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Gradekeeper Primer

Click for Trial Version of Gradekeeper

Gradekeeper can also be obtained at:

www.gradekeeper.com

To set up school, class, and teacher names:

1. Choose the gradebook or attendance view

2. Click on the item you want to enter

3. Type in the new text or edit the existing text. Press enter to accept your changes. The school, class, and teacher you specify will be included in your reports as well

4. If you wish to change school, class or teacher name, choose gradebook or attendance view, click on item you to change, type in new text or edit existing text, and press enter to accept your changes.

To assign a password to a class

1. Choose Gradebook Password from the Gradebook menu

2. Enter the current class password

3. Enter the new password twice. Password is case sensitive and can be 1-15 characters long.

To add new students to the gradebook:

1. Click the student name field in an empty row

2. Enter a name and press enter; press esc key when you have entered all the names you wish to enter; enter last name first.

3. You may want to excuse assignments for new students added to an existing class; Enter “ex” for the first score, then choose Fill Across from the Edit menu. This will make every score in that row the same as the one you just entered.

4. To change students or Ids choose the gradebook or attendance view, click on the student you want to change, type in new text or edit existing text, and press enter to accept your changes.

5. To move a student within the gradebook click on the row number of the student you want to move, hold the mouse button down and drag to new location, release mouse button to move the student.

To add new assignments to the gradebook:

1. Click the assignment name filed in an empty column

2. Enter the name, category, and points possible for the assignment

3. Enter a score for each student in the class. Scores must be decimal numbers, percents, or letter grades. You can leave a score blank to indicate that an assignment has not been completed. You can enter a score of “ex” to excuse an assignment. Or you can enter a score of “abs” to indicate student was absent for an assignment (equivalent to excusing the assignment).

4. If all the scores you are entering are the same, enter the first score, and then choose Fill Down from the Edit menu. This will make every score in that column the same as the one you just entered.

5. To change assignments or scores, choose the gradebook view, click on assignment or score you want to change, enter new text or edit existing text, press enter to accept your changes.

To add an extra credit assignment to the gradebook:

1. Click the assignment, name field in an empty column

2. Enter assignment, using the Extra Credit category

3. Enter a score for each student. When you compute grades using total point earned, extra credit assignments increase the total points earned but do not increase total points possible. When you compute grades using category weights, extra credit improve the grade in proportion to the weight you assigned to the Extra Credit Category.

To add a final exam to the gradebook:

1. Click the assignment name filed in an empty column

2. Enter the assignment using the Final Exams category

3. Enter score for each student. You may have only one final exam in any term.

To add student or global comments:

1. Choose Edit Student Comments from Edit menu

2. Choose a student from the combo box

3. Enter new comments or change existing comments and choose whether to show student comments.

4. For global comments, choose Edit Global Comments from the Edit menu, enter comments you want to appear before each student comment, then enter comments you want to appear after each student comment. Global comments will appear even when student comments are not shown.

Recording absence or tardy

1. Choose Attendance from the Reports menu

2. Click the cell for the student and date you want

3. Enter attendance code

To move a student into another class or drop a student from your class:

1. Click the row number of that student

2. Use Cut to remove the student from the class

3. Open the other class (saving changes to the first class)

4. Select the row where you want to insert the student

5. Use Paste to insert the student into the new class. Gradekeeper will want you if the scores for the new student do not exactly match the assignments in the new class.

6. To drop a student click the row number for that student and drag that student at least one row below the rest of your students. Students in any row after the first blank row in the gradebook are considered dropped. Grades are not computed for these students and they are not included in reports.

7. To completely remove a student from the gradebook, click the row number for that student and choose Cut from the Edit menu.

To move an assignment within the gradebook or to remove an assignment from the gradebook:

1. Click the column number of the assignment you want to move

2. Hole the mouse button down and drag to the new location and release the mouse button to move the assignment

3. To remove an assignment from the gradebook click the column number for that assignment, choose Cut from the Edit menu.

To move an assignment into another term:

1. Click the column number of that assignment

2. Use Cut to remove the assignment from the term

3. Choose another term from the Gradebook menu

4. Select the column where you want to insert the assignment

5. Use Past to insert the assignment into the new term.

To print a report

1. Choose the report you want from the Reports menu

2. Choose Print from the File menu, choose printing options you want, and click OK to print.

3. To print more on one page choose print from the File menu, next to printer name click Properties, reduce scale to an appropriate percent, click OK to close Properties dialog, click OK to print. The scale factor may appear in different places in the printer properties dialog for different printers.

4. To print the student scores for a single student choose Student Scores from the Reports menu, scroll to the student scores report you want to print, choose Print from the File menu. In the Print Range area, choose the Pages from to option. The first and last pages to print will already be set up; click OK to print.

5. To print a single report for several classes choose Multiple Class Report from the Reports menu, choose the classes to include in the report, choose Print from the File menu and click OK to print. To select more than one class, select the first class, then hold down the shift key and select the other classes.

To import or export students and assignments:

1. Choose Import from File menu, choose items you want to import, click the Import button. The open file dialog will appear. Choose file to import from. You may imports students, assignments, and scores into an empty class or you may import additional students and scores, or addition assignments and scores.

2. To export students assignments, and grades, choose Export To Text from the File menu, choose the items you want to export, click the Export button. The save dialog will appear, enter a file name for the exported items.

To find the student scores report for a particular student:

1. Choose Student Scores from the Reports menu

2. Click the right mouse button in the window

3. Choose the student you want from the pop-up menu

To compute grades using total points earned:

1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu

2. Choose the Categories tab in the gradebook options dialog, click the total points earned radio button. When you compute grades using total points earned, grades are determined by dividing the sum of all points earned and diving that by the sum of all points possible. This is converted into a percent, which is used to determine the letter grade according to your letter grade cutoffs. For example:
   
   It All Adds Up 7 / 10
   Orient Express 10 / 10
   Solitaire 8 / 10
   Spirograph 8 / 10
   Extra Credit 10 / 0
   Chapter 1 Homework 25/ 35
   Chapter 1 Test 73/ 100
   
   Total 141 / 175 = 80.6%

To compute grades using category weights:

1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu

2. Choose the Categories tab in the gradebook options dialog

3. Click the category weights radio button. When you compute grades using category weights, the percent correct within each category is computed by diving the total points earned by the total points possible. A weighted average of these category percents is done, suing your category weights. This percent is used to determine a letter grade according to you letter grade cutoffs.
   
   Computing grades using category weights allows you to guarantee that certain kinds of assignments contribute a fixed portion of the grades, such as having test contribute 50% of the grade. For example:
   
   Tests
   Chapter1 Test 82/100
   Chapter 2 Test 80/100
   Chapter 3 Test 78/100
   Total 240/300 = 80%
   
   Homework
   Chapter 1 Homework 30/40
   Chapter 2 Homework 20/30
   Chapter 3 Homework 40/50
   Total 90/120 = 75%
   
   Activities
   
   Spirolaterals 8/10
   Spirograph 7/10
   Total 15/20 = 75%
   
   Extra Credit
   Math Counts #1 7/10
   Math Counts #2 3/10
   Total 10/20 = 50%
   
   Tests 80% X 50 weight = 40.0%%
   Homework 75% X 30 weight = 22.5%
   Activities 75% X 20 weight = 15.0%
   Extra Credit 50% X 10 weight = 5.0%
   
   Total 100 weight = 82.5
   
   
   Semester and Year Grades:
   Semester and year grades are computed by averaging term grades. All averaging if done using percents. For example:
   1st Quarter 81%
   2nd Quarter 75%
   3rd Quarter 82%
   4th Quarter 86%
   
   1st Semester (81% + 75%) /2 = 78%
   
   2nd Semester (82% + 86%) /2 = 84%
   
   Year (78% + 84%) / 2 = 81%
   
   
   Final Exams
   Final exams contribute to term, semester, or year grade according to your grading options. For example, if finals are 30% of the term grade and a student earned 81% for the term and 75% on the final exam:
   Term grade 81% X 70 = 56.7%
   Final Exam 75% X 30 = 22.5%
   
   Grade (with exam) 79.2%
   
   If final exams are 20% of the semester grade a student earned 78% for the semester and 72% on the final exam:
   
   Semester grade 78% X 80 = 62.4%
   Final exam 72% X 20 = 14.4%
   
   Grade (with exam) 76.8%

To Create a Form Letter or Custom Report:

1. First, export the items you want in your form letter or report from gradekeeper:

2. Choose Export from the File menu, choose the items you want to include, click the Export button, the save dialog will appear and enter a file name for the exported items and click save button