version 2.0 updated august 29, 2007...launch a web browser (internet explorer 5.0 or higher on a pc,...

Version 2.0 Updated August 29, 2007

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ...................................................................................... 2

Part I: Background Information ..............................................1 About This Handbook .................................................................................. 2 Overview of Gradebook ............................................................................... 3

General Features ............................................................................................... 3 GradeBook Vocabulary ......................................................................................... 3 Overview of Structure.......................................................................................... 4

Part II: Setting Up Gradebook.................................................5 Logging into GradeBook via ZangleConnect........................................................ 6 The General Features of GradeBook ................................................................ 8 Selecting a Section....................................................................................10 Using the Navigational Tabs .........................................................................13 Setting Up the GradeBook ...........................................................................14

Setup Step 1: Set GradeBook Preferences ................................................................. 14 Setup Step 2: Set Class Options ............................................................................. 16 Setup Step 3 - Set Class Grading Scale ..................................................................... 17 Setup Step 4: Define Categories............................................................................. 20 Setup Step 5: Add Assignments .............................................................................. 22 Setup Step 6: Define Assignment Scoring Options ........................................................ 24 Step 7: Copying Setup Data from Other Classes .......................................................... 27 Step 8: Copying Assignment Data from Other Classes ................................................... 30

Part III: Using GradeBook.......................................................32 Viewing a Student Roster ............................................................................33 Entering Scores ........................................................................................35

Overview ........................................................................................................ 35 The Spreadsheet Tab.......................................................................................... 35 The Edit by Student Tab...................................................................................... 37 The Edit by Task Tab.......................................................................................... 39

Creating Reports.......................................................................................41 Report Types ................................................................................................... 41 General Directions for Generating & printing reports ................................................... 42

Submitting Marks ......................................................................................45 Overview ........................................................................................................ 45 Calculating & Posting Final Marks ........................................................................... 45 Making Necessary Corrections/Adding Citizenship Marks................................................ 48

Copyright © 2007, San Diego Unified School District. All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced internally by San Diego Unified School District. Except as noted, all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transcribed, stored in retrieval systems, or translated into any language in any form by any means without written permission of San Diego Unified School District, District Wide Applications, 2441 Cardinal Lane, Building I, San Diego, CA 92123.

Gradebook Handbook • Page 1

Part I: Background Information

About This Handbook

This handbook was created by Scott Irwin and updated by Joshua Bleier as reference material for teachers who will access Gradebook, a web-based application, to maintain their students’ grades. It will be used during “Secondary Teach the Teacher” courses. Names used in the documentation are fictitious. Instructions are explained with screenshots and alphabetical steps. Please follow the steps in order.



Overview of Gradebook

Zangle Gradebook is a web-based application used by teachers to organize class assignments and track the scores their students receive. Gradebook will calculate the grade-to-date for each student according to options defined; in addition, you can use Gradebook to post the final grades to the office. Teachers who use this feature will NOT need to post grades using TeacherConnection.

GENERAL FEATURES • Gradebook is a web-based application. Teachers can view and edit data from school or home.

• Gradebook has real time connectivity to scheduling, attendance and demographic data in Zangle, allowing teachers to see attendance data, student phone numbers, etc. for each class without having to leave the application. New students automatically appear in the Gradebook.

• Student scores for each task can be entered easily using a rapid-entry feature. Final grades-to date for a class are automatically calculated and tracked for each student according to options configured by the teacher.

• Convenient links to TeacherConnection and Student Profile allow teachers to move between applications without having to re-login.

• Six customizable reports are available in PDF format. Certain types of data can be saved in a Microsoft Excel format.

GRADEBOOK VOCABULARY • Section: A group of students who are scheduled for a specific period. A teacher may have more

than one section during a period.

• Task: An assignment, quiz, test, or other item that is assigned to a student and scored by the teacher.

• Category: A group of tasks that share a common trait. Quizzes, projects, homework, and tests are examples of categories. You create your own Categories in Gradebook. Categories can be weighted.

• Score: The point value a student receives for a specific task. Gradebook uses scores on tasks to automatically calculate a Grade-to-Date for each student.

OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURE A teacher uses Gradebook to define tasks for each section, such as homework assignments, quizzes, tests, recitals, term papers, etc. A score will be entered for each student. You can use Gradebook to organize tasks into categories. Each category can be given a different weight value in the calculation of the overall grade for a class. For example, exams could be defined as having twice the weight towards the final grade as homework or quizzes. The diagram below shows an example of how a teacher’s section might be organized.

Teacher >

Section >

Categories >

Tasks >

Note: Teachers may be assigned more than one section per period. Each section will be displayed separately in Gradebook. The teacher can easily copy settings and assignments between sections.



Part II: Setting Up

Gradebook

Logging into GradeBook via ZangleConnect

GradeBook is a web-based application that you reach by logging into ZangleConnect. Teachers will launch a web browser (Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher on a PC, Safari 2.0 or higher on a Mac) to access ZangleConnect, and launch Gradebook from there.

Follow the steps below to get to ZangleConnect, log In and launch Gradebook.

• Open a web browser; o On a Mac running OS 10, use Safari.

o On a PC, use Internet Explorer.

• Navigate to https://dwa.sis.sandi.net/zangleconnect/. (IMPORTANT: Notice the URL begins

with “https.” This is a secure site.) • Follow Steps 1-7 below.

1 Click the ZangleConnection Login button. A login window will appear.

Type your Employee ID in the User Name field.

2

Type your password in the Password field.

3

• The Track Selection Dialog Box appears

Click Logon (or press Enter).

4


https://dwa.sis.sandi.net/zangleconnect/

Select the track you wish to set up.

5

6 Click Select (or press Enter on your keyboard).

• The ZangleConnect Selection menu appears.

This selection window lists the web-based applications (sometimes referred to as web-apps) you have access to. This list depends on your privileges, and the track you selected. Click on the

Gradebook link.

7


The General Features of GradeBook

Once you’ve logged into ZangleConnect and selected Gradebook, Gradebook is launched in a new window.

The top portion of the GradeBook screen offers many features. The top left displays the following:

• Teacher Name and the Track selected at Login are displayed at the top.

• Show By Terms or Dates: Control how you select a class. By default Terms is selected.

• Period/Class: Select the section you want to work with. First and second semester sections are listed separately. Classes are organized by section, not period. If you teach a class that is divided into multiple sections, your students will be organized this way as well.


• Show Students Enrolled As of/All Students allows you to determine if all students ever enrolled in any of your sections get displayed in when viewing students in Gradebook, or if Gradebook should only display students enrolled as of a date that you specify.

At the top right, Gradebook provides access to more information via their Links and Connectivity Icons:

Navigation Links:

• Menu: Takes you back to the ZangleConnect Selection menu.

• Help: Displays the online help manual.

• About: Displays the current version of GradeBook.

• Close: Click here to close the Gradebook window and return to the ZangleConnect Selection menu.

Connectivity Icons

Icon Links To: Description

Zangle Reports Select this icon to open the Zangle Reports application in a new

window. Zangle Reports allows you to generate a variety of reports displaying data such as student progress, assignment listings, task summaries, and class attendance reports. You will not need to reenter your login information when using this link.

TeacherConnection Click here to link to the TeacherConnection application. TeacherConnection allows you to take attendance, generate class rosters and view and edit School calendar information. You will not need to reenter your login information when using this link.

Student Profile Selecting Student Profile brings up a new browser window that allows you to locate demographic, attendance, assignment, academic history, and other information on a per student basis.

Notifications Click here to open access Notifications, an internal messaging system for district employees with Zangle accounts. You can notify other Zangle users concerning issues of note, and if you receive a Notification alert in your district email, you come to this area to read the actual Notification message


Selecting a Section

To select a section, you need to choose the track, term, and period/class.

1. Select a track If you are scheduled to teach in more than one track, then when you first log in to TeacherConnection you’ll be presented with a list of available tracks to choose from. If you are scheduled to teach in only one track, TeacherConnection will default to that track at Log in; no selection is necessary.

2. Select a term or date range Before you select a class to view in the next step, filter the class selection list by Term or by Dates. This is done by selecting one of two Show By radio buttons:

Show Sections by Terms mode (default) The Terms radio button is selected by default. You will always have to specify a Term here first, unless you set a default term in Gradebook Setup (More on how to do this can be found on page ???).

Show Sections by Dates mode When the Dates radio button is selected, the Term field is replaced by two date fields.


Click on the From link to bring up a month-view calendar menu for date selection. You can move from month to month using the top navigation buttons.

Once you click on an actual day, the menu disappears and the date you selected appears in the From window.

Next, click on the To link and repeat this process to select the To date. This will filter the class selection list, displaying only classes that you are scheduled to teach within that date range.

3. Select a Period/Class All procedures in GradeBook, with the exception of setting Teacher Preferences in Gradebook Setup, are section-specific. Before viewing data, editing scores, or printing reports in GradeBook the teacher must select a class to work with. Only those classes the teacher is scheduled to teach will be available for selection. Once the term or date range has been selected, you can select a section to view from the drop-down menu in the Period/Class field. In cases of multiple cycle days or multiple period meetings, the available selections reflect the earliest meeting time.


Class selections are displayed as Period | Course Code | Description | Term Code

Period Course Code Course Description Term Code

4. Show Students Enrolled or All Students (optional) Gradebook defaults to show only the students enrolled in your class since the beginning of the term. You may optionally change the enrollment date for showing enrolled students, or select the All students radio button to have Gradebook display all students who have ever been enrolled in the class for the specified term.


Using the Navigational Tabs

There are 7 Gradebook tabs.

• Roster: Displays a list of students enrolled in the selected section with the total grade, student

ID, and links to the student’s photo image, contact information, attendance history, and profile data. The new version of Gradebook allows you to click on a student to get to their Student Profile page.

• Spreadsheet: Displays a list of students and scores assigned for each task. You may optionally

edit assignment scores in the Spreadsheet via preferences set in the Gradebook Setup tab. In addition, you can select a specific category to view tasks from. This data can be exported to Microsoft Excel.

• Edit By Student: View and edit the scores for a specific student. You can select a student from

an alphabetical list of students. You can choose to view all tasks or tasks within a specific category. There is a rapid entry feature for this screen.

• Edit By Task: View and edit scores for a specific task. You can enter comments if necessary.

There is a rapid entry feature for this screen. • Calc/Post Marks: Determine whether to drop certain low grades and how to calculate student

marks, and then Post the final grade to date for your students. This screen is used to submit the final grade at the end of a grading period.

• Edit Marks: Edit the posted final letter grade for students if needed, and add comments at the end of the grading period. You must post marks, via Calc/Post Marks above, before you can edit the information. The Edit Marks screen is identical to the Marks tab in TeacherConnection.

• Gradebook Setup: Configure Gradebook to meet your individual needs. Configuration settings

can be created for one section and copied to others.


Setting Up the GradeBook

You must set up Gradebook before you can enter scores and calculate grades. You do this in the Gradebook Setup tab. The following steps need to be performed:

o Set Teacher Preferences o Define Class Options o Create Assignment Categories o Add Assignments

SETUP STEP 1: SET GRADEBOOK PREFERENCES Before setting up classes, review your Teacher Preferences. These settings automatically apply to all sections. Perform steps A – D below. A. Click the Gradebook Setup tab. The screen will change.

B. Select the Teacher Preferences radio button in the Preference Setup area at the top left. The

9 GradeBook Preferences will be displayed on the right. C. Use the radio buttons to make the following selections:

1. Calculate grades using only tasks through current date

When this preference is On, tasks with due dates in the future will NOT be calculated into the final grade for the student. If this preference is Off, tasks with due dates in the future will be calculated into the final grade; if no score has been assigned to students for a future



assignment, that assignment shows up as a 0. It is recommended that you turn this preference On.

2. Display only currently active students in the roster When this preference is On, the application will only display students who are enrolled in the section as of the selected date. This is a default setting. You can make adjustments on individual pages when necessary.

3. Display point totals with calculated grades When this preference is set to On, two additional columns will appear between the Grade column and the first Task scoring column in the Spreadsheet tab. These are the Points Earned and Points Possible for all tasks.

4. Include students enrolled as Teacher Assistants (TA) in roster When this preference is on, TA’s will be displayed in the application. “TA” will be placed next to their name. You will be able to grade them on class assignments, and their scores will be incorporated into the calculation of grades.

5. Use ENTER key to tab when entering scores (Internet Explorer only) This preference will affect Internet Explorer users only, and it defaults to Off. When this setting is turned Off, the Enter key on the keyboard will invoke the Submit command; any scores you’ve entered thus far will be processed by Gradebook. If you turn this preference On, the Enter key will behave like the Tab key, moving input focus to the next input field. This can speed up the score input process for IE users, but will require you to click the Submit button in order to save your scores.

6. Edit assignment scores on Spreadsheet Tab The Spreadsheet tab displays a table, rows of students with each assignment as a separate column. Student assignment scores are in each cell. Turning this option On makes each cell in the Spreadsheet editable, so student assignment scores can be quickly edited on either a per-student or per-score basis. Turning this option Off leaves the Spreadsheet as a read-only source of student assignment scores.

7. Default comments to be shared in Student Profile and ParentConnection The Edit by Student and Edit by Task tabs allow teachers to include comments when scoring student assignments. Turning this option On will make these comments available in Student Profile and ParentConnection as the default. Turning this option Off will make comments unavailable from Student Profile or ParentConnection unless the assignment’s “Share Comment” box is specifically checked.

8. Sort Assignments descending by due date Assignments display in the Spreadsheet, Edit by Student, and Edit by Task tabs arranged by date. With this preference turned On, the most recent assignment is displayed first. When this preference is Off, the earliest assignment is displayed first.

9. When launching Gradebook, default selected term to This option determines what term to default to when Gradebook is launched from the Launch Pad. It defaults to Current Term, but any term available in the drop-down menu can be selected as the default.

D. Click the Submit button at the bottom to post your changes (or Reset to cancel and start over).

SETUP STEP 2: SET CLASS OPTIONS The teacher has choices as to how scores will be displayed, entered, and calculated in a class. (If necessary, select a target Track and Term (or Dates). A. Click the Gradebook Setup tab. The screen will change.

B Select the Class Options radio button from the Class Setup section. C Select a class from the

Class drop-down menu. This menu appears after the Class Options radio button is selected.

The Class Options for the selected class are displayed.



D. Use the radio buttons to make the following selections:

1. Assignment Results Displayed and Entered As Determine if grades will be calculated by points or letter grades. If you decide to use grade values then Zangle will calculate scores based upon the midpoint percentage value between the letter grade assigned and the next highest letter grade. For example, let us say that a teacher has specified a grading scale such that an A = 90%; a B = 80%; and a C = 70%. If a student received a ‘B’ on an assignment then for the purpose of calculating the grade-to-date and percentage-to date, GradeBook will use an 85% (midway between an 80% and a 90%) for that assignment.

2. Calculate Student Grades Using Categories and Tasks will be assigned ‘weights’, which will determine their relative effect on the final grade. When grades are calculated, the scores earned, points possible, and weight values all come into play. There are two methods to calculate the grades. Points Calculation Method – where tasks and categories are assigned a weight value. A task weighting of 2 doubles the potential point value of that particular task. Percentage Calculation Method – where tasks and categories are assigned a weight value relative to the others as a whole. A task weighting of 2, where the sum of all weights is 8, means that the task will count as 25% of the final grade for the specific category.

3. Missing Assignment Scores Click Count as Zero in Grade Calculations to give a value of zero (0) to missing assignment scores. Click Are Not Counted in Grade Calculations exclude missing assignment scores from the student's grade-to-date calculations.

4. Assignment Publishing (Student Profile, ParentConnection) Use these option sets to determine, on a class-by-class basis, what GradeBook Assignment information will be published in the Student Profile and ParentConnection applications. (This does not affect data viewable in the GradeBook application itself.) There are three pieces of information that can be published:

a. Assignment Information Information about a particular student’s assignment, including score and any teacher comments.

b. Calculated Gradebook Mark This option determines whether to publish the student’s letter grade (based on student assignment scores and the calculation method option set above).

c. Assignment Class Average The average of all students scores for a particular assignment, in that student’s class.

SETUP STEP 3 - SET CLASS GRADING SCALE Grading scales are used for all grade calculations and must be defined for all course sections where a mark will be given. The district grading scale is A, B, C, D, and F. The grading scale defines the minimum cumulative percentage score needed for each mark in the mark set. Since letter grades are used to score tasks, the grading scale determines the equivalent numerical score for the letter grade earned. Different grading scales can be defined for each course section. Existing grading scales can be copied from one course section to another.

Setting up a grading scale for the first time You will need to set a grading scale for each class the first time you use GradeBook. Follow steps A-H below.


A Click the Gradebook Setup tab.

C Select a class from the drop-down menu.

B Select the Class Grading Scale radio button

D Click Add/Edit Class Grade Scale.

You will see the message No Grading Scale Configured for the selected course.

The Mark Set menu appears underneath your class selection.

E Select Scholarship Marks.

There will also be a brief message explaining the process of defining a Grading Scale.

G Once you’ve entered minimum percentages and confirmed which classes to apply the scale to, click Submit.

Unless your school has received permission to use the “P” mark, do not use it.

You do not have to enter a value for I.

F

Check the box next to each section for which you want this grading scale to apply. You can select more than one section.

Do not enter a value for NC, NG, or WF* (The district may eliminate the "WF" mark altogether).

Enter the minimum percentage value for each mark in the Minimum Percent field. At least one value must be zero.

Once Gradebook updates it’s records to include your new grading scale, an “Updates Complete” confirmation window pops up over the new grading scale.

H Click the OK button.


SETUP STEP 4: DEFINE CATEGORIES Assignment Categories are defined for the purpose of grouping related tasks. Each Category is assigned a weight value, which may affect the grade calculations. For example, the Exam Category could be set to count twice as much than the other Categories. The default weight value is 1 for all categories, which gives them equal relative weight. At least one Category must be defined for a class before Assignments can be defined. Follow steps A-I below to define assignment categories for your classes.

Select the Assignment Categories radio button in the Setup Items button group.

B

Choose a class from the Class Selection drop-down menu.

C

If no categories have been created for the selected class, a “No Assignment Categories” message will appear.

Click the Add Assignment Category link.

D

A Select the Gradebook Setup tab.


The Category Description and Extra Credit Category Description panes appear.

F Select a weight value from the Category Weight field.

E Enter the name of each category in the Category Description field.

H Once you’re satisfied with your categories, click Submit.

G Check the box next to each section for which you would like these categories to apply. You can select more than one section.

There is an optional Extra Credit Category. Assignments in this category will be entirely extra credit.

Tips for Defining Categories and Weights • The weight field for each category gives scores from specific categories more value than others.

For instance, if the Homework weight is set to 4 and the Test weight is 2, then all the assignments in the Homework category will be worth twice as much as the combined score from assignments in the Tests category. Category weights default to 1, so all categories initially have equal weight. Many district teachers prefer to employ a “Weight by Points” method, where all category weights remain at 1, and assignments are given more weight by having more points possible. Other teachers are more comfortable with category weighting, and employ a “Weight by Percentage” mechanism, where categories are weighted and the sum of all the category weights equals 100.

• If an Extra Credit category is defined, a Limit to the percentage that can be added to the total grade must be included (the default is 1%, but a more common weight would be 5% or 10%).


SETUP STEP 5: ADD ASSIGNMENTS Assignments are classroom tasks for which students will receive scores. These are the core building blocks of a GradeBook. All Assignments are grouped in the Assignment Categories described above. When you create Assignments, they may be applied or copied to other course sections. Follow steps A-I below to Add Assignments to your sections.

Click on the Assignments radio button.

B

Select a class section from the Class drop-down menu.

C

D Click on the Add Assignments link.


The Add Assignments and Apply Added Assignments To: panes will appear.

E Place a check in the Apply To box for each section that the assignment will be used for.


F. Fill in the fields for each assignment as follows:

1. Enter the Due Date for the assignment. 2. Select the appropriate Category from the drop-down menu. 3. Enter a Description for the assignment. 4. Enter a Short Description for the assignment. The short description will be used in various

reports. 5. Enter the maximum Points Possible for the assignment. 6. Enter a weight for the task in the Task Wt. field. A task with the weight of 2 will be worth

twice the amount of a another task in this category with the weight of 1. 7. Enter additional details for the assignment in the Assignment Details field. 8. Check any of the boxes for the assignment that apply:

• Extra Credit: score this assignment as extra credit. The points awarded to a student will be added to that student’s overall score, but the points possible for the assignment will not be added to the Total Points possible for all assignments.

• Not Graded: check this box if you don’t wish scores for this assignment to be included in the calculated grade. Teachers often check this box temporarily for assignments that have been turned in but not yet graded.

• Hidden: assignments marked as Hidden will not show up in Student Profile, Student Connection or Parent Connection.

• Final Exam: check this box if the assignment counts as a final exam. At the end of a reporting period, you’ll have the option of having gradebook calculate Grades using all assignments, or only assignments checked as Final Exams.

G. Once you’re satisfied with the assignments you’ve created, Click Submit. The assignments you’ve added are updated in Gradebook for the selected class sections, and are displayed with an additional column at the left.



Click the Printer icon for a hard-copy printout of the assignments.

Click the Delete button to delete an assignment.

Each time you click the Add Assignments link, Gradebook provides room for adding up to 6 assignments; to add more, click the Add Assignments link again after submitting.

SETUP STEP 6: DEFINE ASSIGNMENT SCORING OPTIONS (Definition and use of Scoring Options is optional.) Assignment Scoring Options provide a consistent mechanism for GradeBook to score assignments that require recalculations due to certain circumstances. For example, a Scoring Option could be used to exempt a student from an Assignment without a penalty, or to deduct a fixed percentage from the recorded score when an assignment is turned in late. These options can be applied to a score by selecting the name of the option in the Count As field, when scoring assignments via the Edit by Student and Edit by Task tabs. To define Scoring Options, perform steps A-H below.



Click on the Scoring Options radio button.

B


C

D Click on the Add Assignment Scoring Options link.

The Assignment Scoring Options and Apply Added Scoring Options To: panes appear.

Select one of the available options from the Description drop-down menu.

E

F Choose between Scoring as a Percentage of the entered value or Ignoring the assignment. G

H Click Submit.

Check the class sections these Scoring Options should apply to.

If desired, assign a Color to the option.

Our district has implemented 5 Scoring Options that you can use when scoring student assignments:

• Comment Only • Count As Zero • Excused from Task • Full Credit • Late Submission

For each Scoring Option you define, you will either enter a percent value in the Score Value % of Entered Value field, or check the Ignore Assignment checkbox. Assigning a percent value means that Gradebook will calculate the assignment as a percentage of the score you awarded for the assignment. Checking Ignore Assignment means that the task score should be ignored when calculating the final grade. In the example shown, tasks marked as Excused from task will NOT be calculated into the student’s final score, and tasks marked Late Submission will automatically receive a 25% reduction in score. When you are finished, click Submit. The results will be displayed in the Assignment Scoring Options pane.

Tips for Setting Scoring Options You’ll use a percentage of the entered score for assignments that were handed in late (in the example above, gradebook will calculate the score as 75% of the point value entered), or if they should be marked as 0. Ignore Assignment makes sense for an option such as Excused from Task or Comment Only. Specify a color for a scoring option as a means of quickly identifying assignments of that option.


STEP 7: COPYING SETUP DATA FROM OTHER CLASSES The GradeBook copy capabilities will save you time when setting up classes. Copy Class Setup allows you to copy the following Gradebook Setup items:

• Class Options • Grading Scale • Assignment Categories • Scoring Options

(To copy assignments from one class to another, see the Copy Assignments Section that follows.) The copy function is designed to be used for initial GradeBook setup only. You will not be able to copy certain setup elements after scores have been entered in the class. You will need to erase these items in the class you are copying to first. To copy setup data from one class to others, follow steps A-G below.

B Click on the Copy Class Setup radio button.

Select an Item to Copy from the drop-down menu.

C


Once an Item to Copy is selected, the Copy From drop-down menu appears.


D Select a Class Section to copy the item From.

Only classes with the selected item defined are listed in the drop-down menu.

Once a class section is selected to copy from, the Copy Item appears (in this example, the Assignment Scoring Options), and a list of potential class sections to copy to.


G Finally, click the Copy button. F Check the boxes of class sections

to copy this Setup Item to.

Tips for Copying Scoring Options Only one Setup Item can be copied at a time; repeat steps C-G above to copy other Setup Items. The above example displayed a Copy pane for Assignment Scoring Options; following are example screen shots of copy panes for Class Options, Grading Scale, and Assignment Catogories.

Sample Copy List from Class Grading Scale

Sample copy list from Class Options

Sample copy list for Assignment Categories

Copy restrictions for Categories The copy function is used for initial setup purposes only. GradeBook does not allow the copying of Categories to a class that already has Categories defined. In order to do this you must first remove all existing Categories from the target class. Caution: Deleting a Category will also remove the student scores related to that Category. (Individual Categories can be added through the Setup/Assignment Categories page of the application.)


STEP 8: COPYING ASSIGNMENT DATA FROM OTHER CLASSES GradeBook also allows you to copy assignments from one class section to others. The main restriction on the copy process is that the class section you’re copying TO must have the same Assignment Categories as the class you’ll be copying FROM. To copy assignments from one class to others, follow steps A-E below.

B Click on the Copy Assignments radio button.

Select an Class Section to Copy From from the drop-down menu.

C

A Click the Gradebook Setup tab. The list of assignments for that class appears.

Gradebook defaults to copy all assignments. Uncheck any assignments you don’t wish to be copied.

E Click the Copy button.

D Check the boxes of class sections to copy the assignments to.



Due Dates for Copied Assignments When copied, Gradebook will attempt to calculate a Due Date for assignments based on the following:

• If copied from the current school year, Gradebook determines the number of days from the start of the term of the class you’re copying from until the assignment due date, and uses that number and the start of the term of the class you’re copying to in order to calculate the new due date.

• When you copy assignments from a class in a previous school year, Gradebook uses the number of days from the start of the school year of the class you’re copying from until the due date, and uses that number and the start of the school year of the new class to determine the new due date.

In both cases, the new Due Date is checked to confirm that it falls within the term of the new class. If it does, Gradebook updates it’s records with the copied assignment. If not, the due date is changed to be the last day of the term of the new class.


Part III: Using GradeBook

Viewing a Student Roster

The Roster tab in GradeBook enables quick access to some key GradeBook data for a selected class. This is read-only data derived from the district database and GradeBook scores entered in other tabs.


A Select a Semester from the Term drop-down menu.

B Select a class section from the Class drop-down menu.

Use the text field or calendar icon to select a date range of enrolled students to view. By default, today is selected.

C Click on the Roster tab.

A Roster of students enrolled in the selected class appears.

You can control whether Points and Points Possible display via Teacher Preferences in the Gradebook Setup tab.

Click on the printer icon for a hardcopy print-out of the Class Roster.

Click on a View icon for the Student’s Photograph, Attendance History, and Contact Information, respectively. Click on a student’s name to

bring up Student Profile in a new window.


Entering Scores

OVERVIEW There are three available modes for entering or editing scores in the GradeBook: the Spreadsheet tab, (if an option is turned on in Gradebook Setup), the Edit by Student tab, and the Edit by Task tab. In the Spreadsheet tab, a grid display with rows of students and columns of assignments. Cells in each Assignment column contain student scores for that assignment. With Gradebook properly configured, each cell is editable. The Edit by Student tab selects one student in the selected section and presents scoring fields for all tasks assigned in that class. In Edit by Task, one assignment is select for the selected class, and scoring fields for each student in the class are available for editing. For all three tabs, the Submit button must be clicked for scores to be saved and recorded.

THE SPREADSHEET TAB The Spreadsheet tab allows you to quickly locate student scores and other GradeBook information for the selected class. Spreadsheet includes a class roster, the grade-to-date and percentage-to-date for each student, a list of assignments, and scores earned for each assignment. It also includes links to jump to the Edit by Student and Edit by Task tabs for any student or assignment in the spreadsheet. Spreadsheet defaults to listing scores as read-only, but you can turn on an option in the Teacher Preferences area of the Gradebook Setup tab that allows for rapid entry of scores within Spreadsheet itself. To open a Spreadsheet for one of your classes, follow steps A-D below. C Click on the

Spreadsheet tab.

Use the text field or calendar icon to select a date range of enrolled students to view. By default, today is selected.




A Spreadsheet for the selected class appears under the tab.

Each cell contains the student’s score for the assignment shown at the top of the column.

If Teacher Preferences are configured for it, the current score is in a box, which means you can change it here.

Click the right-pointing arrow icon of any student to enter the Edit by Student tab for that student.

If you change any student scores, make sure to click the Submit button.

D

Filter assignments using the Show drop-down menu.

Click the downward-pointing arrow icon under any assignment to enter Edit by Task for that assignment.

Each row contains student name, grade-to-date, percentage-to-date, and Points & Points Possible (if configured for it in Teacher Preferences).


THE EDIT BY STUDENT TAB Follow steps A-F below to edit student assignment scores on a student-by-student basis.

Click on the Edit by Student tab. C

Once a term, class section, and the Edit by Student Tab are selected, a scrollable list of of available students displays. Click on any student.

D

All Assignments is the default.

Filter Assignments in the scoring grid by Category (such as Tests, Quizzes, or Homework) via the Show drop-down menu.



Once you select a student, grade information and current assignment scores for that student appear on the right.


Click on the paper icon to bring up a window showing the student’s attendance history.

Edit assignment grades for the selected student here. Points Possible are listed at the left.

The Count As drop-down menu contains the Scoring Options you defined in Gradebook Setup.

Check these boxes to share comments on this assignment or drop this assignment’s score from the student’s grade calculation, respectively.

E

When you’re done editing this student’s assignment scores, click Submit.

Click on the assignment to bring up a window showing a summary of the assignment information (take a look at the example below).

The selected student’s name, student ID, current grade, percentage-to-date, and points are displayed at the top.

F

In the example above, Kelsey (the student selected from the Available Students list at the left, • Scored 10 out of 10 on Homework 1, • 17 of 20 on Quiz 1, • Turned Homework 2 in two days late, and so will have her 9 points reduced by 25% (see the

Scoring Options example above), and • Scored 39 out of 40 on the first exam, which warranted a comment that can be seen in

Student Profile and ParentConnection. Using the Count As field is optional and will only appear if you configured it by defining Scoring Options in the Gradebook Setup area.

Example of the Assignment Summary pop-up window.


THE EDIT BY TASK TAB Follow steps A-G below to edit student scores on an assignment-by-assignment basis.

Click on the Edit By Task tab. C

Once a term, class section, and the Edit By Task Tab are selected, a scrollable list of of available assignments displays. Click on any assignment.

D

Filter Assignments displayed in the Available Assignments list below by Category (such as Tests, Quizzes, or Homework) via the Show drop-down menu.

All Assignments is the default.

IMPORTANT: You can add assignments from the Edit by Task tab by clicking this button, rather than drilling into Gradebook Setup and accessing Add/Edit Assignments.



Once you select an available assignment, specific assignment information and a list of students and their scores on the assignment appear on the right.


Edit each student’s score, Scoring Option (if any), comment, and Share Comment & Drop Score check boxes for the selected assignment.

E

Once you’ve finished scoring students for this assignment, press this Submit button

F If you make changes to the Assignment Information, press this Submit button.

G

An Assignment Information area at the top shows specifics for the selected assignment. Each field (except Category) is editable.

Using the Count As menu is optional (You must first define Scoring Options in the Gradebook Setup section).

Both the Score and Count As columns include Fill Value fields; an editable area with a button to the right. You can input a score in the Score field (or select a Scoring Option from the Fill Value field’s Count As drop-down menu), and then click the downward-pointing arrow button to fill each students score (or Count As field) with the input value.



Creating Reports

Gradebook provides access to Zangle Reports. Zangle Reports includes a number of TeacherConnection-related reports, as well as 5 Gradebook reports, and 1 Gradebook form in PDF format. In addition, Zangle Reports includes a Task Summary Spreadsheet that can be generated as a PDF report, or exported in Microsoft Excel format for further statistical analysis. In order to view these reports, you’ll need to have an Adobe-Reader plug-in installed in your browser, or Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer.

REPORT TYPES The following reports are available:

Class Summary Report This report prints a class roster showing the cumulative grades-to-date and percentages to date for each student in the section.

Student Progress Report This report prints a single page for each student in a class. Task scores are shown in a report card format. Optional Attendance data can be printed.

Task Summary Report This report prints a roster of student grades-to-date for a selected Task. Before running this report, make sure your Term or date range is set to include the Tasks you want to be reported. If no custom date range is defined, all Tasks in the selected Term will be reported.

Task Summary Spreadsheet This report prints numeric score values or letter grade values (depending on setup) for all tasks in a class or for a selected Category of tasks. The score values for each student are displayed in columns in ascending chronological order. The points possible for each task is displayed in the column header. Task reference numbers are used instead of short descriptions in the column headers. An accompanying legend that shows the Task descriptions associated with the reference numbers. You may choose to either generate the PDF report, or export the data as a .xls file for statistical analysis in Microsoft Excel.

Missing Scores Report This report produces a roster of students in the currently selected section who have assignments with missing scores (no score entered after the due date). This report will ignore assignments whose due dates are outside the enrollment dates of the student.

Task Score Collection Form This is a template used for manually collecting grades when a computer terminal is not available. This report prints a roster of students for the currently selected class with blank spaces for entering scores and comments.

Assignment Listing Report This report lists assignments created for the class, in chronological order by due date, or by category. All assignment information, including descriptions, is included.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR GENERATING & PRINTING REPORTS You can access Zangle Reports from the Launch Pad or from the Gradebook Connections icons at the top right of the window. Follow steps A-G below.

A Access Zangle Reports from either the

Launch Pad or the the Connection Icons at the top right of the window.

Zangle Reports opens in a new window.

B Expand Gradebook Reports by clicking the plus sign to the left.


The plus sign next to Gradebook becomes a minus, and the list of the 7 Gradebook Reports drops down.

C Select any of the available Gradebook Reports. See the Report descriptions above for more information.

The Task Summary Spreadsheet can be exported to Microsoft Excel.

Once a Report is selected, the Term drop-down menu appears to the right.

E Next, choose a Class from the drop-down.

D Select a Term from the drop-down menu.

Once a term and class are specified, controls will display below allowing you to tailor how the report displays. These controls are report-specific. An example for the Class Summary Report are shown below.


Use the reporting options to determine which students to include, what information to display, and how to sort the generated report.

F Once you’ve set the report generation options to your preferences, press the Create Report button.

After a few moments a pdf version of the report will display in a new browser window (if you have the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in installed).

G Print and/or save the report.


Submitting Marks

OVERVIEW GradeBook can post your final grades to the Zangle student information system for use in official progress reports and semester report cards. Posting marks is typically done at the end of a Mark Reporting period. The results of posting marks to the report card table are not immediately permanent. After posting, you can view and edit your information using the Edit Marks tab. At this time you can make necessary changes to the academic mark, add citizenship marks and add comments. You can edit your marks in both TeacherConnection and GradeBook; Gradebook’s Edit Marks tab is exactly the same as the Marks tab in TeacherConnection. You can post and edit marks multiple times during the mark reporting period. You cannot post or edit marks after the mark reporting window is closed by your Site Tech or Registrar. This section of the handbook will describe how to post the final marks from your GradeBook using the Post Marks tab, then individually edit the marks using the Edit Marks tab.

CALCULATING & POSTING FINAL MARKS Your Site Tech or Registrar will notify the staff when they have opened the window for posting marks. Verify that you have entered available task scores before posting your final marks. Follow step A-K below to calculate and post your class marks for the reporting period.

Click on the Calc/Post Marks tab.

Of these 3 radio buttons, you’ll only use the 1st one, Drop Scores, and the last one, Post Gradebook Marks. Post Calculated Marks is not used.

D

Dropping lowest scores is optional, but if you wish to drop scores, it must be done before posting marks.

C


B A Select a Semester from the Term drop-down menu.



Select the number of low scores to drop for a category.

E

H When you’ve selected the lowest scores to be dropped, click Process.

Read this note concerning how processing works on dropped scores and posting marks.

F Decide whether ties for lowest should work FOR the student (greatest impact) or not (least impact).

I Click the Post Gradebook Marks radio button.

G Select which classes these drops should be applied to.

The Marks for the selected class are appear below, along with radio buttons for determining calculation methods.

Tip: If a student’s mark for the period seems significantly off, go to the Edit By Student tab, and scan through that student’s assignments to see if any anything is missing.

K Once you’ve verified student marks for the reporting period, press the Post to Report Card button.

J Leave the calculation method on the default, Calculate Grade From All Available Tasks.

A confirmation window will appear. Click OK.


MAKING NECESSARY CORRECTIONS/ADDING CITIZENSHIP MARKS Before printing report cards or posting marks to transcripts, posted report card marks can be reviewed and edited in the Edit Marks tab of GradeBook. In addition, Citizenship marks or other marks defined for collection for the selected term and pre-defined Report Card Comments can be added here for each students in the roster. Marks must be posted via the Calc/Post Marks tab before they can be edited using the Edit Marks tab. Follow steps A-G below to Edit Scholarship Marks and add Citizenship Marks and comments.

D Select the Reporting Period from the drop-down menu.

C Click on the Edit Marks tab.



The class list appears below, with posted scholarship marks.


IMPORTANT: Before editing comments, make sure to engage the CAPS LOCK key. Comments input in lower case will cause an Invalid entry window to pop up.

For information on available Scholarship and Citizenship marks, and the meaning of each comment code, click the Legend button. G When you’ve finished editing

scholarship marks and adding citizenship marks and comments, press the Submit button.

E Edit the posted Scholarship Marks, if necessary.

F Add Citizenship Marks, and up to 4 comments per student.

Once you click Submit, an Updates Complete confirmation window will appear.


Click the OK button.

As a reference, we’re including the Marks Legend window that appears when the Legend button is pressed.


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