Teacher Message / Letter Grades
Common Message
Common messages might ask parents to call school if they have any questions. A
student message could be a reminder that a book report is due, etc. The
message can be up to 10 lines long. The common message can be included on the
individual and elementary reports if the check box on those menu selections is marked.
Teacher Note Pad
Up to 10 lines of private reminders for the teacher can be saved with this
selection. Often certain parents get reports, for example after a student misses
an assignment, fails a test, every two weeks, etc. This file is backed up when
using the Utility | Back Up Student Data menu selection.
School Letter Grades
Most school systems use the letter grades A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+,
D, D-, and F. Some systems do not use +'s and -'s. Some schools use the letter
grade of E for Effort in place of F for Failure. The last letter grade (F)
will be calculated as 0 points earned on assignments. A setting on the calculation
page allows making an F+ equivalent to 50%.
Gradebook Power allows any set of five letters of the alphabet (ABCDF) with +
and – modifiers to be used. These letters are entered in the first column. Each set
of 3 letter grades (1-3), (4-6), (7-9), and (10-12) must start with the same
letter. If your school does not use plus or minus marks, enter the same letter
for all 3 letters of the group. For example, enter the letter A for position 1,
2, and 3. The middle letter of each group must not have a plus or minus sign.
If your school does not use letter grades, enter a period to replace every
letter grade.
Supplemental and Alternate Letter Grades
The second column is used for supplemental and alternate letter grade sets. If
supplemental or alternative letter grades sets are not used, this set of edit
boxes and the
File menu | Supplemental Marks selection can be disabled by checking the box on the first page to lock out
the supplemental marks. Letter grades in this column allow a teacher to use two
different letter grade sets.
A single
supplemental letter grade is issued for the term grade. Percentages are not associated with
supplemental grades; therefore no calculations can be made. The most common set of
supplemental grades is E, O, S, N, and U with + and – modifiers (Excellent, Outstanding, Satisfactory, Needs Improvement, and
Unsatisfactory). Sometimes the + and – modifiers are not used or used with some of the letters. If a semester supplemental grade is issued, it is done with the Utility menu | Adjust Current Term
Grades selection.
Alternate letter grades are issued like regular assignment grades. Alternate
letter grades use percentages, so term, semester, and final year grades can be
calculated. Again, the most common set of supplemental grades is E, O, S, N, and
U with + and – modifiers. Others examples are SSPNU, and OSINU.
Sometimes regular letter grades are issued in some classes, and alternate
letter grades are issued in other classes for the student. The letter set for each
class is determined by the Letter Grading Scale number. If you do not set a Grading Scale when entering Class Names, the letters in Column 1 will be used.
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