gradebook, feature request: Ignore dropped/excused grade indicators on import

Create a site that includes Gradebook and at least 3 students.

In Gradebook, go to Settings and select Categories & weighting.

Select Categories only and enable Drop highest, Drop lowest, and Keep highest.

Create at least four categories. For three of the categories, enable one each of the following settings:

• Drop Lowest 1

• Drop Highest 1

• Keep Highest 1

Create 3 gradebook items worth 10 points each assigned to each category and included in course grade calculation.

Enter scores in most grade cells (leave a few grades null).

In the category that does not drop/keep grades excuse a student's grade.

Select a gradebook item in a category that does drop/keep grades and excuse a student's grade.

Go to Gradebook > Import / Export > Custom Export.

Select Course Grade and Calculated Course Grade to include in the export (in addition to the other default items for export), and Download Custom Export.

Open the spreadsheet file on your computer. Note that grades which are dropped/excluded have the appropriate (drop) or (exc) indicators.

Modify the spreadsheet as follows:

• Enter a score for at least one presently null cell.

• Edit a couple existing scores in each category, such that the students' dropped scores and category averages will be different after the change.

• Edit at least one score with a (drop) indicator, but don't remove the text.

• Edit at least one score with an (exc) indicator, but don't remove the text.

• Add a new item column, also worth 10 points, and input some grades to it.

• In one of the cells for the new item column, enter a score with some other non-numeric value included, e.g., 10 (nice).

Save the updated spreadsheet as a separate file (so you can compare the results afterwards).

Go to Import / Export > choose to import the modified spreadsheet > Continue.

Select all items to update/add > Next.

Confirm you get an error about non-numeric values not being able to upload (the item with the "10 (nice)" score, in this case).

Assign the new item being added to one of the drop/keep categories and complete the import process.

Confirm that all grades (except for the "10 (nice)" score) imported successfully with no errors, students' dropped grades, category averages, and course grades are correct, and the grade cells you previously excused remain excused regardless of the updated grade.