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Anissa Crawl
Math-123
Mr. Gray
9/21/16

Weighted Average Gradebook Essay

Abstract
In this project I started out by reading the instructions thoroughly and making my own
list of requirements. Excel is an easier way to calculate averages, sums, and many other
functions. For this project I used the formula for sum, averages, and also used a multiplication
formula. In this essay I will talk about all the steps I used to get my calculations, and will talk
about the different answers I received. I will also talk about what skills and ideas I have gained
from using Excel.
Overall the project was a success, and I found the results to be a C+. Doing this project
helped me realize how grades are really calculated. Averages can be easily calculated however;
they can also be easily persuaded into another direction. I found out anything you change in
Excel, will change the answer. I also found that the higher the percentage, the more the student
has to work in that area, for example the final on the project is worth 30% of the overall grade
which means if you do bad on this part you lose a huge chunk of your grade. The lower grades
you receive the bigger chance you have of failing the class, so do everything you can to the best
of your ability.
Excel is a great way to do anything from taxes, to just trying to keep track of numerous
activities. I would recommend Excel to anyone and everyone it is a great learning tool, and helps
you accomplish all your goals.

The first step in using Excel is of course putting your name, date, and other necessities
for your paper. Plugging in all your data from the rules and requirements was the second step,
and I formatted it horizontally. I then had Excel calculate all my averages and I formatted them
to the right. Afterwards I put how much each category of the class was worth in percentages and
made a chart based on those percentages. I have copied and pasted it below for your
convenience.

I then multiplied the percentages (after I converted them into decimal form) with the
averages using the formula with the asterisk. I added all of the multiplied results together to form
the final grade. The final grade that was received was 76.86 which amounted to a C+. Overall he
did not do horrible, but he did not go over and beyond.
The lowest grade he could have received on his midterm to get the next letter grade
(which would be a B-) is an 87. If he would have gotten a perfect score on his homework his
overall grade would have improved to a 78.75, his grade wouldve average to 100 and the
weighted average would be 10. If he had done better on his homework he could have received a
B- instead of his real grade which was C+. If he did not submit his second paper his score would

have dropped to a 68.36 which would have been a D+. If the teacher had dropped the lowest quiz
and homework his final grade would have a 78.44 which would be an improvement.
The weight for the exam is too much, not to mention the amount of stress and time it
takes students, I dont think exams should have the most weight. I think homework weight
should be increased from 10% to 20%, since homework means you have the initiative to learn
and understand the material. Final exam should decrease from 30% weight to 20%, which can
help improve a students score, his score would improve to 77.17 and would help take some
strain off the student. Below is the difference of charts based on weight the one on the right is my
fix of the weight system.

Weighted Averages
(Before)
10%

10%
25%

25%
11%

Weighted Averages
(After)

30%

21%

20%

Using the Excel spreadsheet, I just made it would be incredibly easy to calculate any
students grades in the entire Math-123 class. You would just plug in their grades into the spaces
provided, then you would multiply it by the weight of that specific part of the class. Then add the
results together using excel, and NOT a calculator and there you have your final grade.
I have learned a great deal from this project and have improved my Excel skills. I learned
averages are a big part of our lives, and wasnt something required that had nothing to do with
our personal lives. Whether we think we can or not averages are all around us, in surveys, grades,
even in cartoons. Excel truly is an easier and faster way to calculate averages and any other
calculations you need done, the computer basically does everything for you!
I had several difficulties in this project, but not anything I could not handle. When I first
began this project, I realize I had not clicked far enough when I was calculating the averages, this
meant all my previous calculations were wrong. After I corrected my mistake, the charts and
graphs were giving me a terrible time, every time I moved them a little bit of data disappeared,
which was why on my pie charts I removed the percentages, and just showed you by actual size.
Finally, my last and biggest problem was actually with Word, it kept on formatting things wrong
such as the first indent in a paragraph, the title formatting, and the header.
I noticed on Excel no matter where you were trying to calculate a formula on your paper,
it could calculate it for you regardless of where or what cell it was in. I was also fond of the
feature where if I would make a mistake on my formula it would ask my permission to correct it
for me, this feature made life so much easier. Excel can help me on a great deal of things, I could
calculate my own scores if I wanted to, finish a project on here like I have done many times
before, I could do taxes on here, the ideas and benefits are limitless.

In conclusion Excel is a great tool to use, it offers many benefits while looking neat and
pretty at the same time. Excel can benefit anyone in a large number of ways, such as this project.
Without Excel it would have been a lot longer trying to figure this persons averages, I did it in
less than an hour. This persons grade has been successfully calculated and received a 76.86
resulting in a C+. This project also shows you and helps you realize how much each exam or
paper matters to your grade, and doing poorly on it isnt benefitting your grade, especially since
it is a higher weight. Math is a path waiting to be explored, there are many paths to take, and not
all lead to the same answer.