Exempting Students from Grade Items

In some cases, you may need to exempt individual students from specific grade items due to accommodations, absences, or other circumstances. Brightspace makes it easy to manage these exceptions without affecting the rest of the class. This article explains how to exempt students from grade items in a few simple steps.

This KB Article References:

Brightspace, Brightspace for Instructors, Grade in Brightspace

This Information is Intended for:

Instructors, Staff

Exempting Students

If you would like to exempt specific students on grade items so that it does not affect their final grade calculation, follow the steps below:

In this example, I'll allow one of my students to be exempted from the final exam.

Go to the Grades tool, and select Enter Grades

Image of the "Enter Grades" tab under the "Grades" tab

Find the grade item you wish to exempt a student from, and select the arrow next to it
Choose Enter Grades

Image of the option list that appears when you click on the dropdown option of a grade item

Select the checkboxes next to the students who you wish to exempt
Above the table, choose exempt, once you do this, the word "Exempt" will appear in the Scheme column
Select Save and Close

Image showing 2 students checkboxes selected, the "Exempt" option click and the cursor on the "Save and Close" button

Unexempting Students

If you accidentally exempted a student who shouldn't be exempted, you can unexempt them using these steps:

Select the arrow next to the grade item that you want to unexempt a student from
Select Enter Grades

Image showing cursor on the "Enter Grades" option that appears when the dropdown arrow next to a Grade item is clicked.

Select the student you wish to unexempt
Choose Unexempt
Select Save and Close

Image showing a student checkbox selected, the "Unexempt" option click and the cursor on the "Save and Close" button