NCSSM Connect Grade Period Weighting

Created by Rob Caldwell
Last updated: Dec 13, 2022
2 min read

NCSSM Connect course semester final grades are calculated by weighting each quarter as 40% and the final exam as 20%. This is in line with NC Department of Public Instruction's requirements for course grades.

  • Quarter 1 = 40%

  • Quarter 2 =40%

  • Final Exam - 20%

Canvas is set up to automatically calculate Connect course final grades based on this weighting.

Assignments are placed in quarters based on their due dates in canvas. There is no way to move an assignment from one "grading period" other than changing its due date.

Please ensure that ALL graded assignments have a due date. Graded assignments with no due dates will be placed in the Final Exam grading period, which will impact your students' final exam grades.

Locating grading period start and end dates

You can now view the dates you should use to place assignments in their correct grading period.
In the Canvas grade book, first be sure you are filtering grades by the grading periods:
To do this, click the View pull-down menu and choose Filters. Then choose Grading Periods.

A new Grading Periods pull-down menu will appear.
You can then use the pull-down menu to view the grading period start and end dates.

Weighting Final Exams

Any assignments that are to count as the final exam must have a due date that falls on the final exam grading period. This is often a single day. Understandably, your final exam may not actually occur on this date. It is okay to have a different due date for students, so they see the true exam date. Just be sure to change the date to to the date of the final exam grading period (found in the grade book, as outlined above) prior to issuing final grades.

Final Exam Special Cases

If you use multiple assignments as your final exam, such as major projects spread out over the semester, you must change the due dates of all these assignments to the final exam grading period date. In addition, make sure each of these assignments is in the same weighted grade group in canvas.  It does not matter which weighted assignment group you place these exam assignments in (quizzes, tests, homework, etc.) so long as they are all in the same group, that group is not weighted as zero, and they all have the same due date.

Questions?

Still have questions about how grading period weighting works, or you have a special case not described in this document? Please contact TLC