Grading is an opportunity to provide valuable feedback and measure student progress. In Brightspace (BrS), the grading system offers a range of features that not only simplify the grading process but also align with best practices. Among these are Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI), a federally recognized standard that emphasizes frequent, meaningful communication between students and instructors, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework designed to cater to the diverse needs of all students. This unit will guide you through the essentials of grading in BrS, ensuring a fair and transparent assessment process for all students.
📌 Brightspace Gradebook is mandatory for online courses per CUNY LMS Usage Policy for Online Courses.
Glossary
Gradable Item
– a slot in your grade book where you record students’ scores. Think of it as a labeled box in a spreadsheet where you can put grades for different assignments, tests, or class activities.
Grading Category
– feature designed to cluster similar types of assessments facilitating the grade book management, navigation, and final grade calculation.
Quick Tips
Grade Individual Assignments
Input scores for assignments, quizzes, and other assessments in the gradebook to keep a record of student performance.
Calculate Final Grades
Set up grade calculations to align with the grading method specified in the syllabus, whether using a points-based or weighted system.
Release Final Grades
Publish final grades to students once all calculations are verified.
Import Final Grades into CUNYfirst
Transfer final grades directly to CUNYfirst using the new Grade Passback feature.
How To
Enter Grades Using Assessment Tools
Grade individual assessments (like assignments, quizzes, discussions, etc.) by accessing each tool from the top navbar (or Course Admin link).
Click on the Assignments link on the top navbar and locate the assignment that you wish to grade.
Click on the chevron next to the assignment name.
Select View Submissions.
Click on the student submission file.
1 Overall Grade. Enter the grade in the box under the Overall Grade section.
2 Overall Feedback. Type in feedback in the box under Overall Feedback.
3 Publish. Click on the Publish button.
Click on the left/right arrows at the top-right of the screen to open a new student submission to grade.
Click on the Quizzes link on the top navbar and locate the quiz that you wish to grade.
Click on the chevron next to the quiz name.
Select the Grade option.
Click on the Users tab.
Click on the attempt under your student’s name.
You can filter by attempts and questions from this interface.
Click on the Discussions link on the top navbar.
Click on the Discussions List tab.
Locate the Discussion Topic you wish to grade.
Click on the arrow next to the Discussion Topic title.
Select Assess Topic from the dropdown menu.
Click on the Topic Score.
1Overall Grade. Enter the grade in the box under the Overall Grade section.
2 Overall Feedback. Type in feedback in the box under Overall Feedback.
3 Publish.
Click on the left/right arrows at the top-right of the screen or the right arrow at the bottom to open a new student submission to grade.
Enter Grades Using Quick Eval
This is a consolidated view of all student submissions allowing instructors to efficiently evaluate, provide feedback, and track pending assessments (for a single course or across courses and activities) in one centralized location.
Option A
Click on the Quick Eval link on the top navbar.
Option B
Locate the Quick Eval Widget on the course home page or your Brightspace dashboard (locations may vary).
This view presents an exhaustive list of everything that needs to be graded including submissions made to Assignments, Quizzes, and Discussions. You can sort submissions by first or last name, Activity Name, Course Name, or Submission date. This view is useful for looking up a specific student’s work.
Click on the Submissions button at the top.
This view provides a list of courses with their corresponding activities. Activities provides a pre-sorted list of all required assessments for an assignment, discussion, or quiz. It displays learners’ submissions and the instructor progress on evaluations and publishing feedback to learners. This view makes it easy to complete one task before moving on to the next.
Click on the Activities button at the top.
Enter Grades Using Gradebook Spreadsheet
The grade book interface displays a comprehensive list of students alongside their respective assignments, quizzes, and other gradable items. Think of it as a built-in spreadsheet where instructors can view, enter, and update individual student grades and overall class performance.
Option A
Click on the Grades link from the top navbar.
Option B
Click on the Course Admin link from the top navbar.
Select the Name tab.
Click on Grades.
If you choose to filter Brightspace tools using the Category tab, you will find the grades tool located within the ‘Assessment’ category.
When instructors set up course assessments such as quizzes, discussions, or assignments, they should add total grade points and choose the ‘In Grade Book’ option during setup. This action prompts the system to automatically create related items in the grade book, effectively linking each assessment to the grading system for streamlined evaluation.
Access student submissions
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Click on the Switch to Standard View button.
Icon indicates that a student submitted an assignment into Brightspace, and the submission is pending instructor’s grade.
Click on the icon to open student submission.
Icon indicates that a student submitted a quiz into Brightspace. Click on the icon to open student submission.
Icon indicates that a student posted in a discussion topic. Click on the icon to open student submission.
Option A
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Click on the Switch to Spreadsheet View button.
Enter the grade in the corresponding field.
Click on the Enter or Return key on your keyboard to save the grade.
Option B
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Click on the chevron next to the column’s name in the gradebook.
Select the Enter Grades option.
Set Final Grade Calculations
Step I – Set to the Weighted System
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Settings icon (cogwheel) at the top right corner.
Click on the Calculation Options tab.
Select the Weighted option under the Grading System section.
Save.
Close the dialog box after the changes are saved.
Step II – Create Categories
Grading categories in Brightspace should align with the final grade breakdown outlined in the syllabus. Individual assignments will be nested within each category.
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Manage Grades tab.
Click on the New button.
Select Category.
Name the category (e.g., Assignments, homework, or Weekly Discussions) to reflect the group of assessments it represents.
Enter the category weight (without percentage symbol) in the box; e.g., all discussions are 25% of the final grade.
Scroll down and select Distribute weight evenly across all items (commonly used),
but consider other options if they match your grade distribution.
Repeat the process for each grading category listed under the final grade breakdown in your syllabus. The sum of all weighted categories should be 100.
Step III – Nest Individual Assessments within the Corresponding Category
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Manage Grades tab.
1Select the checkbox at the top left of the table, under the Bulk Edit icon to select all items in your gradebook.
2 Click on the Bulk Edit icon.
Click on the arrow at the top right corner.
Click on the arrow on each box in the Category column to open a drop-down menu with all the categories created in the previous step. Assign the proper category to each selected assessment.
Each assignment, in a point-based grading system, is assigned a point value. The final grade in a course is cumulative and determined by adding up all the points earned in individual assignments. In Brightspace, to calculate the final grade using the point system, use a combination of the Setup Wizard tool (used to select the grading system for your course) and the Manage Grades tool (used to assign/adjust the maximum points possible to individual assessments).
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Settings icon (cogwheel) at the top right corner.
Click on the Points option under Grading System.
Save.
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Manage Grades tab.
1Select the checkbox on the top left of the table, under the Bulk Edit icon to select all items in your gradebook.
2 Click on the Bulk Edit icon.
Enter the maximum points possible for each assignment in the corresponding box in the Max Points column.
Save.
The Setup Wizard in Brightspace is a tool that guides instructors through seven steps to configure their grading system, final grade release options, grade calculations, and display settings.
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Setup Wizard tab. You will see your current grade book settings.
Click on the Start button at the bottom of the page.
The Grade Setup Wizard guides you through seven consecutive steps to configure your gradebook settings. Once you start the setup process, click on the Continue button at the bottom of the page to move between the steps.
Recommended Settings for Each Step in the Setup Wizard
Organize Your Gradebook
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Manage Grades tab.
Click on the New button.
Select Item.
Choose the type of grade item you want to create.
A Numeric. Enter grades as numbers.
B Text. Enter descriptive grades.
Fill in the required details.
1 Name. Type in the title of your gradable item.
2 Maximum Points. Add maximum points possible for the item.
3 Save.
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Manage Grades tab.
Click on the chevron next to the assignment name.
Select the Edit option.
Make sure the Properties tab is selected.
ACan Exceed. This option adds the extra credit to an individual assignment.
BBonus. This option adds extra credit to the final course grade.
Create categories
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Manage Grades tab.
Click on the New button.
Select Category.
1Name. Enter the category name (e.g., Assignments, Homework or Weekly Discussions) to reflect the group of assessments it represents.
2 Save.
Assign categories to individual assignments
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Select the Manage Grades tab.
Click on the chevron next to the assignment name.
Select the Edit option.
1 Category. Click on the chevron under the Category option and select the category previously created. You also have an option to create a new category in this section.
2 Save.
The Hostos Grade Schema has been set as a default in the system. If you wish to confirm or make adjustments follow the steps below.
Click on the Grades link on the top navbar.
Click on the Setup Wizard tab. You will see your current grade book settings.
Click on the Start button at the bottom of the page.
The Grade Setup Wizard guides you through seven consecutive steps to configure your gradebook settings. Once you start the setup process, click on the Continue button at the bottom of the page to move between the steps.
Navigate to Step 4: Choose Default Grade Scheme.
Click on the radio button next to the Hostos Letter or Allied Health Grading Scheme option.
Click on the Continue button through the remaining steps and then click on the Finish button.
Calculated Final Grade
Think of the Calculated Final Grade column as an Excel column with a formula. It automatically calculates a student’s grade based on the scores entered into the gradebook. You cannot manually change the numbers in this column – they are locked because the formula determines the value.
Final Adjusted Grade
The Final Adjusted Grade column allows you to edit the final grades. The grade values from the fixed Calculated Final Grade column can be transferred over and overridden.
Click the Grades link at the top navbar.
Click on Settings (gear icon) in the upper right corner.
Select the Calculation Options tab.
Under Final Grade Released, choose either Calculated Final Grade or Adjusted Final Grade.
Optionally, check Automatically Release Final Grade if you want grades to be released as soon as they are entered.
Click Save.
Click the Grades link at the top navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Locate the Calculated Final Grade column. Click the arrow next to Calculated Final Grade title.
Choose Enter Grades from the dropdown.
Click on the arrow next to the Final Grades title at the top of page.
Select the Release All option from the menu.
Optionally, you can check or uncheck the grade release for individual students.
Click Save and Close.
Click the Grades link at the top navbar.
Select the Enter Grades tab.
Locate the Final Adjusted Grade column. Click the arrow next to Final Adjusted Grade title.
Choose Enter Grades from the dropdown.
Click on the arrow next to the Final Grades title at the top of page.
Select the Transfer All option from the menu.
A dialog box will pop up. Click the Yes button to confirm the transfer.
Adjust the grade values in the left column under the Final Adjusted Grade header.
Once you enter all the adjustments, click on the arrow next to the Final Grades title at the top of page.
Select the Release All option from the menu.
Optionally, you can check or uncheck the grade release for individual students.
Click Save and Close.
Your students can see either the Calculated Final Grade or the Final Adjusted Grade column. You cannot show both of them simultaneously. The eye icon next to the grade value in either Calculated or Adjusted column indicated whether the grades are visible to students.
It is recommended to display the final grade column to students from the beginning of the semester to promote transparency. This practice enables students to monitor their progress and take informed actions to achieve their desired outcomes.
Learn about is an additional and streamlined option for instructors to import final grades into the CUNYfirst grade roster.
