Enabling the Drop the Lowest setting in a gradebook category excludes the specified number of lowest grades from the aggregation. The dropped items will not count toward a student’s grade. Note: if there is only one grade, it will not be dropped.
- Navigate to the Gradebook Setup page.
- Click the gear icon at the top of the course page and click Gradebook Setup.
- Click Grades within the panel on the left.
- Locate the Administration block and click Gradebook Setup under Course Administration.*If you click the
*If you click the Grades link you will be redirected to the grader report page. You will need to locate and click the Setup tab, or select Gradebook Setup under Setup in the Administration block, to be redirected to the Categories and Items view of the grader report before proceeding to step 2.
- Locate the category from which you wish to drop grade(s) and click the Edit hyperlink to the right of it; click Edit Settings.
- Expand the Show more… menu in the Grade category
- Enter the number of grades you would like dropped into the Drop the lowest text field.
- Scroll down and click Save changes when finished.
*Please note the following:
When using natural weighting, drop the lowest is only allowed when:
- All grade items of the category have equal weights.
- All grade items of the category have equal max grade.
- There are no sub categories in the category.
- There are no extra credit items in the category.
Interested in learning more about best practices for grading in your online classroom? Feel free to explore the following articles in our Center for Teaching and Learning: