Gradekeeper
Introduction
Gradekeeper is a powerful, easy to use gradebook program for Windows.
You can have 100 students and 100 assignments per term, using semesters, trimesters,
quarters, or six terms. You can compute grades using total points or category weights,
with final exams contributing to the term, semester, or year grade. You can excuse any
assignment for any student, or drop the worst score in any category.
Gradekeeper is very easy to use. With the default grading options, you can start entering
students, assignments, and scores right away. Changing student names, assignments, or
scores is as easy as clicking and typing the new information.
To set up your school, class, and teacher names:
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Choose the gradebook or attendance view
Click on the item you want to enter
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.
To assign a password to a class:
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Choose Gradebook Password from the Gradebook menu
Enter the current password for the class
Enter the new password
Enter the new password again
Passwords are case sensitive and can be 1 to 15 characters long. If you ever forget your
password, you can use your registration code instead. Only registered users can assign a
password to a class.
Assigning a password will only prevent someone from opening the class. It will not
prevent them from deleting the class or damaging it in some way.
To add one or more new students to the gradebook:
1. Click the student name field in an empty row
2. Enter a name for each new student and press the enter key
3. Press the esc key when you are done entering names
It is best to enter student names last name first.
You may want to excuse all assignments for new students added to an existing class.
Enter "ex" for the first score, the choose Fill Across from the Edit menu. This will make
every score in that row the same as the one you just entered.
To set up your letter grades:
1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu
2. Choose the Letter Grades tab in the gradebook options dialog
3. Enter your grading symbols and cutoff percents
You may use the buttons on the right to choose a standard set of grading symbols and
percents. Each percent must be a decimal number from 0 to 120.
Your letter grades and percents apply to the entire school year.
To add a new assignment to the gradebook:
1. Click the assignment name field 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
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. You can enter a score of "inc" to
mark an assignment incomplete. This is equivalent to excusing the assignment until it is
completed.
If all of the scores you are entering are the same, enter the first score, then choose Fill
Down from the Edit menu. This will make every score in that column the same as the
one you just entered.
To add an extra credit assignment to the gradebook:
1. Click the assignment name field in an empty column
2. Enter the assignment, using the Extra Credit category
3. Enter a score for each student in the class
When you compute grades using total points earned*, extra credit assignments increase
the total points earned but do not increase the total points possible.
When you compute grades using category weights**, extra credit assignments improve
the grade in proportion to the weight you assigned to the Extra Credit category.
*To compute grades using total points earned:
1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu
2. Choose the Grading tab in the gradebook options dialog
3. 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 dividing that by the sum of all points possible. This is
converted to a percent, which is used to determine the letter grade according to your letter
grade cutoffs. For example:
It All Adds Up
Orient Express
Bulgarian Solitaire
Spirograph Special
Extra Credit
Chapter 1 Homework
Chapter 1 Test
Total
7/10
10/10
8/10
8/10
10/0
25/35
73/100
141/175 = 80.6%
Extra credit assignments increase the total points earned but do not increase the total
points possible. Without the extra credit assignment, the student would have earned
131/175 points for 74.9%.
**To compute grades using category weights:
1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu
2. Choose the Grading 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 dividing the total points earned by the total points possible. A
weighted average of these category percents is done, using your category weights. This
percent is used to determine a letter grade according to your letter grade cutoffs.
Computing grades using category weights allows you to guarantee that certain kinds of
assignments contribute a fixed portion of the grade, such as having tests contribute 50%
of the grade. For example:
Tests
Chapter 1 Test
Chapter 2 Test
Chapter 3 Test
Total
Homework
82/100
80/100
78/100
240/300 = 80%
Chapter 1 Homework
Chapter 2 Homework
Chapter 3 Homework
Total
30/40
20/30
40/50
90/120 = 75%
Activities
Spirolaterals
Spirograph Special
Total
8/10
7/10
15/20 = 75%
Extra Credit
Math Counts #1
Math Counts #2
Total
Tests
Homework
Activities
Extra Credit
Total
7/10
3/10
10/20 = 50%
80% x 50 weight = 40.0%
75% x 30 weight = 22.5%
75% x 20 weight = 15.0%
50% x 10 weight = 5.0%
100 weight = 82.5 %
Without the assignments in the Extra Credit category, this student would have earned a
grade of 77.5% for the term. Note that the Extra Credit category is not included when the
category weights are totaled. This is what makes these assignments truly extra credit.
To add a final exam to the gradebook:
1. Click the assignment name field in an empty column
2. Enter the assignment, using the Final Exams category
3. Enter a score for each student in the class
You may have only one final exam in any term. Semester exams must be placed into the
last term of the semester. Year exams must be placed into the last term of the year.
To change school, class, or teacher names:
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2.
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4.
Choose the gradebook or attendance view
Click on the item you want to change
Type in the new text or edit the existing text
Press enter to accept your changes
To change students or IDs:
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2.
3.
4.
Choose the gradebook or attendance view
Click on the student or ID you want to change
Type in the new text or edit the existing text
Press enter to accept your changes
To change assignments or scores:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Choose the gradebook or attendance view
Click on the assignment or score you want to change
Type in the new text or edit the existing text
Press enter to accept your changes
Recording an absence or tardy:
1. Choose Attendance from the Reports menu
2. Click the cell for the student and date you want
3. Enter the appropriate attendance code
To move into another term:
1. Choose the term you want from the Gradebook menu
When you move into a particular term for the first time, your categories and grading
options will be copied into that term.
To move a student within the gradebook:
1. Click the row number of the student you want to move
2. Hold the mouse button down and drag to the new location
3. Release the mouse button to move the student
To move a student into another class:
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Click the row number of that student
Use Cut to remove the student from the class
Open the other class (saving changes to the first class)
Select the row where you want to insert the student
Use Paste to insert the student into the new class
Be careful when you move students into another class, since scores for the student you
moved may not exactly match the assignments in the new class. Gradekeeper will warn
you when this happens.
To move an assignment within the gradebook:
1. Click the column number of the assignment you want to move
2. Hold the mouse button down and drag to the new location
3. Release the mouse button to move the assignment
To move an assignment into another term:
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Click the column number of that assignment
Use Cut to remove the assignment from the term
Choose another term from the Gradebook menu
Select the column where you want to insert the assignment
Use Paste to insert the assignment into the new term
You should be careful when moving assignments, as scores for the assignment you
moved may not exactly match the assignments in the new class. Gradekeeper will warn
you when this happens.
To drop a student from your class:
1. Click the row number for that student
2. 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.
To completely remove a student from the gradebook:
1. Click the row number for that student
2. Choose Cut from the Edit menu
To completely remove an assignment from the gradebook:
1. Click the column number for that assignment
2. Choose Cut from the Edit menu
To print a report:
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Choose the report you want from the Reports menu
Choose Print from the File menu
Choose any printing options you want
Click OK to print
To print more on one page:
1. Choose Print from the File menu
2. Next to printer name, click Properties
3. Reduce scale to an appropriate percent
4. Click OK to close properties dialog
5. Click OK to print
The scale factor may appear in different places in the printer properties dialog for
different printers. You may need to look in other panels in the dialog. Not all printers
support scaling.
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 print the student scores report for a single student:
1. Choose Student Scores from the Reports menu
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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
To import students and assignments:
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Choose Import from the File menu
Choose the items you want to import
Click the Import button
The open file dialog will appear
Choose a file to import from
You may import students, assignments, and scores into an empty class, or you may
import additional students and scores, or additional assignments and scores.
You may only import from plain text files. Tabs should separate the items you are
importing, with each student on a separate line.
To compute grades using category weights:
1. Choose Gradebook Options from the Gradebook menu
2. Choose the Grading 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 dividing the total points earned by the total points possible. A
weighted average of these category percents is done, using your category weights. This
percent is used to determine a letter grade according to your letter grade cutoffs.
Computing grades using category weights allows you to guarantee that certain kinds of
assignments contribute a fixed portion of the grade, such as having tests contribute 50%
of the grade. For example:
Tests
Chapter 1 Test
Chapter 2 Test
Chapter 3 Test
Total
82/100
80/100
78/100
240/300 = 80%
Homework
Chapter 1 Homework
Chapter 2 Homework
Chapter 3 Homework
Total
30/40
20/30
40/50
90/120 = 75%
Activities
Spirolaterals
Spirograph Special
Total
8/10
7/10
15/20 = 75%
Extra Credit
Math Counts #1
Math Counts #2
Total
Tests
Homework
Activities
Extra Credit
Total
7/10
3/10
10/20 = 50%
80% x 50 weight = 40.0%
75% x 30 weight = 22.5%
75% x 20 weight = 15.0%
50% x 10 weight = 5.0%
100 weight = 82.5 %
Without the assignments in the Extra Credit category, this student would have earned a
grade of 77.5% for the term. Note that the Extra Credit category is not included when the
category weights are totaled. This is what makes these assignments truly extra credit.
Semester and year grades:
Semester and year grades are computed by averaging term grades. All averaging is done
using percents. For example:
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
1st Semester
2nd Semester
Year
81%
75%
82%
86%
(81% + 75%) / 2 = 78%
(82% + 86%) / 2 = 84%
(78% + 84%) / 2 = 81%
Final exams:
Final exams contribute to term, semester, or year grade according to your grading
options. For example, if final exams 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 and the 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 cancel your last change:
If you make a mistake or change something in a way you did not intend to, choose Undo
from the Edit menu. This will restore your gradebook to the way it was before your last
change. You may only cancel your most recent change and there are a few actions that
cannot be cancelled, such as sorting students.
To back up your gradebook:
While Gradekeeper has proven very reliable, floppies are easily lost or damaged and hard
drives do sometimes fail. To avoid the risk of losing your grades at the worst possible
time, you should always keep your gradebook on the H: (Home ) drive.
To backup your classes:
1. Insert a floppy disk into your disk drive
2. Click the right mouse button on each class
3. Choose Send To from the pop-up menu that appears
4. Choose 3 1/2 Floppy form the sub-menu that appears
This will copy that class to the floppy disk. Also make sure you have saved to your H:
(Home) drive. Printed copies may also be obtained.
For further Gradekeeper questions, visit http://www.gradekeeper.com