Weighting

A classwork grade does not count as much as a class test. With category weighting you decide how strongly each kind of assessment feeds into the overall grade. This article shows how that is set up in ClassCheck — with a full worked example.

Overview

ClassCheck calculates averages by category. Each category (for example classwork, tests, class tests) gets a percentage share of the overall grade. Inside a category, every ordinary column counts the same.

A success column is the exception: the column does not count once. Each individual success counts as its own grade in that category. Three successes weigh as much as three ordinary columns in the same category. The category keeps its weight. Details: Successes.

Grade table with the weighting shown — The table header always shows the weighting that is set — here “Classwork 30% | Test 30% | Class test 40%”.

Turn weighting on

Weighting is on for new accounts, but the overall grade shows “-” until the category weights add up to 100%. You set those weights in Settings, and only after a subject exists. Until then there is no simple average of every column.

Weighting settings with categories and percent fields — Settings → Grade weighting: one percentage per category. The total should be 100%.

Recommendation: Turn weighting on at the start of the school year. Otherwise the average can suddenly calculate differently later — that is confusing.

Calculation

The overall grade is built in two steps:

First the simple average per category is calculated (every column weighted equally).
Then the category averages are combined by their percentage shares.

Category average = Σ(values) ÷ count
Overall grade = Σ(category average × weight) ÷ Σ(weights that contributed)

A category with a weight but no grade yet is left out. The other weights are scaled to what is left. Example: classwork 40, test 40, homework 20 and the homework column is empty. The result is (classwork × 40 + test × 40) ÷ 80. Yes/No columns such as homework, and counters, have no weight field and are not a grade category. If homework should count, change that column to a grade scale and then set a weight.

Category	Category average	Weight	Contribution
Classwork	75%	40%	75% × 0.4 = 30%
Tests	82%	30%	82% × 0.3 = 24.6%
Class tests	68%	30%	68% × 0.3 = 20.4%
Overall grade		100%	75%

Full example

Student: Lisa, subject: English

6 columns in 3 categories:

Category “Classwork” (weight: 40%):

Classwork Oct: + (100%)
Classwork Nov: ~ (68%)
→ Average: (100 + 68) / 2 = 84%

Category “Tests” (weight: 30%):

Vocabulary test 1: 2 (83%)
Vocabulary test 2: 1 (100%)
→ Average: (83 + 100) / 2 = 91.5%

Category “Class tests” (weight: 30%):

Class test 1: 3 (68%)
Class test 2: 2 (83%)
→ Average: (68 + 83) / 2 = 75.5%

Overall grade: 84×0.4 + 91.5×0.3 + 75.5×0.3 = 33.6 + 27.45 + 22.65 = 83.7% → grade 2

Deductions (penalties)

Counter columns (for example “forgot materials”, “late”) can be set up as an automatic deduction:

Grade mode

Each count lowers the grade by a set amount (for example 0.2 grade points).

Percent mode

Each count subtracts percentage points from the overall average.

Details of the deduction calculation: Grade calculation

Counter columns with no deduction: If you add a counter column for information only, and you do not set a deduction, it does not affect the overall grade.