GradeComputer is a powerful, easy-to-use HyperCard stack that calculates a student's grade. GradeComputer was written for middle school and high school students.
REQUIREMENTS
GradeComputer requires HyperCard 2.x. To use the graphing feature, you need the "Graph Maker" stack, which is part of the full Claris HyperCard package.
GETTING STARTED
GradeComputer features a surprisingly easy-to-use interface. Follow these basic steps to use GradeComputer:
1) Open the GradeComputer stack.
2) Choose a grading system. (Grading systems are described below in the "Grading Systems" section.)
3) Enter your grades. (This process is also described in the section regarding grading systems.)
4) Click on the "Calculate" button. Your cumulative grade will be displayed in the "Cumulative Grade" field.
5) Save your grade file. (This process is described in the "GradeComputer menu" section.)
GRADING SYSTEMS
Points • This is the most common grading system used by teachers. To use this system with GradeComputer, click on the "Points" radio button located in the upper right corner of the (fake) window. (This grading system is GradeComputer's default system.) Enter the number of points of each grade in the "Grade" field, the number of points possible in the "Possible" field, and a description of each grade in the "Description" field. For example, if I got 88/100 on a test, 24/25 on a worksheet, and 44/50 on a report, I would have something like this:
GRADE POSSIBLE WEIGHT DESCRIPTION
88 100 100 Chapter 6 Test
24 25 100 Worksheet
44 50 100 Report on China
(For now, enter 100 for each grade in the Weight field. You'll learn how to weight grades below.)
Letter Grades • Some teachers use a different grading system based on the following scale: 11 A, 10 A-, 9 B+, 8 B, 7 B-, 6 C+, 5 C, 4 C-, 3 D+, 2 D, 1 D-, 0 F. To use this grading system with GradeComputer, click on the "Letters" radio button. Enter the letter grade of each grade in the "Grade" field, and a description of each grade in the "Description" field. For example, if I got a B+ on a test that counts two letter grades, an A on a worksheet that counts one letter grade, an A- on a report that counts one letter grade, I would have something like this:
GRADE DESCRIPTION
B+ Chapter 6 Test
A Worksheet
A- Report on China
FEATURES
The many powerful features of GradeComputer are described below:
Weighting feature • Some teachers weight different types of grades (for example, tests may be worth more than homework assignments). To weight a grade, enter a weight percentage (such as 30) in the "Weight" field. For no weighting, enter 100 for each grade.
Goal feature • When you click on Calculate, GradeComputer calculates the number of points or letter grades (depending on the currently selected grading system) needed to reach your goal percentage and displays it in the message box. To change your goal, enter a percentage (such as 95) in the "Goal" field located in the upper left corner of the (fake) window. (Unfortunately, the weighting of future grades will throw off the number of points need to reach the goal. So, if you've been weighting your grades, ignore the goal feature.)
Graph feature • GradeComputer can create a simple line graph of your grades. To do this, click on the "Graph" button. This feature requires the "Graph Maker" stack, which is part of the full Claris HyperCard package.
GradeComputer menu • GradeComputer allows you to open, save, and print your grade files. Just use the GradeComputer menu at the top of the screen. The commands of the menu are similar those of normal Macintosh applications (i.e. to open a grade file, select "Open…" from the GradeComputer menu) and should be extremely easy-to-use.
ActiveHelp • You can use a feature called ActiveHelp to learn about the items on the screen. To use ActiveHelp, click on the small help icon at the right end of the (fake) menu bar. This feature works similar to System 7's Balloon Help feature.
Customizable Grade Scale • To customize your grade scale, click on the small triangle at the right end on the (fake) menu bar.
GRADECOMPUTER HISTORY
1.0 (25 November 1992) First official version.
1.0.1 (8 February 1993) Removed "Go Home" from the GradeComputer menu. Renamed global variable stackMenu to GCMenu to prevent possible conflicts with other stacks.
1.0.2 (1 May 1993) Changed e-mail address. Added ActiveHelp to the close box and title bar. Slightly modified the "mouseUp" handler of bg field "Cum Grade". Fixed the help of bg field "Grade". Changed "Load what file?" to "Open what file?". Modified the "mouseUp" handler of cd field "fileName".
1.1 (24 December 1993) Added weights feature. Added autoscroll feature for fields.
ABOUT GRADECOMPUTER
GradeComputer is freeware. If you distribute GradeComputer, it must be free, and you must include this file.
Even if you don't use GradeComputer, please send me some mail. (I love mail!) It's not that hard, just write me a letter or send me some electronic mail. Tell me about yourself, or give me some suggestions on how to improve GradeComputer. Of course, if you find GradeComputer REALLY useful, I would always appreciate some money. You decide how much. (Oh, come on… you can surely "donate" a couple of bucks to a 16 year old kid!)
