Transfer and release final Grades in D2L Brightspace

How do I access student final grades? What’s the quickest way to release final grades to students? How do I show the current course grade or the final grade to my students? My students can’t access their final grade – what do I do?

Access the Final Grades page

1. Navigate to the Grades tool.
2. From the Enter Grades or Manage Grades screen, look for the ‘Final Calculated Grade’ or the ‘Final Adjusted Grade’ item in the grade book.
3. Select Enter Grades from the grade’s menu. 

Exclude grades from the final grade calculation

It is possible to evaluate and record grades for grade items that you do not want included in students’ final grades. For example, you could evaluate practice assignments or course participation even though they are not included in students' final grades so that users get ongoing feedback and support.

Points System

Use the Exclude from Final Grade Calculation checkbox to exclude items and categories while using the Points system.

1. Navigate to the Grades tool.
2. Edit the category or item you want to want to exclude from the final grade.
3. Select the Exclude from Final Grade Calculation checkbox.
4. Click Save and Close.

Weighted System

You can exclude a grade item or category from the final grade calculation in the weighted system by setting the grade item or category's weight to 0%.

1. Navigate to the Grades tool.
2. Edit the category or item you want to want to exclude from the final grade.
3. Set the Weight to 0%.
4. Click Save and Close.

Transfer the calculated grade to the final adjusted grade

The Transfer All option moves the Final Calculated Grade values to the Final Adjusted Grades column for all students.

1. On the Enter Grades page, click Enter Grades from the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade drop-down menu.
2. Select Transfer All from the Final Grades menu.
   
3. Click Yes in the confirmation window.
4. The grade values for all students will be transferred from the Final Calculated Grade column to the Final Adjusted Grades column.

Release the Final Grade

There are multiple ways you can release the final grade to students: (1) click Release All from the Final Grades heading, (2) select the checkbox under the Release column for each student, or (3) select the checkbox for each student and click the Release/Unrelease link. The easiest method is to release the final grades for all students.  Let’s review that option.

Release the final grades to all students

1. On the Enter Grades page, click Enter Grades from the Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade drop-down menu.
2. Select Release All from the Final Grades menu.
   
3. Click Yes in the confirmation window.
   Note: The page will automatically save.

Students can't access their released final grade - what can I check?

Check the following areas in the grade book:

1. Check which final grade (calculated or adjusted) is released to students. Navigate to Grades > Settings > Calculation Options > Final Grade Released.
2. Check that the final grade has been released to students.
3. Edit the grade item and ensure that the Grades > Settings > Org Unit Display Options > Student View is set to display the “grade scheme symbol”. The ‘grade scheme symbol’ is necessary for letter grades, especially the final grade, to display to students.

Display the current course grade to students

The instructor can set-up the grade book so that students can access their current course grade. The two recommended options are (1) create a calculated grade item or (2) release the final calculated grade. 

Generally, a calculated grade item is helpful when the grade book is set-up to release the Final Adjusted Grade, while releasing the final calculated grade is useful when the grade book set-up to release the Final Calculated Grade.

With either option, the current course grade is affected by how the grade book calculates “Ungraded Items”. (The Ungraded Items calculation option is available from the grade book Settings page.)

• When Drop ungraded items is selected, each student's current course grade only includes items with grade scores. Therefore, the student’s grade would start relatively high and generally would decrease over time. After all grades have been entered, the student’s grade would be their final grade.
• When Treat ungraded item as 0 is selected, each student's current course grade includes all graded items, including those in which the student has not completed or has not been assessed with a score. Therefore, the student’s grade would start relatively low and generally would increase over time. After all grades have been entered, the student’s grade would be their final grade.
  

Additionally, ensure that the final grade item (that is released to students) is set to display the ‘grade scheme symbol’ for the Student View. The ‘grade scheme symbol’ is necessary for letter grades, especially the final grade, to display to students.