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^C^1Grade Book
^Cby
^CKent Stallings


   Here's a program that's really got class.  Several classes, in fact.  If
you're a teacher, you can store all your grades using this program.  Grade Book
will keep separate grade files for each of your classes in each term or marking
period.  In each, you can always add new students or assignments as necessary.
Various reports and statistics can be output.

   When you run Grade Book, you'll first be asked for the path to the files you
will be creating or accessing.  The default, which you get if you just press
ENTER, is the current disk.  This disk doesn't have very much room for data, so
we suggest you copy the program to your own disk with more space.  To write data
to a different drive or directory from the current one, type a path in the
normal DOS format, e.g. "B:" to access drive B, or "C:\GRADES\" for the
subdirectory named "GRADES" on your hard disk.  (This assumes such a directory
already exists; use the MD command from DOS to create it before you run the
program.)

   See your DOS manual if you don't understand paths.  Or, just copy this
program to a disk that's got lots of room, and press ENTER when asked for the
path.  (Use the "Copy It" option from the BIG BLUE DISK menu to copy the
program, and type GB from the DOS prompt to run it.)

   Once this is taken care of, you get to the main menu.  Use the arrow keys
(either in or out of NumLock mode) to go to the choice you want, then press
ENTER to "pick" it.  The choices are:

^CCreate new class file

   This sets up a file for a new class.  You tell it the class number and the
term number; e.g., if you teach a class in the second period of the day, and it
is the first quarter of the academic year, use "2" and "1".  Numbers from 1 to 9
can be used for each item, so it should fit whatever system your school uses.

   You are then prompted for the perfect scores to all assignments that have
been given in that class so far.  Press ENTER with no input when you're done.
For instance, if you've given a test with a perfect score of 100, and a quiz
with a perfect score of 10, enter 100, then 10, then press ENTER without typing
another number.  The perfect score must be a positive integer.

   No students are placed into the class yet; use the "Add student" option to do
this unless this is a second or later term.  If you have an earlier term data
file for the same class, the program will prompt you to use the names from the
earlier term.

^CAdd scores to current file

   Once you have a current file, either one you just created with the above
option, or an old file you selected with the "Open a file" option, you can add
more assignments to it.  Let's say you just gave a homework assignment that is
scored out of a maximum of 20 points.  Select the "Add scores" option and type
20 as the perfect score for the new assignment.  You will then be prompted for
the scores of each of your students in that assignment (assuming some students
have already been entered into the database).  A score can be any integer.
Normally they will be in the range from zero to the perfect score of the
assignment.  However, higher scores are allowed (e.g., for extra-credit
problems).  Enter 'A' if the student is absent.  They will be given a score of 
-1 to indicate that the assignment is not counted for or against them.

   You are limited to a maximum of 50 scores per class.

^CAdd student to current file

   This is used to add students to your class file.  Use it when you first
create a class record to enter all students, then thereafter to add any new
students who enter the course.  You will be prompted for the first and last
names, and the student's scores on all assignments.  You are limited to a
maximum of 150 students per class.

^CEdit current file

   This is used to alter data that has already been entered.  You are prompted
for the name of the student you're changing; press ENTER to see all student
records.  The record is then displayed, and you can use the arrow keys to move
between the different fields (first name, last name, and scores), press ENTER to
alter a field's value, and (if more than one record is selected) PgUp and PgDn
move between the different student entries.  The perfect scores are stored in
the first record of the file, as if they were for a student named "Perfect
Scores", and they can be edited in the same manner as a student's scores.

^CDisplay current file to printer or screen

   Use this option to generate reports.  The "output to screen" report works
similarly to the "change" option above, except that you cannot change anything.
"Output to printer" causes a the selected scores to be printed.

^CDirectory of files on this disk

   This lets you see what class files you've got.  All files you've created on
the current disk via the "Create new class file" will be listed.

^CStatistics

   This shows you some statistics about the current class, the number of
students, the number of assignments, the maximum score and namely the mean
(average), variance, and standard deviation of the total scores of the students,
calculated as percentages of the highest possible score (the sum of the perfect
scores for all assignments).

^COpen a file

   Use this option to switch to a different class.  All of the above options act
on the class that is current.  When you use the "Create new class file" option,
the one you create is automatically made the current one.  In all other cases,
you must use the "Open a file" option to tell Grade Book which previously-
created file you wish to work with.

   Please note that, unlike some other databases you may have worked with, while
you need to "open" a file to start accessing it, the program automatically
closes it when you exit the program or switch to a different file.

^CExit to BIG BLUE DISK

   Finally, this option terminates the program, and goes back to the BIG BLUE
DISK menu or your DOS prompt, depending on whether you ran it from BIG BLUE DISK
or separately with a DOS command.

   To run this program from outside the BIG BLUE DISK menu, type ^1GB^0.

   Note:  If you have a monochrome display, enter ^1GB M^0 from DOS.  If you have a
new CGA and you want the program to run faster the program, type ^1GB F^0 to run the
program.

   Note that this program must create data files; there may not be sufficient
room on BIG BLUE DISK for all of your data.  Hence, we recommend that you copy
the program to your own disk before you begin entering grades.

DISK FILES THIS PROGRAM USES:
^FGB.EXE
^FBRUN30.EXE
^FRETURN30.EXE
