Develop a list of the elements that will contribute to a class subject. These are the elements that students will be graded on, such as participation, homework, projects, quizzes and exams, for example. These elements will vary from subject to subject, since some should be based more on participation, such as physical education classes, and some should be based on homework or exams, such as mathematics.
Break down your subject elements to begin creating a percentage grading scale. The elements will be given a percentage out of 100 percent that determines how much emphasis each element has on student evaluation. An example of a breakdown for an English class could look like the following grading scale: In-class participation: 20 percent; homework grades: 30 percent; quizzes: 25 percent; final essay: 25 percent.
Create a grading scale rubric so you can print it out for the students to use as a reference. This will allow students to know what they are being evaluated on in each class subject and they can refer to a grading scale printout throughout the entire class semester if they forget the breakdown.