This lesson will show you how to enter formative scores in either a Points-Based or Standards-Based Gradebook.
Formative Scores are used to gauge students' learning, but not count towards the overall or by standard performance. The scores are also visible on the Illuminate Home Connection Student and Parent Portal, as well as easily seen in a Teacher's gradebook view.
Where to Start

1. Click the Gradebook tab.
2. Select My Gradebooks.
3. Click on the title of your Gradebook.
Making Gradebook Support Formative Scores
To accommodate the mixture of formative and informative scores, some Gradebook preferences will need to be setup within the gradebook.
Grading Scales and Custom Marks
Once in the selected Gradebook, select Setup, then click Grading Scales (1).
- Take note of how the Grading Scale is set
- Custom Marks should match the Grading Scale to keep consistency
- Don't have a Grading Scale and need to set one up? Check out our lesson on Grading Scales!
When ready, select Setup, then click Custom Marks (2). For each Label in the Grading Scale, create the following Custom Mark:
- Create a Mark (3) for each Grading Scale Value, followed by marked an asterisk (*). For example, 1* is the formative score representing Level 1: Not Yet.
- Leave the Value (4) as blank, or no value.
- Select the Type (5) as Points.
- Enter a Description (6) such as "Level 1 (Formative)" which will help to communicate on the portal the purpose for this score.
- Select Missing (7) as No and Excused (8) as Yes.
Gradebook Preferences

By default, Gradebook preferences for Calculations should be set as "Not Zero and Not Missing". To review how to manage and setup your Gradebook preferences, please visit Setup Gradebook Preferences.
Enter Formative Assignment Scores

To enter formative scores within an assignment, make sure to have at least one assignment created. Be sure to visit our lesson on how to Create, Modify, and Delete an Assignment. The above example shows assignments Lit Score 1 and 2 with formative scores and assignments Lit Score 3, 4, and 5 as traditional assignments counting towards the overall or by standard grade.
To enter formative scores, remember to do the following:
- Enter enter the score the student receives and add an asterisk after the score
- Notice a grading scale color will not apply, but stay gray
- The score will be collected but not count towards the final overall or by standard grade
Please note that all scores will show in the Illuminate Home Connection Student and Parent Portal, as well as all Gradebook Reports.
Next Steps
You might want to explore and view other lessons within the "Gradebook" manual. For example, the "Enter Grades" lesson shows you how to enter scores, points, or percentages for the assignment you just created.
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