Edit|Calculation

The Calculation command can delete, or change the details of the calculation for the current task. Choose a calculation in the list that will be applied to the current task. You can click on the calculator icon of a task to choose this command without using the menu.

If you are setting up a simple calculation you may find the Help|Calculation Assistant command is easier to use. The table below describes the different buttons in the command.

Button	Effect
Classes	Shows a form that where you can set the classes affected by the calculation. If you do not choose this button, all classes that are currently in the markbook are part of the calculation.
Options	Shows a form that sets the way the calculation works. Not all calculations require the setting of further options.
Include	Move the task selected in the Tasks list into the Calculation applied to list. The tasks in the Calculation applied to list are the ones that are part of the calculation.
Remove	Removes the task selected from the Calculation applied to list.
Freeze	Stops the results of the calculation from being refreshed, even if the marks in the tasks used in the calculation are changed. The calculation is still associated with the task, but is shown in the grid with a blue "frozen" look. A calculation that is frozen can be made active again by choosing the Unfreeze button in the Edit|Calculation command.

 

Most calculations require the selection of tasks that are used in the calculation. To make a task part of the calculation, select the tasks in the Tasks list and click the Include button. More than one task can be selected by keeping the Ctrl key pressed while clicking on each task.

By default a calculation applies to all students in the markbook. To restrict the calculation to particular classes choose the Classes button. To remove all tasks from the Calculation Tasks list and set the calculation to No calculation, choose Clear. Clearing a calculation does not delete the task, or the results currently in the task.

To remove a task from the Calculation Tasks list, select it and click the Remove button. Some calculations require the setting of options that affect the results of the calculation. For example, when doing a weighting choose Options to show a form that allows the entry of the individual task weights. The form shown when you choose the Options button depends on the chosen calculation type. The different forms are described below.

Average highest tasks options

The Average highest tasks form allows you to specify the number of tasks to be averaged. For example, if there are 5 tasks included in the calculation, and you set the Number of tasks to average to 4, then only the 4 tasks with the highest results will be averaged. i.e. The task with the lowest result is not included.

Combine options

The Combine form gives the option of only using the rounded results when combining the selected tasks.

This option is useful when combining tasks that have numbers with figures after the decimal point. For example, if three task have the results of 50.4, 20.3, and 10 these would normally combine to give a result of 80.7. If the all tasks are set to zero decimal places the three scores are shown as 50, 20, and 10 but will combine to 81. Using this option prevents this misleading display.

If Use rounded results is checked, each result is rounded to the number of decimal places set for the task before combining the results. If this option is on, the results are rounded to the displayed number of decimal places.

Combine highest tasks options

The Combine highest tasks form allows you to specify the number of tasks to be combined. For example, if there are 5 tasks included in the calculation, and you set the Number of tasks to combine to 4, then only the 4 tasks with the highest results will be combined. i.e. The task with the lowest result is not included.

Like the Combine calculation you have the option of only using the rounded results when combining the selected tasks. If Use rounded results is checked, each result is rounded to the number of decimal places set for the task before combining the results. If this option is on, the results are rounded to the displayed number of decimal places.

Standardise options

The Standardise form changes the mean and standard deviation used when standardising the selected task. Changing the mean and standard deviation with this form only affects the one task selected.

Weight options

The Weight form changes the weighting applied to the selected tasks. Click on the weight that requires changing and enter the required numerical weight. The weights can be whole numbers or decimals. Repeat this for each task.

If you require linear weighting without any standardising choose the Linear weighting option, and click on the Save Changes button. The Linear weighting option is available only if the Calculation methods has the Linear weighting option is set to No.

Range options

The Range form changes the minimum and maximum results used when changing the range of the selected task. Changing the minimum and maximum with this form only affects the one task selected.

Linear Mapping options

The Linear Mapping form sets the values to map from and to when doing a linear mapping on the selected task. To specify a mapping there must be a map from value and a map to value. The must be a minimum of two mapping from values. The first and last map from values should be equal to the maximum and minimum student results.

If a linear mapping with only two points is required, the Range calculation has the same effect and is easier to use.

Grade Number options

The Grade Number form changes the number of students that get each grade in the selected task. If the total number of grades is less than the number of students, the surplus students all get the lowest grade.

Grade Percent options

The Grade Percent form changes the percentage of students that get each grade in the selected task. The percent should be a numeral greater than or equal to zero. Repeat this for each grade and click OK. The sum of the percentages must total 100.

Do not use % signs when entering the percentages.

Grade cut-off options

The Grade cut-off form changes the minimum result required for a student to get each grade in the selected task. To get a specific grade, a student must have a result that is greater than or equal to the cut-off for the grade.

Calculation Classes

The Calculation Classes form changes the students that are affected by a calculation. Select a class from the list that is part of the calculation. Click Add to apply the calculation the selected class. Repeat these steps for each required class.

To remove a class from the applied list, select it and click Remove. Initially a calculation is applied to all the students in a markbook. This form is only required if a calculation must be limited to a particular set of classes in the markbook.

 

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