Getting Familiar with Gradebook X ... 3
Parts of the Gradebook X Screen ...3
Gradebook X Menus (Macintosh OS X)...4
Gradebook X Menus (Classic Excelsior)...5
Gradebook X Icons ...6
Gradebook X “Hot Spots”...7
Gradebook X Screen Options ...8
Using Gradebook X... 9
Basic Checklist for Teachers...99 Starting the Application and Logging In ...10
Opening a Class File ...11
Defining a Subject Name ...12
Editing and Adding Categories...13
Methods of Grading...14 Defining Assignments ...15 Extra Credit...17 Entering Scores ...18 Editing Scores...19 Attendance ...20 Required Assessments ...22
Helpful Things to Know ... 23
Copying Categories and Assignments...23
Objectives Tracking...25
Seating Charts ...28
Notepad Records ...29
Discipline Records...31
Gradebook X Reports...33
End of Marking Period Procedures ... 36
Calculated Grade Overwrite...36
Removing a Calculated Grade Overwrite ...37
Accounting for Blank grade Cells ...37
Curving Grades...38
Enter Required Assessments...38
OS-X Gradebook – page 3
Period Chooser List
Getting Familiar with Gradebook X
Parts of the Gradebook X Screen
Menu Bar: provides access to all menu functions in the Gradebook X application.
Title Bar: displays the current class title for the open class file, activates class as current class file. Tool Bar: icons which are shortcuts to frequently-used menu selections.
Status Line: when a grade cell is highlighted, shows the category and description of item in the cell
Student Index Column: provides the current roster of students in the class file which may be displayed by any demographic information available.
Assessment Column Description: displays description of column displayed (hold mouse over heading for more information).
Period Chooser List: displays the list of marking periods with a checkmark by the one currently displayed. Assessment Columns: displays the scores entered for each assignment defined.
Result Column: gives the calculated results for various views: attendance, category, marking period, grading interval, or subject (hold mouse over heading for more information). Drawer (to left or right of main screen): list contents of the drawer displayed.
Result Column Assessment Columns Title Bar Menu Bar Tool Bar Student Index Column Assessment Column Description Pull-out Drawer Status Line
Gradebook X Menus (Macintosh OS X)
1. Gradebook X – view the version of Gradebook X that is running, set Preferences, Terms, and Connections, access Services, hide or quit the application
2. File – manipulate a file (open, close, save, create backup, archive), recalculate grades 3. Edit – modify data in a class file, convert blanks to zeros or Z-grades
4. View – display information (assignments, objectives, attendance) within one particular grading interval and marking period, display scores in different formats, sort class roster, change student display, customize Toolbar
5. Define – set up class file structure, objectives, student demographics, letter grade breakpoints, methods of grading, student regrades, notes, and discipline
6. Reports – print custom reports for this class file and Crystal reports from the Pinnacle database 7. Pinnacle – communicate with the Pinnacle Gradebook Server (log in and out, change Pinnacle
passwords, check class files in and out, submit class files and attendance, update class rosters, retrieve information from the server, view student schedules)
8. Window – manipulate the windows displayed, Quick Attendance, seating chart
OS-X Gradebook – page 5
Gradebook X Menus (Classic Excelsior)
1. Gradebook X – view the version of Gradebook X that is running, set Preferences, Terms, and Connections, access Services, hide or quit the application
2. File – manipulate a file (open, close, save, create backup, archive)
3. Edit – modify data in a class file, student information, notes, and discipline
4. View – display information (assignments, objectives, attendance, seating chart) within one particular grading interval and marking period, display scores in different formats, sort student roster 5. Define – set up class file structure, objectives, student demographics, letter grade breakpoints,
methods of grading
6. Utilities – convert blanks to zeros or Z-grades, Quick Attendance 7. Options – set screen display options and settings, recalculate grades
8. Reports – print custom reports for this class file and Crystal reports from the Pinnacle database 9. Pinnacle – communicate with the Pinnacle Gradebook Server (log in and out, change Pinnacle
passwords, check class files in and out, submit class files and attendance, update class rosters, retrieve information from the server, view student schedules)
10. Window – manipulate the windows displayed
Gradebook X Icons
1. Assignments – displays the assignment names as the headings for the assessment columns between the student index and the result column and assignment scores in the grade cells (OSX: View menu, Grid Mode, Assignments; Classic: View menu, Assignments or Alt+Apple+A). 2. Attendance – displays attendance dates as the headings for the assessment columns between the
student index and the result column and attendance entries for these dates in the cells (OSX: View menu, Grid Mode, Attendance; Classic: View menu, Attendance or Alt+Apple+T). 3. Required Assessments – displays the description of non-calculated entries for report cards as
the headings for the assessment columns with entries (from a pre-determined list of possible entries) in the cells (OSX: View menu, Grid Mode, Required Assessments; Classic: View menu, Required Assessments or Alt+Apple+R).
4. Quick Attendance – displays a window listing the current class roster for the current date with buttons for entering Absent, Tardy, or Present attendance codes for the selected student for the current date (OSX: Window menu, Quick Attendance; Classic: Utilities menu, Quick Attendance).
5. Customize – allows a user to display preferred icons in the Toolbar on the main screen (OSX: View menu, Customize Toolbar; Classic: Options menu, Customize Toolbar).
6. Seating Chart – displays a seating chart for this class (OSX: Window menu, Seating Chart;
Classic: View menu, Seating Chart or Ctrl+Apple+C)
7. Recalculate – recalculates all grades for the current marking period (OSX: File menu, Recalculate Grades; Classic: Options menu, Recalculate Grades)
8. Previous Subject – for Multi-Subject class files, displays the previous subject in the list of subjects in this class file.
9. Next Subject – for Multi-Subject class files, displays the next subject in the list of subjects in this class file.
OS-X Gradebook – page 7
Gradebook X “Hot Spots”
Key to “Hot Spots” shown above:
1. Heading of Result Column – change level of calculated grade displayed
2. Heading of Assignment Column – display definition of this assignment (Define menu, Edit Selected Assignment or Apple+E)
3. Student Name – double-click left mouse button – display student demographic information (OSX: Define menu, Show Students, double-click a student name; Classic: Edit menu, Show Students, double-click a student name)
4. Student Name – click right mouse button or ctrl-click – select Show Student Notes, Show Student Discipline Items, or Show Regrades – display student notepad records, discipline records, or
information about scores which were regraded (OSX: Define menu, Show Regrades or Shift+Apple+R, Show Student Notes or Shift+Apple+N, Show Student Discipline Items or Shift+Apple+X;
Classic: Edit menu, Show Regrades or Shift+Apple+R, Show Student Notes or Shift+Apple+N,
Show Student Discipline Items or Shift+Apple+X)
5. Between Student Index Column and Assessment Columns – adjust width for either column 6. Between Assessment Columns and Result Column – adjust width for either column
Gradebook X Screen Options
Toolbar – customize Toolbar – Small or Large – show icon, text, or both (OSX: View menu, Customize Toolbar; Classic: Options menu, Customize Toolbar)
Index Numbering – numbers on the left side of the student index column may be displayed or hidden from view (OSX: View menu, Number Students on Grid; Classic: Options menu, Index Numbering)
Show Student Only – hides the scores and attendance for all students except for the one student selected (OSX: View menu, Show Selected Student Only; Classic: Options menu, Show Student Only)
Show Inactive Students – displays names, scores, and attendance for students no longer active in the class, student index is grayed out (OSX: View menu, Hide Inactive Students; Classic: Options menu, Hide Inactive Students)
Secondary Method – for the selected student, the Secondary Method for calculating the grade is used (note: the Secondary Method of Grading must be defined at all levels of grading) (OSX: Define menu, Show Students, double-click on student name, check Use secondary method of grading; Classic: Edit menu, Show Students, double-click on student name, check Use secondary method of grading)
Regrade Prompt – if this option is selected, when a score is entered into a grade cell with an existing score, a window is displayed offering the choice of Cancel, Overwrite Without Comment (change score but keep no record of the change) or Regrade (change score and keep a record of the old score, the date changed, and the reason for the change) (Gradebook X menu, Preferences, General, check Display confirmation dialogue for regrades)
Easy Mode – disables certain advanced features in menus and display windows (Gradebook X menu, Preferences, General, check Use Easy Mode)
Column Descriptions – hold mouse over column headings for additional information (varies with the displayed view)
Over-Max Warning – if this option is selected, when a score is entered that is greater than the maximum value of an assignment, a window is displayed with a warning that this has occurred (Gradebook X menu,
Preferences, General, check Display warning for over-maximum grades)
Menu Indexes – if this option is selected, the lists in list windows (e.g., Define, Show Assignments) will be numbered (Gradebook X menu, Preferences, General, check Display index numbers in lists)
OS-X Gradebook – page 9
Using Gradebook X
Basic Checklist for Teachers
1. Enter the Teacher ID assigned by your school’s Administrative Student Information System. Create a password if necessary.
2. Highlight the first class file and click Open. (Access the File menu, select Open Class (Apple+O), highlight class name, and click Open.)
3. Change the Subject Name to reflect the subject being taught in this class. (Access the Define menu, select Show Subjects (Shift+Apple+B), double-click the subject to edit the name.) 4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for all class files.
5. Define Categories for each class file, if necessary. (Access the Define menu, select Show Categories (Shift+Apple+C), add or edit as necessary.)
6. As they occur, define Assignments in each class file. (Access the Define menu, select Show Assignments (Shift+Apple+A), add or edit as necessary.)
7. Enter scores or letter grades for the defined assignments. (Access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), Assignments, right-click (or ctrl-click) cell for letter entry, left double-click for numeric entry.)
8. Enter Daily Attendance. (Access the Window menu (OSX) or the Utilities menu (Classic), select Quick Attendance, or Quick Attendance toolbar icon, highlight a student’s name and click either the Absent, Tardy, or Present button.)
9. Define Assignments, enter Scores, and record Attendance as School Year progresses.
10. Before report cards are printed, enter Required Assessments. (Access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), select Show Required Assessments (Alt+Apple+R) or Required
Starting the Application and Logging In
Once the Gradebook X application is installed on your computer, you should have an alias on your desktop that looks something like this:
(You may have to first mount the volume on your network that connects to the Pinnacle system. Contact your Pinnacle Administrator for assistance.)
• Double-click on the icon to start Gradebook X. A log-in window will be displayed. Select your Connection from the drop-down list and enter your teacher ID. Your password initially will be blank, and you will be prompted to create a password which must be 6-25 characters and a combination of letters and numbers.
• The next time you log in, enter your password and indicate whether you would like to Save your password using the Keychain. (If you are using a computer that is accessible by others and not your personal machine, it is recommended that you don’t check this option.)
OS-X Gradebook – page 11
Opening a Class File
When you first log in, your list of classes will be displayed in an Open Classfile window.
• Highlight one of your classes and either double-click the name or click the Open button. You can return to this window by accessing the File menu and selecting Open Class (Apple+O).
Your list of classes is determined by the schedule in your school’s administrative system, so if you need to make any corrections, please contact the administrator of that system.
You may open as many class files as you wish. Any classes which are already open will appear grayed-out in the list and can’t be opened more than once. The class file in front is the active class file to which the menu at the top of your screen will apply.
Defining a Subject Name
The name of your class file is set when the file was generated by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Pinnacle Toolbox application. However, since the class roster was linked to a class file template for your grade level, the name of the Subject being taught in the class defaults to the name “Subject”. If you were to generate any reports from this class file, the name of the subject being assessed would be printed as “Subject”.
• To define a subject name for this school year, access the Define menu and select Show Subjects (Shift+Apple+B) to open the Subject drawer. Double-click on the name Subject to display the Define Subject window. Highlight Subject in the Name box and enter the name of the subject you are assessing for this class. Click the Save button. Repeat this for all of your class files.
OS-X Gradebook – page 13
Editing and Adding Categories
Teachers may wish to categorize assignments (e.g., homework, daily work, projects, tests, participation, etc.) and have each category grade count as a portion of the marking period grade. One category is required and is already included in the Broward County class file templates. If you don’t wish to categorize assignments, you may skip this step.
If the category weights total 100, then each weight will represent a percentage of the marking period grade. However, if the total weights are something other than 100, the weights are relative to the total, e.g., three categories each weighted 1 would each be worth 1/3 of the marking period grade. If there is no score linked to particular category, that category grade will not affect the marking period grade, and that category weight will not count as part of the total weights. Category weights must be positive whole numbers.
• Open the Categories drawer by accessing the Define menu and selecting Show Categories
(Shift+Apple+C) to display the list of existing categories. Add a new category by accessing the Define menu and selecting Add New Category (Apple+I) or click the Add button at the bottom of the
Categories drawer. To replace a category, right-click the category name and select Edit Selected Category. The category highlighted on the list will set the defaults (except for the Name) for the next category added. Otherwise, the defaults are set by the class file template used to create the class file.
• Enter the Name of the category.
• Optionally, select the Reporting Type of Numeric or Letter if this grade is to be reported to the Pinnacle database as one type only.
You are required to define a Primary method of grading, though the Secondary method of grading is optional. It allows for an alternate method for assessing certain students, such as Pass/Fail students or LD students with a different breakpoint table.
• Under Primary Method, select the Method of Grading from the drop-down list displayed (see Methods of Grading).
• Select the Letter Grade Breakpoint table from the drop-down list displayed. • Enter the relative Weight of this category. The other fields are optional.
Methods of Grading
There are four formulas included in the Gradebook X application for combining numeric grades mathematically to calculate the next higher level of grades. If necessary, more formulas may be added by a Gradebook
Manager to a class file for an individual teacher or included in class file templates for wider use.
Averaging:
Total numeric grades and divide by the number of grades
Sum of Scores / Number of Scores
(A + B + C) / 3
Example: (50% + 90% + 80%) / 3 = 73.3%
Summation:
Keep a running total of numeric scoresSum of Scores
A + B + CExample: 5 + 18 + 80 = 103
Raw Score Conversion to Percent:
Divide each score by the maximum possible to calculate a percentage score; then average those percentages togetherSum of (Percent Correct on Each Score) / Number of Scores
(A/A1 + B/B1 + C/C1) / 3Example: (5/10 + 18/20 + 80/100) / 3 = (50% + 90% + 80%) / 3 = 73.3%
Summation Percentage:
Total the numeric grades and divide by the total possible points (*** Broward County template default for category grade***)OS-X Gradebook – page 15
Defining Assignments
Assignments may be created ahead of time or as they are assigned to the students in a class. Since Assignments are stored in the Pinnacle database by their Description, all Assignment Names must be unique.
• Open the Assignments drawer by accessing the Define menu and selecting Show Assignments (Shift+Apple+A) to display the list of existing assignments. Add a new assignment by accessing the Define menu and selecting Add New Assignment (Apple+I) or click the Add button at the bottom of the Assignments drawer. If any assignments have already been defined, the one highlighted on the list will set the defaults (except for the Name) for the next assignment. Otherwise, the defaults are set by the class file template used to create the class file.
Assignments Drawer
There are four windows associated with defining an assignment.
• The first window, Value, requires that you enter a Name for the assignment, the Maximum numeric score possible, and whether you will be entering the score as a Letter grade or a Numeric grade. Optionally, you may check the box to Count this assignment as extra credit. If this box is checked, the student’s calculated category grade will be curved by the entered percentage points (see Extra Credit).
• The second window, Links, requires that you select a category for this assignment. If an assignment is not linked to a category, it will not be included in the calculation of the marking period grade. The rest of the fields in this window are optional.
• The third window, Grading, requires that you define a Primary grading method for this assignment. The Letter grade breakpoint table provides the cutoff points for the minimum numeric grade
associated with a letter grade. Select from the list of available tables in the drop-down list. The Score weight determines how much this assignment counts relative to the other assignments for this marking period. Normally, this would be set to one (1), meaning that it will count once in the calculation of the category grade. A weight of zero (0) would allow you to display a score but it will not count in the calculation of the category grade. An assignment with a score weight of two (2) will be counted as though the score were entered into the gradebook twice, though it will not be displayed twice.
The Mastery Level is the score required for this assignment to be assessed as Mastered in meeting the mastery requirements of any associated standards. This may not be required if you aren’t assessing standards or if your standard evaluation method is based on criteria other than mastery scores. The Mastery Weight should be a one (1) if this assignment is to count toward assessing any associated standards or zero (0) if it doesn’t count.
The Secondary grading method is optional, but it allows for an alternate method for assessing certain students, such as Pass/Fail students or LD students with a different breakpoint table.
• The fourth window, Objectives, is used to associate this assignment with up to 10 Standards which have been linked to this course by the Pinnacle Objectives Manager application. Just select the
appropriate standard(s) from the drop-down list provided. If Easy Mode is enabled under Gradebook X menu, Preferences, the options for these fields would be grayed-out.
OS-X Gradebook – page 17
Extra Credit
There are three ways of giving Extra Credit with different methods of calculation and different attributes. • Method 1: Enter a higher score for an assignment, even more than the maximum value. This adds extra
points to the category for this student without penalizing the other students.
• Method 2: Add an individual student curve to a calculated category grade by checking the box for Count this assignment as extra credit. This increases a student’s calculated category grade by the specified percentage points. A blank grade cell will not show up as a Missing Grade using this method.
• Method 3: Make an assignment with a maximum value of 0 so that all scores will be over 0 and yet no student will be penalized for not doing the assignment. DO NOT check the Count this assignment as extra credit box. The Method of Grading for the category must be Summation Percentage to prevent attempting division by zero. To prevent this assignment showing up on a Missing Assignments Report, fill in all blank grade cells with an X for Exempt.
Entering Scores
Shortcuts and time savers:Right mouse button Click on grade cell to choose grade for entry Double-click left mouse button Click to enter a numeric score
Return Key Use to move down a column for score entry Right arrow Key Use to move to the right for a student’s score entry Right mouse button, Duplicate Grade Down (Apple+*)
Duplicate entered score down column Right mouse button, Clear Grade Erase current score and leave the cell blank Double-click left mouse button and Delete key (Apple+Delete)
Erase the current score and leave the cell blank Click right mouse button or ctrl-click, Insert Grade (Alt+Apple+I)
Move all scores down one cell from highlighted cell, allowing a score to be inserted
Click right mouse button or ctrl-click, Remove Grade (Alt+Apple+R)
Delete current score and move scores below up one cell
X Grade Exempt grade, does not count in calculations, not a missing grade Z Grade Non-working zero, counts as a zero in calculations and a missing grade Blank Grade Does not count in calculations but is a missing grade
OS-X Gradebook – page 19
Editing Scores
If you enter a score in a grade cell that already has a score in it, as soon as you click elsewhere or press the Return key, a Regrade dialogue window will display three options.
• The first option is to Cancel the operation. This gives one level of protection against inadvertently changing an existing score.
• The second option, Overwrite Without Comment, will allow you to change the score without documenting the change. Use this option to correct mistakes or enter a new score.
• The third option is to enter a Regrade. This creates a record of which assignment score was changed, what the previous score was, the date that the score was changed, and an optional reason for the change. If you choose the Regrade option, the only information you need to enter is the reason for the change. The score will be highlighted in green to indicate there is Regrade information associated with the score. Every time an assignment score is regraded, a new record is created documenting the change. To view a history of all Regrades for a student, highlight the student’s name, access the Define menu (OSX) or the Edit menu (Classic), select Show Regrades for [the selected student] (Shift+Apple+R). Double click on the assignment in the list in the Regrades drawer to see associated information.
Attendance
As soon as teachers enter attendance data into the Gradebook X application, that data can be managed (edited, compiled, reports generated, etc.) by the school attendance secretary in the Attendance Manager application. The attendance secretary can also monitor which teachers have taken daily attendance and which haven’t.
• To take daily attendance, teachers should use the Quick Attendance utility by accessing the Utilities menu (Classic) or Window menu (OSX) and selecting Quick Attendance or click on the Quick Attendance icon in the Toolbar
• Quick Attendance provides a class roster of names of students in the class and defaults to the current date. Highlight a student’s name and click either the Absent, Tardy, or Present buttons until the proper attendance code appears.
If no one is absent or tardy, open the Quick Attendance window by clicking the Quick Attendance icon and then click OK to show daily attendance has been taken for this class but no students were absent or tardy.
OS-X Gradebook – page 21
• To view a grid of all attendance data for all students in a class, access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX) and select Attendance (Alt+Apple+T) or use the Attendance icon .
• Attendance data may be edited from this view by right-clicking on a cell and selecting an attendance code, but it will not be sent to the Pinnacle database until the class file is saved.
• A comment about an attendance day may be entered after double-clicking on the column heading for the date.
• A default positive attendance code may be entered under the Define menu, General Information, if any student not having an Absent or Tardy code needs to receive this code, such as P for Present. This code must first be defined in the Attendance Manager application.
Required Assessments
Required Assessments (or the Term set by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Pinnacle Toolbox) are special assessments which are not calculated but are assigned certain codes set by the School Administrative System, such as Report Card Comment Codes, Conduct, Citizenship, Effort, Reading Level, etc.
• To display the columns available for entering Required Assessment information, access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), and select Required Assessments (Alt+Apple+R) or click on the
Required Assessment icon .
• Right-click in the grade cell and select from one of the codes in the list of acceptable entries for the required assessment, or enter the code from your keyboard. Anything not on the list will not allowed for entry. However, if no code is linked to an assessment by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Toolbox, you may enter up to 5 characters of your choosing. For example, a test score administered in the classroom, total number of absences, a reading or math level, or next year’s grade level may be entered as a
numeric value which would be available for printing on the report card.
• To return to the main screen displaying assignment scores, access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), and select Assignments (Alt+Apple+A) or click on the Assignments icon .
OS-X Gradebook – page 23
Helpful Things to Know
Copying Categories and Assignments
At first glance, it appears that the Copy/Paste feature and the Export/Import feature do the same thing. While it is true that both features allow a user to easily duplicate definitions, they do have several differences.
Copy/Paste
When you use the Copy feature, the definition of an item (a column of scores, an assignment, a category, etc.) is put onto a user’s clipboard where it is available to be pasted elsewhere by this user until another entry is made to the clipboard. Multiple clipboards are not provided at this time.
• To use the copy feature, access the Define menu and select the type of definition you wish to copy (open the drawer). Right-click (or ctrl-clcik) on the item and select Copy (Apple+C). Go to the place you wish to paste the definition (e.g., another class file, another marking period), access the Define menu and select the type of definition you copied (open the drawer), right-click (or ctrl-click) in the drawer and select Paste (Apple+V).
• Alternately, if both drawers are open (e.g., both classes are open with the same drawers open), you may click and hold one of the definitions with the left mouse button and drag it to the other drawer. This action does not involve the clipboard so the definition is not available for pasting elsewhere.
Export/Import
An Exported file is a data file of definitions which is stored in a teacher’s Exchange folder and may be Imported from that location as long as the data file exists and is not overwritten by replacing the file with a new one with the same name.
• Open the drawer containing the item to be exported. Either right-click (ctrl-click) on the item and select Export Selected Assignment or click on the Export button at the bottom of the drawer.
• Enter a unique name for the exported item that you will recognize when you want to import it. The default location of Exchange is a folder created for the purpose of holding exported items, but you could export the file to another location if you wish. Click the Export button in the window.
• To Import an item, open the drawer where you would like to add the definition and click the Import button at the bottom of the drawer. Select the name of the item from the list displayed and click Import.
OS-X Gradebook – page 25
Objectives Tracking
Objectives (standards, outcomes, assessed skills, or whatever Term has been set by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Pinnacle Toolbox) can be assessed and tracked based on assignments which are linked to them and, depending on the parameters set by the school district, given a rating of achievement. They may also be assessed by independent evaluation and the rating of achievement may be entered directly into the gradebook for reporting purposes.
In Pinnacle Plus, objectives are defined and linked to specific course numbers in the Objectives Manager application. They are also assigned an evaluation scale by which teachers may track student progress toward mastering the objectives. This information is then distributed to the appropriate class files.
• For an updated list of objectives associated with a class, access the Pinnacle menu, select Retrieve, and then select Objectives (or the Term set by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Pinnacle Toolbox).
• To be able to link an assignment to an objective for a course, the Easy Mode option must be turned Off by accessing the Gradebook X, General menu and unchecking the box by Use Easy Mode.
• Access the Define menu and select Show Assignments (Shift+Apple+A). Either Edit an existing assignment or Add a new one. Click on the Objectives tab. Ten drop-down boxes are displayed for linking this assignment to up to ten different objectives. (Caution should be exercised in linking one assignment to more than one objective as the assessment may not be equally valid for multiple
objectives.) Select the objective(s) from the list to correlate an assignment score towards mastery of an objective.
• Select the Grading tab. Under both Primary and Secondary grading method are boxes for Mastery Level and Mastery Weight. Some of the methods for calculating the objectives assessment call for a Mastery Level to be set in the assignment definition in Gradebook X. If the calculation method is Standard, the value for Mastery Level is the score required to master the assignment. If the calculation method is Percentage, the value is the percentage score (the score entered divided by the maximum possible score) required to master the assignment. For all other objective calculation methods, this value is not used and thus needs to be set to any value other than zero.
The Mastery Weight may be set to one (1), meaning that this assignment score will count towards the
assessment of the selected objective(s), or zero (0), meaning that this assignment score will not be considered in the assessment of the objective(s).
• To view the assessment values given to students based on their assignment scores, access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX) and select Level 3 Objectives (or the Term set by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Objectives Manager application).
The assessment values based on the scores of the assignments linked to the objective will be displayed in the
Mastery Level Mastery Weight
OS-X Gradebook – page 27
• To evaluate an objective without linking it to an assignment, access the View menu and select Level 3 Objectives (or the Term set by the Pinnacle Administrator in the Objectives Manager application). Right-click (or ctrl-click) in the grade cell and enter the assessment as you would a letter grade for an assignment using the drop-down list of possible assessments.
Assessments which are entered directly for an objective assessment will be highlighted in green and assessments which are the result of the scores on linked assignments will be black.
Seating Charts
Seating charts can be very useful for entering daily attendance or printed out as a reference for a substitute teacher or a school administrator. Seating charts are displayed with student names, student pictures, or both.
• To create a Seating Chart for a class file, access the Define menu (Classic) or Window menu (OSX) and select Seating Chart (Ctrl+Apple+C) or click on the Seating Chart icon .
• Check the option to Show Grid if you want to see the grid squares in the background. • Check the option to Snap to Grid to neatly line up student seats.
• Click and hold the left mouse button, then drag each student name to their position in the seating chart. • To remove a student from the seating chart, drag their name back to the class list.
OS-X Gradebook – page 29
Notepad Records
Notepads are a convenient way of entering teacher comments for some of the progress reports which are printed from the class file or displayed over the Internet through the Pinnacle Internet Viewer application. They are also useful for keeping anecdotal information for teacher reference or historical tracking.
A set of notepad records is active for one marking period only, and, though a teacher may create as many notepad records as they like in each marking period, only the first notepad record in the list of titles will appear (by default – may be changed by editing the report format) on some student reports. A notepad record with a blank comment field may be inserted as the first one on the list if a teacher wishes to keep a note on a student but not have any comment displayed on a report.
• To create a note for a student, highlight the student’s name, access the Edit menu (Classic) or Define menu (OSX) and select Notes for [selected student] (Shift+Apple+N) to open the drawer of notepad records. Or you may right-click (or ctrl-click) on a student’s name and select Show Student Notes for [selected student]. Click the Add button at the bottom of the drawer.
• Enter a title for the notepad record which will not appear on most reports (one exception to this is the Student Grades Report in the Pinnacle Internet Viewer) but will be displayed in the list of existing notepad records for a student.
• In the Text box, enter the comment exactly as you would like for it to appear on a report and click Save.
• Once the notepad record is listed in the Student Notes drawer, it may be edited by right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) on the title and selecting Edit Selected Student Note. When you have finished making changes to the note, click Save and the new note record will replace the old one.
• You may export the note to use for another student by right-clicking on the title and selecting Export Selected Student Note or by clicking on the Export button at the bottom of the drawer. Give the notepad record a name that you will recognize and click Export. To import the note for another student, right-click (or ctrl-click) on the second student’s name and select Show Student Notes for [selected student]. Click the Import button at the bottom of the drawer, select the name of the notepad record and click Import. (Be sure to adjust the note if you used the student’s name or gender in the note.) • If you would prefer, you may also Copy the note to another student by right-clicking on the note title
and selecting Copy. To paste this note for another student, right-click (or ctrl-click) on the other
student’s name and select Show Student Notes for [selected student]. Right-click (or ctrl-click) in the Student Notes drawer and select Paste to paste the notepad record in the drawer.
OS-X Gradebook – page 31
Discipline Records
Discipline incidents may be recorded in the gradebook for teacher reference, discipline reports, and to notify school administrators through the Principal Viewer application. Discipline records are displayed by marking period, and teachers may make as many entries as necessary in each marking period.
• To create a discipline record for a student, highlight the student’s name, access the Edit menu (Classic) or Define menu (OSX), and select Show Student Discipline Items for [selected student] (Shift+Apple+X) to open the drawer of Student Discipline Items. Or you may right-click (or ctrl-click) on a student’s name and select Show Student Discipline Items for [selected student]. Click the Add button at the bottom of the drawer.
• Enter a brief description of the incident in the Incident box.
• Enter the action taken as a result of this incident in the Action Taken box.
• If you wish for this incident record to be available in the Principal Viewer as well as the Parent Conference Report which is accessible by all teachers, check the box Send notification of this incident to the principal which will record the incident in the Pinnacle database.
• Click the Save button when you are finished.
• Once the discipline incident record is listed in the Student Discipline Items drawer, it may be edited by right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) on the incident and selecting Edit Selected Student Discipline Item. When you have finished making changes to the incident, click Save and the new note record will replace the old one. However, once the record has been modified by the Principal Viewer application, you will no longer be able to modify it in the gradebook.
• You may export the incident to report it for another student by right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) on the title and selecting Export Selected Student Note or by clicking on the Export button at the bottom of the drawer. Give the discipline incident record a name that you will recognize and click Export. To import the incident for another student, right-click on the second student’s name and select Show Student Discipline Items for [selected student]. Click the Import button at the bottom of the drawer, select the name of the notepad record and click Import. (Be sure to adjust your notes if you used the student’s name or gender in the incident or action taken.)
• If you would prefer, you may also Copy the incident to another student by right-clicking (or ctrl-clicking) on the incident and selecting Copy. To paste this note for another student, right-click on the other student’s name and select Show Student Discipline Items for [selected student]. Right-click in the Student Discipline Items drawer and select Paste to paste the discipline incident record in the drawer.
Example of Gradebook Report for Student Discipline
Example of Parent Conference Report including Discipline (Incident from Teacher but not Processed by Principal Viewer)
Example of Student Detail – Quarter Report including Discipline (After Incident has been Processed by Principal Viewer)
OS-X Gradebook – page 33
Gradebook X Reports
There are three ways to access reports for viewing or printing from the Gradebook X application: access the Reports menu and select Custom Reports; access the Reports menu and select Crystal Reports, or access the Reports menu and select the report title from the list displayed.
Reports menu, Custom Reports
SchoolThe report formats included in the School folder are available for all users of Gradebook X, and are located in the Pinnacle\System\Reports folder. They are written in the Excelsior Report Editor utility and can be edited with that application in the PC version of Gradebook2 under the Utilities menu, Report Editor. Most of the reports include HTML coding for display with a Web Browser viewer.
• Access the Reports menu and select Custom Reports and School. Select a report from the list displayed.
Up to five (5) sub-folders may be used to organize the School reports. The default titles of these folders are Attend, Class, Grades, NewRpts, and Student, but these may be any title up to eight characters long, and they will be displayed in alphabetical order. The Pinnacle Administrator can manage the contents of these folders to include only those report formats which are useful to teachers at a school. If no sub-folders are defined, the list of reports will be displayed after School. Select a report from the list displayed.
The Print Dialogue window allows you to determine which students are included in a report. You may select all of the students in a class file, choose a group of students from one index number to another, or tag student names from the roster. Once you click the OK button, different options may be displayed depending on the report chosen.
Local
Report formats which have been written or modified to meet a particular teacher’s or a group of teachers’ needs can be copied into specific teachers’ Report folders and accessed through the Local option within Custom Reports. A Pinnacle Administrator or someone with Network Rights to teachers’ Report folders will need to copy the report format into the folders.
The properties of these report formats are identical to those in the School folder, but they are located in each teacher’s Pinnacle\System\Teachers\”Teacher ID”\Reports folder and will only appear for the teacher logged in with that ID.
• Access the Reports menu and select Custom Reports and Local. Select a report from the list displayed. Indicate the students for which to print the report. Click OK.
Reports menu, Crystal Reports (or Your Term**)
Report formats which have been created in the Crystal Reports application can access data within the Pinnacle database and thus, may produce reports which contain school-wide or multiple class information. Values may be calculated, filtered, sorted, or grouped in the reports, and may include a wide variety of fonts and special graphics. These report formats are located in the Pinserve\V_Rpts\GradeBk folder and may be edited with the Crystal Reports application (Professional Version 6, minimum) or by contacting
reports@excelsiorsoftware.com.
OS-X Gradebook – page 35
A slightly different Print Dialogue window allows you to determine which students are included in a report. You may select all active students in a class file, all students, active or inactive, in a class file, or tag student names from the roster (hold down the Apple key to select more than one name). Once you click the OK button, different options may be displayed depending on the report chosen.
Reports menu
The Pinnacle Administrator may copy the most commonly-used Custom Report formats into the
Pinnacle\System\Reports\Menu folder which will display them as a menu option of the Reports menu. This provides quick and easy access to reports which are produced frequently or on a regular basis by allowing a user to access the Reports menu and select the report from the list displayed.
** The Pinnacle Administrator at your school can rename certain terms used as menu options in the Gradebook X application through the Pinnacle Toolbox application. The terms available for renaming (with suggested possibilities) include: the Grade column (Assignment, Assessment), the Categories of grades (Grade Type, Group), the Marking Period (Quarter, Six Weeks, Nine Weeks, Term), the Grading Interval (Semester, Trimester, School Year), Subject Level grade (Year-long, Course), Objectives (Standards, Outcomes,
Benchmarks, Skills), Learning Trend (Power Law Curve), Required Assessment (Report Card Comment Code, Non-Academic Assessment), Standard Reports (Built-In Reports), Crystal Reports (School-Wide Reports, Database Reports), Level 3 Objective (Grade Level Proficiency, Course), Level 2 Objective (Benchmark, District), Level 1 Objective (State), Objective Header (The Student will demonstrate proficiency in, Link), and District Assessment (Pre-set Assessment, Locked Assessment). Changing these options to terms which are more familiar to the users helps to clarify their meaning and enables users to be more comfortable with using the applications.
End of Marking Period Procedures
Calculated Grade Overwrite
Even though a category, marking period, grading interval, or subject grade is calculated from the assignment scores, a teacher may override that calculation with a new numeric value or letter grade or an overwrite code, such as I, NG, P, etc. Overwritten grades are flagged and will appear on an Overwritten Grade Report in the Principal Viewer application.
Result Column with Overwritten Grades
• To overwrite a calculated grade with a new numeric value, display the grade in the Result Column by double-clicking the heading above the Result Column. Click the level of grade you want displayed. Double-click the grade in the Result Column that you would like to overwrite. Enter a new numeric value and press the Return key. A Regrade dialogue window will allow you to enter a comment about the change or you may overwrite the grade without a comment. The score will be highlighted in green to indicate it has been overwritten.
• To overwrite a calculated grade with a new letter grade or one of the Overwrite Codes set by your
Pinnacle Administrator in the Pinnacle Toolbox application (these overwrite codes must be acceptable to the school’s administrative student information system if grades are to be exported to that system), access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX) and select the level of grade you wish to overwrite.
OS-X Gradebook – page 37
Removing a Calculated Grade Overwrite
Once certain criteria are met (i.e., work is made up or excused), you may want to remove an overwritten grade or code and allow the Gradebook2 application to re-calculate the grade.
• With the overwritten grade displayed in the Result Column, you may double-click on the grade and press the delete key. When you press the return key, the calculated grade will replace the overwritten grade in the Result Column.
• Alternately, you may access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), and select the grading level of the grade. Right-click (or ctrl-click) on the grade and select Clear Grade. The overwritten grade will be replaced by the calculated grade. To return to viewing the assignment screen, click on the Assignments icon or access the View menu (Classic), Grid Mode (OSX), and select Assignments.
Accounting for Blank Grade Cells
Blank grade cells should be accounted for with a score entered, an X grade for exempt, a zero (0), or a Z grade for incomplete work. There is a utility which will change blank grade cells to zeros or Z-grades.
• Access the Edit menu (OSX) or the Utilities menu (Classic) and select either Convert Blanks to Zeros or Convert Blanks to Z-Grades. You may apply the utility to All Grades in the current marking period of this class file, just one selected student’s grades, or just the currently selected assessment column of grades. Be careful using this feature as there is no “undo” option.
Curving Grades
• To curve a category grade for an individual student, define an assignment with the Count this
assignment as extra credit box checked. Any score entered will curve that student’s category grade by that many percentage points. (See Extra Credit)
Curving a Category or a Marking Period Grade
If you would like to curve the grade for all of the students, either in a category or perhaps for the marking period grade, you can do so through the definition of that level of grade. A curve may be added to a Grading Interval or Subject Grade as well, if teacher access to those levels is not locked. However, a Gradebook Manager can access any locked items for a teacher and make the desired changes.
• Access the Define menu and select the grading level you want to curve (open the drawer). Right-click (or ctrl-click) on the item to be curved. After Curve Value:, enter the number of percentage points you would like to add to the calculated grade for all students in the class. Click Save.
If you wish to drop a certain number of high or low scores within a category, enter the number by Drop Low Assignments or Drop High Assignments. You cannot drop more than the number of assignments defined plus
OS-X Gradebook – page 39
Verification Report
Teachers can check the marking period grades of the students which are stored in the Pinnacle database before grade reporting. This report may be viewed and/or printed as verification of those grades. Schools may determine whether printing this report should be a required procedure at the end of the marking period.
• To view the Verification Report, access the Pinnacle menu and select Run Grade Verification Report. Indicate the desired marking period and whether you want to include the grading interval grade or the subject grade. You may produce a report showing only the exceptions to any parameters set by your Pinnacle Administrator (e.g., any grade above 100 or below 50 or blank) or a report showing all of the marking period grades and the required assessment codes, as well as the date of the last change to these values. If all of the values are verified, a message of Congratulations! You are now ready to report grades. will be displayed at the bottom of the report. If not, you will be asked to contact your
