Grade Keeping

Grade Keeping
Instructions
Customize
Import Class List
Upload to the Web
Login Page Problem?
Gradekeeper FAQs
Paper-saving printout

Grade Keeping

Keeping grades electronically will result in more accurate and efficient recording of student work. Once you have carefully considered your grading scheme, enter your preferences into the grading program. Then, enter the assignments and the students' scores. The program does the calculations for you. Fast and easy grade reports can be created, displayed on the web and printed for the entire class - saving you time.

Electronic Grade Keeping

WebAccess Grades.doc (link to theWebAccess grades tool.)
GradeKeeper - grading & attendance program -(See below.)

GradeKeeper

Instructions .websmrtgrkwbdv.doc Use your SMCCD emailname@smccd.edu and password.

Download GradeKeeper at http://ww.gradekeeper.com/download.htm
(Select either GradeKeeper for Macintosh or GradeKeeper for Windows download...mid-page)

Install the Program Simply, double-click on the download program

Register Your Copy
Download the instructions above to find the registration number.

Customizing Gradekeeper to Record your Grades

1 Set Student ID Display

[File Menu: Gradebook]

Select: Show Name and ID

2 Set Quarter - important!

Select: 1st Quarter

3 Password [File Menu: Gradebook Password]

Set a Password if

your computer is used by other people, or
you store your Gradekeeper file on the server

Search engines can find these files! (In one case a student was able to get into such a file that an instructor was storing on the server.)

Forgot your password?
You can enter your registration code (the six digit number you received when you registered Grade Keeper) in place of your password. You should use your registration code as your old password to enter a new password. Write the new password down and keep it in a safe place.

4 School Year

[File Menu: Gradebook Options: School Year]

Select "School year has 1 term" ( eg. 01/19/00 05/26/00) important!
Set days of week that your class meets. (eg. M W F)

5 Categories & Weights [File Menu - Gradebook Options - Categories]

Set your graded activities. (The percentages must equal 100.)

Note: This feature allows you to grade each assignment using a percentage (1-100%) or letter grade (F-A) The program will calculate the sum and the average of the assignments in each category times the percentage (weight) that you specify here.

Attendance can be entered as a grading category. However, you will have to enter each student's attendance grade. (Grade Keeper has not integrated the attendance report with the grade report.)

NOTE: If you'd like more information about how Grade Keeper handles Extra Credit assignments and Total Points versus Weighted Grading, Extra Credit Grading!

6 Grading

[File Menu: Gradebook Options: Grading]

Final Exams - can be set in two places (Categories and Grading.) This gradebook was created for Elementary schools (4 quarters) that have final exams at the end of the year. You can set this at 0.0 and instead include your final exam in Category weights.
Rounding - set your preference
Drop Worst Score - set your "mercy" preference.

Grading tab

7 Set Percentages for Letter Grades

[File Menu: Gradebook Options: Letter Grades]

Set your percentages for each letter grade.
Grade Keeper will use these to substitute a number each time you enter a letter grade into a student's record.

Letter Grade tab

8 Set Attendance Options

[File Menu: Gradebook Option: Attendance]

If you keep attendance, you can indicate the abbreviations you will use.

9 Reports

[File Menu: Reports: Report Options]

Check the items you would like to show on your report print out.

Grade Reports tab

10 Add Page Info

Enter info you want to appear at the top of your reports.

Click on "school" and enter your info,
Click on "subject" and enter your info,
Click on "teacher" and enter your info,

11 Enter Class list Names

Make sure you have selected: Gradebook: Show Name and ID.

Type the names, or
Import your class list from WebSmart.

(Importing- next section)

Sort Student Names

Rearrange names by ID#, Name or Grade. [File Menu: Edit: Sort]
Rearrange Student lines by placing the cursor over the number and dragging the line to another position.
Drop student names by dragging the line 2 lines below the last student name.

dropped student

Importing a Class List

Prepare the data as tab-separated text with two columns: Student IDs and Student Names (in that order.)

See Downloading Your Class List .

Before you begin importing the ID#s and Names, make sure you have saved and closed the text document or you will get an error message.
[File: Import] Select 'Student IDs' and 'Student names'.

import button

13 Enter Your Assignments

Select column 1
Enter data:

Assignment: Type your assignment name here.
Category: Type in the first letter of one of your categories (the program will fill-in)
Points: Type in the total score possible.

Note: Make it easy on yourself and enter 100pts (100%) for each category. Note that Grade Keeper will "weight" those points. (as you indicated in step 5 Categories & Weights)

14 Enter Students' Grades

FAQs

Can I enter a letter grade for a score on an assignment?

You can enter letter grades for scores for any assignment. The letter grade you enter will immediately be converted to a score. The percent for the letter grade you entered is averaged with the percent for the next highest letter grade. That percent is multiplied by the points possible on the assignment to determine the score.

Can I enter a percent for a score on an assignment?

You can enter percents for scores. The percent will be converted to a score by multiplying that percent by the points possible for that assignment. The percent you enter must include the percent sign, or it will be treated as a normal score.

Note that by setting all scores as 100 points possible, you will not have to type in a % sign. "Category weights" will then, calculate the percentage value for that assignment.

15 Converting Your Grade Sheet to Web Pages

Grade Keeper can also create a web page listing current grades and attendance totals, or a complete web site with a web page for each student and an authorization web page to limit access to those with a valid student name and ID code. This allows you to provide current information to students and parents over the Internet.

sample class web page

sample student web page

sample login web page

gradekeeper web page

Export to Web

From the file menu select: "Export to Web"
Select: "Create a web site with one page per student." (See image right.)
Save the files into a Grades folder (create a new one as you save, if needed) inside your course folder .

Windows - opens a dialog box (the new Grade Keeper version) automatically creates a folder "yourname-web" and asks you where you want to place it. (Place it inside the "class1" or "class2" folder so that you can upload it to the web)

Macintosh - opens a dialog box and asks you where you want to place the Grade Keeper files. Browse to the appropriate course web folder ("class1" or "class2") Use the "new folder" button at the bottom of the dialog box to create a new folder and then, select the folder and click "choose". (Grade Keeper will create and place the student page files into the newly created folder.)

The new files are, now, on your computer desktop and are saved into your desktop copy of your faculty folder. To make your Grade Keeper pages "live" (so that your students can see them, upload your files to the server.
(See uploading options below.)

Gradekeeper export

Export to Web dialog box

Grades Folder

The Grades folder inside your course folder will now contain several files including an index.html and default.htm.

The index.html file can be customized (right image) to look like the rest of your website.

Note: Unless you rename your customized index.html page to some other name (eg. grades.html) it will be erased (overwritten) each time you perform an Export of grades to the Web.

Export to Web

WARNING WHEN USING CUSTOMIZED LOGIN PAGES & UPGRADING GRADEKEEPER VERSIONS

If you export your grades to the web and have renamed your login page (index.html or default.htm) to grades.html (or some other name) and then move to a newer version of Gradekeeper, the code descrambler in the older login page will not work with the code scrambler in your newer grade book.

To fix this problem.

Install your new Gradekeeper version and open your class Gradebook in the newer version.
Export your Gradebook to Web to create the new student grade files and index.html file in your Grades folder.
Find the new index.html page in the Grades folder and open it in Dreamweaver, FrontPage or Word and view the source code.
Copy the Javascript from the newer index.html (created by the new version of Gradekeeper) and replace the Javascript in your old customized page.
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=Javascript>
(everything between these two tags)
</SCRIPT>
Upload your Grades folder with the customized page ( containing the new Java Script "scrambler" code.)

Uploading

To upload your Gradekeeper files to your Grades folder, see the file: .websmrtgrkwbdv.doc

Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.gradekeeper.com/faq.htm

How can I excuse an assignment for one student?

You can enter a score of "ex" to excuse an assignment for one student. When adding a new student to a class, you you can use the Fill Across command to enter a score of "ex" for all assignments the new student missed. Enter the first "ex" and without hitting return, choose Fill Across from the Edit menu.

Can I enter a letter grade for a score on an assignment?

Can I enter a percent for a score on an assignment?

Can I round to the nearest whole percent?

In your grading options you can choose to round to the nearest whole percent or the nearest tenth of a percent. This choice will also apply when converting percents to grades. For example, if you choose to round to the nearest whole percent, students earning 92.5% will earn an A if the percent required for an A is 93%.

How can I print the student scores report for just one student?

First choose Student Scores from the Reports menu. Scroll to the student report you want to print. In the Macintosh version of Grade Keeper, note the page number in the lower left part of the window. Choose Print from the File menu. Enter the page number as the first and last page to print. Click OK. In the Windows version of Grade Keeper, choose Print from to in the print dialog. The correct first and last pages will be pre-set for you.

How can I print a single report for all subjects in my classroom?

First choose Multiple Class Report from the Reports menu. Choose the classes you want to include in this report and click OK. It is important that your student names are identical for the same student in each class (do not use a middle initial in one class and not in another).

How can students access my grades web site?

Grade Keeper creates all the web pages for your web site, but you need to upload those web pages to a web site that you have access to. Your school may have a web site you can use, your internet provider may allow you to have your own web site, or you can get a free web site from Geocities (www.geocities.com).

To upload your web pages to your web site, you will need to use WebDav. Uploading

I forgot the password for one of my classes. How can I open that class?

You can enter your registration code (the six digit number you received when you registered Grade Keeper) in place of your password. You should use your registration code as your old password to enter a new password. Write the new password down and keep it in a safe place.

Can I use Gradekeeper on both my Macintosh and my Windows computer?

Grade Keeper is available for both Windows and Macintosh and classes created on one platform can be opened on the other. When you create classes on a Macintosh, always add the .grk file extension. You can also use the PC Exchange control panel (Mac OS 8.1) or File Exchange control panel (Mac OS 8.5 and later) to allow your Macintosh to recognize this file extension.

Save Paper! If you are using Gradekeeper and a laser printer (or if your inkjet printer gives you page layout options) you can print out 4 pages on one page.
Mac: File: Print: Change Copies&Pages to Layout: Pages per sheet: 4
PC: File: Print: Preferences: Pages per sheet: 4

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