# Grading styles

URL: https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/grading-styles
Tab: Grading & Reports
Category: Grading
Updated: 2026-10-12

Choose between grading every lesson, grading a course as a whole, or not grading at all.

How a course is graded is set per course, on the **Grading** tab of **Course Settings**. Open it from the **…** menu on a course under **Enrollments** and choose **Course settings**, or click the gear on the course's row in the student's **Gradebook**.

## Three ways to grade a course

**Lesson by lesson.** Leave **Course grade override** off and enter grades on individual lessons; OpenSky works out the course grade from them. To be reminded of every lesson still waiting on a grade, switch on **Appear in Ungraded column**. See [Lessons](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/grading-lessons).

**One grade for the whole course.** Switch on **Course grade override** and enter it as **Numeric** (a percent), **Pass / Fail** or **Standards-Based** (**Exceeds**, **Meets**, **Approaching** or **Below**). It replaces the calculated grade wherever it shows, and the gradebook marks the course **Override**. Lesson grades are kept, so turning it off brings the calculated grade back.

**Not at all.** Leave lessons ungraded and the override off. The course shows **—** in the gradebook's Grade column but still counts its credits and hours, and still prints on a transcript.

![The Grading tab of Course Settings](https://opensky-public-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/supportimages/grades-reports/grading-styles-1.png)

## Grading style

**Grading style** (**Numeric**, **Pass / Fail** or **Standards based**) is the default for new lesson grades in the course. A grade keeps the style it was entered in, and you can switch the style for one lesson from its grade options.

## How the calculated grade works

Every lesson has a type (Lesson, Quiz, Test, Activity or Lab), set in the **Lesson Type** column of the gradebook's grading view. Numeric grades are averaged within each type and combined using **Category weights**: Tests 40%, Quizzes 25%, Lessons 25%, Activities 5% and Labs 5% unless you change them. Pass / Fail and standards-based lesson grades do not go into the percent. See [Adjusting grade weights](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/grade-weights).

Letters follow a standard scale: A at 90 and above, B at 80, C at 70, D at 60, F below that. GPA uses the letter (A 4, B 3, C 2, D 1, F 0) weighted by credits; a pass/fail or standards-based course grade counts toward credits but not GPA.

## Credits and designations

The same tab sets **Credits** (1.00 unless changed) and **Transcript designations**: Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Dual Enrollment, In-progress and Audit. Both print on the transcript. See [Transcripts](https://www.openskyplanner.com/support/transcripts).

## Need more help?

Reach out any time at [support@openskyplanner.com](mailto:support@openskyplanner.com) and we will be happy to help.