It is possible to set the Overall Grade column to display as a letter grade. However, if you do that, you won't be able to display points in that column. It is often helpful for students to know throughout the semester how many points they have earned so far. In order to display a letter grade as well as the calculated points, you can add an extra column to manually enter letter grades.



How to add another column

  1. Use the plus sign and Add Item to create a new column. 
    "Add Item" is highlighted in the context menu after the user has clicked on the plus sign between two columns
    Then...
  2. Call your new column Letter Grade. 
  3. Remove the Due Date.
  4. Make the column worth 100 points. 
  5. Set it to display as a Letter Grade. 
  6. Set the Category to something you don't typically use. 
    Screenshot of the right-hand popup window with labels corresponding to the instructions: 2 next to the title "Letter Grade"; 3 next to the empty Due Date fields; 4 next to the drop-down menu for "Grade using" showing Letter; 5 next to the Maximum points field with 100 entered in it; and 6 next to "Journal" chosen from the drop-down menu under Grade category


Now go to the Overall Grade column and click the icon to edit the Overall Grade settings. 


ESSENTIAL STEP: Click the Exclude button (the circle with a slash through it) for the category that you set your Letter Grade column to, so that the points for this column will not be calculated in the final grade. When it turns purple and the points change to 0, you have done this step correctly. 


Before...

The "Exclude" icon (a circle with a slash through it) in black, displaying 100 points


 ...and after

The "Exclude" icon (a circle with a slash through it) in purple, with 0 points


Now, enter the percent score for each student in the newly created grade column.


The Letter Grade column with a score in edit mode showing a manually entered 80 points out of 100


The grades will display as letter grades. 


The Letter Grade column in display mode, showing a B


You can also create a calculated column and set it to display as a letter grade; this method works if you don't drop grades out of a category. This video demonstrates that process.


NOTE: As of December 2023, Blackboard is planning a new feature in Ultra that will allow instructors to create multiple calculated grade columns.