Any discrepancies in Classes between Terms can create a number of issues when generating reports.  In order to make this process as smooth as possible, Gradelink has created a method by which you can quickly determine any differences in Classes from one term to the next.

1. Click the Classes tab on the left sidebar, then the “Analyze Classes” button at the bottom of the page.
2. In the Term select table on the right side of the page, select the two terms that you would like to analyze.
3. If there are any changes between the two selected terms, they will show in the previously-blank space on the left.  Changes may include Classes populated into one term but not the other, Class Types differences, GradeScale differences, etc.

Fixing Discrepancies

Class Type Differences

Gradelink offers different “types” of classes such as Standard grade sheets, School Attendance and Term Comments. You can also have Custom Classes which are typically used for subjects like Behavior and Work Habits.

Note Changing a “Class Type” could result in losing grades or attendance. Contact Gradelink for help.

Class Unit Differences

If Class Units do not line up from term to term, GPA will not be calculated correctly, as GPA is influenced by the number of units/credits that a class is worth.  If a class is worth 1 unit in one term, but then worth 5 in the next term, the GPA for that subject will only be affected by what is entered in the second term.  In most cases, this is not the desired outcome, therefore it is important to retain the same unit value from term to term.  To fix it:

1. Click the Settings tab on the left sidebar, then click the General sub-tab at the top of the page.
2. Navigate to the option marked “Temporarily allow changes to classes after the 1st term of the school year” and make sure it is checked.  This will disable Gradelink’s safety precaution, enabling you to make changes to Classes at any time.
3. Click the Classes tab on the left sidebar and select the class that you’d like to edit.  Change the “Units/Credits” value to match the other term(s).
4. Submit Changes.  Any reports that display GPA will properly reflect the change and should change accordingly.

Note: If you have a Parent Term, such as a Semester with smaller Quarter terms inside of it, the two Quarter terms will average into the Semester term.  For example, if a class is worth 0.5 units per Semester, then each quarter should contain 0.5 units, not 0.25 units.

Classes Populated In Only a Single Term

This actually will not cause any sort of problem.  The report will still show you which classes are unique to a specific term, but no hiccups will occur just because a class is only populated into a single term.  Be warned that on Report Cards, grades will only show in the term columns that the class exists in; the other columns will remain blank.  If you’re content with this, then there is no other issue!  If you’d like to fix it:

1. Click the Classes tab on the left sidebar, and select a term that the class does not appear in.
2. Enter in all the information to create the class and click the Add button.

GradeScale Differences

Grade scales determine the type of “marks” a Standard class uses ie, if it shows an ABCDF scale or OGSNI or something else.

Sub-Grade Differences

Sub-grades are subcategories that appear on the report card.

Note Changing a “Sub-grade” could result in losing grades.  Contact Gradelink for help.

Report Order Differences

The “Report Order”, as one might guess, determines the order that classes appear on a student’s Report Card.  If the Report Order for a specific class changes between terms, Gradelink will use the most recent Report Order to determine where the class will fall in relation to other classes.  Again, this is typically not a major problem, but in order to keep everything clean, Report Orders should mostly be left untouched from term to term.  If you’d like to fix these:

1. Click the Settings tab on the left sidebar, then click the General sub-tab at the top of the page.
2. Navigate to the option marked “Temporarily allow changes to classes after the 1st term of the school year” and make sure it is checked.  This will disable Gradelink’s safety precaution, enabling you to make changes to Classes at any time.
3. Click the Classes tab on the left sidebar and select the class that you’d like to edit.  Change the “Report Order” to match the other term(s).
4. Submit Changes.  You likely won’t notice any change on the Report Cards unless the most recent Report Order is changed.

Report Title Differences

This will cause a major problem when generating Report Cards, and is the most common reason for Report Cards displaying incorrectly through Gradelink.  If the Report Title changes from one term to another, the subject will appear twice on the Report Card.  For example, if a class has the Report Title “Math 5″ in one term, but is then changed to simply “Math” in the second term, the Report Card will show both “Math 5″ and “Math” on the Report Card; however, “Math 5″ and its grades will only appear in the first term’s column, and similarly for “Math” and the second term.  To fix this:

1. Click the Settings tab on the left sidebar, then click the General sub-tab at the top of the page.
2. Navigate to the option marked “Temporarily allow changes to classes after the 1st term of the school year” and make sure it is checked.  This will disable Gradelink’s safety precaution, enabling you to make changes to Classes at any time.
3. Click the Classes tab on the left sidebar and select the class that you’d like to edit.  Change the “Report Title” to match the other term(s).
4. Submit Changes.  Upon checking your Report Cards, all the individual classes should collapse into a single class.