Practical guide and verification
Know what is being averaged
A simple class average treats every entered score equally. If assignments, sections or students carry different weights, use a weighted calculation instead of averaging already-averaged groups without considering their sizes.
Missing work and exclusions
Decide how absent, excused or ungraded work is represented before calculating. Leaving an item out and entering a zero have very different meanings, so the input convention should match the grading policy.
Common mistake
The average of two group averages is not generally the overall average unless the groups contain the same number of observations. Combine the underlying counts or use weighted means when section sizes differ.