Drop rule functioning incorrectly?

[kbink]

In the old gradebook docs, "When using the lowest or highest score rule, an assignment group must include at least one score, plus the number of dropped scores and the number of assignments that should not be dropped. For instance, if you have a rule for dropping three scores and one Never Drop assignment, you would need five student scores in the assignment group to have all three lowest or highest scores dropped."

Is it different for new gradebook?  We are getting some very strange activity in an assignment group that does not yet have the correct number of assignments to start dropping grades.  I'd almost say it is random what is getting dropped.

I'm not sure when the rule was first applied to this assignment group, but it shouldn't make a difference.

Video with details - Did this on the fly, so not entirely professional.  But like a good citizen it is captioned!

[erinhmcmillan · Accepted solution]

Hi, Kalli,

This behavior feels like an investigation for our Canvas support team! Do you mind creating a support case and sharing this video with them?

Thanks!

Erin

[kbink]

I'll work on that.  I have to go through our local support first.  Thanks!

[James]

 @kbink 

I have not seen any difference in the new gradebook. What you are questioning is the way it has been done for at least several years. Many people wait until the end of the semester to start dropping grades. I do it right away and they start getting dropped with the second assignment (I don't have any "do not drop" rules for those assignments).

Grades start getting dropped as soon as there are enough grades so that there is always at least one grade remaining and the assignment group is not voided.

What you are doing is misreading the statement in the documentation. That's a very easy thing to do with the Canvas documentation as they don't always write it in the same way that people speak.

It does not say that you need 5 submissions before any grades will be dropped, it says you need 5 before all three will get dropped.

Assuming that you have a rule to drop 3 (without any "never drop" rules)

• 1 assignment in the group = none dropped
• 2 assignments in the group = 1 dropped --- not a violation of the documentation since this is not all three
• 3 assignments in the group = 2 dropped --- again not a violation of the documentation because this is not all three
• 4 assignments in the group = 3 dropped --- finally, we have all three dropped, but still not a violation of the documentation since they had one "never drop"

I have not tested the case they mention where there is a never-drop assignment, but it's not relevant to your example in the video.

As for the weirdness that you're showing, I suspect that not all of the columns in that assignment group are being showing on your screen. That could explain why it appears to be dropping all of the grades when it is only set to 2. That would also explain why you see assignments with the same score being dropped for some students and not for others -- there are likely other assignments off the screen in that assignment group that are getting dropped.

I did appreciate the captions as I was watching it while giving a test and couldn't turn up the volume.

[kbink]

OH! Thank you for clarifying this!

Kalli

On Wed, Feb 26, 2020 at 3:04 PM james@richland.edu <instructure@jiveon.com>

[RobDitto]

 @kbink  thanks for posting this. I'm commenting here to promote a feature idea which, if ever implemented, might give a better experience to students and teachers alike: 

• https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/9718-include-a-keep-highest-scores-rule-instead-of-ignore-lowe...