Participant quick reference

Gradebook Quick Guide

A compact check for the Canvas Gradebook settings and workflow decisions that most directly affect calculation, visibility, and day-to-day grading.

Review before you change. When a setting could alter current grades, category weights, or what students can see, compare the change with the grading plan and any requirements that apply to the course.

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Grading structure

Compare the grading method communicated to students with the current Canvas calculation.
When weighted groups are used, review group percentages and assignment placement together.
In points-based courses, consider how point values influence the course total.

Cause for Pause

Would the syllabus and the Grades page tell a student the same story about how the course total is built?

Grading scheme, when used

Compare the active Canvas grading scheme with the scale communicated to students.
Check a percentage near a letter-grade boundary if there is any uncertainty.

Cause for Pause

Would the same percentage receive the same letter grade everywhere a student might look?

Posting + visibility

Know whether grades are posting automatically or manually.
Check the posting state before assuming students can see a score or comment.
Use the student-facing Grades view when totals or visibility are in question.

Cause for Pause

When you enter a score or comment, when does the student actually see it?

Late, missing, and other Gradebook states

Blank: no score entered yet.
Zero: an actual score that affects the calculation.
Missing: a submission status that can interact with configured policies.
Late: submitted after the due date; configured policies may affect the score.
Excused: excluded from the grading calculation rather than scored as zero.

Cause for Pause

What does a blank mean in this course - and could a student interpret it differently?

SpeedGrader sequence

Open → Review → Score → Feedback → Status → Verify → Next

Review the correct student and submission.
Enter or revise the score.
Use an attached rubric when one is already part of the assignment.
Add feedback when it will help the student act on the result.
Confirm status and visibility before moving on.

Cause for Pause

Which step in your current grading process is most likely to create an avoidable second pass?

Final check

The grading structure in Canvas and the grading plan communicated to students align.
Any grading scheme in use matches the communicated scale.
The current posting behavior is understood.
Blank, zero, Missing, Late, and Excused states have clear meaning in the course.
One SpeedGrader workflow has been tested or reviewed.
The student-facing Grades view has been checked when needed.

About this guide: These are evidence-informed practices to consider, not institutional policy. Published college, program, department, and course requirements remain the governing source when they apply.