Grades as points or percentages

The gradebook displays assignment grades as either percentages or the number of points earned.

• Percentage grades are based on 100%, and the gradebook displays these grades as numbers or letters, for example 90 or A–.
• Point grades can range from 0.00 to 1000, and the gradebook displays the number of points the student earned out of the maximum number of points possible. For example, if an assignment is worth 120 points and you give a student a grade of 90, the gradebook displays the grade as 90/120.

Note: Displaying grades as points applies only to assignments. The MyLab scores all Resource exercises on a percentage basis, with 100 being the highest score.

The default is points, and you can switch between points and percentages at any time.

When creating assignments . . .

When creating an assignment, you enter the maximum number of points a student can earn for that assignment.

For assignments with multiple drafts or multiple exercises (such as skill-building assignments), you specify the maximum number of points for each draft or exercise. The MyLab then totals the draft/exercise points to determine the maximum number of points for that assignment.

When grading assignments . . .

When grading an assignment, you enter the number of points a student earned. The gradebook then displays the grade as per your specification, points or percentage.

For example, assume you created a composition assignment with two drafts. The first draft is worth 20 points and the second draft is worth 50 points. The maximum number of points a student can earn on this assignment is 70.

One student has earned 20 points on the first draft and 40 on the second. The gradebook would display the student's grade as follows:

• Points: When displaying grades as points, the gradebook would show the student's grade as 60/70.
• Percentages: When displaying grades as percentages, the gradebook would show the student's grade as 86. Or, if you are using letter grades, the grade would be B.

Why points?

Displaying grades as points is particularly useful if you want to measure student progress based on a point system. For example, you may want to require that the highest number of points students can earn for the course assignments is 5000. You would then assign point values to the assignments such that the total number of points a student could possibly earn is 5000.

You can also use points to weight assignments. A more important assignment would be worth a higher number of possible points than a less important assignment.

Tip: If you prefer percentages but also want to assign more weight to certain assignments, create a weighted column in the gradebook.

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