Overview

Gradebooks allow teachers to set up class assignments and enter scores from a variety of devices. The program calculates grade averages according to school settings. 

Gradebooks can be set up to use either total points-based grading or rubric grading.

Prerequisites ↑

• The teacher's gradebook user account must be set up by a district administrator.
• If using standards-based grades, the Standards Based Grading must already be set up in Aeries.
• Terms and Grading Periods must be set up in Aeries.

Security ↑

District Configuration ↑

• Navigate to Grade Reporting >  Configurations > Gradebook Custom Colors
  • Specify any color coding that will appear in Aeries Gradebook on the Scores by Class, Scores by Assignment, or Scores by Student pages. The colors should be set at the beginning of the school year and not changed once in use.
    
    A legend is displayed on the Scores pages in Gradebook to notify teachers of the color meaning.
    
    NOTE: Teachers have a gradebook option to disable district color coding in their gradebooks.
    
    

School Configuration ↑

• Navigate to School Info > School Options
  • Use Grading Periods Instead of Terms in Gradebook
    • If No, the gradebooks will be associated with a specific term, such as fall, spring, or year, and must be used for the full term.
    • If Yes, the gradebook will be associated with a grading period and is only used during that grading period.
      
      In Texas grading periods are typically used instead of terms.
      
      
  • Under Grade Reporting Types, indicate the types of grading allowed at the school.
    
    
    
• Navigate to Grade Reporting > Configurations > Grading Periods
  • Apply To Gradebook- Select for each grading period that will be applied to teacher gradebooks.

    
    

    If selected, teachers will see a separate gradebook for each class and each grading period. Otherwise, the teacher will only see one gradebook for the class for the entire semester and it will include all assignments within the term. See Texas - Grading Periods.

• Navigate to School Info > Portal Management > Portal Options (Gradestab)
  • Select Support Support Standards-Based Grade Reporting if the school allows standards-based grading.
    • If selected, ...
    • If unselected, ...
• Navigate to School Info > Portal Management > Portal Options (Gradebooktab)
  • Under Lock:
    • Select Categories to prevent teachers from adding or updating categories in their gradebooks.
      
      IMPORTANT: 
      • If locking categories, it is necessary for the school to use gradebook templates (described below); otherwise teachers are prevented from updating categories and adding assignments.
        
        
      • Users with Insert permission to Create Gradebook Templates (described above under Security) are not prevented from adding categories even if Categories are locked.
        
        
    • Select Rules to prevent teachers from using the Rules feature in Gradebook, which allows the lowest score(s) to be dropped or replaced. If unselected, teachers are able to set rules for dropping or replacing low grades.
      
      Users with Insert permission to Create Gradebook Templates (described above under Security) are not prevented from adding rules even if Rules are locked.
      
      
    • Under Gradebook Options, the list of options matches the list available to teachers in Gradebook on the Configuration >Options page (described below). Any options selected here are locked in the teacher gradebook and cannot be changed by the teacher.
      
      
  • Require Teachers to use Templates when Creating Gradebooks 
    • If selected, teachers are required to use designated gradebook templates.
      
      NOTE: Using templates is necessary for schools that lock assignment categories.
      
      
    • If unselected, teachers can create gradebooks with or without using gradebook templates.
      
      
  • Allow Teachers to Import Any Student in their defined Grade Range into their Gradebook
    • If selected, the Add Students Not in Your Classes button is available on the Configurations > Manage Students tab allowing teachers to add any students into their gradebook based on the Low Grd and High Grd range specified on the Teachers page (TCH.LO and TCH.HI).
      
      This might be necessary at an elementary school (with no master schedule) where students will switch teachers for a short period of time for a particular topic, for a roving PE or art teacher, or for Resource Specialist Program (RSP) services.
      
      
    • If unselected, the Add Students Not in Your Classes button is not available on the Configurations > Manage Studentstab and the following applies: 
      • Teachers at elementary schools with no master schedule are limited to adding students where their teacher number corresponds to the Counselor field (STU.CU) on the Demographics page.
      • Teachers at schools using a master schedule are limited to adding students where their teacher number corresponds to the Teacher field (MST.TN) on Master Schedule.
        
        
  • Allow Teachers to Add Students to Gradebook Before Attendance is Initialized
    • If selected, teachers can import students into their gradebook before the school year begins.
    • If unselected, teachers cannot import students until attendance is initialized, which is typically done just before the first day of school.
      
      
  • Standards-Based Grading (Elementary or Secondary):
    
    
• Navigate to Grade Reporting > Configurations > Grading Periods
  • Apply to Gradebooks - Select for each grading period that will be available to teachers in Gradebook.
  • Date Range - The range determines which assignments are pulled from Gradebook for a particular grading period. Date Due from the teacher's gradebook is compared to the date range. All dates must be set accurately for all periods, including Final Assignment/Exam and Final Averages.
    
    
• Navigate to Standards Based Grades > Grades > Configurations
  • If using standards based grading for a secondary school, standards must be set up.

Gradebook Setup ↑

1. Create gradebook templates, if using.

All teachers may be be required to use a gradebook template, depending on a school settings. See the Configuration section above.

A teacher with permission to Create Gradebook Templates can create the templates that can be shared within their school or other schools, including overlapping grade ranges. See the Security section above.

Templates are necessary for schools that lock assignment categories. If categories are locked, a template should be set up with the district-required categories. Teachers who create gradebook templates should be sure they are setting up the categories as required by the school.

Teachers with permission to create templates will be able to update the Categories and Rules in Gradebook even if Categories and Rules are locked on Portal Options.

NOTE: For teachers who create gradebooks both as templates and for personal use, it is recommended that the teacher name the gradebooks so as to distinguish templates from other gradebooks. 

1. Click Add Gradebook. The Configuration page opens.
2. Select School Template. The field is only displayed for users with Create Gradebook Templates permission.
   
   
   • If unselected, the gradebook will only be available for use by the teacher who created it.
     
     
   • If selected, the gradebook the teacher creates will become a template that any teacher is able to select to use when creating a new gradebook, including all options, categories, assignments, and final marks.
     
     The Multi-School Template field is displayed when School Template is selected. Select Multi-School Template if the gradebook template will be available to other schools and other grade ranges. Otherwise the gradebook template is only available at the creator's school.

2. Create a gradebook for each section.

Teachers must create a gradebook for each section and each grading period. There are three options for creating a gradebook:

OPTION 1: Create an individual gradebook.

• Click Add Gradebook. The Configuration page opens.
• Make the following selections:
  • Use Existing Template - The field is not displayed if you are required to use an existing template. If selected, the Templates list of available templates is displayed.
    
    
  • Select a template. Otherwise clear the Use Existing Template field and proceed without a template.
    
    
    If you are required or wish to use a template, select a template from the Templates list.
    
    
    
  • Info - The grade level information of the school you are logged on to is displayed for informational purposes, according to the Low Grade and High Grade fields on School Options.
    
    
    
  • Single Term - The field is only displayed if terms are used instead of grading periods. If Use Grading Periods Instead of Terms in Gradebook on School Options is Yes, the field is not displayed.
    
    This option is not typically used in Texas.
    
    
    • Select Single Term if the gradebook will be used for the full year. The Term Year is automatically selected.
    • Clear Single Term if you will have a gradebook for each term, such as Fall and Spring, and then select the Associated Term to associate with the gradebook.
      
      
  • Grading Type - The field is only displayed if more than one grading type is allowed at the school according to the Grade Reporting Type selections on School Options. Select the grading type for the gradebook.
    
    
    
    
  • Sections - Sections assigned to you are listed. Select the section(s) to associate with the gradebook.
    
    You must select at least one section. If multiple sections are selected, indicate which gradebook is Primary and which are Associated.
    
    Example: If you have a World History section and also a Teacher Aid section during the same period, both sections should be Associated, but the World History section will be the Primary section.
    
    
    • Associated - Select if the gradebook is associated with the section. 
    • Primary - Select if this is the primary gradebook for the section. A section can have only one primary gradebook.
      
      If only one section is associated with the gradebook, both Associated and Primary must be selected.
      
      NOTE:  If you want to keep your gradebooks separate but have the same assignments in all gradebooks, use the Gradebook Linking feature instead. In this case it is not necessary to associate multiple sections with a gradebook.
      
      
  • Gradebook Name - The fields are automatically populated based on the first Section you selected. There are two name fields: the left field is populated with the period, and the right field is populated with the course name. Modify as needed.
    
    
  • Comments - Use as needed to add comments for the gradebook.
    
    
  • Overall Standard - The field is only displayed if you are an elementary teacher using Standards Based Grading, and the Require Teachers to use Standards' Mark Types for Assignment Scores (SBG Gradebooks Only) option is selected on Portal Options.
    
    Select the grade level report card standards will be used. This affects the scores that can be used when grading assignments. See Standards - Applying Different Mark Types to Term. 

• Click Save. 

OPTION 2: Create multiple gradebooks at once.

1. Click Mass Add Gradebooks.
   
   A window opens allowing you to select the sections for which to create gradebooks. Only sections assigned to you are listed.
   
   
2. Select the sections to create gradebooks for, and click Next.
   
   If you accidentally select a section, you can click Remove to un-select it.
   
   
3. To create the gradebooks based on an existing template, select Use Template.
   
   Existing templates are listed. Select a template.
   
   
4. Click Create Gradebooks. The gradebooks are created for the selected sections with the course title as the Gradebook Name.
   
   
5. Once created, the gradebook can be modified individually as needed.
   
   From the gradebook dashboard, under Functions, click Manage Gradebook. The Configuration page opens allowing you to modify each gradebook as described above under OPTION 1.

OPTION 3: Copy an existing gradebook.

The Options, Categories, Assignments, and Final Marks can also be copied, so it is recommended that you copy an existing gradebook AFTER setting up categories and assignments.

1. Click Copy Gradebook. The Copy Gradebook page opens.
2. Select the Year and Teacher. The teacher's existing gradebooks for the selected school year are displayed. 
3. Select the gradebook to copy from. 
4. Select the additional information to be copied from that gradebook. 
5. Click Save.

3. (Optional) Link gradebooks.

Linking gradebooks allows a teacher to create a group of gradebooks where any changes made to Categories, Assignments, Final Marks, or Rules in one gradebook are made to all other gradebooks in the group, which keeps all grouped gradebooks in sync with no additional action required. This feature is useful for teachers who teach multiple periods of the same subject.

Only gradebooks that belong to the same teacher can be linked together.

IMPORTANT: Gradebooks must be linked BEFORE Categories and Assignments are added. 

1. From the Dashboard, click Link Gradebooks.
   
   The Link Gradebooks window opens.
   
   
   
2. Under Group, use the numbers to group the gradebooks by number. For example, set Group to 1 for all gradebooks to be in one particular group. Set the Group to 2 for other gradebooks that will be in another group, etc., up to 99 groups.
   
   Group = 0 indicates an ungrouped gradebook.
   
   
3. Click Save.
   
   When a group is saved, the gradebooks in the group are moved to the bottom of the list and appear under the group number heading.

Linking Vs. Copying Gradebooks

Linked gradebooks remain in sync. As longs as the gradebooks are linked, any changes made in one gradebook are also made to all other gradebooks. Linking should be done BEFORE adding Categories and Assignments.

When a gradebook is copied, the copied gradebook is only the same at that time it is copied. Any subsequent changes made to either gradebook will NOT automatically be made in other other gradebook. Copying should be done AFTER adding Categories and Assignments.

5. Set up a gradebook.

If the gradebook was created from a template or copied from an existing gradebook, these settings will initially match the original source but can be modified as needed, depending on school settings.

• From the gradebook Dashboard, under Functions, click Manage Gradebook for the gradebook you wish to modify.
• The Configuration page opens with Edit Gradebook as the default tab.
  
  NOTE: You can also access the various Configuration page tabs from the Manage menu.
  
  Modify each gradebook as needed.
  
  
• The Edit Gradebook tab matches the fields used when adding the gradebook, as described above.
  
  
• Click Options to set details about how grades are calculated.
  
  These options can also be set at the school level. Any option locked at the school level cannot be changed by the teacher.
  
  NOTE: There is no Save button. Settings are applied upon changing.
  
  
  • Use a Rubric Grading Scale to Compute Total Grade - Select to enable rubric scoring, which can be based on TEKS standards. If selected, all assignments will default to rubric grading (i.e., when you click Add Assignment, a Rubric Assignment check box is displayed and selected by default).
    
    NOTES: 
    • If selected, the Final Marks settings must also be configured.
    • Rubric grading is required for standards-based grading (both elementary and secondary).
    • This setting should not be changed during a grade reporting period once scores have already been submitted.
      
      
    • Clear the Use a Rubric Grading Scale to Compute Total Grade field if total point-based grading will be used.
      
      If unselected, the Number Correct Possible and Points Possible fields are displayed on the Add Assignment page instead of Rubric Assignment.
      
      

  • Weight scores of assignments by Category - Select to use weighted categories, which allows certain categories to have more weight than others. For example, Tests may have more weight than Homework.
    
    If selected, additional fields will be enabled on the Categories tab to facilitate weighted categories:

    • The Doing Weighted Scoring field is selected by default.

    • When Doing Weighted Scores is selected, the % of Grade field is displayed for each category, allowing you to assign a percentages to the category.
      
      NOTE: If the Apply weighting to Formative & Summative assignments option is also enabled, the category weights are applied first to determine a percentage for those assignment categories. Then the Formative and Summative weights are applied to produce a final score.
      
      

    • If Weight scores of assignments by Category is unselected, total points grading is used, where the students earned points are divided by the total possible points.
      
      
      

  • Apply Assignment Scores Immediately- Select to see the student's updated class average every time a score is entered.
    • If selected, the the % column (which displays the student's current class average) on the Scores by Assignment or Scores by Class page is automatically updated immediately when you enter or change a student's assignment grade. The class average in the top-left corner of the Scores by Student page is also updated immediately.
    • If Apply Assignment Scores Immediately is unselected, the student's class average on those pages in only updated once you select Is Grading Completed on the Assignments page. The Set Grading Completed Automatically field also affects the Is Grading Completed field. See below.
      
      
  • Set Grading Completed Automatically - If selected, the Is Grading Completed field on the Assignments page will be automatically selected once you have entered a score for every student or marked the assignment as missing. When Is Grading Completed is selected, class averages are automatically updated to reflect the assignment grade.
    
    If Set Grading Completed Automatically is unselected, you will need to manually select Is Grading Completed once all assignment grades are entered.
    
    
  • Apply weighting to Formative & Summative assignments - Select to apply different weighting to Formative and Summative assignments when calculating the class average. When you add an assignment, you are required to indicate whether the assignment is Formative (i.e., form knowledge, such as homework) or Summative (i.e., measure progress, such as a test).
    
    If enabled, category weighting is ignored.
    • If Apply weighting to Formative & Summative assignments is selected, two additional fields are displayed: Formative Percentage and Summative Percentage. Use the slider to set the percentage for each type; they must total 100.
      
      NOTE: If the Weight scores of assignments by Category option is also enabled, the category weights are applied first to determine a percentage for those assignment categories. Then the Formative and Summative weights are applied to calculate the final score.
      
      
    • If Apply weighting to Formative & Summative assignments is unselected, weighting for formative and summative assignments is ignored. Category weighting is used if enabled.
      
      
  • Scale Min/Max Assignment Values in Total Grade- Select to restrict assignment grades to within a range.
    • If selected, two additional fields are displayed: Min Assignment Value and Max Assignment Value. Set the minimum and maximum scores a student can receive for an assignment. When calculating the class average, any score outside of the range will be adjusted accordingly. For example, if the student has a missing assignment or low grade, a minimum score of 50 can be assigned automatically.
    • If Scale Min/Max Assignment Values in Total Grade is unselected, a student can receive any assignment score, and the the class average calculation will include the score no matter how high or low.
      
      
  • Add/Drop Students Automatically when loading Scores By Class page - Select to automatically update the list of students on the Scores by Class and Scores by Assignments pages based on Course Attendancechanges.
    • If selected, a process will run every five minutes that adds or removes students in the class based on Course Attendance changes that occur in Aeries. The Scores by Class and Scores by Assignments pages will automatically be updated accordingly.
    • If unselected, the Manage Students page will display Add Students and Drop Students buttons any time there are students to add or drop. You must manually add or drop these students using the Add Students or Drop Students button.
      
      
  • Hide the Overall Percentage/Trend Analysis Score - Indicate whether the total percent/average is displayed in the teacher gradebook and/or the Parent/Student Portals.
    
    The heading displayed depends on the type of grading used in the class (total points-based or rubric).
    Overall Percentage is used for total points-based grading, and the % or Perc (Percent) column displays the data.
    Trend Analysis Score is used for rubric grading, and the Avg column displays the data.
    
    
    
    • Select Me to prevent the display of the student class averages on the Scores by Assignment and Scores by Class pages in the teacher gradebook. Otherwise the % column is displayed on both pages and displays the student's class average.
    • Select Parents/Students to prevent the display of total class averages to both parents and students in the Parent/Student Portals. Otherwise, the Total is displayed for the Perc/Avg column and displays the student's class average. If prevented, the Total is hidden for the Perc/Avg column.
      
      
      NOTE:  The Hide the Overall Percentage/Trend Analysis Score fields are automatically selected and cannot be changed if Display Only Marks for Teacher, Parents and Students (Applies to SBG Grades and Gradebooks) is enabled in Aeries on the Portal Options page (Grades tab). In other words, if the school requires the total to be hidden, a teacher cannot choose to show it.
      
      
  • Display the Final Mark - Indicate whether the Mark column is is displayed in the teacher gradebook and/or the Parent/Student Portals, which displays the rounded version of the class average.
    • Select Me to display the final marks on the Scores by Assignment and Scores by Class pages in the teacher gradebook. Otherwise the Mark column is hidden on both pages.
    • Select Parents/Students to display class marks to both parents and students in the Parent/Student Portals. Otherwise the Mark column is hidden for parents and students.
      
      
      
      NOTE: The Display the Final Mark fields are automatically selected and cannot be changed if Display Only Marks for Teacher, Parents and Students (Applies to SBG Grades and Gradebooks) is enabled in Aeries on the Portal Options page (Grades tab). In other words, if the school requires that this information be displayed, a teacher cannot choose to hide it.
      
      
  • Display the Point Ratio - If using numeric total point-based grading (i.e., not rubric grading), indicate whether to display the ratio for the assignment grades, which includes the total points earned and total possible points. 
    • If selected, the Pts/Poss column is displayed on the Scores by Class page and indicates the total points earned and total possible points, which are used to calculate the average.
      
    • If Display the Point Ratio is unselected, the Pts/Poss column is hidden on the Scores by Class page.
    • The Display the Point Ratio option is disabled when any of the following options are enabled:
      • Use a Rubric Grading Scale to Compute Total Grade
      • Weight Scores of Assignments by Category
      • Apply Weighting to Formative & Summative assignments
      • Hide the Overall Percentage/Trend Analysis Score
        
        
  • Display Dropped Students For - Type the number of days a dropped student will continue to be displayed in your gradebook on the Scores by Class, or type 0 to display no dropped students. If you enter 1 or more days, the dropped students will be listed at the bottom of the Scores by Class page and highlighted in yellow until that number of days has passed.
    
    
  • Display Student ID below the Student Name- Indicate whether to display the student ID or the student's alias/nickname (if entered in Aeries) below the student name.
    • If selected, the student ID is displayed below the student name on the Scores by Class and Scores by Assignment pages. The student's alias/nickname is not displayed.
    • If unselected, the student ID is not displayed below the student name, but can be viewed by hovering over the student icon next to the student name. The student's alias/nickname is displayed below the student name if entered in Aeries on the Demographics page.
      
      
  • Group Assignments Menu by Category - Indicate how you wish to list assignments in the Assignmentsmenu.
    • If selected, the Assignments menu includes category headings, and assignments grouped accordingly.
      
    • If unselected, the Assignments menu omits categories, and all assignments are listed according to due date in descending order.
       
  • Sort Assignments On Scores By Class by - Indicate whether to sort assignments by due date or assignment number on the Scores by Class page, and specify ascending or descending order.
    • Select Assignment Due Date (Ascending or Descending) to sort assignments according to the Due On field as specified on the Add Assignment page.
    • Select Assignment Number (Ascending or Descending) to sort assignments according to the # field as specified on the Add Assignment page. The # field is automatically incremented as assignments are added but can be modified as needed.
      
      
  • Default Assignment Type for Imported Assignments - Indicate whether the Type field on the Assignments page should be set to Formative (F) or Summative (S) by default for any assignment imported from another gradebook. The Type field will automatically be set accordingly but can be modified as needed on the Edit Assignment page.
    
    
  • Hide District Defined Score Color Code - Indicate whether to allow color coding on the Scores by Class, Scores by Assignment, or Scores by Student pages, as specified at the district level.
    NOTE: The district sets color codes on the Gradebook Custom Colorspage.
    • If Hide District Defined Score Color Code is unselected, two fields appear at the bottom of the Scorespages:
      • Enable Color by Assignment Score 
      • Enable Color by Overall Score 
    • If Hide District Defined Score Color Code is selected, the additional Enable Color by fields are not displayed. Certain default colors cannot be removed.
• Click Copy Options to Gradebooksto copy all or some of these settings to your other gradebooks. A window opens that displays a summary of the options and settings for the current gradebook.
  • Select the settings you wish to copy, and clear those you do not wish to copy. Click Next.
    
    For any unselected options, the default setting will be retained in the other gradebooks.
    
    
  • Select the gradebook(s) to copy the settings to. Click Copy Options.
    
    The settings from the current gradebook are copied to the other gradebook(s) according to your selections.
    
    

4. Add students to the gradebook.

Depending on the setting of the Add/Drop Students Automatically when loading Scores By Class page option (described above), you may need to manually add students based on changes made on the Aeries Course Attendance page.

Additional settings determine whether you can add another teacher's students to your gradebook and whether you can import students into your gradebook before the school year begins or whether attendance must first be initialized.

If students are automatically added, the gradebook class lists are updated accordingly. Otherwise there are two ways to add students to the gradebook:

Dashboard

If there are students to manually add to any of your gradebooks, the Add/Drop Students button is displayed at the top of the dashboard and has red text.

1. Click Add/Drop Students. The Enters/Leaves Window opens.
   
2. Under All Entering Students, select the gradebook you are adding students to.
3. Under Action, select Add for each student to add, or click Add All Students.
   
4. Click Save Changes. The students are added to the gradebook according to your selections.

Manage Students Tab

To manually add students to a particular gradebook.

Navigate to Manage Gradebook > Manage Students

1. Click Add Students. The Enters/Leaves Window opens.
   
2. Under Action, select Add for each student to add, or click Add All Students.
3. Click Save Changes. The students are added to the gradebook according to your selections.

6. Add Categories to the gradebook.

REMINDER:  If linking gradebooks, ensure the gradebooks are linked BEFORE adding categories and assignments. See above.

Categories must be created before adding assignments.

If the Categories feature is locked by the school, the Categories tab functionality is disabled and categories are read only. You must use the school-defined categories as set up in the template.

If creating a template, the Categories tab is not locked regardless of school settings. Be sure you are creating categories according to school requirements.

1. Navigate to Manage Gradebook > Categories.

2. Select Doing Weighted Scoring if each category will have a weight in order to make some categories worth more than others. If selected the % of Grade column is displayed allowing you to enter the weight for each category. The weights for all categories must add up to 100.
   
   If Doing Weighted Scoring is unselected, the % of Grade column is not visible and each category is automatically weighted equally.
   
   

3. Click Add New Category. A blank row is displayed.

   • Enter a Name for the category.

   • Select a Color to color code the categories on the Scores pages. Otherwise only district-defined color coding may be visible on the Scores pages according to district settings and your local settings (described above).

   • If Doing Weighted Scoring is enabled, use % of Grade to enter the weight for each category. For example, a Test may be worth 50% of the grade, where Homework and Quizzes are worth 25% each. The weights must add up to 100.

4. Click Save.

5. To remove a category, click Delete.
   
   You are prompted to confirm that you wish to remove the category. Click OK.
   It may be necessary to reassign % of Grade percentages in order for weights to equal 100.

6. Add assignments to the gradebook.

7. Configure grading rules for the gradebook.

If Rules are enabled by the school, you can configure one or more grading rules that allow a specified number of assignment grades to be excluded when calculating class average. For example, you may exclude the three lowest homework assignment grades. There is also an option that lets you replace low scores rather than exclude them. See Gradebook - Grading Rules.

Rules can only be used for total point-based grading. Rules cannot be used with rubric grading.

A Do Not Drop option is available when adding an assignment allowing you to exclude an assignment from any rules.

If Rules is locked by the school, the Rules tab features are disabled. You are limited to any school-defined rules as set up in the template.

If creating a template, the Rules tab is not locked regardless of school settings. Be sure you are creating rules according to school requirements.

1. Navigate to Manage Gradebook  Rules.
2. Click Add Rule, or click Edit to edit an existing rule.
3. Enter the following for each rule:
   • Rule - The sequence number is automatically incremented and cannot be changed.
     
     If one or more rules exist, the Scores by Student page includes a Rules column. If an assignment grade meets the specified rule criteria, the rule sequence number is displayed in the Rules column.
     
     
   • Effective Date 
     • If a date is entered, the rule applies from the specified date forward. 
     • If blank, the rule is immediately in effect but does not apply to previous days.
   • # of Lowest Scores to Drop - Enter the number of assignment grades to be dropped when calculating the average. For example, type 1 to drop only the lowest grade. 
   • Type 
     • Select Formative or Summative if the rule applies only to one or the other type of assignment.
     • If blank the rule applies to either type.
   • Category
     • If only a certain category of assignment can be dropped (such as Homework), select the category.
     • If blank the rule applies to any category.
       
       
   • Grading Period - Select the grading period to which the rule applies, or leave blank if the rule applies during all grading periods.
     
     The heading displayed depends on the School Options setting for using grading periods instead of terms. For Texas, grading periods are typically used.
      
   • Assignment Date Range - Enter a date range if you only wish to drop assignment grades within certain dates, based on the Due Date. If blank, all assignments within the specified grading period are included in consideration.
     
     
   • According To - The assignment grade will be calculated as follows when determining which grades are dropped:
     • % Score - Divide the student's score by the maximum score (Score / Max)
     • Negative Weight - Subtract the student's score from the maximum score (Max - Score)
   • Replace With- If you wish to replace a low assignment grade with a different value, rather than exclude the grade from the calculation, select an option:
     • Nothing - Exclude the low assignment grade from the calculation. Select this option if you are not using the Replace With feature.
     • Average Score - Calculate the % Score of all assignments within the selected Type or Category. Divide that score by the max score for the assignment, which provides a virtual score to use in place of the actual score.
     • Best Score - Identify the highest % Score across all assignments within the selected Type or Category. Divide that score by the max score for the assignment, which provides a virtual score to use in place of the actual score.
       
       
   • Min # of Assign - If the rule only applies when there are at least a certain number of assignments due during the grading period, type the number.
     
     For example, if Min # of Assign is 3, and only 2 assignments have been assigned with Due On dates within the grading period, no assignment grades are dropped.
     
     
4. Click Update.