How to Release the Final Grade

This guide walks instructors through how to release final grades in Brightspace, including selecting the correct final grade column, adjusting grade visibility, and confirming release status. Tips and FAQs are provided to troubleshoot common issues with grade display and calculation.

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Introduction:

By default, final grades in Brightspace are not automatically visible to students. Instructors must manually release them in the Grades tool. This guide walks you through how to check your final grade calculations, ensure the correct grade item is selected, and release final grades to your students.

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Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. 1. Log in to Brightspace and access your course. On the navigation bar, select the Class Progress tab.
   • In the drop-down menu, click on [a] Grades.
   • In the Grades dashboard, select the [b] Manage Grades tab.
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3. 2. In the Manage Grades tab, locate the column labeled Final Calculated Grade (or Final Adjusted Grade, depending on your setup).
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5. 3. In either column, click on the drop-down and select edit.
6. 4. On the edit column dashboard, scroll down to access the student view. This is where you will release the final grade for students,
   1. Display class average to users: Select this option if you want to allow users to see the class average on the item.
   2. Display grade distribution to users: Select this option if you want to allow users to see a graph showing how grades were distributed between different percentiles.
   3. Override display options for this item: Select this option if you want graded users to view grade information for this item differently from other items in the grade book.
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8. 5. Save and close, then scroll back up to click on the Enter Grades tab.
9. 6. Next to each learner, you will be able to see if the grades were released by the eyeball icon being open.
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    • For individual release of grades, select the student's username, and scroll to Final Grade.
      • Here, you will check/uncheck Release Final Calculated Grade.
    

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Troubleshooting Tips:

• • Final grades column is missing?
  • Go to Grades > Settings > Calculation Options and ensure that either Final Calculated Grade or Final Adjusted Grade is enabled.
• • Grades still not visible to students?
  • ​​​​​​​Check if the column is set as visible: Go to Manage Grades, click the dropdown beside the final grade item, and choose Edit Grade Item. Under Visibility, ensure the box for “Display in student view” is checked.
• • Adjusted grades not releasing?
  • Make sure you’ve entered a value into the Final Adjusted Grade column and have selected it as the official final grade (via Calculation Options).

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Additional Resources:

• • Manage final grades | D2L Brightspace Community​​​​​​​

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FAQ Section:

• •Q: What’s the difference between Final Calculated and Final Adjusted Grade?
  • ​​​​​​​A: The difference between the two...
    • Final Calculated Grade is the total based on the gradebook’s setup.
    • Final Adjusted Grade allows you to manually override a student’s final score.
• • Q: Can I release final grades to only some students?
  • ​​​​​​​A: Yes, just check the boxes next to the individual students before selecting Release.
• • Q: Will students get a notification?
  • ​​​​​​​A: No, but the final grade will appear in their Grades view immediately after release.