How names are matched
Gradeshuttle compares first and last names after setting aside the things that usually differ between systems:
- name order: “Patel, Maya” and “Maya Patel”;
- middle names: “Ava Grace Kim” and “Kim, Ava”;
- accents and apostrophes: “José Núñez” and “Nunez, Jose”;
- pronoun tags, graduation years and notes in brackets;
- common nicknames: Bill/William, Sam/Samuel, Kit/Christopher;
- part of a two-part surname: “Sofia Garcia” and “Garcia-Lopez, Sofia”;
- small spelling differences: “Daniela” and “Daniella”;
- student IDs, when both pages show the same ID.
Each student is matched to at most one row, and the best matches are made first. Twins and siblings with the same last name stay apart. Strictness can be changed in Settings.
What the badges mean
| You see | Meaning | Ticked for you? |
|---|---|---|
| (no badge) | Exact match after the clean-ups above | Yes |
| nickname name order part of surname | Confident match of a known kind | Yes |
| ID remembered your pick | Same student ID, a match you saved earlier, or one you chose | Yes |
| spelling differs initial only preferred name | Probably right, but check it | No, tick it if it’s right |
| similar names | Another grabbed student was nearly as close | No |
| no match | Nobody in the grabbed data looked like this student | Left blank |
| Missing Excused Not in list | Skipped: never typed as text | Skipped |
Use Needs a look to show only the rows that need a decision. At the bottom, Gradeshuttle lists grabbed students who aren’t in this gradebook, such as a test account or a student in another section.
Fixing a match
- Click the student’s row. A Match with list opens, with best guesses at the top.
- Pick the right grabbed student, or “Nobody” to leave the cell blank.
- Pro: tick Remember this match next time so you don’t fix it again this school year.
- Show in gradebook scrolls the gradebook to that row and flashes it.
Existing grades
Cells that already have a grade are kept and shown grey. To replace them, tick Replace grades already in the gradebook before filling. Replacements are marked “will replace”, with the old value crossed out. Locked cells, for example a withdrawn student, are never touched.
Undo, highlights and receipts
- Highlights: green = typed and confirmed on the page; grey = kept or locked; dashed amber = skipped; red = no match or couldn’t be confirmed. Remove highlights clears them. They also disappear when the page reloads.
- Undo this fill puts every cell Gradeshuttle changed back to its previous value, including blanks. Do it before you press Save in the gradebook.
- Receipt (Pro): a CSV of what was typed, matched to whom, and what was there before. You can choose initials only. Receipts contain student information, so store them as your school requires.