Electronic Gradebook: Easy Grade Pro
By: Georgina Feher, Eliza Smith, Courtney Barnes, and Jennifer Liscomb, Elena Penuelas, Enrique Cardon, and Brooke Roddy
What is Easy Grade Pro?
Easy Grade Pro is an electronic gradebook, which can be used to store student information for all of your classes and subjects. It provides an abundance of tools to save you time, provides a wealth of information, and allows you to generate professional internet and paper reports. Easy Grade Pro is a suite of software designed for educators at all grade levels and institutions who want powerful, but easy to use tools to manage their student grades, attendance and other information. In addition, this suite consists of software for desktop and handheld computers. Easy Grade Pro is available for both Windows and Macintosh systems.
Easy Grade Pro 4.0's main view consists of six different charts: Scores, Attendance, Seating, Students, Assignments and Standards
1. Charts: Use tabs to quickly switch to different charts that display student data.
B. Classes: A single-mouse press is all that is needed to switch to any class or subject in any term.
C. Grade-clicking: To save time, you can enter student scores, rubrics and attendance by clicking on buttons.
D. Tools: Choose from dozens of different tools (i.e Fill Down) from the tool bar.
E. Filter your Data: Use filters to show just the students, assignments and scores (i.e. missing) you want to see.
F. Mini-summary: Graphs and charts automatically update as you enter data. A full summaries window is also available.
G. Set the Order and content: Drag rows and columns in to the desired order. Add columns to show points, IDs, rank and more.
H. Do things your Way: Use numbers, letters, and symbols, design your own scores and colors, add notes, and add/drop scores.
Basic Program Features
Gradebook features: A single gradebook can contain hundreds of classes or subjects in multiple terms. Each class includes charts for managing scores, attendance, seats, standards and more.
Grading features: Options are available for grade scales, categories, weighting, rounding, etc. Scores can include numbers, grades and user-defined codes and symbols.
Seating chart features: Seats can be designed using a variety of formats and colors. Classroom furniture can be added using a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Student features: Student records include many built-in fields for name, ID, gender, language, email (2), password and numerous user-defined fields (i.e. phone number, address, contact information, instrument, etc.). In addition, a class can have up to 1000 students.
Summaries and Reports: Numerous comprehensive, customizable reports are available. Reports can include data from multiple classes, subjects and teachers. Each report can be previewed onscreen. Student reports can be printed in English, Spanish and other languages.
Attendance Features: Numerous user-defined attendance codes can be set up for recording attendance, tardies, hours and more. Attendance can be taken using attendance or seating charts. It can be exported over a network.
Standards Chart Features: Up to 128 standards can be added to each class at up to three levels (i.e. standard, strand, indicator). Up to 10 standards can be linked to any assignment for scoring using built-in or user-defined rubrics. Standards can be graded using averaging, the power law formula, or manually while viewing charts and graphs portraying student performance on each standard.
Networking:
- Gradebook Documents: A gradebook can be placed on a network allowing access from any computer. A gradebook cannot be opened by multiple users simultaneously
- Application: The application is designed to be installed to each workstation
Internet Features
Email Reports: Using Easy Grade Pro's email features is easy! You can email student reports directly to students, parents, guardians and administrators without leaving Easy Grade Pro. Yes, Easy Grade Pro is an email program:
- A special email log keeps track of all of your emails so you know who you have sent emails to and when
- Using Easy Grade Pro's built-in 'browser-like' features, you can view the reports before you email them so that you know how they will appear on the receiver's computer
- Reports utilize HTML to make them attractive, highly readable and professional. Easy Grade Pro supports the most common email protocols and authentication methods allowing it to work with many of the SMTP servers already in use by teachers
HTML Website Reports: These are for individual teachers, schools, and districts that want a free way to post student reports for viewing on the internet with password security. Since these reports can be posted on your school's or district's webserver or using web space provide by your ISP, there is no additional cost to using these reports.
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Reports utilize HTML to make them attractive, highly readable and professional. And, if set up as recommended, the privacy rights of your students will be protected without fail
Edline: Edline provides a complete Internet platform that serves as your school's website or a companion website.
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It allows one-click uploading of student reports directly from Easy Grade Pro making it the easiest and most secure way to regularly upload reports. In addition to grades, you can upload announcements, calendars, news, pictures and more
- Reports can be automatically emailed to parents! Gradebooks can be automatically populated with students.
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For additional information, view www.edline.com or call 1-800-491-0010
Basmati: Basmati is an open-source software that can run on your school or district's Linux, Unix, Windows NT/2000 or Mac OS X web server. Parents and students can use a single password to view grades from all classes and teachers. Once your school or district has set up the software on its server, you can use Easy Grade Pro to generate a single grade file with information on all of your students and classes and upload it to the server using your web browser.
- Auto-filled in the score chart when attendance codes are entered in the attendance chart (i.e. 'ab' entered on an assignment when a student is marked absent in the attendance chart)
- Software and documentation are free and are available for downloading at www.sourceforge.net (search for Basmati)
Other Features
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Copy data tools allow you to copy any data to other classes
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A 50,000-word dictionary is available to spell-check all text
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Filters can be designed and used to display just the desired data
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Porting tools allow data exchange with other programs
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Full editing and undo are nearly always available; customize color, font, font size, column width and more
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TA mode, password protection, and in-context help
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Add extra credit more easily, calculate and report GPA from a rubric, ie. 4.0 rubric or 5.0 rubric (5.0= Excellent, 4.0= very good, 3.0=good, 2.0= fair, 1.0=poor)
- Enter up to two different email addresses for each student
- Generate internet password for students automatically
- Have report paper orientation and size saved between print jobs
- Have classes recombined automatically whenever changes are made to prior-term classes
- Have backup grade books automatically saved to your Documents folder (or some other location of your choice) to ensure that, if the worst happens, your data are secure
- Set up a password for access by a restricted-access user (such as an administrator) and control the level of access
- Easy Grade Pro 4.0 can also convert older gradebooks. So, if you have an Easy Grade Pro from an older version (3.0, 3.5 or 3.6), you will be able to continue using it with V4.0
Helpful Hints
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To use EGP on your Palm Pilot, go to EDIT (in the toolbar), select Gradebook Options, select Palm Setup
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To email any reports, first enter email addresses into the student's profile in "Students" tab and then type in the email addresses
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To electronically send any reports, click on the "@" buttom on toolbar, choose action, report option, and email option
How Much Does it Cost?
Downloading Information
Demonstration/Evaluation software: A demonstration version of Easy Grade Pro can be downloaded to your computer for your evaluation. Since it is for evaluation purposes only, once twelve or more students or assignments have been added, printing and some other features will become disabled. Evaluation software cannot be turned into a full version.
Download a free sample of Easy Grade Pro at this link: http://www.orbissoft.com/download.html
Directions:
1.) Under "Demonstration/Evaluation Version" select either the Mac option (4.0) or the Windows option (4.0)
2.) Select the "Run" option (twice!!)
3.) Select the "Ok" option
4.) Select the "Unzip" option then "Ok"
5.) Allow a few seconds for gradebook to load
6.) Select the "Next" bottons and then "Finish"
7.) A text box will pop up, please just delete it "X" out of it
Now....a blue and white box should come up with the options to: Open an existing gradebook, Create a new gradebook, and other options.
8.) Select "Create a new gradebook"
9.) Give it a new file name...(Hint: Use your last name for the file name) and Save it!
Installing and Setting Up Easy Grade Pro (EGP):
Installing EGP is fairly easy. In the classroom, the data file needs to reside on a drive where files can be rewritten. That is the T drive on school computers. Create a folder there with your name on it for your EGP class data. At home, you can have the data files in your document directory. Once the program is installed, you need to get your class data from the Attendance Office by taking a formatted diskette to the office and have them copy your class data.
Setting up the program the First Time
- Start the EGP program.
- Click on the button to create a NEW gradebook. Each teacher should create a NEW gradebook and save it in the T drive. Create a folder with your name so that other teachers do not save their EGP files in with your classes.
- When the next window appears, select Import Classes to read the class data from the diskette. Select the LAUSD Import and Next buttons.
- Change the location to the diskette and select the CLASSES.TXT file.
- Select the classes you wish to import and select Next. You will eventually select all the classes.
- Select the classes you wish to import and select Import. Select the term of the class and then Done twice. The program only allows you to import 1 class at a time.
- When you have all your classes, select Done and select No when it ask if you would like to import more classes.
- You should create your own password by selecting Edit, Gradebook Options. Select the Securities tab and select Set Teacher Password. Also select “When Lock, Close or Quit,” and either “Prompt for Backup” or “Display Backup Window.” You can also set the TA (teacher's assistance) password and what the TA can modify. Select Done when finished.
- Other options that may be modified will be discussed below:
- When new students arrive in your class, make sure the counselor or Attendance Office included their 4-digit ID number so you can add the student in EGP. That number is usually on the student's program card too.
- For every 4-week grading period, create an SIS grade report on a floppy and turn that into the Attendance Office in place of the class bubble sheets. You don't use the bubble sheets. You need to ensure the file is named WMR95.DAT on the floppy..
- See suggestions below on how to report grades to students and parents every grading period:
- At the end of the semester, create your final SIS grade report on a floppy and turn it into the Attendance Office. Verify your grades from the A.O. report/printout. Print out your official class reports for the Counseling Office, and Archive the gradebook onto a floppy and remove the file from the computer. Take the archive floppy home for safekeeping, in case you need to report grades again (you have already turned in the final mester grade floppy to the A.O.)
How to Set up a Back-Up Plan
We recommend that you take advantage of Easy Grade Pro’s automatic backup options:
Supporting Future Teaching With Easy Grade Pro!
These lessons will introduce you to the structure, tools, and options found in Easy Grade Pro
These lessons will instruct you on how to enter the first six weeks of school
These lessons will guide you through creating a web site report with Easy Grade Pro
This lesson will prepare you to start a term calendar for setting up the first day of the term, school holidays, and the last day of the term
Information and Media References
Learning electric [Easy grade pro tutorials]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2008, from http://www.learningelectric.com/easygradepro.htm
Orbis software [Easy grade pro download store]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://store5.esellerate.net/store/catalog.aspx?s=STR3882562495&pc=
Sourceforge [Open source software]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://sourceforge.net/
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