Grading scale

Grading scale

Overview

The platform allows you to utilize and customize a variety of grading scales for your learners and students.

The grading scale indicates the minimum percentage required to earn a particular grade, with the ability to display grades as letters, numbers, or points.

This article will cover each type of grading scale in more detail.

Standard grading scales

The platform includes two default standard grading scales:
  1. Standard regular grading scale:
    1. The standard regular grading scale includes grades ranging from A+ to F, with standard associated percentages.
    2. It also includes three special remarks: Missing, incomplete, and absent.
Standard regular grading scale
  1. Standard pass/fail grading scale: 
    1. The standard pass/fail grading scale includes two grades. Percentages over 70% are considered passing, and percentages below 70% are considered failing.
    2. It also includes three special remarks: Missing, incomplete, and absent.

Types of grading scales

The platform also allows you to create new grading scales.
There are three different types of grading scales:
  1. Letters grading scale.
  2. Numbers grading scale.
  3. Points grading scale.

Letters grading scale

The letters grading scale maps percentages to grade letters. You can edit the grade letters as well as the percentages to match your business or school.

Course, Assessments, example of a letters grading scale

Numbers grading scale

The numbers grading scale maps numbers to percentages.

The numbers can be integers like "3" or decimals like "3.5", and you can map the numbers to percentages based on your business or school's standards.

Course, Assessments, example of a numbers grading scale

Points grading scale

The "Points" grading scales allow you to associate a description with each number of points.

Info
Please note that if an assessment is a quiz or has a rubric, it cannot be associated with a points grading scale, as they already have a set number of points.

Course, Assessments, example of a point grading scale

Special remarks

Each grading scale allows you to configure the percentage associated with the special grading remarks "Missing", "Incomplete", and "Absent".

  1. By default, they are all assigned 0%.

Example of editing values for special remarks

Creating a grading scale

Grading scales can be created and shared between instructors, teachers, and administrators.

Before creating a new grading scale, review the grading scales that are available on your platform.
  1. Click Resources from the main navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Select Grading scale from the Resource type drop-down menu in the Search panel.
  4. The grading scales available in the catalog will display.
    1. Click on any of the grading scale tiles to review the existing grading scales.
Resources, Catalog page filtered to display Grading scales with the Resource type drop-down menu highlighted

If you would like to create a new grading scale:
  1. Click + Add from the Resources catalog.
  2. Click Grading scale.
Add resource pop-up with Grading scale highlighted
  1. Select the type of grading scale you would like to create: Letters, Numbers, or Points.
Add grading scale type pop-up
The Add grading scale pop-up displays.
  1. Name the grading scale.
  2. Add a description for the grading scale.
  3. Choose whether or not to share the grading scale with your organization or business by selecting the appropriate library.
  4. Click Save.

Add grading scale pop-up with Library options highlighted and Organization selected
The Edit score map page displays.
  1. Edit the score map based on the type of grading scale you selected and your business or school's grading standards.
  2. Click Save.
Resources, Edit score map page

Setting a course's grading scale 

Info
Please note CYPHER for business defaults to the term course. CYPHER for academia defaults to the term class. The terms course and class are interchangeable in this article. 
To view or modify a course's grading scale:
  1. Access a course or class.
  2. Click Admin on the course/class navigation menu.
  3. Click Assessments from the fly-out menu.
  4. Scroll down to the Grading scale section.
    1. The grading scale for the course will display. 
    2. Click Select different grading scale to choose another grading scale that has already been created on your platform.
    3. Click Create new grading scale to create a new grading scale.
    4. Click Make all assessments use this grading scale if you would like to standardize all assessments in the course or class to use the same grading scale.
Course, Admin, Assessments, Grading scale section with Select different grading scale, Create new grading scale, and Make all assessments use this grading scale buttons highlighted

Assessment specific grading scales

You can also set a specific grading scale at the assessment level.

Info
Please note CYPHER for business defaults to the term assessment. CYPHER for academia defaults to the term assignment. The terms assessment and assignment are interchangeable in this article. 

New assessments

To create an assessment with a specific grading scale:
  1. Access a course or class.
  2. Click Assessments.
  3. Click + Add.
  4. Click the type of assessment of you would like to add.
  5. On the Add assessment pop-up, click the Grading scale drop-down menu and select the specific grading scale you would like to use for the assessment.
    1. By default, when you create an assessment, the grading scale is "Default", which defaults to the course's grading scale.

Add Essay assessment pop-up with the Grading scale menu active and highlighted

Existing assessments

You can also change the grading scale for existing assessments.
  1. Access a course.
  2. Click Assessments from the course navigation menu.
  3. Select an assessment.
  4. Click the Grading scale tab.
  5. Click Select different grading scale to choose another grading scale that has already been created on your platform.
  6. Click Create new grading scale to create a new grading scale.

Course, Assessments, Grading scale tab with Select different grading scale and Create new grading scale buttons highlighted



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