Percentage-Based Sakai Gradebook
Calculations
This document explains course grade displays and calculations for the following Gradebook Setups:



Displaying grades as percentages with no categories and no weighting
Displaying grades as percentages with simple categories
Displaying grades as percentages with weighting categories
Percentage-Based Gradebook Setup without Categories or Weighting
Assume a Gradebook with the following items in a percentage-based system of grading. With
percentage-based systems each item has a relative weight. In this instance Journal items have a base
weight of 1 and all other items are relative to that base weight. An assignment is worth twice as much as
a journal so an assignment weight, relative to that of a journal, is 2. The Term Paper is worth four times
as much as one journal, giving it a relative weight of 4, etc.
Title
Grade (%)
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 3
Journal 4
Term Paper
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Total Rel Weight
85%
82%
90%
80%
70%
100%
92%
93%
92%
Item Value (Relative Weight)
2
2
1
1
1
1
4
3
5
20
Sakai ver. 10 - Gradebook
Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) Revised 4/17/2015
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Percentage-Based Sakai Gradebook
Calculations
The course grade is calculated by summing the products of the each percentage grade and its associated
relative weight and then dividing that sum by the sum of the relative weights.
Course grade: (2*85+2*82+5*92+1*90+1*80+1*70+1*100+3*93+4*92/20) = (1781/20)=89.05%
Percentage-Based Gradebook Setup with Categories
In the scenario below, the instructor uses the same grading scheme as above but has grouped the items
into Categories in the following manner:
Category
Item
Assignments Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Journals
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 3
Journal 4
Exams
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Term Paper Term Paper
Total Relative Weights
Relative Weight
2
2
1
1
1
1
3
5
4
20
Note that each category has a percentage score which is calculated by summing the percentages earned
for each item in the category and dividing the sum by sum of the relative weights of all items in the
Sakai ver. 10 - Gradebook
Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) Revised 4/17/2015
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Percentage-Based Sakai Gradebook
Calculations
category. The course grade is calculated in the same manner as the Gradebook Setup without
categories.
Title
Assignments
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Exams
Final Exam
Midterm Exam
Journals
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 3
Journal 4
Term Paper
Term Paper
Total
Grade (Percentage Earned)
83.5%
85%
82%
92.37%
92%
93%
85%
90%
80%
70%
100%
92%
92%
Relative Weight
2
2
5
3
1
1
1
1
4
20
As with the No Categories example above, the course grade is the sum of all the grades multiplied by
their relative weights divided by the sum of the relative weights.
Course grade: (2*85+2*82+5*92+1*90+1*80+1*70+1*100+3*93+4*92/20) = (1781/20)=89.05%
Points-Based Gradebook Setup with Categories and Weighting
In the scenario below, the instructor uses Weighted Categories to determine the course grade:
Category
Weight
Assignments 15%
Journals
10%
Exams
45%
Term Paper
30%
Item
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Journal 1
Journal 2
Journal 3
Journal 4
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Term Paper
Total Relative Weights
Relative Weight
2
2
1
1
1
1
3
5
4
20
Sakai ver. 10 - Gradebook
Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) Revised 4/17/2015
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Percentage-Based Sakai Gradebook
Calculations
Category Assignments (15% weight)
Title
Grade (%)
Assignment 1
85%
Assignment 2
82%
Total (Assignments): [2*85+2*82)/4] = 83.5%
Item value (Relative weight)
2
2
Category Exams (45% weight)
Title
Grade (%)
Final Exam
92%
Midterm Exam
93%
Total (Exams): [(92*5+93*3)/8)] = 92.37%
Item value (Relative weight)
5
3
Category Journals (10% weight)
Title
Grade (%)
Item value (Relative weight)
Journal 1
90%
1
Journal 2
80%
1
Journal 3
70%
1
Journal 4
100%
1
Total (Journals): [(1*90+1*80+1*70+1*100)/4] = 85%
Category Term Paper (30% weight)
Title
Grade (%)
Term Paper
92%
Total (Term Paper): [4*92%/4] = 92%
Item value (Relative weight)
4
Sakai ver. 10 - Gradebook
Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) Revised 4/17/2015
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Percentage-Based Sakai Gradebook
Calculations
The course grade is calculated by summing the products of the weight of each category by the category
percentage grade.
Category
Assignments
Exams
Journals
Term Paper
Total
Weight
15
45
10
30
Contribution to grade
(15%*83.5%) = 12.525% out of 15%
(45%*92.37%) = 41.567% out of 45%
(10%*85%) = 8.5% out of 10%
(30%*92%) = 27.6% out of 30%
(12.53%+41.57%+8.5%+27.6%) = 90.19%
Overall course grade (Assignments, Exams, Journals, and Term Paper): 90.19%
Note: The Course Grade for the Weighted Scheme is slightly higher than that of the non-weighted
scheme. In the weighted scheme the Exams and Term Paper categories are weighted more heavily than
in the non-weighted scheme, e.g., exams are worth a relative weight of 8 out of 20 or40% in the nonweighted scheme but worth 40% in the weighted scheme; the Term Paper was worth 4 of 20 (20%) in
the non-weighted scheme but 30% in the weighted scheme. Since this student received higher grades for
the items in the Exams and Term Paper categories the overall grade is higher.
Sakai ver. 10 - Gradebook
Instructional Technology and Research Support (ITRS) Revised 4/17/2015
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