Overview  ↑

A student may be exempt from taking a semester or final exam. In this case, the absence of a final exam score should not count against the student and should not be included in grade calculations.


A final exam can be calculated as part of a Semester Exam, or it can be an independent Final Exam for the year. 


School Setup  ↑


NOTE: At least one term must be set up before Grading Periods can be added.


  1. Enable the Use Grading Periods Instead of Terms in Gradebook option on School Options.
    This MUST be set prior to any Gradebook creation.


  2. Add an NA mark on Valid Marks.

  3. Create a Grading Period specifically for the final exam (or semester exam).

    • The Grading Period/Description names should reflect that the Grading Period is for the final exam.
    • Select Is Final Assignment.
    • The Start/End Date must be set accurately for Final Assignment Grading Periods. The dates determine which assignments are pulled in from Gradebook for a particular Grading Period based on the Date Due entered in the teacher's gradebook. The range typically encompasses the final few dates of the term.
  4. Create a Grading Period  specifically for the final grade for the overall term.
    • The Grading Period/Description names should reflect that the Grading Period is the final grade for the term.
    • Select Is Calculated. 
    • Establish Grading Calculations:
      • Select all the previous Grading Periods that should be included in the final term calculation, and assign weight percentages. The final exam Grading Period should be included and weighted appropriately.
      • For each Grading Period included in the calculation, you have the choice to calculate Completed or Not Completed marking periods:
        • Completed: The grade from the Grade Reporting (GRD) table is used. 
        • Not Completed (i.e., grading period is still in progress): The grade from the teacher gradebook (GBK) is used, based on the Grading Period date range.

Teacher Gradebook  ↑

  1. The teacher creates a final exam assignment in the gradebook. For the assignment, select Final Assignment.
    • Multiple Final Assignments can be created. For example, a teacher may have a final exam and a final project. If there are multiple Final Assignments in a teacher's gradebook, the scores are averaged together according to category weights or formative summative weight settings to determine the final assignment average.
    • The Date Due for a final assignment should be within the date range specified in the Start/End Date on the Grading Periods page.
  2. If a student is exempt, the teacher enters NA for the assignment score. In this case, the score is ignored when the Grading Period is calculated.