Administrator's Plus Report Cards Manual - Rediker Software, Inc.

Chapter 2
Enter Courses
Master Course Fields (Fields found on the View/Edit Courses and Sections Window)
Field Name
Weight
Description
Most schools will enter a weight value that is equal to the number of
credits for a course. For these schools, weight is really credits
attempted. However, weights are used by Administrator’s Plus as
comparative values. They tell the program how a grade in one course
should compare to a grade in another course in GPA and honor roll
calculations. For example, the course Driver’s Ed may meet every
other day for the entire year, while Algebra meets each day for the
entire year. The weight for Driver’s Ed would usually be 1/2 of the
weight for Algebra. Because the weight is a comparative value,
weighing one course 150 and another 75 yields the same result as
using weights of 1.00 and 0.50.
Any value may be entered for a course’s weight. However, as with
credits, you are limited to five characters, including a decimal point. If
you do not want a course to count in calculating GPAs, do not enter a
weight of 0. Instead, set the Count in GPA radio button to No.
GPA Factor
The GPA factor is used to calculate students' adjusted GPA and may
optionally be used in calculating honor rolls. It is also used to specify
which courses should not be used at all in calculating GPAs.
If you do not use the GPA factor, your adjusted GPAs will always be
equal to your simple GPAs. The adjusted GPA takes into account the
fact that some advanced courses may offer more quality points for a
grade than would be awarded for the same grade in a lower level
course. The simple GPA is calculated with the same number of quality
points being offered for each grade regardless of the level of the
course. When you calculate class rank, you will have the option to use
either the adjusted or simple GPA. Similarly, when you print report
cards, transcripts, or permanent labels, you will have the option to print
either the adjusted or simple GPA.
2-8 Report Cards Manual