What is the link for downloading the upgrade?
Please contact Teacher Created Resources at custserv@teachercreated.com for info.
If the following Frequently Asked Questions do not address your specific question, you can contact the developer directly at his web site or visit the Gradekeeper Yahoo group to see if someone else has asked the same question.
How can I excuse an assignment for one student?
You can enter a score of "ex" to excuse an assignment for one student. When adding a new student to a class, you you can use the Fill Across command to enter a score of "ex" for all assignments the new student missed. Enter the first "ex" and without hitting return, choose Fill Across from the Edit menu.
Can I enter a letter grade for a score on an assignment?
You can enter letter grades for scores for any assignment. The letter grade you enter will immediately be converted to a score. The percent for the letter grade you entered is averaged with the percent for the next highest letter grade. That percent is multiplied by the points possible on the assignment to determine the score.
Can I enter a percent for a score on an assignment?
You can enter percents for scores. The percent will be converted to a score by multiplying that percent by the points possible for that assignment. The percent you enter must include the percent sign, or it will be treated as a normal score.
How can I curve an assignment?
You can curve an assignment by changing its points possible. You may want to try changing the points possible to a value that is about the same as the highest score earned by any student on that assignment. When you do this, Gradekeeper will ask if you want to scale the scores. Click No. Next, change the points possible back to the original value. But this time, when Gradekeeper asks if you want to scale the scores, click Yes. This will scale the scores proportionally.
Can I round to the nearest whole percent?
In your grading options you can choose to round to the nearest whole percent or the nearest tenth of a percent. This choice will also apply when converting percents to grades. For example, if you choose to round to the nearest whole percent, students earning 92.5% will earn an A if the percent required for an A is 93%.
How can I set up the days when school is not in session?
In the attendance grid, click on a date to make it a non-school day. Click it again to make it a school day. You cannot edit attendance for non-school days. You can choose to hide non-school days by choosing Hide Non-School Days from the Gradebook menu. Note that non-school days must be shown before you add additional non-school days.
How can I print the student scores report for just one student?
First choose Student Scores from the Reports menu. Scroll to the student report you want to print. In the Macintosh version of Gradekeeper, click in the report window. In the Windows version of Gradekeeper, right-click in the report window. Then choose Print from the pop-up menu. When the print dialog appears, click OK or Print.
How can I print a single report for all subjects in my elementary classroom?
First choose Multiple Class Report from the Reports menu. Choose the classes you want to include in this report and click OK. It is important that your student names are identical for the same student in each class (do not use a middle initial in one class and not in another).
How can I create a custom report?
You can use the export to text capability of Gradekeeper together with the mail merge capability of Microsoft Word to create custom form letters and reports. There are detailed step-by-step directions for Microsoft Word 97, Microsoft Word XP, and Microsoft Word X (for Mac OS X).
How can I email reports to parents?
Microsoft Word can email the result of a mail merge. Do the mail merge as described above or in the users guide. After exporting to text from Gradekeeper, edit the text file and add an email address for each student. You can do this with Microsoft Excel. Open the text file with Excel, insert a blank row, and paste a column of addresses you have saved elsewhere.
You will need to set up an email account and SMTP server in Microsoft Outlook, if you're using Windows, or have Microsoft Entourage set as your default email application, if you're using Mac OS X.
How can I avoid typing in student names for each of my subjects?
If you teach different subjects to the same students, create a class for the first subject. Set up any options common to all subjects, like the school year. Enter student names and ID's. Save normally. Now use Save As from the File menu to save copies of that class under different names, once for each additional subject.
How can I avoid setting up the same gradebook options for every new class?
Create a new class, set up your options, and save that class. This saved class can then serve as a template for your new classes. To create a new class, open this saved class, then do Save As from the File menu, and save a copy of the template under a new name.
How can I avoid retyping the same assignment in each section of a class?
You can right click (or control click for Mac OS X) in the assignment header for any column to show a list of recent assignments. Choose one of those assignments to fill in that assignment's date, name, category, and points possible.
How can students and parents access my grades web site?
Gradekeeper creates all the web pages for your web site, but you need to upload those web pages to a web site that you have access to. Your school may have a web site you can use, your internet provider may allow you to have your own web site, or you can get a free web site from Geocities (www.geocities.com).
To upload your web pages to your web site, you will need to use an FTP application. FTP is File Transfer Protocol, the method used to move web pages from your hard drive to your web site. If you are using Macintosh, you can use Fetch. If you are using Windows, you can use FTP Explorer. Both offer free licenses to educational users.
If your school has an account with Edline, posting grades online is much easier. You simply choose Export to Edline from the File menu, and enter your username and password. Everything else is done automatically.
I forgot the password for one of my classes. How can I open that class?
Please contact Teacher Created Resources customer service department for assistance:custserv@teachercreated.com.
Can I use Gradekeeper on both my Macintosh and my Windows computer?
Gradekeeper is available for both Windows and Macintosh and classes created on one platform can be opened on the other. The Macintosh and Mac OS X versions of Gradekeeper can open any class that has the .grk file extension by choosing Open from the File menu.
You can also use the PC Exchange control panel (Mac OS 8.1) or File Exchange control panel (Mac OS 8.5 and 9.x) to allow your Macintosh to recognize this file extension. For Mac OS X, you can use Get Info in the File menu to specify that Gradekeeper should open all files with the .grk file extension.
When you create classes on a Macintosh, always add the .grk file extension. This tells Windows that these files should be opened using Gradekeeper.
Do I need to pay twice to use Gradekeeper at home and at school?
A single license allows you to use Gradekeeper on as many computers as you want, so long as you are the one using the program. You can use Gradekeeper at home and at school. You can use both the Windows and Macintosh versions of Gradekeeper. You only pay once.
How can I find out about new versions when they are released?
You can join the Gradekeeper Yahoo group to learn about new versions of Gradekeeper, ask questions or make suggestions, and communicate with other teachers who use Gradekeeper. You can also return to the Gradekeeper download page to check for updates. Contact Teacher Created Resources at custserv@teachercreated.com for more details.
When I open a class with the new version of Gradekeeper my assignments and scores are gone!
Your assignments and scores have not disappeared. You are just not in the correct term in the school year. You need to choose the correct term from the Gradebook menu. Sometimes the program cannot determine which term to open in after converting to a new version until you tell it.
I installed the Palm application, but it says there are no subjects.
Before using the Gradekeeper Palm application, you must enable HotSync for one or more classes and then do a HotSync. This will copy those classes to your handheld, so you can access them with the Palm application. To enable HotSync for a class, open the class with Gradekeeper and choose Enable HotSync from the File menu.
I am having problems doing a Hotsync. What should I do?
Check the version of the Palm OS on your handheld (version 4.0 or later is required) and check the version of the Palm desktop software (version 4.0 or later is required). Check to make sure that you are using the most recent version of Gradekeeper. Make sure that you enabled Hotsync for each class from Gradekeeper.
There are more detailed suggestions on the Palm troubleshooting web page.
When I run the Mac OS X installer, what is the password it asks for?
The Mac OS X installer is asking for a username and password for an account on that computer that has administrator access. This proves that you have permission to install the software on that computer. This account is usually the account you use to log into that computer. If your computer is set up to log into an account automatically, you will need to know that password.
When I print, I get an error message. What am I doing wrong?
If you're using an older printer (especially Hewlett-Packard printers), the printer software may not be able to handle newer printing commands. Visit the web site of the printer manufacturer like http://www.hp.com for Hewlett-Packard), and download the latest software for your printer. This will usually fix printing problems you may experience.
If you're using Mac OS X, make sure you're using the Mac OS X version of Gradekeeper. Printing from the classic environment in Mac OS X does not work well for many applications.
Why do some items get cut off in the Gradebook Options dialog?
Windows is responsible for making everything fit in the dialog. When this problem has happened, changing the dots per inch for the display font has usually fixed the problem. Right click on your desktop (but not on any icon). This brings up a menu. Choose Properties. Click the Settings tab. Click Advanced at the bottom. Choose Small Fonts. Make sure it says 96 dpi.