Individual Student Grades Spreadsheet

Joyce Hughston, Joann Kennelly, and J. Harrell Rentz

Abstract

As students approach the end of a grading period, they are often amazed at their grade average. Likewise, teachers are often just as amazed that their students don't realize how they are doing. This activity is designed to encourage students to look at their grades early in the grading period and to project final grades based on different combinations of grades on homework, classwork, quizzes, tests, and projects.

Activities

1. The teacher records the students' grades.

At the end of one short grading period - for instance after the first test - give the students a copy of the grades that they have already earned. For some students, this activity should serve as a motivator to help them see how much more effort they need to put into their work. For others, it should help to take off the pressure once they see how well they are doing.

2. The teacher will build a spreadsheet.

The entries for the sample we use here are in the appendix. If you have never worked on a spreadsheet before, perhaps looking at the activities in this book on spreadsheets will help you to design your own based on your grading system. See the appendix for further details.

3. Have the students enter their grades into the spreadsheet in the appropriate cells. See sample below.

4. After the students have completed this, they should enter their projected grades into the empty cells to see what possible effect different combinations of homework, classwork and so on would have on their grade.

Each time a student changes a grade the spreadsheet will recalculate his/her grade.

5. Have the students explore the spreadsheet and answer the following questionnaire.

6. Have the students make a copy of the spreadsheet on which they can hand-record their grades as they earn them.

7. When they are finished, collect their questionnaires and letters and keep the letters.

8. In about a month and periodically thereafter, return their goal letters to the students so that they have a chance to see if they are meeting their goals or if their goals need some revision. This might be a good activity to write about in their journals from time to time.

Student Questionnaire:

NAME_________________________________________________________________

DIRECTIONS

Enter the grades you have earned so far into the spreadsheet. Use your spreadsheet to answer the following questions.

1) List 3 different combinations of completed homeworks, tests, quizzes, and classwork that will allow you to earn an "A" at the end of the semester. For instance, you might say that missing 4 homeworks and getting an "A'" on all of the remaining tests will get you an "A".

2) List 3 different combinations of completed homeworks, tests, quizzes, and classwork that will allow you to earn a "B" at the end of the semester.

3) List 3 different combinations of completed homeworks, tests, quizzes, and classwork that will allow you to earn a "C" at the end of the semester.

4) Which category, homework, quizzes, tests or classwork do you think has the biggest potential for affecting your grade? Explain why.

5) If you complete no homework from now until the end of this grading period and get an "A" on every test, what grade will you earn?

6) What will happen to your grade if you happen to miss every single quiz because you are tardy every day?

7) Print a copy of the spreadsheet with only the grades that you have already earned on it. Keep this sheet and record your grades as you earn them this semester. Feel free to open this spreadsheet any time and see what is happening to your grade.

8) You are going to make a "New Year's Resolution" about your grade in this class this semester. You are going to write a letter to yourself about what you would like to achieve this semester. Among the things you are to include in this letter are:

• the grade you would like to achieve;

• based on the grades you have already earned and your exploration, what you think would be the best and most realistic way to earn this grade;

• a list of the specific things you can do to make this happen (for instance, if you want to concentrate on better test scores, what can you do to make this happen - come for tutoring before the test or whatever).

Appendix

This worksheet, including the entries for the spreadsheet, is intended as a sample. You will customize the spreadsheet to reflect the variables, such as number of assignments, type of grades, and weights of various parts of the grade to meet your needs. The point is for students to become realistic about their grades.

Here is a sample of the template that was used to set up the spreadsheet.

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