Using the Gradebook

Using the Gradebook in a BeachBoard Course

New: Watch a closed-captioned movie that shows you how use BeachBoard's Gradebook [opens a new window]

BeachBoard's Gradebook tool performs different functions related to grading. Within the Gradebook, you can add items, manage items, specify your Gradebook settings, set specific grade weights, download grades, and upload grades. You can also designate percent grades to their corresponding letter grades and vice versa.

One of the best features of BeachBoard's Gradebook is that it is completely private. As an instructor you have full and complete access to every one of your students' grades in the course. However, when you post a student's grade in your BeachBoard Gradebook, that student can login to BeachBoard and only see his or her grade.

If you choose to use BeachBoard's Gradebook, please note that

  1. The Gradebook does not include the ability drop lowest grades nor can it do any "if then else" grade calculus [for example, "if a student has an average of at least 80% on his quizzes and 70% on his midterms then the student can drop 12 lab grades ..."] However, one can download the Gradebook, manipulate the students' grade data in a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, and then either manually enter the results or upload the results into BeachBoard's Gradebook.
  2. BeachBoard's Gradebook is not a replacement for the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB, nor is there a way to automatically transfer the grades into the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB at the end of the semester. Regardless of whether or not you use BeachBoard's Gradebook, at the end of the semester you will be required to manually enter your students' final letter grades in MyCSULB.
  3. It is the instructor's responsibility to archive, download, and print out the Gradebook at the end of the semester.

Helpful Handouts

Gradebook Topics

Access Your BeachBoard Gradebook

Only instructors, Graders, and Teaching Assistants can view a course's complete BeachBoard Gradebook. Students cannot see the complete gradebook but rather can only see their own individual grades.

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course in which you would like to view the Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.

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Update Your Gradebook Roster

The list of students in your Gradebook Roster is populated directly from the University's official roster in MyCSULB. When a student adds or drops your course, that information is automatically sent to BeachBoard (and your BeachBoard Gradebook) within 24 hours.

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Add a Score Column/Gradebook Item

BeachBoard's Gradebook is in a simple spreadsheet format. To be able to enter grades for a particular classroom activity such as an essay, quiz, etc., you need to create a score column/Gradebook item for that classroom activity.

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course that contains your Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.
  5. Click the Add Item icon.
  6. Enter a title, such as Quiz 1 or Essay 4, in the Item Name box.
  7. Select a category, such as Homework or Quiz, from the Category drop-down list.
  8. Enter a description of the Gradebook Item in the Description box. (Optional)
  9. If the item has a specific due date and time, click the Due Date checkbox and choose the due date and time. (Optional)
  10. Enter the maximum number of points possible for this item in the Points Possible box. [For extra credit assignments the maximum possible points should be zero.]
  11. In the Display As drop-down menu, choose how the grade should be displayed:
    • Complete/Incomplete: Displays the grade as the nominal values Complete or Incomplete. Assignments designated Complete receive the maximum Points Possible value. Incomplete assignments will receive a value of zero
    • Letter: Displays the grade using the standard A,B,C,D or F model.
    • Percentage: Displays the grade as the percentage out of a total value of 100. Percentage is calculated by using the following calculation: (Raw Score/Points Possible) *100
    • Score: Displays the grade as a numerical value between 0 and the total number of Points Possible. There is a limit of 6 digits. For example, 100.00 or 123456.
    • Text: Displays the grade as a string of instructor-assignable text up to 8 characters long
  12. Under Options, choose if you want to make this item available and if you want to include it in the Gradebook's score calculations.
    • Make item available to users? Do you want students to see this grade yet? Select Yes if yes, or select No if no.
    • Include item in Gradebook score calculations? Do you want this item to count towards the students' final grade? Select Yes if yes, or select No if no.
  13. Click the Submit button.

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Enter Grades

Once you have created a score column/Gradebook item, the next step is to enter your students' grades.

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course in that contains your Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.
  5. At the top of the score column into which you wish to enter grades, click the name of the assignment, quiz, etc. For example, if the score column is for Term Paper 2, click the link titled Term Paper 2.
  6. Click the Item Grade List link.
  7. Enter your students' scores in the Manual Grade column.
  8. Click the Submit button.

Please note:

  • BeachBoard's Gradebook is not a replacement for the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB, nor is there a way to automatically transfer the grades into the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB at the end of the semester. Regardless of whether or not you use BeachBoard's Gradebook, at the end of the semester you will be required to manually enter your students' final letter grades in MyCSULB.
  • It is the instructor's responsibility to archive, download, and print out the Gradebook at the end of the semester.

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Change the Order of Your Gradebook's Score Columns/Gradebook Items

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course in that contains your Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.
  5. Click the Manage Items icon.
  6. Choose the desired order numbers from the Order drop-down menus.
  7. Click the OK button.

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Download Grades

Instructors can download and save a Gradebook as a comma-delimited file for use in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. This file, or Gradebook items in this file, can be uploaded to BeachBoard Gradebook at a later date. Downloading a Gradebook does not remove any information from the Gradebook and is required at the end of the semester in order to maintain a record of the course activities.

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course in that contains your Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.
  5. Click the Download Grades icon.
  6. Choose either Comma or Tab to the right of the words Delimeter Type. (Either choice will work, although Comma is recommended)
  7. Click the Submit button.
  8. Click the Download button.
  9. Save the spreadsheet file to a location on your computer you will remember, preferably your desktop.

Please note:

  • BeachBoard's Gradebook is not a replacement for the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB, nor is there a way to automatically transfer the grades into the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB at the end of the semester. Regardless of whether or not you use BeachBoard's Gradebook, at the end of the semester you will be required to manually enter your students' final letter grades in MyCSULB.
  • It is the instructor's responsibility to archive, download, and print out the Gradebook at the end of the semester.

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Upload Grades

Instructors may upload Gradebook information from outside of BeachBoard. However, the file must be in a comma-delimited format. The Gradebook Upload will fail if the user name for each row of data is not present. Also, the Gradebook will not process the data for any Username that is not enrolled as a user in the course. Additionally, changes to the first name and last name columns will not be processed.

For best results, you should only manipulate and upload a Gradebook that you have previously downloaded from BeachBoard. BeachBoard Services does not advise that you attempt to create a new Gradebook from scratch then upload it.

  1. Login to BeachBoard. https://beachboard.csulb.edu/
  2. Under My Courses, click the name of the course in that contains your Gradebook.
  3. Click the course's Control Panel link.
  4. Under Assessment, click the Gradebook link.
  5. Click the Upload Grades icon.
  6. Click the Browse button.This opens a Choose file pop-up window.
  7. Find your Gradebook export spreadsheet file on your computer and click the Open button. This process is similar to the process of attaching a file to an email message.
  8. Click the Submit button.
  9. In the Choose Imported Item section, choose which item(s) in your spreadsheet file you want to add to your Gradebook.
  10. In the Choose Existing Item section, choose to overwrite an existing item (this will not automatically overwrite Students’ grades) or create a new Gradebook item.
  11. Click the Submit button.
  12. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Please note:

  • BeachBoard's Gradebook is not a replacement for the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB, nor is there a way to automatically transfer the grades into the University's official grade roster in MyCSULB at the end of the semester. Regardless of whether or not you use BeachBoard's Gradebook, at the end of the semester you will be required to manually enter your students' final letter grades in MyCSULB.
  • It is the instructor's responsibility to archive, download, and print out the Gradebook at the end of the semester.

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More Information

Q: What do the Gradebook symbols mean?
A: Every Student sees a value for every Gradebook item. If the value is not a representation of the grade, it will be one of the following symbols:

  • Padlock: In Progress. A Student is currently using the Assessment or Assignment.
  • Dash: No Information. A Student has not taken the Assessment or submitted the Assignment.
  • Exclamation Point: Needs Grading. The item has been submitted by the Student and needs to be reviewed by the instructor. Tests that include Essay questions will have this symbol when they are submitted.
  • Question Mark: Gradebook Error.
  • Checkmark: Item has been completed by the Student.
  • Asterisk: The student cannot see this item.

Q: What scale does BeachBoard use to determine the letter grades A, B, C, D, and F?
A: The following Letter grades are built into BeachBoard. You may modify these in Control Panel > Gradebook > Gradebook > Manage Display Options.

  • 97% to 100% (or higher) = A+
  • 94% to 97% = A
  • 90% to 94% = A-
  • 87% to 90% = B+
  • 84% to 87% = B
  • 80% to 84% = B-
  • 77% to 80% = C+
  • 74% to 77% = C
  • 70% to 74% = C-
  • 67% to 70% = D+
  • 64% to 67% = D
  • 60% to 64% = D-
  • 59% or below = F

Q: Does BeachBoard "round up" or "curve" grades?
A: No. In BeachBoard, an 89.999 is a B+. You can change the "cut points" for your grades by going to Control Panel > Gradebook > Gradebook Settings > Manage Display Options. A cut point is the lowest possible percentage that will earn a particular grade. In the list above, the cut point for an A- is 90%.

Q: Can I sort my Gradebook items?
A: Yes. Use the Sort Items by drop-down menu to sort your Gradebook by category, date added, positions, or titles.

Q: Why would I want to use the Filter Items by Category drop-down menu?
A: Filtering narrows down the items in your Gradebook. This makes it easier for you to find which assignment you want to view or grade.

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Special thanks to Cal Poly for their help with this page.