Instructional Support

Releasing final grades to students

This is an important step that must be done in order for students to see their Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade. By default, unless a grade item is hidden, students are able to see individual grade items when accessing their Grades area, but do not see a final grade related to either “Final Calculated Grade” or “Adjusted Final Grade” items (calculated in the Brightspace grades area) unless the chosen final grade item has been released. Release of the calculated grade item can be done for the whole class (release all) or for individual learners

  • What is required: A D2L Brightspace course with student scores entered in the grade book

Using Final Calculated Grade vs. Final Adjusted Grade

You can only use and release one final grade to your students: final calculated grade or final adjusted grade. If you want students to be able to see their current final grade, I’d recommend you use Final Calculated Grade first so that the grades will be automatically calculated by the system, then at the end of the term, you can change it to Final Adjusted Grade.

Important Notes:
  • Make sure that your grades are set up correctly. If you have any grade item or grade category that you are not using, they will affect the final grade calculation, even if you already hide them from the students’ view. If you hide unused grade item or category, you will also need to exclude them from the final grade so they won’t affect the final grade. It’s best to delete unused grade item or category to keep your grades clean.
  • Once you set up your grades properly, enter grade for yourself and give yourself full points for all the grade items to make sure that the grades are calculated correctly
  • Even though you already release the final grade, if you change the setting between using Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade, or adjust students’ grades after being released, you will need to release the final grade again.

Steps

Step 1: Checking Grade settings are correct to display

Check the grade settings to make sure the final grades shows up properly before releasing them to the students

  1. In the Grades area, click on Settings 
    Grades-settings
  2. In the Personal Display Options, make sure you have all checked under Grade Details. This will allow you to see the final grades
    Note: You will see different options under Grade Details depending on which grading system you use: weighted, points, or formula
    Grades settings-personal display options
  3. Click on the Save button and click on the Org Unit Display Options tab at the top
  4. In the Org Unit Display Options tab, make sure you have all checked under Grade Details. This will allow students to see the final grades, but you will still need to release it later
    Note: You will see different options under Grade Details depending on which grading system you use: weighted, points, or formula
    Grades settings-org unit display options
  5. Click on the Save button and click on the Calculation Options tab at the top
  6. In the Calculation Options tab:
    1. Select Final Calculated Grade under Final Grade Released
    2. You can choose to check the box for Automatically release final grade
      NOTE:       In order for the automatic release of final grades in a course to function properly, the “Automatically release final grade” check box selection and save procedure MUST take place PRIOR to any grades being entered into the grades area. Selection of this variable usually occurs at the beginning of the term or prior to course start date, typically before grading has taken place.
    3. Make sure to check the box for Automatically keep final grades updated under Auto Update
      Grades settings-calculation options-calculated final grade
  7. Click on the Save button, click on the Yes button to confirm, and click on the Close button
Step 2: Releasing final calculated grade to students
Option 2a: Release to all students
  1. Click on Grades from the Course navbar
  2. On the Enter Grade page, click on the drop-down arrow for Final Calculated Grade and choose Enter Grade
    Final calculated grade-enter grades
  3. At the top left of the screen, click on the drop-down arrow for Final Grades and choose Release All
    Final grades-release all
  4. Click on the Save and Close button
  5. On the Enter Grade page, you can see final grade indicator of “Final grade is released” next to the grade under Final Calculated Grade
    Final grade-release grade indicator
Option 2b: Release to only a few students
  1. Click on Grades from the Course navbar
  2. On the Enter Grade page, click on the drop-down arrow for Final Calculated Grade and choose Enter Grade
    Final calculated grade-enter grades
  3. Check the box next to the student’s name which grade you want to release and click on Release/Unrelease link. It will check the box under Release column next to the selected students
    Final calculated grade-release specific user
    NOTE: These changes will only apply to the students DISPLAYED ON THE PAGE. If you have a lot of students in your course, change the number of users viewed on the page via the “Results Per Page” drop-down arrow located to the right below the table display of the final grade
    Final grade-results per page
  4. Click on the Save and Close button
  5. On the Enter Grade page, you can see final grade indicator of “Final grade is released” next to the grade under Final Calculated Grade
    Final grade-release grade indicator
Step 3: Switching to final adjusted grade (Optional-end of the term)

Note: Recommended to start using this towards the end of the term because Final Adjusted Grade is not automatically populated by the system. So if you use this without doing anything, your students won’t be able to see anything in their Final Adjusted Grade.

Step 3a: Transfer grades from Final Calculated Grade
  1. Click on Grades from the Course navbar
  2. Click on the drop-down arrow for Final Adjusted Grade and choose Enter Grades
    Final adjusted grade-enter grades
  3. If you want to transfer grades for all students, click on the drop-down arrow for Final Grades and choose Transfer All
    Final adjusted grade-transfer all
    If you want to transfer grade for a specific students, click on the transfer icon (located in the Grade column of Final Adjusted Grade, left of the calculator icon)  for each student’s grade you want to transfer
    Final adjusted grade-transfer specific user
  4. Manually adjust the grade in the Final Calculated Grade (curve up/down)
  5. Click on the Save and Close button
Step 3b: Switch to use the Final Adjusted Grades
  1. In the Grades area, click on Settings
  2. Click on the Calculation Options tab
  3. In the Calculation Options tab, select Final Adjusted Grade under Final Grade Released
    Grades settings-calculation options-adjusted final grade
  4. Click on the Save button, click on the Yes button to confirm, and click on the Close button
Step 3c: Release final grades to all students

Note: Even though you had previously release the Final Calculated Grade, because you changed the grades setting to use Final Adjusted Grade, you will need to release the final grade again

  1. Click on Grades from the Course navbar
  2. Click on the drop-down arrow for Final Adjusted Grade and choose Enter Grades
    Final adjusted grade-enter grades
  3. At the top left of the screen, click on the drop-down arrow for Final Grades and choose Release All
    Final grades-release all
  4. Click on the Save and Close button and click on the Yes button to confirm
  5. On the Enter Grade page, you can see final grade indicator of “Final grade is released” next to the grade under Final Adjusted Grade
    Final grade-release grade indicator
Step 4: Viewing grades as students

Tips: to make sure that the grades are calculated correctly, enter grade for yourself and give yourself full points for all the grade items.

Option 1: Viewing grades as a student

You will be able to view the grades area just like your students. Make sure that you release final grade for yourself.

  1. From within your course, click on your name at the top right and click on View as Student
    Switch view-view as student
    If don’t see that option since you’ve never done this before, click Change link first and choose Student from the list
    Switch view-change-view as student
  2. Click on Grades from the course navbar. You will see either Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade follows by all the grade category, grade item, and all the feedback (if available)
    Grades-instructor view as student
  3. To switch back to your Instructor view, click on your name at the top right and click on X to stop viewing as student
    Switch view-stop-viewing as student
Option 2: Preview actual student’s grade

You will be able to preview a student’s grade

  1. Click on Grades from the course navbar
  2. On the Enter Grades page, click on the drop-down arrow next to a student’s name and choose Preview
    Grades-preview student grade
  3. A new window will open and you can see the student’s grade shows either Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade follows by all the grade category, grade item, and all the feedback (if available)
    Grades-preview student grade: show grades details
  4. Click on the Close button when you’re done previewing

Video Tutorials:

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