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E-Campus Faculty and Staff

Canvas gradebook: total points & weighted grades.

By:   Robyn Brown     

Canvas gradebook: grading systems.

Regardless of whether it is for a face-to-face, online, or hybrid course, or whether you are using Canvas, spreadsheet or pencil and paper, selecting the grading system you will use is the first step in building your course grade book. Grading systems dictate how the graded items in your course will calculate students’ final grades.

Graded items may include (but are not limited to):

• Participation scores
• Assignments (e.g. homework, readings, papers, labs, projects, presentations, etc)
• Discussions
• Quizzes/Exams

The two most frequently used systems are:

• Total Points: graded items are each worth a specific number of points that are combined to calculate the final grade
• Weighted Grades: graded items are assigned to categories; each category is assigned a percentage of the overall final grade totaling 100%

Total Points

In a Total Points system, each graded item is assigned a point value, any value. It is not necessary to use round or even numbers. Any figure will work.

To calculate individual student final grades, add up the total points earned on each graded item and divide that sum by the sum of the total maximum points assigned to each graded item. Multiply by 100 to get the percentage.

Student total points earned on graded items: 879 Maximum total points assigned to all graded items: 1019

879 points ÷ 1019 points = 0.8626 0.8626 x 100 = 86.26% Final Grade

There are several benefits to using a Total Points system for both student and instructor, including:

• Easy for students when they are looking at their overall course grade
• Easy for instructors to build their Gradebook

The most noteworthy drawback of a Total Points system is that it may impede flexibility if you are an instructor who likes to add graded items as you progress through a course. For example, let’s say that your class this term needs additional homework exercises in order to get more practice with the content. So, you add 5 more homework assignments. Depending on the value of points assigned, adding the extra homework assignments may significantly increase the influence of homework scores, and decrease the influence of exam scores, on the final grade. In other words, the proportions of graded assignments in calculating the final grade may no longer reflect the most important aspects of the course. You may also direct them to the What If? grade function in Canvas, which allows students to calculate their overall grade by entering hypothetical (aka What if...?) grades for assignments.

Additional Notes

• The sum of the maximum point values for all assignments combined does not need to equal 100 (in fact, it probably shouldn't to make it easier on you!), nor does it even have to be a nice, round number. Any maximum total point value for your class will work.
• Although it is not necessary to assign your graded items to 'categories' in a Total Points system, you may find it helpful to have the assignments categorized. Canvas shows grades based on individual assignments as well as categories. Looking at graded items and grades categorically may make it easier to identify areas of concern more quickly, as well as a quick way to examine distribution of points.
• One thing you need to ensure is that the maximum points assigned to each graded item reflects how much you want each item to be ‘worth’ in the big picture (aka. Final Grade). For example, if you were to assign a maximum points value of 50 points to each of your 20 homework assignments (for a total of 1000 points for homework), and a maximum points value of 100 points each to your mid-term and final exams (for a total of 200 points for exam grades), final grade scores in your course would be heavily skewed toward performances on homework as opposed to exams. In other words, the weight of a graded item in the calculation of the final grade is directly tied to the number of points assigned to that item in comparison to values assigned to the other items. It is important to be aware of how you’ve balanced the assignments across the gradebook.

Weighted Grades

In a weighted grading system, individual assignments are grouped into Assignment Categories. Each Category is worth a percentage of the Final Grade, combining to equal 100% of the final grade. e.g. Discussions 25%, Labs 15%, Papers 35%, and Exams 25% = 100% Final Grade Individual graded assignments in any category may be assigned any value of points, but their contribution towards the category they belong to, and the final grade, is the percentage value (weight) assigned to them.

You can weight final grades based on assignment groups. Selecting this option assigns a weight to each assignment group, not the assignments themselves. Within each assignment group, a percentage is calculated by dividing the total points a student has earned by the total points possible for all assignments in that group.

For example, if an assignment group included three assignments totaling 25 points, and a student's scores totaled 15 points, the student would earn 60% for the assignment group (15/25). This percentage is then multiplied by the selected group weight. Each assignment group calculation is added together to create the final grade.

There are several benefits to using a Weighted Grades system for both student and instructor, including:

• Helpful to students as they monitor performance through scores calculated within each assignment category.
• Greater flexibility to add or remove graded items as needed without affecting the overall point structure for the course.

Some may argue that one of the disadvantages of using Weighted Grades is that students may have trouble identifying which graded items are more ‘important’ if they are accustomed to a Total Points system in which more points equals more important. With a little bit of coaching, students may begin to understand how the system works. You may also direct them to the What If? grade function in Canvas , which allows students to calculate their overall grade by entering hypothetical (aka ‘What if...?) grades for assignments. Weighted Grades is also perceived as ‘complicated’ for the instructor. With some planning and thoughtful construction, grading in a Weighted Grading system is no different than in a Total Points system.

• Instructors may predetermine how much of the student’s final grade will come from each category - although this may also be structured using a Total Points system, Weighted Grades affords greater flexibility to add or remove graded items as needed without affecting the overall point structure for the course.
• Since it’s the category’s weight (combined %) and not that of an individual graded item’s value that informs the final grade, it is important to note that final grades are inaccurate until all the items in the category are graded. Therefore, it is difficult to share final grades with students before the end of a course.
• It is also possible to have a category weighted at 0% of the overall grade, which maybe useful for “no-stakes” engagements such as Module 0 or practice assignments.
• Extra Credit in a weighted system (managed in Canvas) is a bit persnickity. It is not as easy as simply adding an extra credit assignment worth 0 points as you can in a Total Points system. Rather, extra credit assignments may be housed within an existing assignment group that has at least one assignment worth more than zero points. Then, when the student completes the extra credit assignment, you may manually enter the points to the Gradebook.

List of all Canvas Guides related to the ‘Grades’ in Canvas

Video: Canvas Assignments Overview

Video: Canvas Gradebook Overview

Canvas Guide: What are Grades and the Gradebook?

Canvas Guide: How do I use the Gradebook?

Canvas Guide: How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Canvas Guide: How do I add an Assignment group in a course?

Canvas Guide: How do I curve grades in the Gradebook?

Canvas Guide: How do I give extra credit in a course?

You may also be interested in:

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Use Weighted Assignment Groups in Your Canvas Course

by Thomas Keith | Aug 26, 2022 | Canvas , Canvas Features/Functions , How-tos , Pedagogy

Introduction

• Create an Assignment Group

Weight Assignment Groups

Use weighted assignment groups to calculate the total grade, drop a low score from an assignment group, further resources and getting help.

It is good pedagogical practice to maintain a Canvas Gradebook that gives an accurate reflection of your students’ performance. Students frequently consult their grades in Canvas to get a sense of how they are doing in your course and of areas in which they need to improve. You can use weighted Assignment Groups in your Canvas course to help ensure that the grade calculated by Canvas is indicative of students’ actual performance.

Create An Assignment Group

An Assignment Group in Canvas is a means of sorting assignments according to the categories to which they belong in your syllabus. By default, new assignments created in your Canvas course will be added to a catch-all group called Assignments . (Note that “assignments” in this context refers to anything that is graded; this can be an Assignment proper, a Quiz, or a graded Discussion.)

You can create a new Assignment Group by going to the Assignments tab in your course and clicking the gray +Group button at the upper right.

It is a good idea to give your group a name that reflects the assessment categories on your syllabus. For example, if the group contains quizzes that are given each week of the quarter, you might call it Weekly Quizzes .

Once a group has been created, there are two ways to add assignments to it:

Assignment Groups are most useful when used to weight grades. With weighted Assignment Groups, you can make the organization of your assignments in Canvas match the organization used on your syllabus. You also have greater flexibility than is offered by weighting each individual assignment: if an assignment needs to be dropped or added, you can simply remove it from/add it to the appropriate assignment group, and Canvas will automatically recalculate the final grade accordingly.

For the remainder of this post, we will use as an example a course in which the grading is as follows:

• Five short quizzes: 20% of the final grade
• One midterm exam: 30% of the final grade
• One final exam: 40% of the final grade
• Attendance and participation: 10% of the final grade

To begin, the instructor creates four assignment groups, named Short Quizzes , Midterm , Final Exam , and Attendance and Participation .

She then clicks the column of three dots at the upper right and chooses Assignment Groups Weight .

She then checks the box next to Weight final grade based on assignment groups . This allows her to set the percentage weight for each assignment group.

Note that Canvas shows the instructor that the assignment groups add up to 100%. It is important to check this, as Canvas will not stop you if your groups add up to less than or greater than 100%.

Once the instructor has weighted her groups to her satisfaction, she clicks the maroon Save button. Canvas then indicates across from each assignment group’s name the percentage value of the total grade that it carries.

The instructor can now create her assignments and add them to the appropriate assignment groups by one of the two methods enumerated above.

An important caveat: If an assignment group contains more than one assignment, it is important that all assignments have the same point value for Canvas’ math to work out correctly. This avoids the risk of “double weighting,” which will occur if assignments within a group have different point values. For example: if a quiz worth 5 points and a quiz worth 50 points are placed in the same assignment group, the latter quiz will be worth ten times as much in Canvas’ calculations, which will greatly skew the result. In our example course, the instructor has avoided this risk by creating five quizzes within the Short Quizzes group, each of which is worth three points.

The Midterm and Final Exam groups each contain only one assignment. This can be an assignment of type Online Assignment if the instructor wishes her students to submit it through Canvas, or it can be an assignment of type On Paper if students will hand in a physical exam paper.

For the Attendance and Participation group, the instructor creates an assignment of type No Submission .

Remember that in Canvas, there is a one-to-one correspondence between assignments and columns in the Gradebook. Thus, if you wish to create a column for (e.g.) students’ attendance/participation grade, it is necessary to create a corresponding assignment. By making it of type No Submission , the instructor has ensured that students do not need to hand in any work, while still creating a Gradebook column where the grade is recorded.

Note also that if students need to submit work that will not be graded, such as an outline for an upcoming paper, you can create an assignment of submission type Online Assignment and check the box Do not count this assignment toward the final grade in the assignment options area.

Using weighted assignment groups allows Canvas to do your math for you. A column will appear in the Gradebook for each assignment group. The Total column will be calculated by multiplying the value of each column by its percentage weight and adding the results. In the case of the student below, the grade is calculated as follows:

Short Quizzes: 12 out of 15 possible points = 80 * 0.2 = 16

Midterm Exam: 90 out of 100 possible points = 90*0.3 = 27

Final Exam: 80 out of 100 possible points = 80*0.4 = 32

Attendance and Participation: 100 out of 100 possible points = 100*0.1 = 10

Total: 16+27+32+10 = 85

If you wish, you can set an assignment group to drop one or more low scores (or high scores) automatically. To do this, go to the group within the Assignments tab and click on the column of three dots across from its name to open a dialog box. Then enter the number of low or high scores you wish to drop and click Save .

You can also specify that an assignment should never be dropped by clicking the blue +Add an assignment link next to Never drop: and choosing its name from the drop-down that appears.

For more information, please see:

• How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?
• How do I create rules for an assignment group?

If you have additional questions, Academic Technology Solutions is here to help. You can attend our workshops to learn more about Canvas and other tools for teaching with technology. You can also drop into our Office Hours (virtual and in-person) to ask any questions you may have; no appointment is required.

(Cover Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash )

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Weighted Grading

• Post author By CTLD Support
• Post date April 19, 2021
• 1 Comment on Weighted Grading

Last updated on August 23, 2023

There are many advantages to using a weighted grading scheme. For example, you don’t need to manipulate points to make your total points work out to a nice even number (like 1000), and you don’t need to shuffle points around when you add, remove, or change an assignment. Also, you can easily ensure that major assignments, like essays or exams, will be worth more than multiple small assignments, such as a series of homework assignments or participation points, without worrying about the math.

• 1.1 Best practices
• 1.2.1 Set Up Assignment Groups
• 1.2.2 Weight Assignment Groups

How Does Weighted Grading Work?

In a weighted grading scheme, assignment groups are set to make up certain percentages of the total grade. For example, as shown in the pie chart below, the homework category could be weighted at 15%, discussions at 20%, quizzes at 25%, and exams at 40%. Note that all of those numbers add up to 100%.

To determine a student’s overall grade, Canvas would automatically perform the following calculation: Final grade = (overall homework grade) x 15% + (overall discussion grade) x 20% + (overall quiz grade) x 25% + (overall exam grade) x 40%

Best practices

• Since a weighted grading system is less common than a points-based system, be sure to thoroughly explain the grading system to your students.
• Weight important assignment groups (like tests and projects) more heavily than less important assignment groups (like homework).
• Make sure all assignment groups add up to 100% (unless you have an extra credit category).
• Easily create extra credit by creating an extra credit assignment group that makes it possible for students to earn more than 100% in the course.
• Continue to make each individual assignment/assessment worth the number of points that naturally makes sense, considering the number of criteria you are using to grade the assignment. For example, an essay with 6 rubric criteria and 4 rubric categories could be worth 24 points.
• Remember that points are still relevant within each assignment group . For example, a 20 point homework assignment will impact the final grade more than a 10 point homework assignment.

Let’s walk through it together

Set up assignment groups.

• Go to MSU Denver’s Faculty and Staff Hub .
• Click Canvas in the Teaching & Learning section.
• Log in to your Canvas account.
• Select the course you’d like to work in.
• Click Assignments on the course navigation menu at left.
• Click the +Group button.
• Type the name of the Assignment Group (e.g., “Discussions” or “Participation”).
• Click Save .
• Repeat Steps 7 and 8 as needed until you have created all of your desired groups.
• Click and drag the 8-dot icon to the left of an item’s name to move it into a different Assignment Group.

Weight Assignment Groups

• Click the Options icon (three vertical dots) next to the blue +Assignments button.
• Select Assignment Groups Weight .
• Check the box that says “ Weight final grade based on assignment groups .”
• Enter numbers in the boxes to show the weight of each category as a percentage.

Looking for more? View related topics:

• Grading in Canvas – How Students Interact with Grades in Canvas
• The New and Improved 2021 Canvas Blueprint
• Use Forms/Polls in MS Teams
• Add Manual Columns to the Canvas Gradebook
• Tags assignments , grades , grading

One reply on “Weighted Grading”

[…] of weighted assignments claim there are several advantages to this system of grading. According to CTLD Support at Metropolitan State University of Denver (2021), making the assignment points equal a specific number is unnecessary; points do not need to […]

Grading FAQs

• Last modification date Updated On August 13, 2023
• Categories: Assignments , Gradescope , Quizzes , SpeedGrader , Turnitin
• Categories: FAQs , Grading

Online Grading

How do i add a column to the gradebook for an off-line assessment.

For a single assessment, it is easiest to add a single On Paper or No Submission assignment through the Assignments page. On Paper assignments are good for anything physically submitted or electronically submitted outside of Canvas. No Submission assignments are good for intangibles like participation, attendance, etc. For information about creating an assignment, see Getting Started with Canvas Assignments .

To create multiple columns/assessments, it is easiest to use a CSV spreadsheet. This will generate No Submission Assignments. See the Canvas Guide .

How do I use complete and incomplete grades in Canvas?

Complete/Incomplete grading in Canvas can be entered via SpeedGrader and Gradebook . Grading states include: Ungraded , Complete ( ✓ ), Incomplete ( X ), and Excused . For more information, see How do I enter and edit grades in the Gradebook?

Can multiple graders use the Gradebook at the same time?

While it is possible for multiple users to enter grades into SpeedGrader or Gradebook , they will not see live changes. This increases the risk of duplicate work and one grader undoing the work of another. It is recommended you do not have multiple graders grading simultaneously unless they have strictly differentiated grading assignments (such as each TA being assigned to a specific discussion section).

How do I use rubrics for grading in Canvas?

To use a rubric for grading an assignment or graded discussion, the rubric must be added to the activity and set to be used for grading. For information about adding rubrics, see How do I add a rubric to an assignment? and How do I add a rubric to a graded discussion?

To use a rubric for feedback, but not grading, on a quiz, the rubric must be added to the quiz. For information, see How do I add a rubric to a quiz?

For information about using rubrics for grading, see How do I use a rubric to grade submissions in SpeedGrader?

For information about using non-scoring rubrics, see How do I use a non-scoring rubric to assess submissions in SpeedGrader?

How do I add extra credit?

Extra credit in a Canvas course can be added by generating an Assignment Group , using Weighted Grading , and making the extra credit assignment group push the total weighting over 100%. For more information, see Getting Started with Canvas Assignments and How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Extra credit can also manually be added to an assignment/quiz/discussion by manually changing a grade in SpeedGrader or Gradebook . For more information, see How do I enter and edit grades in the Gradebook?

How do I use Gradescope for grading?

Gradescope helps instructors grade problem sets and other assignments more quickly and consistently while still allowing for detailed feedback. It helps standardize grading across sections and graders, particularly in large classes. If a grading rubric is changed, Gradescope will retroactively adjust assignments that have already been graded. It has detailed analytics that show where students might be struggling with a particular concept. It integrates with Canvas and the Gradebook, so grades can be easily exported to Canvas. For more information on how to use Gradescope see CTI’s Learning Gradescope page.

Calculations

How do i set up weighted grading in canvas.

Weighted grading can be set up in Canvas via Assignment Groups on the Assignments page. For full details, see How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

Can I do unique calculations in the Gradebook?

The Gradebook can only do simple straightforward calculations through weighted grading. Assignment Groups can be weighted overall, but not individual assignments/quizzes/discussions within an assignment group. You can see sample weighted grading calculations at How do I weight the final course grade based on assignment groups?

How do I set Canvas to calculate late grades on assignments?

It is possible to set a Late Submission Policy to automatically apply a late penalty to any work that is submitted after its due date. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook .

Note: The Late Submission Policy will apply to all assignments/quizzes/discussions and cannot be differentiated. To have it not apply to a specific late assignment, you would need to manually change the late status of that assignment. For more information, visit How do I change the status of a submission in the Gradebook?

How do I automatically give students a zero for assignments they don’t submit?

It is possible to set a Missing Submission Policy to automatically apply a score for any work that had a due date and has not been submitted. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook .

How do I update the automatic grading on a quiz after I change a question?

Quizzes can only be automatically regraded if you change the correct answer selection on a Multiple Choice , Multiple Answer , or True/False question. Changes to other question types or questions linked to Question Banks , removal of questions, and/or changes in the point value of questions all require manual regrading of quizzes to calculate in the Gradebook properly. For more information, see What options can I use to regrade a quiz in a course?

How do I show grades to students but hide the totals?

Hiding grade totals in Canvas can be accomplished on the Settings page. For full details, visit Getting Started in the Gradebook .

How do I display a Letter Grade to students for the Total?

To display the Total column in the Gradebook as a letter grade, you must enable a grading scheme in your course. For full details, see Managing a Course Grading Scheme .

Note: The Total column will include a letter grade and a percentage. If not using weighted grading, it is possible to change this percentage to points.

What does the Gradebook look like for students?

How the Gradebook will look for students will depend on the specific settings in your course. The best way to know what students see is to enter Student View and visit the Grades page. For more information, visit How do I view a course as a test student using Student View?

How come my students can’t see the grades that I’m inserting?

The visibility of grades comes down to whether the Grades button has been enabled in the Course Navigation menu (see Managing Course Navigation Links ) and the Grade Posting Policy being applied to the assignment being graded. If a Manual Posting Policy has been applied to the assignment individually or because of a coursewide setting, the grades will not become visible until the policy is changed for that assignment or grades are posted. For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook .

How do I limit which students I see when grading in Canvas?

The Gradebook has filters to allow you to view assignments by Student Groups or Sections . For full details, see Getting Started in the Gradebook .

Communications

How do i upload emailed papers that i’ve annotated or printed back into canvas so students can see my edits.

For submissions that have come through outside of Canvas or images of printed assignments with feedback, you can attach a student’s paper to the feedback/comment area of an assignment via SpeedGrader or Gradebook . The submission will not display in the SpeedGrader tool for annotating and will not be fed through the Turnitin plagiarism checker.

For submissions that have come in through Assignments , you can download them in bulk, annotate them electronically, and upload them all back into Canvas. For more information, see How do I download all student submissions for an assignment in the Gradebook?

How can I enter feedback and comments while grading in Canvas?

Feedback and comments can be added to assignments/quizzes/discussions through the Gradebook (see How do I leave comments for students in the Gradebook? ) and SpeedGrader (see How do I leave feedback comments for student submissions in SpeedGrader? ). SpeedGrader also allows for annotated feedback for certain types of documents. Find more information at How do I add annotated comments in student submissions using DocViewer in SpeedGrader? Quizzes also allow for automatic feedback for individual questions. For more information, see Quizzes .

What notifications go out when I’m using the Gradebook?

The notifications students receive concerning grades and grading in Canvas are dependent upon whether they have those notifications enabled and the frequency at which they choose to receive those notifications. The following are grading notifications students can set and what triggers those notifications:

• Grading Policies : triggered by changes in weighted grading, Gradebook Total column score display method, setting default grades on an assignment, curving grades on an assignment, and changes in the course grading scheme
• Grading : triggered by entered/changed grades (when an Automatic Posting Policy is applied to the assignment) and by posting grades (when a Manual Posting Policy is applied)
• Submission Comment : triggered by adding of comments to assignment submissions and when an instructor re-uploads downloaded submissions

Miscellaneous

Do canvas final grades get sent to faculty center.

No. Canvas and Faculty Center grades are not connected at all. If you’d like to export grades out of Canvas in order to organize them in a spreadsheet for entry into Faculty Center, see How do I export grades in the Gradebook? Information on uploading grades to Faculty Center can be found on the Registrar’s Grading page .

How do I submit papers into Canvas for students?

This is not possible in Canvas. You can attach a student’s paper to the feedback/comment area of an assignment in Canvas, but it will not display in the SpeedGrader tool for annotating and will not be fed through the Turnitin plagiarism checker.

What do those colored flags mean in the Gradebook?

For assignments utilizing Turnitin , a colored flag appears to indicate the originality of the submission. To learn more about Turnitin flags, visit Interpreting the Similarity Report . For more information about icons in the Gradebook, visit How do I use the icons and colors in the Gradebook?

End of Semester Grading

Note : The Total column will include a letter grade and a percentage. If not using weighted grading, it is possible to change this percentage to points.

How can I override the Total grade that is automatically computed in the Gradebook?

Final Grade Override is a Feature Option available on the Settings page of a course. Via this feature, you can override the automatically calculated Total . See  How do I override a student’s final grade in the Gradebook? for more information.

How do I add extra credit to the final grade?

How do i download the grades.

To download grades. from Canvas, you can generate a spreadsheet export from the Gradebook. For details, see How do I export grades in the Gradebook?

How do I make the grades available to students?

Grade availability is a combination of Grade Posting Policy, grade posting status, and completion of necessary manual grading. For more details on Grade Posting Policies and posting status, see Getting Started in the Gradebook

Do the grades in Canvas automatically link to the Faculty Center?

Canvas grades do not sync with the official registrar system. Final grades are entered in the grade roster (not Canvas Gradebook) in Faculty Center . Grades may be entered for each student individually, or multiple grades may be uploaded from a spreadsheet by using the grade upload feature. See the registrar documentation for more details. 

How do I show the grade distribution to students?

You can reveal grade distribution graphs to students with an option under More Options on the Settings page. Enabling this feature will reveal grade distribution graphs for all graded activities. For more information, see Getting Started in the Gradebook

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What are the benefits of weighting Assignment groups in Canvas?

Benefits to students.

• Assists students with planning where to spend time and effort. Example: student effort should be reflected accordingly if If projects are 50% of grades and discussions are 10%.
• Simplifies and shortens the Syllabus for ideal readability to 1-2 pages in length by describing  Assignment categories by percentage % of the total grade at an overview level. 
• Full assignment details, individual point values, and just-in-time instructions are best provided within actual Canvas assignments instead. 
• Example: The Syllabus can declare in an overview that grades are based on Quizzes 20%, Projects 40%, Final Exam 20%, Homework 10%, attendance 10%.
• Weighted groups display individual trends to students in their grade summary by % when they are excelling in one group category and falling behind in another.
• Example 1: A student can quickly see that they pass all Quizzes, yet fall behind because of non-attendance or not turning in homework.
• Example 2: A student may turn in homework and excel in group work, but see that they fail quizzes--possibly signaling test anxiety or poor study skills.

Benefits to Instructors

• Weighting assists the Instructor in communicating expectations and values while helping students to know where to prioritize time and energy for success.
• Examples: In required Math, the Final Exam is the sole focus for passing the course and the entire coursework is aimed toward helping students pass one Exam, so the Final Exam is weighted at 80% of the value of the course. In other topics, there may be a mixture of Quizzes, homework, exams, and projects. If a course labels Chapter Quizzes as 10% of a grade and a Research Project as 50%, students then know not to devote all of their attention to Chapter Quizzes at the expense of the other assignments.
• Weighting allows instructors the flexibility to add or delete assignments within categories, as needed.
• Example: If the instructor exercises judgment that more time is needed elsewhere and an extra assignment should be deleted, Canvas instantly recalculates subtotals and total columns.
• Weighting helps instructors to see patterns within the Gradebook subcategories.
• Example: If a student does well on homework and projects, but typically fails Quizzes, they may have test anxiety.

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Weighted Grades

Weighted grades are number or letter grades that are assigned a numerical advantage when calculating a grade point average , or GPA. In some schools, primarily public high schools, weighted-grade systems give students a numerical advantage for grades earned in higher-level courses or more challenging learning experiences, such as honors courses , Advanced Placement courses, or International Baccalaureate courses. In many cases, the terms quality points or honor points may be used in reference to the additional weight given to weighted grades. In the case of students who have completed courses considered to be more challenging than regular courses, the general purpose of a weighted grade is to give these students a numerical advantage when determining relative academic performance and related honors such as honor roll or class rank .

In some weighted-grade systems, for example, a grade in a higher-level course may have a “weight” of 1.05, while the same grade in a lower-level course has a weight of 1.0. In this system, a grade of 90 in an honors course would be recorded as a 94.5 or 95, while a 90 in a similar “college-prep” course would be recorded as a 90. An alternate system might add five “quality points” to grades earned in honors courses (90 + 5 = 95) and eight quality points to all grades earned in Advanced Placement courses (90 + 8 = 98). In another variation, an A in a higher-level course may be awarded a 5.0, for example, while an A in a lower-level course is awarded a 4.0. Lower grades in weighted courses would also receive the same one-point advantage—a grade of C, for example, would be assigned a 3.0, while a C in a regular course would be assigned a 2.0. In yet another variation, .33 may be added to all grades earned in Advance Placement courses, so that an A (4.0) would be recorded as a 4.33. While the examples above represent a few common formulations, grading systems and GPA scales may vary significantly from one school or school district to the next.

Given that weighted-grade systems may be calculated in dramatically different ways from school to school, reporters should investigate how weighted grades are calculated, what rationale is being used to support them, and what advantages or disadvantages may result for students.

While the term weighted grades typically refers to the practices described above, it is important to note that weighting may also refer to different levels of “weight” given to particular assignments within a course. For example, a final test may be given more “weight” in determining a course grade—say, 20 percent of the final grade—than an individual homework assignment, which may reflect only a small percentage of the final grade

In addition, some colleges and universities may ask high schools to provide both weighted and unweighted GPAs on student transcripts so that admissions offices can evaluate the differential effect of weighted grades—i.e., how certain course selections and weighted grades affected the GPA calculation.

The fundamental rationale for weighting grades is that the practice provides an incentive for students to challenge themselves academically. By assigning greater value to grades earned in more challenging courses, weighted grades remove a potential disincentive posed by tougher courses—i.e., students worrying that a lower grade in a tougher course might adversely affect their GPA or class rank. In addition to providing incentives to students, advocates may argue that weighted grades deservedly reward students who take tougher courses, recognize higher levels of academic accomplishment, and provide a more fair or balanced system of grading in schools with multiple academic tracks.

Critics of the practice tend to make the following arguments:

• Weighted grades discourage students from taking certain classes that may be educationally valuable but that may present a numerical disadvantage when calculating GPA and class rank. Art and music classes are rarely weighted, for example, so students may not consider art and music courses out of fear that such courses will adversely affect their GPA and class standing.
• Weighted grades are not academically meaningful unless the grades are based on a single set of learning standards that are evaluated consistently from course to course. In other words, unless schools can verify that a grade of A in one course actually represents greater academic accomplishment than an A earned in another course, the use of weighted grades can be misleading. For example, it’s possible that a course labeled “college prep” may actually be more challenging than a course labeled “honors.”
• Weighted grades may actually act as disincentives, rather than incentives, for students. While weighted grades may make challenging courses seem less “risky” to students, it’s also possible that students, once enrolled in the course, may not work as hard because they know that a lower grade is worth as much as a higher grade in another course. In addition, students enrolled in lower-level courses know that their efforts are being assigned less value by the grading system, so even if a student works hard and earns a good grade in a college-prep course, that effort will still be assigned a lower value than grades earned by students in higher-level courses.
• Weighted grades can devalue certain courses and reinforce cultural divisions within a school. Because both teachers and students know that lower-level courses are assigned a lower value, the practice of weighting grades reinforces the prestige associated with higher-level courses and the stigma associated with lower-level courses—for both teachers and students. Consequently, teachers may not want to teach lower-level courses, and students may feel embarrassed or ashamed to take them.
• Weighted grades create opportunities for students to manipulate the grading process. In this view, weighted grades focus students on superficial outcomes—peer completion and higher numerical scores—rather than on more substantive outcomes, such as mastering new skills, exploring new ideas, learning from failure, or enjoying and appreciating the learning process, for example.

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Introduction to GPA weighting

You’re probably familiar with the system of grade weighting, in which more academically advanced classes, such as honors and AP (Advanced Placement) courses, are worth more than regular-level courses in calculating your grade point average (GPA). Individual high schools sometimes have different systems and measures for GPAs, but a typical standard is a 4.0 scale, with a 4.0 equal to an A average. However, in order to account for the increased rigor of more difficult classes, some high schools assign an extra point (or partial point) for advanced classes, so if you earn an A in, say, AP Calculus, it will go into your average as a 5.0 rather than a 4.0. Therefore, your weighted GPA could be higher than 4.0, even with 4.0 as the supposed maximum on the scale.

Weighting may seem a little complicated, so be sure to check out our posts, Is Weighted or Unweighted GPA More Important? and Should I Take AP/Honors Classes? for more information.

Weighted GPA and choosing your classes in high school

If you’re trying to optimize your GPA and class rank , you may be tempted to load up on rigorous classes so you rack up points, since you will be able to earn more with more difficult courses. However, it’s important to keep in mind that every high school makes decisions about weighting courses—and how much to weight them—differently. Some may not even assign more weight to honors or AP classes at all. Much like class rank, weighted GPAs can be fairly subjective from school to school.

Additionally, you may be faced with some difficult decisions if the subjects you want to study aren’t available at a higher-weighted level. For example, say you’re interested in taking psychology, but the only available course at your school on the topic is a regular-level class. Meanwhile, you could take an AP European History course instead, and that would be a weighted course; however, you would really prefer to take psychology. You may be tempted to take AP European History, but that is not always the best idea for your profile as a whole.

Colleges want to see you challenge yourself by taking a demanding and rigorous course load, but they also want to see you specialize—that is, pursue your talents and interests. ( To learn more about specializing, read Well-Rounded or Specialized? .) So instead of taking demanding classes just for the sake of adding points to your GPA, think about what you actually want to take as well—what subjects and material interest you.

But isn’t a high GPA important for my college applications?

Of course GPA and class rank are important, but they are by no means the only important factor in your college applications, especially at competitive colleges where most of the applicant pool has excellent grades.

In addition to having strong grades, you should strive to stand out by showing your passion in particular areas. Doing so will positively affect your application much more than the minor change in your GPA taking that one extra AP class will bring, especially if the course in question doesn’t complement the rest of your profile.

As we discussed previously, specialization is especially important to top college admissions—you’ll need to show depth as well as breadth. It is also important to remember that colleges also have access to your transcript and school report, so they will have plenty of information on how you chose your courses. If your school doesn’t have an AP option in your area of interest, they’ll be able to tell, and you won’t be penalized for it.

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Tips for building your best academic resume

• Always keep in mind the importance of balance. Taking advanced courses and receiving top grades is important, but pursuing your passions is also important.
• Be aware of your high school’s graduation requirements, as well as the prerequisites for the colleges to which you plan on applying.
• If your academic choices are particularly unusual, you might consider discussing them in your application essay or elsewhere on your applications, or asking your recommenders to address them.
• If higher-level courses in your area of interest are not available at your high school, look into options outside of school, such as self-studying APs (check out our Ultimate Guide to Self-Studying AP Exams for tips), taking classes at your local community college, or doing an independent study.
• Seek out enrichment opportunities that allow you to demonstrate your high level of knowledge and skills, such as competitive extracurriculars, summer programs, independent projects, and so on.
• Think about the narrative of your academic record—what does it say about your development and who you are as a student?

For more information

To learn more about GPAs, class rank, and specialization, check out these posts:

Should I Take AP/IB/Honors Classes?

Is Weighted or Unweighted GPA More Important?

Is GPA or Class Rank More Important?

Well-Rounded or Specialized?

Looking for help navigating the road to college as a high school student? Download our  free guide for 9th graders  and our  free guide for 10th graders . Our guides go in-depth about subjects ranging from  academics ,  choosing courses ,  standardized tests ,  extracurricular activities ,  and much more !

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Create weighted assignment groups in canvas for grading - knowledgebase / teaching learning and research / canvas / assessments and grading / assignments - oit service center.

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Create weighted assignment groups in canvas for grading.

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• Last updated: Jul 3, 2023 by Claire Streckenbach

When you have different assignment types (e.g., assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc.), and a weighted grading system, you may use Canvas’ Assignment Groups to calculate weighted grades and organize the assignments. Based on the information you’ve articulated in your syllabus, you can quickly set up Assignment Groups. 

Create Assignment Groups

• Log in to Canvas at canvas.brown.edu and select your course from the Global Navigation menu on the left.

Create an Assignment Group

• Enter the name of the assignment group in the Group Name  box.
• Enter the percentage of the total grade in the % of total grade  box. You can leave the box empty and/or change the number later.
• Click Save .

Create Weighted Assignment Groups for Grading

• Enter the percentage of the total grade for each assignment group in their respective % boxes.
• Make sure the Total is 100%.
• Click Save.

Manage Assignment Groups

• Edit the Group Name  and % of total grade  in their respective boxes.
• Enter the number of scores to drop from each student's final grade in the Lowest Scores  and Highest Scores  boxes.

• To reorder an assignment group in the Assignments  page,  click and drag the assignment group.
• To delete a group,  click the Edit  (gear) icon to the right of the group name, then click Delete . You can delete the assignments within the assignment group or move them to another assignment group.

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Key Concepts for Grading in Canvas

This guide provides an overview of how grading works in Canvas. Specific how -to information on the sections below may be found in the Canvas Instructor Guide .

The Grades function within Canvas allows you to maintain all of your grades online. It provides a robust tool for tasks typically done in a spreadsheet application, making it possible to keep all grading online.

Steps to organize your Gradebook

To enter your grade book, click on the Grades link on your course menu (left of your screen). A list of your students appears on the left side, once you enroll your students , with columns to the right for any learning activity you have set-up to be assessed within Canvas.

Note: The only column created by default in your Gradebook is the Total column. It serves the purpose of calculating the total value of graded assignments in your course. The Total column can be weighted based on the way your graded assignments are grouped. The Total column can be used with the course’s letter grade scheme in order to calculate student final letter grades in your course.

1. Start by creating “Assignment Groups”

2. correlate your grading scheme for the letter grades.

In Canvas, you create a grading scheme instead of typing letters into your Gradebook or the SpeedGrader. The grading scheme correlates percentage ranges or scores to specific letter grades. You can enable the default grading Canvas scheme or create your own grading scheme in your Canvas course, then enable your custom grading scheme.

Use the following:

• Enter and edit grades in the Gradebook guide
• Add a grading scheme in a course
• Watch the grading scheme video (2m 37s) on Vimeo

3. Manage unique calculations (e.g., drop lowest score) in assignment groups

4. To add a Gradebook column, create an Assignment first

The gradebook in Canvas is a blank slate until you create the assignments (see the difference between assignments and learning in Canvas ).

You add columns to the gradebook by adding assignments. The easiest way to remember is that Assignments = Gradebook Columns. Once you create an Assignment, Canvas automatically includes it in the Gradebook, Calendar, Assignments, and Syllabus pages.

Assignments can be:

• Both graded (published assignments, graded discussions, graded quizzes, and surveys) and ungraded assignments (practice quizzes, ungraded surveys, and not graded assignments).
• As simple as just a name, due date, and point score; or, it can include instructions, open and close dates.

Submissions for assignments can be:

• online (through Canvas),
• on-paper (in-person),
• or no-submission (to create extra columns in the Gradebook, or when you want to create an assignment that involves multiple scores).

Tip: No Submission and On Paper assignments still appear to students on their Assignments page. To avoid confusion, you should note it in the assignment description, so students will know whether a submission is required and how they are supposed to submit it.

5. Assign either a point value or percentage to the graded assignments

• An assignment is only calculated into the grade after it is graded, so you should grade it or input a 0. (if the instructor does not input a 0, then the final grade will not reflect how poorly the student is doing).
• Treat Ungraded as 0s” will NOT affect the grade for the student. It is only a display change for the gradebook.

6. Discover what the colors and icons in the gradebook mean

The most common color you will notice is pink, which denotes late assignment submissions. Icons appearing in the gradebook indicate both that the submission has been made by the student, as well as what the submission type is. For an explanation of the icons and colors in the Gradebook, view the How do I use the icons and colors in the Gradebook? web guide.

7. Offer extra credit

There are several easy ways to offer extra credit: Create a no-submission assignment with 0 total points and add points to it, add extra points to an existing assignment, as well as the following:

• Add extra points to a quiz using Fudge points within SpeedGrader™, view the How do I use quiz fudge points in SpeedGrader? web guide
• Create an extra credit category on a rubric, view the How do I create a rubric in a course? web guide
• Create extra credit assignment inside an Assignment Group

For additional assistance, read through the How to give an extra credit in a course? web guide.

8. Calculate the Course Final Grade (in Canvas)

• Use the Assignment Groups
• Use Weighting Grades
• Use Grading Rules
• How do I add a grading scheme in a course?  and
• How do I enable a grading scheme for a course?

9. Calculate the Course Final Grade in a spreadsheet (out-of-Canvas)

For your customized grade calculations outside of canvas, you can download the gradebook calculate the grades and upload your calculated grades back into the Canvas gradebook. To use this out-of-Canvas system, do the following steps

• Create at least two assignment groups and check the option to weight the final grade by assignment group.
• Set the weight for one group at 0% and the other at 100%
• Place all of your assignments in the group that is weighted at 0%
• Create a no-submission assignment for the custom final grade in the group weighted at 100%
• Download the gradebook as a CSV file and use Excel to calculate your own unique grading scenario with the final grade appearing in a column that will match with the custom final grade column you created in Canvas.
• Import the spreadsheet into Canvas to populate the custom column.

Note: For steps 5 and 6 you can also use some other method to calculate grades and either import a spreadsheet or type the grades in by hand. Either way, because the custom final grade column is all by itself in an assignment group weighted at 100% of the grade, Canvas’s final score column will pull its score directly from it as an exact match. All you need to do now is customize your grading scheme in your course settings to reflect your own letter-grade breakdown, and you have successfully posted grades calculated by your own algorithm.

10. End of Semester: Don't Forget to Download the Gradebook

Learner-centered gradebook practices, 1. hide assignments in the gradebook before doing any grading.

By default, students can see results in their Grades tab as soon as their submission is graded. If you want all students to see grades at the same time, rather than live as you enter them, use the three dots on individual assignments in the gradebook to alter the Grade Posting Policy and then select to Manually release grades. After all the grading for that assignment is done, return to the three-dot menu and select Post Grades . View the following web guides:

• How do I select a grade posting policy for an assignment in the Gradebook?
• How do I post grades for an assignment in the Gradebook?
• How do I hide grades for an assignment in the Gradebook?
• How do I select a grade posting policy for a course in the Gradebook?

2. Hide the total column (it is visible to students by default)

3. excuse a student from an assignment.

If needed, a student may be excused from assignments, discussions, or quizzes. Excused items are not calculated as part of the student’s total grade. To use this feature in the gradebook, find the cell for the appropriate student and assignment, type “EX” in that cell, and then press the Enter key. Read through this via the How do I excuse an assignment for a student in the Gradebook? web guide.

4. Make a note about student progress

You can use the notes column to keep track of information in your course that is important to student assessment or growth such as student effort, student challenges, SIS (Student Information Service) IDs, or any other general notes. Students are not able to see notes column. You may toggle between the show/hide notes column link without losing your notes. View the How do I use the Notes column in the Gradebook? web guide.

Tip: Students can view their grades based on “What-If” scores so that they know how grades will be affected by upcoming or resubmitted assignments. They can test scores for an assignment that already includes a score, or an assignment that has yet to be graded. To learn more about this feature, visit How do I approximate my assignment scores using the What-If Grades feature? Web guide.

Self-Paced Canvas Videos

To become more acquainted with the Gradebook:

• Read the How do I use the New Gradebook  web guide and
• View the Canvas Gradebook Overview video (7m 55s)

To learn more about Assignments:

• View the What are Assignments? web guide
• View the Canvas Assignment Overview video (5m 29s)

Canvas-led Training Workshop at Iowa State:

In September 2017, CELT hosted Erin Wasson, Canvas Trainer, to facilitate key workshop topics; view the Canvas-lead Grading and Assignments training video (1h 14m).

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Course Grade Breakdown and Grade Aggregation - Faculty

Last updated on Oct 10, 2023

Grade aggregation determines how grades are combined and calculated by Moodle to reach a final grade. Among the aggregation methods available, the Weighted Mean of Grades and Natural methods are the two most commonly used ones, which cater to the needs of the majority of CCA courses. To select a grade aggregation method for your course, begin by creating a course grading breakdown. Then, please refer to the following two concrete examples to help you determine which aggregation method aligns best with your course.

Match Course Grade Breakdown with a Moodle Aggregation Method Copy link to {{value}} Copied to clipboard

What is the nature of the grading structure or breakdown in your course syllabus?

Before configuring your Moodle Gradebook, you should already have a basic course grade structure or grade breakdown. Many instructors list this structure in their course syllabi. While you don't necessarily need to finalize the number of grade items/activities (e.g., assignments, quizzes, and forums) at the beginning of the semester, it's crucial to understand how individual item grades will be combined to calculate the final grade.

Natural: Course final grade equals the sum of points earned

Many instructors employ a point system where the maximum points available for a graded item represent its relative significance or value. In this system, a student's final grade is calculated as the sum of points earned or as a percentage of that sum divided by the total points available. As demonstrated below in Example A where a point system is employed for a course, assignment 3 (max pts: 100) holds greater importance or value than assignment 2 (max pts: 50). 

If your grading plan aligns with Example A, you will use the  Natural  Grade Aggregation in Moodle.

Weighted Mean of Grades: Course final grade equals the sum of points earned with adjusted weights/percentages applied and then divided by the total weights

On the other hand, some instructors may have a grading structure similar to Example B below, where the relative value or significance of a graded item is determined not by the maximum points, but by adjusted percentages or weights. In the case of Example B, class participation is planned to count for 20% of the final grade, and within that category, both attendance and participation carry equal weight (1:1), but are weighted less (or are less important) compared to some items in other categories. 

If your course grading breakdown does not rely on a point system but rather on adjusted weights or percentages, where the maximum points for an item do not directly indicate value or significance, then you may need to use the  Weighted Mean of Grades aggregation method. 

Once the course grade breakdown is created and the matching grade aggregation method is selected, depending on your aggregation method, please visit Gradebook Setup - Weighted Mean of Grades or Gradebook Setup - Natural to set up your Moodle gradebook.

Related Pages

• Gradebook Setup - Weighted Mean of Grades
• Viewing and Editing Grades in Moodle Gradebook - Faculty
• Moodle FAQs - Faculty

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What does this mean? Weighted and not weighted grades

By Parrothead , June 4, 2013 in High School and Self-Education Board

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When I was in high school there was only one grading system used. Add up all the assignments/by number of assignments and one got one's grade.

That is the only way I know how to do it.

I've tried to google weighted v. non-weighted, and it the couple websites that I read went right over my head. Kind of like they assumed I had some knowledge that I don't.

So could someone talk to me like I am 5, and explain what and how and the advantages of using each?

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You know you can assign a letter grade a number, right? A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1. From those, you can calculate a GPA. that is the unweighted one.

Now, some schools want to give extra weight to especially challenging classes and decide to give a 5 for an A in an AP class, or even a 6, and a 5 for an honors class. the GPA that results from such a scale is the weighted GPA.

the problem comes in as soon as one realizes that some schools DO weight the GPA like this, and others don't, and that some schools go as high as 6 and some only to 5 and some only to 4. So, the weighted GPA does not compare well between schools.

For this reason, many parents on these boards decide to simply report the unweighted GPA and list the course level separately. This way, a college who wishes to use a weighted scale can compute a weighted GPA themselves, but if they don't want that, they can use the unweighted one.

Clear as mud?

snowbeltmom

My public school weights grades. In an AP class, an "A" is worth 5 points, an "A" in an honors class is worth 4.5 points, and an "A" in a regular class is worth 4 points. Ironically, classes taken at the community college, even if those classes are in math classes beyond AP Calc BC, are also awarded 4 points for an A.

Class rank is based on GPA. At many colleges, merit scholarships are based to some degree on a student's class rank.

Weighted gpa's have some negative consequences, imo: kids who elect to take band, orchestra, extra art classes, etc. take a hit to their gpa and class rank because those classes are not weighted, i.e. an A is worth 4 points. Kids who enjoy foreign languages also take a hit to their gpa since foreign language classes are not weighted either until you get to the AP level.

dirty ethel rackham

Are you talking about, within a single class, some assignments weighted more than others? In some classes, that would mean that the number of points for homework would be a certain percentage of the total, the number of points for papers another percentage and the tests another percentage, etc.

In the case of weighted GPAs, some classes like honors classes and AP classes are worth more than regular classes. At our local high school, an A in a regular class is worth 4 points. In an honors class, that same A is worth 4.5 points. In an AP class, that A is worth 5 points. So, if you have two students with the same grades, but one is taking harder classes, the student with harder classes would have a higher GPA. Some schools will go ahead an unweight the grades when making admission decisions (but still keeping in mind the difficulty of the classes.) If that is the case, then many say that there is no advantage to weighting the grades. However, I found that the scholarship people in many schools did not unweight the grades, so having weighted grades was an advantage. I used weighted and unweighted on my son's transcript.

The student with the 100 average in Regents level who stopped math after Alg 2 will get a better scholarship than someone who challenged themselves and earned a 95 in AP/honors level here and finished Calc 3.

Yet one more example of why the system is insane. It really makes me question the intelligence level of the people who are setting the schools' policies.

That's so wrong.

Thanks for the explanation. I should just come here instead of googling things.

To add to Regentrude's info, which covers high school beautifully.

Some colleges, private and state, also weight GPAs, but they don't do it the same way that high schools do. First they usually drop all high school weights, change the GPA to a 4.0 and then add their own, but don't bother to tell you exactly how they do this most of the time. AP classes are given more weight, but be sure it's officially an AP class and recognized by the College Board. Some also weight honours classes more, and Community College courses are sometimes weighted differently. At least one state college we went to uses whichever system your high school uses.

Therefore, it's good to check each college you would like to apply to and decide how you want to do your transcript afterward. These can be very important when it comes to merit scholarships, particularly ones based solely on your application that looks primarily or exclusively at test scores and GPA and/or class ranking.

Karin, who visited at least 10 universities/colleges with her eldest, and who is very happy her next one is still a freshman and that she dragged her freshman along to all 10 schools to avoid repeating ones her freshman hated.

8filltheheart

  Therefore, it's good to check each college you would like to apply to and decide how you want to do your transcript afterward. These can be very important when it comes to merit scholarships, particularly ones based solely on your application that looks primarily or exclusively at test scores and GPA and/or class ranking.   Karin, who visited at least 10 universities/colleges with her eldest, and who is very happy her next one is still a freshman and that she dragged her freshman along to all 10 schools to avoid repeating ones her freshman hated.

Another question. If you are using the Common App, can you upload different transcripts for different schools? IOW, if you weight and label honors for one, does it mean you have to do it for all and vice versa if you don't?

Does this help (from our HS course catalog):

Weighted Rank GPA

o For ranking purposes , only core classes ,foreign language, and all qualifying PreAP, AP, and Dual Credit courses are counted toward rank.

**ISD uses an 8.0 weighted scale.

o A weighted numeric rank will be provided to each student at the end of the school year. Juniors and Seniors will additionally receive a mid-­â€year rank at

the end of the first semester. Rank is also available upon request.

o No rank points are awardedfor any class in which credit is denied(due to attendance or a grade below 70).

o Will include all courses with the exception of credit by exam, correspondence, online (such as A+LS), and courses taken at School ofChoice, including night school. This average can be converted to a traditional 4.0 scale in which each semester grade 90-­â€100 receives 4 points, 80-­â€89 receives 3 points, 70-­â€79 receives 2 points, and anything below 70 receives 0 points. The total number of points is divided by the total number of course semesters.

o Failed courses receiving 0 points will be included in this GPA.

Brenda in MA

  Another question. If you are using the Common App, can you upload different transcripts for different schools? IOW, if you weight and label honors for one, does it mean you have to do it for all and vice versa if you don't?

This is a good question. When we did the Common App five years ago, you could only upload one transcript, counselor letter, etc., and it went to all the schools. I'm not sure if that is still the case now. The Common App version is new this year too, so this might have changed.

However, my guess is that it will not change because most brick/mortar schools aren't going to make different transcript formats for different colleges, so I don't see that there would be many requests to the Common App to incorporate that feature. I might be wrong, though.

I think that if I make a version of son's transcript with weighting for local scholarship apps, I would just keep it separate and use it for that. I'd send the unweighted one to all the colleges anyway. My guess is that the college ad coms are familiar with transcripts and weighting and would know how to interpret a transcript with course descriptions, but that a local scholarship committee might not be familiar with the different formats and just be looking at the GPA number.

And yet another explanation from my son's high school which offers three tracks for core courses:

Level 2 track: An A receives 4.00 -- average.

Level 3 track: An A receives 4.67 -- college prep.

Level 4 track: An A receives 5.33 -- honors.

Weighted GPA includes only core courses.

Unweighted GPA includes electives, so in a nutshell, unweighted includes all courses, including failures, and all are calculated at the level 2 track of 4.00.

Only classes from this high school are used for both GPAs so I suppose transfer students have to include their transcripts from other schools? I don't know.

All students are initially tested into their levels but are allowed to drop down or move up. If they opt to move up, the student must maintain a C to stay in the class. The material will not change if the student is floundering. From what I've seen, the testing does a pretty good job placing students at the proper levels.

His high school no longer does class rankings.

That's a shame. But that is not necessarily the way most colleges look at them. Many scholarships don't just look at GPA, they also look at the rigor of the course load. I know many kids at my son's school got scholarships that took course difficulty into consideration. DS was a NMS so his scholarship was solely based upon that.

I wonder what would be the reason for not sending a weighted GPA on a transcript. If they are going to unweight it, then let them. If a weighted GPA will help, why wouldn't you use it? I haven't heard of anyone being adversely affected by a weighted transcript - or am I missing something? ETA: The local schools send weighted GPAs with their transcript. I would not want my child to be adversely affected by not having this.

Our state is stupid.

With state lottery scholarships for in state colleges, the legislature created a "uniform grading scale" for all districts. Students don't get A, B, C on transcripts. Instead, they get a numerical grade.

So a 93 in a college prep/tech prep course gets a 4.000 while in an honors course it'd get a 4.500 and an AP/IB/Dual Credit it'd be 5.000

A 94 would get GPA of: 4.125 or 4.625 or 5.125.

A 62 gets a GPA of zeros for any class, so I imagine that's why most districts don't give grades under 50 anymore.

Depending on high school accountability here, I don't know if I'll use the uniform scale or just go to letter grades. I think the idea of differentiating GPA by points on the grade definitely contribute to school policies that create begging. It makes no difference if an A is a 4.0 between a 95 or a 98, but with our state's scale, that 's a 3/8 difference.

Stupid state.

The local schools send weighted GPAs with their transcript. I would not want my child to be adversely affected by not having this.  

Geez. I have gone from thinking I wouldn't assign grades for homebrewed classes, to wondering how the heck I should go about weighting the gpa. :svengo:

For those of you who did weight your grades, did you follow the weighting methodology used by your local public schools? My public school determines the gpa by taking the total grade points and dividing by the total credit hours. Is this how it is normally done?

If that is the normal procedure, then the next question is do you award the same credit hours for a class as your local public school? For example, my public school awards 1.5 credits for AP Chemistry and AP Physics B and two whole credits for BC calc (one for AB 1st semester and one for second semester BC) I have awarded each of these classes 1 credit hour on my son's transcript.

Last question, how do you factor in college credits? Are they treated the same as AP level classes even though they are above the AP level? :ack2: :svengo:

  Geez. I have gone from thinking I wouldn't assign grades for homebrewed classes, to wondering how the heck I should go about weighting the gpa. :svengo:   For those of you who did weight your grades, did you follow the weighting methodology used by your local public schools? My public school determines the gpa by taking the total grade points and dividing by the total credit hours. Is this how it is normally done?   If that is the normal procedure, then the next question is do you award the same credit hours for a class as your local public school? For example, my public school awards 1.5 credits for AP Chemistry and AP Physics B and two whole credits for BC calc (one for AB 1st semester and one for second semester BC) I have awarded each of these classes 1 credit hour on my son's transcript.   Last question, how do you factor in college credits? Are they treated the same as AP level classes even though they are above the AP level? :ack2: :svengo:  

That was why I asked the question about uploading different transcripts! I asked this question in the honors thread

This conversation is really causing my brain to swirl. Am I really putting my ds at a disadvantage for scholarships by not weighting grades??? So, if you do weight, do you weight on a 6 pt scale or a 5 pt scale? It seems to me that if you are using a 5 pt scale your kids are at just as much of a disadvantage as if you don't weight at all. That also makes me wonder.......shouldn't there be some way to distinguish between AP level and students taking university level work for the courses beyond AP (like 200-300+ level college level courses?) Does it not make sense that if an AP course is weighted more that jr level college classes should be worth more than AP level?   See......in my mind it isn't just a simple yes or no question!! There are just so many variables that it makes no sense to me. But, at the same time, should he only get a 4 on his transcript for multivariable cal, diffEQ, modern physics, etc??? Blech!  

I have never labelled any courses "honors" bc that would be most of them. How do you weight a 300 physics course? Most seem to be saying DE is the same weight as AP, but I would suspect that most DE students do not take 300 level courses. And then there is the question about an AP equivalent course that earns a 5 on the AP but isn't labelled AP(AOPS online calculus is certainly a more difficult course than AP cal.). And how about AP chem that gives 2 semesters of chem credit for a 5......similar to AP cal BC???

It seems to really just create a muddle!! I am not at all worried about admissions. But now I am wondering about scholarships. I am not ready to jump on board with weighting at this pt, though bc I just don't see how to do it in a way that makes sense.

Brigid in NC

That is exactly what we did--we followed the weighting method of our county school system: A=4.0 regular/5.0 honors/6.0=AP/CC. We did not use +/- and we assigned 1 credit per class. :)

One word about AP classes- AP classes must have a trained teacher that is approved by the College Board, or colleges/universities will only count it as a normal class. So just putting AP on your child's transcript, isn't going to mean anything. Anyone, however, can take the AP exam, which they may, or may not accept. They will look at most dual credit classes as honors, though not always, depending on the College they are applying to.

One word about AP classes- AP classes must have a trained teacher that is approved by the College Board, or colleges/universities will only count it as a normal class.

This is not correct . AP classes must have the syllabus approved by the College Board, but there is no stipulation about teacher qualification. Quite a few users on these boards have gotten their syllabi approved. You do not have to submit proof of teacher qualification.

  This is not correct . AP classes must have the syllabus approved by the College Board, but there is no stipulation about teacher qualification. Quite a few users on these boards have gotten their syllabi approved. You do not have to submit proof of teacher qualification.

Interesting. Ds is taking German at our local ps, and was told that the reason German 4 wasn't AP, was because the teacher hadn't taken the steps/training necessary to be considered an AP teacher. We follow an 8 pt weighted scale, so were not happy that only Spanish had an AP class, and not the German and French classes. We've been told similar things about teachers in other subjects. (there are a couple of AP teachers who suck, and should not be teaching these classes). Something I'll have to look into. Thanks.

Might this be an issue of your school ? Your school district may have specific requirements for the qualifications of AP teachers (and well they should!).

  Might this be an issue of your school ? Your school district may have specific requirements for the qualifications of AP teachers (and well they should!).  

Actually, I had that exact thought after I posted. I'm sure that's probably the case. (in which case, I may get my kids to beg on hands and knees for this most awesome German teacher to just go do it! )

One word about AP classes- AP classes must have a trained teacher that is approved by the College Board, or colleges/universities will only count it as a normal class. So just putting AP on your child's transcript, isn't going to mean anything. Anyone, however, can take the AP exam, which they may, or may not accept. They will look at most dual credit classes as honors, though not always, depending on the College they are applying to.  

Are you suggesting that colleges might deny credit if the course isn't approved by CB or simply that some colleges give credit for AP exams and some don't.

As far as AP classes must have a trained teacher that is approved by the College Board, or colleges/universities will only count it as a normal class. So just putting AP on your child's transcript, isn't going to mean anything. Regentrude is correct in that the only requirement is that the syllabus be approved. Also, you cannot put AP xyz on a transcript unless the course has been approved by the CB. However, you can put xyz with AP exam score___ on the transcript w/o any course approval or special teacher. I also have to question whether or not it is a given fact that universities will only count it as a normally weighted class. B/c it is pretty lacking in critical thinking skills for a school to take a 1 or 2 on an AP exam and weight an A in the course b/c the course had approval (and obviously did not prepare the student for the exam based on the given grade) and then take a 5 and not weight the grade b/c it didn't have CB approval since the CB is not a governing body over universities and their policies on calculating GPAs per their own formulas (which most universities do have). FWIW, I have no idea what universities' policies actually are.

FWIW, I have yet to encounter more than 1 single course out of the dozen+ courses my kids have taken from a CC that deserves the label honors. Most of them have been incredibility sub-par. I do not doubt that they are weighted.....just doubt that they deserve being weighted. ;)

• 2 weeks later...

You could call the schools and see if you can mail your homeschool transcript separately; we did that with some of dd's teacher recommendations. In our case, the public school gave dd credit for enough of her homeschooled freshman classes that I didn't end up sending in my own transcript.

I didn't weight anything, but in hindsight it would have been helpful in this particular situation if I had due to class ranking. However, I'm not sure if they'd have taken it then. Our counsellor would now given my dd's track record, etc. We have a great counsellor.

Geez. I have gone from thinking I wouldn't assign grades for homebrewed classes, to wondering how the heck I should go about weighting the gpa. :svengo:   For those of you who did weight your grades, did you follow the weighting methodology used by your local public schools? My public school determines the gpa by taking the total grade points and dividing by the total credit hours. Is this how it is normally done?   If that is the normal procedure, then the next question is do you award the same credit hours for a class as your local public school? For example, my public school awards 1.5 credits for AP Chemistry and AP Physics B and two whole credits for BC calc (one for AB 1st semester and one for second semester BC) I have awarded each of these classes 1 credit hour on my son's transcript.   Last question, how do you factor in college credits? Are they treated the same as AP level classes even though they are above the AP level? :ack2: :svengo:

If I do this with ds, and I think I may since he's going to do part time public school, I'll do it the way our ps does. However, you can weight it any way you like as long as you explain your grading system on your transcript.

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Weighting by Assignment Type

Assignment Type Weighting is used by teachers who calculate the student’s class grade by weighing the student’s grade in each assignment type (e.g. homework, quizzes, papers, etc.) as a certain percentage of his or her overall class grade.

Assignment Type Weighting is used by teachers who calculate the student’s class grade by weighing the student’s grade in each assignment type (e.g. homework, quizzes, papers, etc.) as a certain percentage of his or her overall class grade. For example, homework might be worth 40% of the student’s grade, quizzes 30% and papers 30%.

Note that it is not mandatory to use assignment weighting. If no percentages are entered on the "Weighting" tab, then the Gradebook calculates the overall score by first converting all assignments to a percentage format by dividing the points earned by total points possible. It then adds all the assignment scores together in percentage format, divides the percentage sum by the total number of assignments, then multiplies that result by 100.

If only one assignment type is to be used for a class, it is not necessary to specify "100" for the weight, as this may result in an error. Leave the weighting blank when there is only one assignment type used for a class (or mark other assignments which should not be graded as "Not To Be Graded".)

Setting Assignment Type Weights

Assignment type weights are set by each teacher in his or her gradebook for each of his or her classes. To edit assignment type weights, the teacher can click the ‘Weighting’ tab in the gradebook toolbar to open the weighting screen. From here, teachers can set different assignment weights for each minor grading period during which the class meets. For example, Quarter 1 weights can be set differently from Quarter 2 weights, or Trimester 1 weights can be set differently from Trimester 2 weights.

Common Assignment Type Weighting Mistakes

There are four mistakes that are often made when teachers use assignment type weighting:

• Not properly weighting their assignment types to total 100%,
• Weighting assignment types that the class does not use, and
• Not weighting assignment types their class does use.
• Entering "100" as a weight for an assignment type, instead of leaving the weights blank.

Incorrect Weight Totals

Teachers can sometimes mistakenly weight their assignment types so that the total weight across all assignment types does not equal 100%. If teachers over or under-weight their class assignment types, their student grades will be calculated incorrectly. If the weighting total does not equal 100%, the gradebook will highlight the total percentage field in red at the top, letting the teacher know there is a problem with the weighting.

To the right is an example of a teacher’s gradebook that is under-weighted so that 10% of her class grades is unaccounted for. The teacher may have neglected to weight an assignment type, or may need to redistribute the 10% across her current assignment types.

Weighting Unused Assignment Types

Another problem teachers sometimes run in to when weighting by assignment type is weighting assignment types they do not use. If a teacher never uses a particular assignment type, that assignment type weight must be set to 0. However, sometimes teachers may weight an assignment type they never use in their class by mistake.

Weighting assignment types that are never used will also cause the student class grades to be calculated incorrectly because the student has no grade for that assignment type. Veracross will try to automatically re-distribute this weight so the student’s grade is not negatively impacted by missing grade information. However, Veracross will make a best guess where the unused weight should go, using the teacher’s current weights as a guideline for how to re-distribute the unused weight. The teacher would probably instead prefer to manually determine how the unused weight should be distributed across his or her other assignment types.

This problem is not as easily spotted because the teacher’s total weight for the grading period may total 100% and appear to be accurate. However, the ‘Count’ column on the weighting screen is a helpful way to check for this problem as it indicates how many assignments the teacher has given for that assignment type thus far. If the ‘Count’ column is blank at the end of the grading period, it means the teacher did not give any assignments in that category and the weight column must also be blank (i.e. 0).

Above is an example of a teacher’s gradebook that has a weight assigned to an unused assignment type. In this example, the assignment type “Journal” accounts for 10% of a student’s grade in the class. However, the teacher has not given any Journal assignments yet in the quarter (the Count column is 0). If the teacher will not be giving any Journal assignments in Quarter 1, the 10% weight needs to be redistributed to another assignment type(s) and the Journal category needs to have the weight set back to 0.

Not Weighting Used Assignment Types

Another way teachers can weight incorrect assignment types is by not weighting a category for which they have given assignments. This situation is not as likely because the gradebook will try to prevent teachers from entering an assignment type that has not been given a weight if the teacher uses assignment type weighting. If teachers are getting an error entering an assignment, they should double check their weighting and make sure the assignment category they want to use has a weight assigned if they weight by assignment type. Teachers weighting by points only should not have this issue.

If teachers adjust their weights from grading period to grading period, or at the end of a grading period, they should make sure they have given a weight to every category that has an assignment count. Again, this problem is not always easy to spot because the teacher’s total weight for the grading period may total 100% and appear to be accurate. However, teachers can use the ‘Count’ column to easily see how many assignments they have given thus far in each category and therefore, which assignment types should be weighted. If the ‘Count’ column on the weighting tab has a value, the ‘Weight’ column should also have a value.

Above is an example of a teacher who has not weighted an assignment type they have used in their gradebook. In this example, the teacher has given ten ‘Classwork’ assignments worth a total of 525 points. However, this assignment type has no weight assigned to it. As a result, 525 points of the students’ work are unaccounted for in their class grade. To fix this problem, the teacher needs to adjust the weight distribution so that the ‘Classwork’ assignments have a weight assigned and will factor in to the class grade.

Weighting within an Assignment Type

The gradebook also supports weighting within an assignment type if teachers wish to weight some assignments within the category as worth more than others.

Teachers can weight assignments differently within an assignment type by using the “Weight (Pts)” field on the assignment detail screen in addition to setting up assignment type weights. By default, all assignments are weighted equally at 100 points. If a teacher changes the weight field on an assignment, they can weight some assignments within the assignment type higher than others.

All weight points are relative to other assignments within the category, so teachers can use any points ratio to calculate the weight difference within a particular assignment type. For example, if a teacher wants to weight a homework-type assignment as worth twice as much as another, they can set the points on the regular homeworks to 10 and the homeworks that should be worth twice as much to 20 points. The same ratio could also be set by setting the smaller homeworks to be worth 100 points, and the more complicated homeworks to be worth 200 points. The absolute value of the weight field is irrelevant as long as the weights across assignments within the category are proportionally correct*.

* Note: The gradebook can only accept a weight value of up to 999 points on an assignment.

Below is an example of weighting by points within an assignment type. In this example, the teacher has assigned two “Homework” type assignments. The homework on the left entitled “Paper draft” is worth twice as much as the homework shown on the right, entitled “Complete Vocab Unit #16”. The teacher has weighted the paper draft assignment as worth 200 points, while the vocab unit assignment is worth the regular 100 points.

Important Note : When weighting by points (either by points only or for weighting within an assignment type), the Maximum Score does not impact how much an assignment is worth; it is only used to determine what percentage grade the student received for the assignment. For example, as far as weights are concerned, it does not matter whether a student earned a 9 out of 10, or a 90 out of 100. Either way, Veracross will recognize that the student received a 90% on that assignment.

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