The Gradebook is a secure, simple, and convenient way to record and track grades, allowing administrators, teachers, students, and their parents to get a quick and accurate picture of student performance in a given class. Final grades calculated by the Gradebook are automatically transferred to the student's report card, transcript, and the parent portal. This makes it easy to track student progress and prevents possible errors or delays in the administrative transfer of student records.
In a previous article, we discussed steps on how to set up your Gradebook. Now, we’ll focus on how to add, calculate and print grades.
Part 1: Navigating the Gradebook
Part 2: Adding Grades to the Gradebook
Part 3: Calculating Grades
Part 4: Printing / Exporting / Templates
- Print Gradebook
- Print Student Progress Reports
- Missing Grades / Ds and Fs Reports
- Export Gradebook
- Gradebook Template
Part 1: Navigating the Gradebook
Accessing the Gradebook is easy! Simply click on the Gradebook tab at the top of the screen.
The screen will appear like this:
Note: In some cases, teachers are allowed to add their subjects on their own. If you don’t see the subject in the Gradebook drop-down list, you can add it directly on the Subjects module from the menu bar at the top. If this is not available on your account, please contact your school admin.
Part 2: Adding Grades to the Gradebook
Add Columns
The foundations of the Gradebook feature are the ability to add and manipulate columns. Columns represent grades given, so adding columns represents adding new items for grading. To do this, click the Add Column button. As the text on the button indicates, you can also use Ctrl+A (Mac and Windows both) to do the same.
This opens up the Add Gradebook Column dialog box.
Total Marks relates directly to how the assignment is graded. If the assignment is graded as x/100, enter 100; if a 5-point scale is used, enter 5. Click the “Add” button once all the information has been entered.
To edit the column name, category or date, just click on the elements on the header.
Add Grades
To add grades, simply type the numeric value on the Marks field. Letter grades will automatically appear based on the assigned grading scale.
Gradebook codes from the legend section can also be used by typing on the Marks field. If you need to add a code not listed on the legend, please contact your school admin.
Important Notes:
- Always save the Gradebook after adding grades.
- Deleted columns with grades cannot be restored so please delete with caution.
If you need to award extra credit on an assignment, simply enter a higher mark than the Total Marks. You can also import and export grades, and copy grades between gradebooks.
Auto-Fill Grades
You can use the Auto-fil function to automatically update cells for students with the same grades. This is useful for group or class projects.
The auto-fill icon only appears for the first student on the list. From the dialog box, check “Only fill if empty” if you want to fill grades on empty cells. If students have existing grades, you can overwrite by unchecking the option.
Add Comments
Clicking on the bubble allows you to edit the public and private comments for that particular student’s grade.
To view saved comments, just hover your mouse on the bubble.
Public comments are available in the student’s “Gradebook” tab, and can be printed to PDF as well.
Gradebook Tab on Student Record with Comments
PDF with Gradebook Comments
Comments for the final grades can also appear on the report cards if enabled by the school admin.
Part 3: Calculating Grades
One of the most time-saving features of the Gradebook is its ability to calculate midterm and final grades. You can set up your Gradebook for each class so that each assignment, quiz, test, or other evaluation is appropriately weighted and factors into the calculation of each student's midterm or final grade, which can then be displayed on the Gradebook screen.
Calculated grade columns are easily distinguished from columns of grades for individual evaluations and assignments because they have dark blue instead of light blue headers.
Add Formula
To add a formula for grade calculation, simply click on the Add Formula button on the main Gradebook page. This will bring up an Add Formula popup box.
Fill in the formula name, total marks, and check the box to indicate whether or not this is a calculation of the final grade for the course. If the "Is final grade?" is checked, QuickSchools will automatically transfer the calculated final grade to the student's report card and transcript.
If you want an average of all the grades, simply select the categories with grades and make sure that the weight factor is set to 100%.
Weighted Grades
Weighted grading is a grading system where certain types of assignments/assessments are prioritized more than others in the final grade. Often, the idea behind this sort of grading is smaller assignments are designed to be more like practice while tests and exams are designed to allow students to show what they have learned. Therefore, these big grades ought to count for more in the final grade than practice grades should.
For example, a subject's final grade could be made up of 50% tests, 25% quizzes and 20% assignments and 5% participation.
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Final Grade = (sum of tests’ averages) * 0.5 + (sum of quizzes’ averages)*0.25 + (sum of assignments’ averages) * 0.20 + (sum of participation averages) * 0.05 |
Here’s how to set it up:
1 - Enter a weight percentage for a category in the text field over the grey category box. So, if you were a Math teacher who wanted tests to be 50% of the final grade, you would write “50”. Then, check the category that has this weight percentage – test.
2 - Continue to add weighted percentages for your categories until your percentages equal to 100%. Use the Add Weight Factor button to continue to add categories and their weight percents. A complete formula might look something like this:
Click “Add” to save the formula and return to your gradebook. Eventually, if you have enough weighted factors, you will need to scroll through your gradebook to see all of your entries and formulas. This way of setting up weighted final grades will work for any formula you may need to set up in Gradebook.
Multiple Formula
You can add multiple formula columns, but only one of the columns can have the “Is final grade?” checked. For example, your term grade is 80% semester grade and 20% exam, your gradebook will look like this:
The Exam column above is a formula without weight factors. This allows you to manually enter a grade to the formula column:
Part 4: Printing / Exporting / Templates
Additional features of the gradebook is the ability to print grades, report missing and lowest grades, export the gradebook and use templates. These features can be accessed by clicking the paper icon on the right side of the screen.
Print Gradebook
This allows you to print a PDF version of your Gradebook. You can hide elements like students without grades, dropped students and student names as well as print an empty gradebook. If you have a handful of gradbook columns, you can control the number of columns per page.
Print Gradebook Configuration
Gradebook PDF Preview
Print Student Progress Reports
Just like students and parents, teachers can also print student progress reports straight from the gradebook. Simply click the Print button > select students (leave blank to print all students in bulk) > click Print or Download button. The Print button generates the students’ progress report combined in one PDF file while the Download button generates one PDF per student and is compiled in a zipped file.
Print Student Progress Report Configuration
Student Progress Report via teacher’s Gradebook
Missing Grades / Ds and Fs Reports
Generate missing grades report as well as low grades like Ds and Fs. You can select categories and include calculated formula columns like final grade columns. Choose your preference between the two templates then print or download the report.
Missing Grades Configuration
Detailed Report
Simple Report
Export Gradebook
Clicking the Export button automatically downloads an Excel file version of your gradebook.
Note: This exported Excel file, as is, cannot be used to import grades to another subject.
Gradebook Template
If you use need to use the same columns you’ve create from one of your gradebooks, you can create a template and insert the columns to another gradebook. This is useful if you have a handful of columns.
For more detailed instruction in creating templates, check out our Creating Gradebook Template article.