Summary
Ungraded essay or written-response questions in Brightspace temporarily affect your total quiz score and can change which grades are dropped. Once all manual grading is complete, Brightspace automatically recalculates your total and adjusts dropped grades correctly.
Body
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:
- •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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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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- • 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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- • 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).
Quiz with Written Responses That Affect Dropped Grades
| Quiz |
Auto-Graded Score |
Written Response |
Current Total (Before Manual Grading) |
Final Total (After Manual Grading) |
Dropped? (Y/N) |
| Quiz 1 |
15/20 |
Graded (5/5) |
20/20 |
20/20 |
N |
| Quiz 2 |
13/20 |
Graded (3/5) |
16/20 |
16/20 |
N |
| Quiz 3 |
18/20 |
Ungraded (0/5) |
18/20 (temporary 0 counted) |
23/25 (adjusted to 18.4/20) |
Y (before) | N (after) |
| Quiz 4 |
17/20 |
Graded (5/5) |
22/20 (adjusted to 20/20) |
20/20 |
N |
What Happens?
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• 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:
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.