The grading scale

How the grading scale works

A grading scale is a list of tiers — labels paired with percentage ranges. EMStudio uses the scale in two directions:

• Score mode: a teacher types a number, and the scale auto-labels the percentage (87 → B+).
• Select mode: the labels become a dropdown — the teacher picks one directly without typing a number.

Each grade topic has its own scale. That means a "Tests" topic can use US letter grades while a "Participation" topic uses Pass/Fail in the same class.

Built-in scale presets

EMStudio ships with five presets you can pick from the topic editor in Classwork → Settings:

US letter grades (A+ to F)

The default. Used by most US schools.

Label	Range
A+	97–100%
A	93–96%
A-	90–92%
B+	87–89%
B	83–86%
B-	80–82%
C+	77–79%
C	73–76%
C-	70–72%
D+	67–69%
D	63–66%
D-	60–62%
F	0–59%

US letter grades (A to F)

Same as above but without plus/minus modifiers — five tiers instead of thirteen.

Label	Range
A	90–100%
B	80–89%
C	70–79%
D	60–69%
F	0–59%

Pass / Fail

Two tiers — perfect for binary topics like attendance grades, formative checks, or qualitative observations.

Label	Range
Pass	50–100%
Fail	0–49%

1–6 scale

Common in European and international schools where 1 is best and 6 is worst.

Label	Range
1 (Excellent)	90–100%
2 (Good)	75–89%
3 (Satisfactory)	60–74%
4 (Adequate)	45–59%
5 (Poor)	25–44%
6 (Fail)	0–24%

1–10 scale

A finer-grained numeric scale, common in Dutch and Latin American schools.

Label	Range
10	95–100%
9	85–94%
8	75–84%
7	65–74%
6	55–64%
5	45–54%
4	35–44%
3	25–34%
2	15–24%
1	0–14%

Custom scales

None of the presets fit? Click Custom in the preset dropdown and define your own tiers. Each tier needs a label and a percentage range. You can have as few as two tiers or as many as fifty.

Common custom scales:

• Behavior — Excellent / Good / Needs work
• Effort — Outstanding / Strong / Steady / Inconsistent
• Reading level — Above grade / On grade / Below grade
• Skill mastery — Mastered / Developing / Beginning
• Project rubric — Exceeds / Meets / Approaching / Does not meet

How Score mode uses the scale

When a topic is in Score mode, the teacher types a number and EMStudio looks up the percentage in the scale to find the matching tier. The cell shows the raw score (87/100) and the gradebook total uses the percentage to calculate the weighted average.

The letter grade appears next to the student's total in the gradebook grid and on the student profile. For details on entering scores, see add assignments & scores.

How Select mode uses the scale

When a topic is in Select mode, the teacher clicks a cell and picks a tier label from the dropdown. The cell displays the label (Pass, Mastered, B+, etc.) instead of a number.

Behind the scenes, EMStudio stores a score in the middle of the chosen tier's range. That way:

1. The grade is durable even if you later edit the scale tiers — the score still falls inside the same range, so the same label re-appears.
2. The percentage tint on the cell still works (a Pass tier with a 50–100% range tints the cell green; a Fail tier tints it red).
3. Switching the topic from Select back to Score shows the underlying number with no data loss.

Letter grade colors

EMStudio tints cells based on the percentage, not the label, so the colors stay consistent across scales:

• 90–100% — green (high)
• 80–89% — light green
• 70–79% — yellow
• 60–69% — orange
• 0–59% — red

A Pass on a Pass/Fail scale (50–100%) lands somewhere in the yellow/light-green range; a Fail (0–49%) lands in red. A Mastered on a custom scale that maps to 90–100% will tint green.

Where to change the scale

Open Classwork in the sidebar, pick the class, click the Settings icon to open the Grade Topics manager, click the pencil next to a topic, and pick a new preset or click Custom. Save, and any cells using that topic re-render immediately.

See how letter grades change over time in grade trends. If a student's grade isn't showing the letter you expect, check common issues.