Grading Systems

Grading systems

ClassCheck offers more than 10 grading systems — from plus/minus for daily classwork to points for class tests. You can pick a different system per column and combine them all in one table.

Overview

You can pick a different system per column and combine them all in one table. For the overall grade, ClassCheck converts every value to a percentage internally (details: Grade conversion).

Discrete grading systems

These systems use fixed values that you enter with a key press:

System	Values	Entry	Use
+/~/−	Plus, tilde, minus	Keys `+`, `~`, `-`	Classwork, homework
*/+/./−	Star, plus, dot, minus	Keys `*`, `+`, `.`, `-`	More differentiated classwork
Grades 1–5	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	Number keys	Tests, class tests
Grades 1–6	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6	Number keys	Tests, class tests
A–F	A, B, C, D, E, F	Letter keys	International

Cycling a value: Pressing the same key again clears the entry. That is how you correct or remove a grade quickly.

Excused: The e key sets the entry to “excused”. Excused entries are left out of the average in every system.

Numeric systems

Percent (0–100)

Type the number on the keyboard — the value is saved at once. Useful for percentage scores such as vocabulary tests or reading comprehension.

Points

When you create the column you set the maximum score (for example 20, 50, or 100). ClassCheck then shows:

Half points and other tenths are typed with a comma or a dot, for example 3.5 out of 10. A second decimal place is not accepted. Plus and minus move in steps of 0.5.

More points than the maximum are allowed, for example 53 out of 50. In the conversion the value stays at 100%.

The maximum in the column header (for example /20)
A color based on the percentage reached:

Percent	Color
≥ 80%	Green
≥ 60%	Yellow
≥ 40%	Orange
< 40%	Red

Special systems

Important: These systems are mainly for records and organization, and by default they do not count toward the grade average. Two exceptions: Incidents can optionally count toward the grade. Successes count in the chosen category, as long as the column is not excluded from the overall grade.

System	Values	Use
Yes/No	✓ / ✗	Hand-ins, tasks done
Counter	0, 1, 2, 3, …	A simple tally (for example missed lessons, late arrivals) — only a number, no date
Incidents	List (date + category + comment)	Individual dated incidents (for example laptop, homework, or reader forgotten) — optionally grade-relevant
Successes	List, each entry a grade value	Positive achievements (for example vocabulary champion). Each success counts in a category
Attendance	✓, ✗, V, K, E	Attendance check

Tip: For Yes/No and Attendance you can set the check mark (✓) with J and the cross (✗) with N.

Incidents — in detail

The Incidents column type is for things like “forgot the laptop”, “homework not done”, or “reader not with them”. Unlike the simple counter (which stores only a total), each entry records when and why something was missed:

Date (today by default) — so in a parent meeting it is clear when each incident was.
Category per entry (for example laptop, homework, reader) — free text, with suggestions from categories you have already used.
Comment (optional) — for example “forgot the notebook”.

How to use it: The incidents column is pinned on the left and highlighted. The cell shows the number of incidents; a click opens the list, where you can add or delete incidents.

Optionally grade-relevant: By default, incidents do not count toward the grade (records only). When you create the column you can turn on “Count toward the classwork grade” and set a value per incident in percent (for example 25% like a minus, or 0% for stricter). Each incident then counts as a single grade value in classwork — students with no incident are left unchanged.

Parent PDF: In the grade report, incidents appear only for the students concerned — with date, category, and comment. Anyone who missed nothing does not see the column in the PDF at all.

Incidents or counter? Use Incidents when you need a date and a reason for each event (for example for parent meetings). Use the simple counter when a total with no detail is enough. For a positive achievement that should count, use Successes.

Successes — in detail

The success column is the counterpart to incidents: a running list of positive achievements. A typical case is vocabulary champion. Whoever wins gets a success. You do not create a new column every lesson for that.

Creating it: In the “Custom column” dialog, click Add success column. Several success columns per subject are possible, for example vocabulary champion and stars. Incidents still have their own column, which you create separately. An existing counter is not converted. The new column counts from the moment you create it; old tally marks stay on the counter.

Required fields are name, category (for example classwork or written work), and the value per success.

Value: You enter a symbol (default *) and how many percent it counts (default 100). The symbol appears in the column header; the percentage goes into the grade. Higher than 100 is not allowed. The header shows, for example, “at 100% · *”. A later change applies at once to every success already counted in this column.

How to use it: The cell shows only the count. With no success it stays empty. A click in the cell shows plus and minus, as in the other columns. Plus raises the counter by 1 and stores today’s date. Minus removes the latest success. A click on the number opens the list. There you change the date and comment, or delete a single entry. The column is green and is not pinned.

Grade: Each success counts as its own grade in the chosen category, at the percentage you set. Three successes at 100% in classwork weigh as much as three classwork columns with a plus. Ten successes and four ordinary classwork columns are fourteen values. The successes are then ten of them. The category keeps its own weight, for example classwork 25% of the subject. There is no cap and no reduced value per entry. Students with no success are left unchanged by this column. The neutral value for empty classwork columns does not apply here. “Exclude from the overall grade” turns the column off. The category is still required.

Parent PDF and statistics: In the grade report, the success column appears for the students concerned in the list of grades, as count times symbol (for example 3 × *). Under that, the individual successes are listed under the heading Successes, with date, column name, and comment. They are not listed under Incidents. Anyone with no success does not see the column. In the class statistics the column is a count, with the sentence “each entry = X%”. It does not form a second category average. The table average includes the successes.

Custom grading systems

In Settings you can define your own grading scales:

Set your own values (for example “Very good”, “Good”, “Satisfactory”)
Adjust colors and order
Available as the grading system in any column

Configure in Settings

Which system for which purpose?

Example: Ms Meier teaches German in class 3B. For daily classwork she uses +/~/−, for dictations grades 1–5, and for presentations points (/20).

She then has different columns with different systems, all of which feed into the weighted average. She also has a Yes/No column for homework hand-in — it does not count toward the average, but it is recorded.