Default column settings determine the shared status (public or private) of new assignment Score columns as well as if the columns count in averages. Upon configuring these default settings, you can choose whether teachers can change them. If your school uses PlusPortals, the default shared settings affect how immediately assignment scores are shared with students and parents on Portals.
- Click Settings, and then click Columns.
- In the Default new columns to area, do one of the following:
- Click Private. This option is recommended because it doesn't instantly share Score column grades with parents and students on Portals, giving teachers the opportunity to make grade changes before making them live.
- Click Shared. This option makes new score column grades instantly available to parents and students on Portals.
- Do one of the following, depending on whether or not you want Score columns to count in marking period and term averages by default:
- Click Do Not Count in Averages.
If you've set default columns to Private, it's recommended you also set them not to count in averages. For example, if a Score column is set to private but it counts in averages, some parents may misinterpret their child's average on PlusPortals because they cannot see a grade (made private) that may be affecting the average.
Click Count in Averages.
- Click Do Not Count in Averages.
To allow teachers to edit the settings you configured in steps 2 and 3, do either of the following in the Allow teachers to edit area:
- Select the check box Shared/Private Setting.
- Select the check box Count in Averages Setting.
If you've set default columns to private and not to count in averages, make sure you give teachers permission to change these settings, so the information can be shared with parents and students on PlusPortals once it's ready.
If you've given teachers the option to edit both settings in step 4, when they click the shared icon of a Score column to make it public, the column automatically counts in averages.
Similarly, if they click to make the column private, it automatically makes the column not count in averages. The grades of a column not counting in averages appear in red.
