Export scores, times, or difficulty ratings from the Gradebook

Updated 19 Oct 2023

As an instructor or as a section instructor with the Gradebook privilege you can export Mastering Gradebook data. The data you export goes into a .csv (comma separated values) file, which can be opened in a spreadsheet application or imported into a different gradebook.

Although an automatic process isn't available, you can transfer grades between Mastering courses.

""Watch a video: Export scores

""Watch a video: Expand Mastering grading options with spreadsheets

  • Track grades for all assignments in one place: Exporting grades offers a standardized way of using Mastering grades in other gradebook formats.

    Notes:

  • Archive student grades — Exporting grades at the end of the term is a recommended practice for archiving student grades. You might also want to export a student's grades to give to another instructor if a student transfers to a different section of the same course during the term.
  • Copy student email addresses — One way to contact students by email is to export any Gradebook data (times, difficulty, or scores using the Standard Gradebook Format) and copy their email addresses from the resulting .csv file.
  • Analyze data for a subset of students — If you want to export data for students whose total score falls within a range, for students in one or more selected groups, or for specific kinds of assignments, you can filter the Gradebook data before you export.
  • Analyze time and difficulty patterns — Exporting and examining time spent or difficulty ratings for Mastering assignments can provide insight into areas where students need more study or instruction, or it can reveal possible student cheating. After you have opened the exported data in a spreadsheet program, you can sort the rows by any column.


Export scores from the Gradebook to a .csv file

  1. From the Course Home: Select Gradebook Settings (Getting Started area).
  2. Prepare for the export.

    check the consistency of student IDs. Display student IDs in the Mastering Gradebook and compare them with student identifiers in the LMS course. If you notice inconsistencies, you may want to edit the student IDs in Mastering before you export.

    see Restore Leading Zeros in Student IDs.

    make sure that the Gradebook displays scores as you want them exported, or change the points or percentages Gradebook display preference.

    filter the data as you want to export it. For example, you might want to export times for students who score exceptionally well, or only Quiz and Test scores, or scores for only one group of students.

  3. Select Export Gradebook Data.
  4. If you've filtered the Gradebook data and you decide you want to export all data instead, change the Export selection to Full Gradebook.

  5. From the Export Scores list, select a format based on how you'll use the data.
    To use scores inSelect this option
    A spreadsheet programStandard Gradebook Format

    A listed version of a learning management system (LMS)

    Open the product and select Help then About, or ask your school's Help desk or IT department.

    The specific product and version, for example Blackboard 9.x

    Then select from the other options that appear. Be sure your choice of Percentages or Points matches what you use in your other gradebook.

  6. Select Export, and if prompted, choose OK.
  7. Save the file on your computer.

    keep the .csv extension, or change the extension to .txt to preserve leading zeros in student IDs. See Restore Leading Zeros in Student IDs.

You can use your saved file later in either:

  • The LMS you selected during export
  • Any program that recognizes generic .csv files, like Microsoft Excel, Numbers for Mac, or Google Sheets

See that program's documentation for instructions for importing or working with the data.

  • Levels of precision for exported scores: The Gradebook exports grades to 2 decimal places of precision. This is precise enough for most purposes, but slightly less exact than the Gradebook internal calculations, which are calculated to about 9 decimal places.
  • Sort order of data rows in exported file: The exported file maintains the sort order of the data rows at the time you exported, but you can use your spreadsheet application to change that sort order.
  • For a Standard Gradebook Format export, grades are exported only for assignments whose due dates have passed. Grades are not exported for assignments that are not yet due. See next bullet for exception when exporting grades to an LMS.
  • Exporting grades to an LMS format includes all student work. For specialized exports (like Formatted for Blackboard), ALL assignment grades are exported, even for assignments that are not yet due. The grades represent only what the student has submitted so far and are not necessarily final assignment grades.
  • The export matches any active Gradebook filter criteria. The .csv file name includes the description, "Filtered." For example, if you’ve filtered to show only a particular student group in the Gradebook, the export will be limited to data for that group.
  • Exported data uses any weighting scheme. Exported data is weighted according to the weighting scheme defined for the Mastering course. The category to which an assignment belongs is not exported, however.
  • Assignments for practice have no scores to export. Grades for practice assignments appear as dashes in the Gradebook and in exported files.

When you export Mastering grades to a spreadsheet format using the Standard gradebook format, you can do some more grading calculations.

""Watch a video: Expand Mastering grading options with spreadsheets

Sample spreadsheets (.xls format) with instructions and formulas you can adapt.


Export assignment times/difficulty from the Gradebook to a .csv file

  1. From the Course Home —
    Select Gradebook Settings (Getting Started area).
  2. Select Export Gradebook Data.
  3. If you've filtered the Gradebook data and you decide you want to export all data, change the Export selection to Full Gradebook.

  4. From the Export page, select Export for either Export Times or Export Difficulty. If prompted, select OK.

    You can select only one of these export options at a time.

  5. Save the file on your computer. Keep the .csv extension if you rename it, and leave the type as Microsoft Office Excel Comma Separated Values File.

    You can later open the saved file with any program that recognizes .csv files, such as Microsoft Excel, and sort the data by any column.

  • The time data includes the length of time each student spent working on individual assignments, whether they completed all items, took time to answer any hints, and so on.
  • Times are rounded up to the nearest minute. Because the time data reported is not absolute (some rounding may be done due to periods of inactivity, for example), use this data only for comparison purposes among students.
  • The total time that each student spent working on ALL assignments in the course is in the last column.
  • Exported time data does NOT include the time stamp when students completed assignments. To check assignment completion times, see each student’s Assignment Grade page.
  • If leading zeros are missing from student IDs, see Restore Leading Zeros in Student IDs (Pearson Support article).
  • The exported file keeps the sort order of the data rows at the time you exported. You can use your spreadsheet application to change that sort order.
  • If a Gradebook filter is active when you export, only data meeting the filter criteria are exported, and the .csv file includes the description, "Filtered."
  • This data is NOT intended as a sole indicator of possible student cheating.
  • The difficulty is rated from 1-5, with 5 being the most difficult.
  • The rating for each assignment represents each student's individual difficulty with the contents of the assignment, including time taken, number of wrong answers, and the final grade.
  • Difficulty data is not available for Dynamic Study Module assignments, Learning Catalytics sessions, or Offline Activities.
  • An average difficulty rating for each student's work on ALL assignments in the course is in the last column.
  • If a Gradebook filter is active when you export, only data meeting the filter criteria are exported, and the .csv file includes the description, "Filtered."