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Grade scales

Last edited 92 days ago by Prerna Singh.

Grade scales define how student performance is measured - whether using numbers (like 1–7), letters (like A–F), or performance labels (like ‘Proficient’).

Grade scales are defined at the school level and can be linked to standard sets (for rating standards) or for calculating grades at assessment categories and subjects/courses level.

There are two formats of regular grade scales:

Alpha (letters/labels like A, EXC, Proficient)

Numeric (number ranges like 1–8)

Each grade scale includes the following components:

Numeric value/Abbreviation – such as 1, 2, DEV, or EXCL

Label - what teachers see while evaluating students

Description – what each value means in terms of performance

Color code – to visually differentiate levels

Cutoff percentages – the minimum score required to receive that grade

Grade values – numeric equivalents assigned to each grade, used for calculations

Mastery indicators – optional flags that show which level signifies mastery of a standard

Things to keep in mind

In Alpha scales, grades should be entered in decreasing order of performance (highest to lowest).

Cutoffs and grade values should be scaled up to 100.

The lowest grade should always have a cutoff of 0.

The highest grade value should be equal to or greater than its cutoff percentage.

What are grade values, and where are they defined?

Grade values let you assign a numerical equivalent to each grade level (e.g., A = 95, B = 90). These values are used when you need to calculate averages or convert letter grades into scores for reporting.

You define grade values when creating or editing a regular grade scale. You’ll see a ‘Grade value’ column in the grade scale table.

Example: For each grade you enter (e.g., A, B, C), you can also set its corresponding grade value, like:

A = 95

B = 90

C = 85

This way, if a student gets A, B, A, their final score can be averaged as 93.3.

You can choose how grade values are calculated:

Minimum (e.g., the lowest score within a range)

Maximum

Midpoint

Custom (enter your own value)

This setup is especially useful if your school uses letter grades but needs numerical scores for final reports.

How are calculations handled for numeric grade scales?

If your school uses a Numeric scale (like 1–5 or 0–100), you’ll define a minimum and maximum range. For standards-based grading, schools can also choose a calculation approach:

Numeric value – calculates final results directly from numeric ratings

Grade value – converts numeric ratings into grade values first, then maps them back to a final grade using cutoffs

This is useful when you want numeric inputs but still need consistent reporting logic using cutoffs and grade values.

What is a mastery indicator, and where is it defined?

If your school uses standards-based grading, you’ll want to set a Mastery level. A mastery level marks the threshold at which a student is considered to have mastered a learning standard.

You can enable and define this while creating or editing a regular grade scale.

First, set ‘Enable Mastery Level’ to Yes

Then, in the “Mastery” column, mark the grade that indicates mastery

Example: If your scale is 1–4 and ‘3’ means the student has met expectations, you would mark 3 as the mastery level. All grades at or above this level (in this case, both 3 and 4) will be considered to reflect mastery.

This helps teachers and parents clearly understand whether the student is developing, meeting, or exceeding learning expectations.

What can I do on this page?

Create three types of grade scales:

Regular grade scale

Used to assign standard grades like A–F, 1–7, or numeric scores (e.g., 4.0).

Special grade scale

Used for non-academic codes like Incomplete, Absent, or Exempt that do not represent performance but are important for reporting.

Dependent grade scale

Used to translate one grading scale into another - for example, mapping internal grades to national or regional systems.

Dependent scales can be set up to convert from one or more regular grade scales.

Add grades, colors, values, and cutoffs to the grade scales

Set mastery levels for standards-based grading

Link special codes like ‘Incomplete’ in a regular grade scale

Edit/delete existing scales (you can’t delete ones already in use)

Mark grade scales as inactive when they should no longer be used

To learn more about creating and managing grade scales, check out

this article⁠

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