How do I create rules for an assignment group?

Once you have added assignments to your assignment group, you can create rules for the entire assignment group. Assignment group rules determine how Canvas handles any exceptions you want to create for grade calculations. Assignment groups can be weighted or unweighted.

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.

Canvas considers how the rule most negatively or positively affects the student's overall score. A rule to drop the lowest score will remove the assignment score(s) from a student's group percentage calculation that will result in the best possible score for that group. A rule to drop the highest score will remove the assignment score(s) from a student's group percentage calculation that will result in the lowest possible score for that group. Dropping both the lowest and the highest score(s) removes any outlying scores and calculates a student’s grade based upon the remaining middle scores.

Dropping scores is based on the impact to the total points for that assignment group. In some cases, the point value may be considered more important than percentage score when determining which assignment to drop. For example, if a student earns 100% on a 50-point assignment, 65% on a 100-point assignment, and 50% on a 24-point assignment, the student’s total score is 127 out of 174 points, or 73% for the assignment group. If an instructor sets a rule to drop the assignment with the lowest score in the assignment group, Canvas will drop the score that gives the student a better total score for the group. Even though the 50% score is the lowest percentage, the assignment with the 65% score will be dropped, giving the student a score of 62 out of 74 points, or an 84%, for the assignment group.

Multiple Grading Periods

If your course includes Multiple Grading Periods, you cannot change assignment group rules once an assignment group has assignments in a closed grading period.

Additionally, if an assignment group contains assignments that fall into multiple grading periods, grades may have unintended consequences when calculating assignment group rules.

Open Assignments

In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link.

Edit Assignment Group

Click the Assignment Group Options drop-down menu [1]. Click the Edit link [2].

Create Rules

For each Assignment Group, you can create one of three grading rules:

Drop (ignore) the lowest x scores for each student
Drop (ignore) the highest x scores for each student
Never drop a specific assignment

Drop Lowest Score

To drop a certain number of lowest scores, enter the number in the Lowest Scores field. You can use the arrows to adjust the number.

Drop Highest Score

To drop a certain number of highest scores, enter the number in the Highest Scores field. You can use the arrows to adjust the number.

Never Drop Assignment

To tell Canvas to never drop a certain assignment, click the Add an assignment link.

Select Assignment

In the Assignment drop-down menu [1], select the name of the assignment in the Assignment Group that should never be dropped.

To select another assignment, click the Add another assignment link [2].

Save Rules

When you are finished adding rules, click the Save button.

View Assignment Group Rules

In the Assignment Group toolbar, Canvas will show the number of rules assigned to the group [1]. Hover over the link to view the rules [2].