Grade exemptions impact how Brightspace calculates category scores, calculated grade items, and formula grade items. When a learner is exempted from a grade item, that item is excluded from grade calculations and treated as though it does not exist within the grade structure for that specific learner.
For information about creating, managing, or removing exemptions, refer to About exemptions.
How Brightspace treats exemptions
To understand calculation outcomes, it is important to distinguish exemptions from other grading states:
- Exemptions are not zeros: A zero is a failing score that lowers an average. An exemption removes the item from the average entirely.
- Exemptions are not full credit: An exemption does not award points; it reduces the total possible points for the learner.
- Exemptions override Treat Ungraded as 0: Even if your grade book is set to treat ungraded items as zero, an exempted item remains null and does not penalize the learner.
What exemptions do not change
Exemptions remove grade items from calculations, but they do not change every aspect of a course.
- Existing submissions are not deleted.
- Activities are not removed from the course.
- Release conditions are not automatically satisfied.
- Points or credit are not awarded.
- Grade items are not treated as zero.
Exemptions in grade categories
For category scores, grade exemptions affect scores as follows:
- Exclusion: Exempted grade items are excluded from the calculation of category scores. The grade item is treated as though it does not exist within the category.
- Drop rules: In a category with drop rules, such as Drop the lowest 1, exempted items are removed before the drop rule is applied. This means an exempted item is not considered the lowest grade.
- Rebalancing weights: In a weighted grade book, an exemption causes the remaining item weights to no longer total 100%. Brightspace automatically scales the weights of the remaining items proportionally so the category still reaches 100% for that learner.
- Empty categories: If all items in a category are exempted, the category does not have a score.
Exemptions in calculated grade items
For calculated grade item scores, grade exemptions affect scores as follows:
- Exempted items are excluded from the calculated score.
- If all items in a calculated grade item are exempted, the item does not have a calculated score.
Exemptions in formula grade items
Formulas treat exemptions as empty (null) grades; however, the Treat ungraded as 0 setting is ignored. If a learner is exempted from a grade item, then the exemption and its cascading results are treated as null.
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Note: If a formula grade item is used inside another formula and the referenced formula grade item is null due to an exemption, it is treated as exempted during the second formula's calculation. |
Advanced formula evaluation
If you build complex formula grade items, see Formula evaluation rules for grade exemptions for the complete operator evaluation reference.
Exemptions and final grades
For final grade items, grade exemptions affect scores as follows:
- Final Calculated Grade: Exempted items are excluded. They are treated as empty grades, not as 0, even if Treat Ungraded Items as 0 is enabled.
- Final Adjusted Grade: If all items are exempted, there are no grades to use to calculate a final grade, and the final grade does not have a score.
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Note: When using the Transfer All function to move grades from the Calculated to the Adjusted column, the Exempt label does not transfer. The Adjusted Grade field remains empty (null) for that learner. |
Excluding items for the whole class
If you need to exclude a grade item from the final grade for all learners, use these methods based on your grading system:
- Points: Select Exclude from Final Grade Calculation in the item's properties.
- Weighted: Set the item's weight to 0%.
- Formula: Manually remove the grade item from the formula string.
Exemptions and statistics
Grade item exemptions appear in class statistics but are excluded from grade calculations.
Exempted learners are excluded from aggregate statistics because exempted activities are not included in grade calculations.
- Class statistics: The number of submitted grades is reduced. Calculations such as minimum, maximum, and grade distribution exclude the exempted learner.
- User statistics: Exempt displays in the grade column for learners with exemptions.
- Category statistics: If a learner is exempted from all items in a category, they are removed from the category's class statistics.
Exemptions and release conditions
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Important: Exemptions do not automatically satisfy release conditions. If content is locked behind a grade-based release condition, an exempted learner may not gain access automatically. |
Because exemptions are neither complete nor incomplete, they affect conditions as follows:
- Grade Value on grade item: A learner who is exempt does not meet this condition. For example, if a module requires 70% on Quiz 1 to unlock, and the learner is exempt from Quiz 1, the module remains locked.
- No grade received: This condition does not trigger when a grade exemption is present.
Common calculation questions
Why did the learner's grade look higher after the exemption?
By exempting an item, you reduce the total points possible. If the learner has high scores on their remaining work, those scores now represent a larger percentage of their total grade.
Why does the weighted category no longer equal 100%?
The category still equals 100% for the affected learner. Brightspace scales the remaining items proportionally. For example, if a category has two items weighted at 50% each and one item is exempted, the remaining item effectively becomes 100% of that category for that specific learner.
Why doesn't the exemption satisfy the release condition?
Release conditions usually look for a specific score or completed state. An exemption is neither a score nor a completed state, so it does not trigger grade value conditions or score-based conditions.
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