Three states answer different questions
A zero is a recorded score: the assessment contributes zero earned points and its full possible points to the calculation. Ungraded means the assessment does not yet have a score. Missing means work is absent, but the consequence still depends on the course policy.
A blank numeric field alone cannot reliably tell you which state was intended. The weighted calculator therefore provides an explicit status for each assessment. A row marked Graded must contain a score, including a typed zero when appropriate.
Compare the effect with an example
Consider two equally sized assessments, each worth 20 points. The first earns 18/20. If the second is ungraded, the current total-points grade is 18/20 = 90%. If the second receives a recorded zero, the total becomes 18/40 = 45%.
Neither result should be selected merely because one looks better. They represent different statements about the available evidence and the course’s treatment of the second assessment.
Use the missing-work switch deliberately
Mark absent work as Missing, then enable Count assessments marked Missing as zero if that matches the applicable policy. Leaving the switch off excludes those rows from a current-grade calculation. The tool reports how many assessments it excludes.
In weighted mode, a category with no included scores is omitted from the current-grade denominator. Its configured weight remains visible, and the remaining represented categories are normalized.
Resolve the record before a final calculation
Completed-course mode refuses to produce a final result while any assessment remains ungraded or unresolved missing work remains excluded. You must enter a score, apply the missing-as-zero setting where appropriate, or remove an assessment that does not belong in the course calculation.
Use anonymous labels such as Assessment 1 and Final exam. This toolkit is a calculation workspace, not a student record system or a decision-maker about extensions, accommodations or late-work penalties.
These examples explain the tools. Your course policy determines how grades should be recorded. See the calculation methodology.