Grading Schemes

In this article:

Select which of the two Grading Schemes you would like to use for your course. The grading scheme selected will designate how grades are presented to your student.

Grade Percentage: Graded activities receive a grade based on the number of points earned on an assignment or quiz. The points are calculated into a percentage. The final course grade is the course average based on the percent earned for the course.

Mastery Points: Graded activities receive a number based on the pre-defined Mastery Points in the course Grading Scheme.

Grade Percentages

Use a Grade Percentage Scheme if this course is included in your student's high school transcripts or if a core class is included in your student's GPA. Your student's final grade percentage is connected to the number of credits they earn for taking the course.

• The course is included in a student's high school GPA.

• Students earn course credits for completing the course.

• The course is a core class for middle school or high school students.

The number of Course Credits must be entered into the Course Settings for students to earn course credits.

Mastery Points

Skill Mastery is an easy method to keep track of young student's growth in skills and knowledge.

Pass / Fail

If this is an elective course and is not included in a student's GPA but is still listed on transcripts and report cards, then select the Pass/Fall Scheme. Pas /Fail classes are not calculated into a student's GPA. You can use either the Grade Percentage or Mastery Points for a Pass/Fail class.

You have three ways to set a Grading Scheme for your course.

1. Select a Predefined Grading Scheme

2. Copy and Edit a Predefined Grading Scheme

3. Create a New Grading Scheme

Skipper's standard grading schemes are the most popular grading schemes used in schools and universities. You can select from one of Skipper's premade schemes or create your own.

Ten-Point Grade Scale

The default grading scheme in all courses is the Ten-Point Grade Scale. It is a straightforward method of assigning letter grades and grade points for a course. It is suitable for all grade levels.

Ten-Point Scale Plus/Minus

The Ten-Point Grade Scale with plus/minus is divided into three sub-ranges within each ten-point range. This grading scheme is suitable for all grade levels.

4.0 Grade Scale

The 4.0-grade scale is divided into three sub-ranges within each ten-point range. Each sub-range has a grade point value. Most colleges and high schools use this grading scheme. This grading scheme is suitable for all grade levels.

4.5-Weighted Grade Scale

Many Honor courses use the 4.5-weighted grade scale. Due to the difficulty of the course, students receive an extra .5 points to the standard 4.0-grade scale. E.g., An “A” equals 4.5 versus 4.0. This grading scheme is suitable for middle and high-school honor courses.

5.0-Weighted Grade Scale

Dual credit, advanced placement, and Int'l Baccalaureate courses use the 5.0-weighted grade scale. Due to the difficulty of the course, students receive an extra 1.0 points to the standard 4.0-grade scale. E.g., An "A" equals 5.0 versus 4.0. This grading scheme is suitable for advanced high-school-level courses.

Pass/Fail

Students can receive course credits for Pass / Fail courses without affecting their overall grade point average. No grade points are awarded for a Pass/Fail course, and the student must earn 70% or higher to pass the course. This grading scheme is suitable for all grade levels.

3-Point or 4-Point Skill Mastery

The Simple Skill Rating method indicates the frequency of skills displayed by the learner.

Standards Based Grading

The Standards-Based Grading method allows students to earn grades based on their mastery of content or skills (learning goals). This method is an alternative to assigning percentages or letter grades. The positive aspects of students focused on mastering a concept or skill versus earning a grade make this a positive grading method.

You can select which grading scheme you want to use for your course.

1. Click the View button to open a Grading Scheme.

Grading Scheme Pop-up View

Open the grading scheme to view the grading scheme details. In the Grading Scheme Pop-up, you can select the grading scheme or make a new copy of the scheme.

1. To use the Grading Scheme, navigate to the bottom of the pop-up, and click the "Use this Grading Scheme" button.
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2. Click the Copy & Edit button to create your version of this Grading Scheme.

Pro-tip: The grading scheme selected for your course will be the default grading scheme if you reuse a course or create a course template.