In the past, ReportWriter grading has always been what we call "the flat grading method." We realize some teachers like to grade by a different method which entails setting up a system of percentages. We call this the "Group Method." An example might be:
Daily Work = 60% of the grade
Tests = 20% of the grade
Labs = 20% of the grade
If you're interested in this new grading method featured in ReportWriter, you can follow the directions below.
New Grading Method (sent to all RW customers 12/21/2005)
When designating more than one curriculum (textbook) for a class, you can tell the program how much weight you want each textbook to have. For instance, you might want to choose an anthology such as Elements of Literature - Holt as the main text but want to supplement it with a Vocabulary Connections - Steck Vaughn textbook. There area three ways to set up the weights for English 11. The first one is easy but might not have the most desirable results.
#1 - Old Flat Grading Method - with a few modifications
If you need a 5 credit course, you designate the first text (Elements of Literature) with 5 credits, and the second (Vocabulary Connections) with, say, 1 credit. The course will show up with 5 credits and each text will be set up with flat weights. Elements of Literature will be weighted 5 times more than Vocabulary Connections. The first text designated will always show the number of credits the entire CLASS will be. If you need to change these weights, follow directions in Method 1 below.
#2 - New Grading Methods
When you designate each of the textbooks for English 11, you can give each book 5 credits. You will go into "CLASS OPTIONS" later and set up the actual weights you want to give the textbooks. You do this after all books are designated. So you designate Elements of Literature and give it 5 credits. You then designate Vocabulary Connections and give it 5 credits also. Notice in the Designate Classes page in ReportWriter, the CLASS is 5 credits not each book! Now you will set the weights. Click on the CLASS: English 11 then click on CLASS OPTIONS (button on the bottom of the page). You will now choose from two types of grading methods.
Method 1: FLAT AVERAGES - This is what you have been using in ReportWriter all along but this new page gives you a bit more flexibility. You can now be more specific as to how much weight you want to give each textbook. Weights can be changed. Let's use the example of changing them to 90/10 - 90% of the grade to come from "Elements of Lit" and 10% of the grade to come from "Vocabulary." You can just type into the boxes the weights you want. Once you are happy with the weights, just click DONE.
Method 2: GROUP (TYPE) PERCENTAGES. This is a new grading method. We know that many people like to grade student work saying, for example, Homework (h) is worth 60% of the grade, Tests (t) are worth 20% of the grade, and the Research Paper (rp) is worth 20% of the grade. You can now use this grading method in ReportWriter. This will be applied to all TEXTS in the CLASS. To get started, click on GROUP (TYPE) PERCENTAGES.
See how the following codes are designated below:
T = Type of Group
K = Key used to designate the Group - you will use the key codes again on the evaluation page! It will be helpful to use the same codes consistently.
P = Percentage of Grade
If your groups equal more than 100%, the program will not let you click DONE! You'll have to adjust percentages!
Notice that I still have the 90/10 below. This still tells the program that you want one text weighted more than the other. These weights are important because you have more than one textbook in the CLASS: English 11.
You are now finished with setting up grading for this course. Click DONE to exit the grading for English 11. Remember - you do not have to use this grading method. You can still stay with the flat grading method you've always used. You can also use this method for just one class and use the flat grading method for the others.
If you are changing the grading method after you have already graded using the original flat method, you will get this message. Please read it carefully!
Now for Evaluating!
If you chose the FLAT grading method, you will use EVAL the same way you have in the past.
If you are grading by GROUPING, when you use EVAL you will enter the grade as you always have with the exception of entering the code. Codes are the "h" for homework, "t" for test, etc. This will tell the program how much weight to give each assignment. The grades will automatically be averaged according to the codes you entered when you designated the texts originally.