Ensure your GradeBook Produces Desired Grading Results

The beginning of the year is a critical time for setting up your GradeBook.  You want to be sure your choices provide the results you expect.  Once you have a lot of grades entered, you don't want to change your average mode calculation.

The four Aspen Grade Average Mode options are listed below to provide you a sanity check:

Total Points  

The easiest to understand, select Total points if you calculate averages by dividing the total points a student earns by the total number of points possible.   You can create categories, but their value is determined by the points available from assignments in the categories.

For example, a student receives a 100, 90, and 80 for assignments where each is worth 100 points.

(Assign1 + Assign2 + Assign3)/Possible Points = Score

(100 + 90 + 80)/300 = 90%

Category Total Points

Select Category total points if you want to use total points for individual assignments within a category. The weight of the category determines the final term grade.

For example, assume you have a Homework category. The homework average counts as 25% of the student’s final grade. Within the Homework category, you grade each individual assignment using points (HW 1 is worth 10 points, HW 2 is worth 20 points).

As with Total Points above, the score for the HW category is calculated by total points earned divided by total points possible.  For example:

(HW 1 + HW2)/Category Points Possible = Category Score

(9 + 18)/30 = 90% 

Term scores are calculated by multiplying the Category Score by the percentage of the total score each category is worth.  Calculate each of the Categories this way, and add up the numbers to determine the student's term score.

Categories Only

Select Categories only if you want to weight categories in your Gradebook, and every assignment within a Category has the same weight.  

For Example, if you create a Test category and a student receives an 80% on a 25 point test,  a 90% on a 100 point test, and 100% on a 50 point test.  You will see the following result:

(PercentScore1 + PercentScore2 + PercentScore3)/Points Possible = Cat Score

(80 + 90 + 100)/300 = 90%

With this method, only the score on the assignment matters.  Points only matter to calculate the score.  

Categories & Assignments

Select Category and Assignments if you want to weight categories and assign different weights (importance) to assignments within those categories. 

For example, you weight reading homework assignments 1, and intensive writing homework assignments 2.  If a student received an 80% on the assignment rated 1, and a 90% on an assignment rated 2, their score for the category would be:

(Assignment 1 score/weight + Assignment 2 score/weight)/Total Points Available = Category Score

80 + (90 + 90)/300 = 87%

Assignment 2’s score counts twice because it was weighted as 2 relative to the other assignment’s weight of 1.

Our World Language Department uses this method very effectively.  Categories and Assignments allow you to 'tweak' the relative importance of assignments if your assessment plans for a term go awry.  (Snow day impact or you add a project that reduces the breadth of another assignment.)  You can change the relative importance without changing grades or points.

More Information:

Click here for a document that provides more grading examples using the Aspen Averaging modes.  

Aspen offers a lot of options in the GradeBook.  Don't hesitate to contact me about customizing your GradeBook!