Varying Category Default Settings and Averaging Options by Marking Period

Use this procedure to vary gradebook category default settings and averaging options by marking period. The Gradebook Setup page allows you to change how a category is averaged by marking period. You can define a different weight, drop a different number of lowest scores, and process missing scores differently for a category by marking period. For example, in marking period 1, you might only drop one score because you have less assignments in the marking period, and in marking period 2 you might drop three scores because you have three assignments that many students failed.

Accessing the course and marking period on the Gradebook Setup page:

From Gradebook, select Setup to display the Gradebook Setup page.

If you need to update the class or marking period, click Change to display the Class List pop-up, and make your selections.

There are two tabs where you can change how a category is averaged.

• On the Categories tab, you can specify how the category will be averaged when All Categories is the filter selection on the Gradebook Entry page, and how the category's settings should default for report card averages that are based on Gradebook categories.
• On the Report Card Average tab, you can edit the average options for a mark type that is calculated based on Gradebook categories. On this tab, you can enter a check in the Override box to specify different settings for each category.

Varying the default category settings by marking period:

On the Categories tab of the Define Assignments page, you can specify how a category should be included in Gradebook averages. Gradebook uses the default settings for the Marking Period field unless you check specific marking periods when adding a new category to a class.

If your school has assigned a Gradebook category type to the selected course, you may not be able to edit fields on the page. Category types allow your school to pre-define the Gradebook rules for courses. For more information, refer to What Is a Gradebook Category Type?

To add a row to specify a category's options for a marking period:

1. Click in the Actions column of the category row that lists Marking Periods as Default.
2. Change the values on the row as desired.
3. In the Marking Periods column, select the marking period(s) you want to apply these settings to.
4. Click .

A new row is added for the category with the selections assigned to the selected marking period(s).

To add a marking period to an existing row:

1. Click in the Actions column of the marking period row you want to add marking period(s) to.
2. In the Marking Periods column, select the marking period(s) you want to add.
3. Click .

The new marking period(s) are now selected for this category.

To remove the specific settings for a marking period:

1. Click in the Actions column of the marking period row that you want to remove ,marking period(s) from.
2. In the Marking Periods column, uncheck the box for the marking period(s) you want to remove.

3. Click .

   Note: If you no longer want to include the category in Gradebook averages for any marking period, you can click Delete in the Actions column. You can only delete a category that has no Assignments attached to it.

Varying the category settings for a mark by marking period

On the Report Card Averages tab of the Define Assignments page, you can display the definitions for how marks will be averaged. For marks that are calculated by category, you can override the category settings. When you override the category settings for a marking period, the values you enter are saved for that marking period so you can use different settings for each marking period.

Note that if the mark type is calculated based on assignments for multiple marking periods (for example, a semester mark), then the settings for the last marking period will be used. For example, if you have a semester mark that receives results from marking periods 1 and 2 and you select to drop one score in marking period 1 and to drop three scores in marking period 2, the three lowest assignments for the semester will be dropped.

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