing an assignment category, you have access to all of the options available when you created the category. You can edit default categories if you have permission in the TeacherPlus Management Site.
To edit an assignment category, do the following:
- On the side navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Weighting tab.
- Double-click the row of the category you want to edit.
Note: Default categories are marked with an asterisk.
- In the Edit Category dialog box, do the following:
- To change which section the category is included in, click Current Section, All Visible Sections of Current Course, or All My Visible Sections.
- To rename the category, enter a name into the Category box.
- To change the custom color, click the Color selector button, and then choose a new color from the dialog box.
- At the top of the Edit Category dialog box, click OK.
Assignment Category Commands
In the Weighting tab, you can perform a number of commands to manage your assignment categories. The following diagram and table contain a basic overview.
Assignment Category Commands | |
A | Click to filter the Category Name column. You can also click Category Name to sort your categories alphabetically. |
B | Double-click a row to edit the category. |
C | Click |
D | Select any number of check boxes to Hide unused score columns. |
E | Click to add a new category. |
to Delete a category.
Customize Category Weighting
By default, category weights are set by the school's TeacherPlus administrator. If enabled by the administrator, teachers can also edit category weights. With category weights you can set the ratio of each assignment type to the marking period total. Each ratio is automatically converted to display the percentage of the marking period average that each category provides.
Important: If you've used a category in more than one marking period, you can't change its weight. This prevents changes to students' averages in marking periods that you've already submitted.
- On the side navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Weighting tab.
- Under Category Weighting, select the Weight categories check box to weight your grade categories.
- In the Copy Setting to Active Gradebooks dialog box, do either of the following:
- Click Weight Categories only in this gradebook to weight categories in your open gradebook.
- Click Weight Categories in all of my active* gradebooks to weight categories in all of the gradebooks that appear in the Gradebooks tab.
- In the Weight column, double-click a category weight that you want to change.
- In the Edit Category dialog box, enter a new value in the Weight box, and then click OK.
Note: Changing a category weight automatically adjusts category percentages to total 100%. If you change a default category weight, a new category is added in place of the default category. You can delete the new category to return to the default category of the same name. Categories with an asterisk are default categories set in the TeacherPlus Management Site. You can't delete a category that is in use.
- Once you've finished editing weights, click Save & Recalculate.
Customize Column Weighting
If you want direct control over how each individual assignment is weighted, you can customize column weights. Once you've enabled column weighting, you can set column weights when you add or edit columns. You also have the option to convert scores to percentages before calculating averages.
Enable Column Weighting
Column weights allow you to set the relative weight of each assignment in your gradebook. This gives you more control over the importance of each assignment in overall grade calculation.
To enable column weighting, do the following:
- On the side navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Weighting tab.
- Under Column Weighting, select the Weight columns (Not recommended) check box.
- In the Copy Setting to Active Gradebooksdialog box, do either of the following:
- Click Weight Columns only in this gradebook to weight the columns in your open gradebook.
- Click Weight Columns in all of my active* gradebooks to weight columns in gradebooks that appear in the Gradebooks tab.
- At the top of the Weighting tab, click Save & Recalculate.
A Column Weight header row appears in your gradebook(s) if you haven't already hidden it. For more information on header rows, see Customize Header Rows.
Set Column Weights
After you enable column weighting, you can set column weights when you add or edit columns. Columns that already exist in your gradebook are assigned a column weight of 1, unless you've previously enabled column weighting and set the weights for those columns. By default, column weights are shown in the header row.
To set column weights, do the following:
- Right-click the column header of the assignment score column you want to weight, and then click Edit Column Name & Details.
- In the Edit Column dialog box, change the weight in the Column Weight box, and then click OK.
Note: When you're creating a new column, you can set the Column Weight value in the Add Column dialog box,
Convert Scores to Percentages
If you want to assign any number of possible points to your score columns and still have every column be worth the same before weighting, you can convert scores to a percentage before calculating marking period averages. For example, if you want the possible points for a quiz to be equal to the number of questions, while each quiz still counts equally towards averages, you can enable this setting. This results in a system where a 15/15 (a 15-question quiz) and a 20/20 (a 20-question quiz) both carry equal weight in average calculations unless you assign a column weight.
Note: This setting affects the scores for assignments in all assignment categories (quizzes, tests, homework, etc.). If you decide to convert scores to percentages, you should apply weighting to your scores. If you do not apply any type of weighting, every assignment you create will count equally towards averages. Column weighting allows you to determine what assignments are worth relative to each other; however, we suggest that you use both column and category weighting. If you don't apply category weighting, you'll need to consider assignments in other categories when setting column weights. For example, for tests to be worth two times more than quizzes in a gradebook that only uses column weighting, the lowest value you can ever set for a test must be double the highest value you ever set for a quiz. In that gradebook, you can't leave the default weight of 1 on any test column that you create. To enable column weighting, see Customize Category Weighting.
To convert scores to percentages before calculating marking period averages, do the following:
- On the side-navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Weighting tab.
- Under Column Weighting, select the Convert Scores to a percentage before calculating Marking Period Averages (Not recommended) check box.
- In the Copy Setting to Active Gradebooksdialog box, do either of the following:
- Click Convert scores to a percentage only in this gradebook to weight the columns in your open gradebook.
- Click Convert scores to a percentage in all of my active* gradebooks to weight the columns in the gradebooks that you have selected to appear in the Gradebooks tab.
- At the top of the Weighting tab, click Save & Recalculate.
Customize Semester and Final Average Weighting
You can customize semester and final average weighting by assigning weight to individual marking periods, or by combining marking periods. By assigning weight to individual marking periods, you can allow different marking periods to affect averages differently. By combining marking periods, you can allow category weights and column weights to affect averages without any regard for individual marking periods.
Weight Marking Periods Individually
When you weight marking periods individually, you can determine how much each one counts towards averages.
To weight marking periods individually, do the following:
- On the side navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Averages tab.
- In the Weights column, double-click the cell next to the marking period you want to weight, enter the value, and then press Enter.
Repeat this step for each marking period you want to weight, and then click Save.
Note: The report card columns in your gradebook may be different than the columns in this example. The default report card columns in this menu are Midyear Grade and Final Grade; however, many schools choose to customize their configuration. Report card columns are customized in AdminPlus.
Tip: To make the grading process more efficient, ensure your values add up to 100. However, it's not necessary for your values to add up to 100.
Use Combined Marking Periods
When you combine marking periods, you can set category weights and column weights that affect averages without regard for individual marking periods.
To use combined marking periods, do the following:
- On the side-navigation menu, click Grading, and then click the Averages tab.
- Click Use Combined MP's, and then select the marking periods you want to include in the grade.
Repeat this step if you'd like to use combined marking periods for every grade calculation, and then click Save.
Important: If your school uses semester exam columns (exam columns that are pulled into Admin Plus and included on report cards) these columns will not be counted in averages when using combined marking periods.
Note: The report card columns in your gradebook may be different than the columns in this example. The default report card columns in this menu are Midyear Grade and Final Grade; however, many schools choose to customize their configuration. Report card columns are customized in AdminPlus.