Understanding Dropped Grades/Drop Lowest Grade (student handout)

Introduction:

In some quizzes or assignments, your instructor may include written-response questions (like essays or short answers) that require manual grading. Until your instructor grades those items, Brightspace temporarily counts them as ungraded — which can affect how “dropped” or “lowest” grades are calculated.

How Dropped Grades Work:

2. •Ungraded = Zero (Temporarily) - When a quiz includes written or short-answer questions that are not yet graded:
   • Brightspace temporarily counts those questions as 0 points until your instructor grades them.
   • This can make your overall quiz score look lower than it actually is.
   • If your instructor has set the quiz category to drop the lowest grade, Brightspace may temporarily mark that attempt as the “lowest” and drop it.
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4. EXAMPLE: You have 3 quizzes, and Quiz 3 includes a short-answer question that your instructor hasn’t graded yet.

   • Until graded, Quiz 3 shows a lower percentage (e.g., 70%)
   • Brightspace drops it as the “lowest.”
   • Once graded, your percentage improves, and Brightspace automatically recalculates which quiz is dropped.
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6. • The Drop Rule Recalculates Automatically - When your instructor finishes grading, Brightspace updates the calculation and determines the correct quiz to drop based on your final scores:
   • You don’t need to do anything — the system refreshes automatically once grading is complete.
   • No grades are permanently lost.
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8. • Written Assignments vs. Quizzes:
   • Assignments (File Submissions): Drop rules don’t apply to assignment folders.
   • Quizzes (Essay/Written Questions): Drop rules apply, but they may temporarily behave differently until manual grading is completed.

Example Scenario:

Your instructor set up four quizzes, each worth 20 points, and enabled a rule to drop the lowest quiz grade in the Quiz category. Each quiz includes a mix of multiple-choice (auto-graded) and one short-answer question (manually graded).

What Happens?

• • When Quiz 3’s written question is still ungraded, Brightspace temporarily counts it as a zero.

  • It shows a lower overall score (18/20), so Brightspace automatically drops it as the “lowest grade.”
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• • Once your instructor grades the written response for Quiz 3:
  • The total recalculates correctly (now 23/25 → normalized to 18.4/20).
  • Brightspace updates the drop rule automatically and keeps the true lowest score (Quiz 2).
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• • Your overall grade is then updated to reflect the corrected dropped item.
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Key Takeaway

If your quiz includes essay or short-answer questions, your lowest dropped grade might temporarily change until all grading is complete. Once your instructor grades every response, Brightspace will automatically re-evaluate which quiz is the lowest and drop the correct one.

Troubleshooting Tips:

• • See a grade that looks lower than expected? It may include ungraded written-response questions. Wait until your instructor posts the final grades.
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• • Dropped the wrong quiz? Brightspace will fix this automatically once grading is finalized.
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• • Still unsure? Ask your instructor if grading is complete before assuming a grade was dropped incorrectly.
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Additional Resources:

• • Quizzes | D2L Brightspace Community
• • Using the Quizzes tool | D2L Brightspace Community
• • View your grades | D2L Brightspace
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FAQ Section:

• • Q: Why does it say my lowest grade was dropped, but I think the wrong one was chosen?
  • A: Brightspace automatically determines which grade is lowest based on current scores. Once all written questions are graded, the system re-evaluates which one to drop.
• • Q: Can I tell when an essay question is graded?
  • A: Yes. Once your instructor grades your written question, the overall quiz score in Grades will update.
• • Q: Will dropped grades affect my ungraded work?
  • ​​​​​​​A: No. Drop rules only apply to completed and graded items once all scores are finalized.