Export Grades to SIS: New Features & Updates

This article documents new features, fixes for issues, and updates in the Export Grades to SIS tool.

The most recent changes and updates will be displayed at the top, with previous updates in collapsed sections below. You can open a section for an older date to find the information posted on that date.

April 28, 2025 - New Features

Upload/Download Feature

Screenshot of Upload/Download tab.

A new feature has been added for instructors to upload and download grades.

Download Grades

Screenshot of Upload/Download tab with Download Grades button highlighted.

Instructors and TAs can now use the Download Grades option on the Upload/Download tab to download a CSV file containing data from the Grades tab in the course or selected section.

Download CSV Template and Upload Grades CSV

Annotated screenshot highlighting the features described below.

Instructors and TAs may upload and save letter grades in Export Grades to SIS.

  1. They can select Download CSV Template to download a CSV file where they will enter grades for the course or selected section.
  2. Once grades have been entered, the edited template can be uploaded by choosing the file to upload and selecting Upload Grades CSV.

For steps, see How do I upload grades to Export Grades to SIS? (opens new window).

Canvas Course Grading Scheme Display Improvements

Improvements have been made to alert instructors of possible grade discrepancies when a grading scheme has been enabled in the Canvas course site's Settings (opens new window).

Gradebook Grade Display in Grades Tab

Annotated screenshot example of the display described below.
  1. In the Grades tab, the letter grade shown in the Canvas Gradebook will be displayed in parentheses next to the current Gradebook Grade, for example, "73.0 (C+)."
  2. If the Canvas Gradebook Grade differs from the current Course Grade which was calculated based on the grading scheme in Export Grades to SIS, a flag icon will be displayed, indicating the grade mismatch. If a saved grade is changed to match the value that the scheme would provide based on the student's Gradebook Grade, this icon will not be displayed.

For more information, see How do I export course grades to SIS? (opens new window).

Comparison Display in Schemes Tab

Screenshot example of comparison scheme.

In the Schemes tab, the enabled Canvas Course Grading Scheme will display for comparison alongside the selected SIS Grading Scheme.

For more information, see How do I update grading schemes for course grades? (opens new window).

Note: If a school or department admin has enabled a grading scheme at the account level, it will not display in Export Grades to SIS for instructors who have selected it.

Additional Confirmation Checkbox

Screenshot of checkbox.

When exporting grades to SIS, a checkbox has been added for instructors to confirm that the grades they are submitting accurately reflect the students' course grades. This checkbox must be checked before the Export button can be selected.

For more information, see How do I export course grades to SIS? (opens new window).

April 28, 2025 - Performance Improvements

The tool now loads more quickly for large courses.

April 28, 2025 - Accessibility Fixes

Fixes were applied for screen reader accessibility issues.

  • In the Grades tab:
    • ARIA labels have been updated to provide additional information when focusing on a Course Grade.
    • The following visually hidden text has been added: "Note: The table below includes six columns of data. Instructors who use screen readers may find it easier to download the Grades file from the Upload/Download tab and read it in a spreadsheet program such as Excel."
  • In the Schemes tab:
    • ARIA labels have been updated so the Threshold fields are read correctly for plus or minus grades.
    • Previously, each grade threshold could be changed by either typing in the Threshold field or using the up and down arrow keys to edit the percentage via a control that a screen reader called a "spin box." The "spin box" controls have been removed to avoid confusion when entering percentages with decimals.
November 16, 2023 - New Features

Save Grades

Screenshot example of the Save Grades button as described below.

Instructors and TAs in a Canvas course site can now save course grade overrides in the Export Grades to SIS tool prior to export. This allows instructors of record to save their work in progress and return to it later, and allows other supporting instructors to assist with grading. For steps, see How do I save course grade overrides in Export Grades to SIS? (opens new window).

Saved Grade Indicators

Screenshot of example saved grades with icons shown.

Two icons may be displayed with saved grades:

  1. Grade Override Active: A triangle icon will appear with each saved grade that differs from the grade which was calculated automatically based on the grading scheme. If a saved grade is changed to match the value that the scheme would provide based on the student's Gradebook Score, this icon will not be displayed.
  2. View Grade Log: A clock icon will appear with each saved grade. You can select this icon to access a log of grade changes made in Export Grades to SIS.

Admin Access

School and departmental sub-account administrators who assist with courses can access the Export Grades to SIS tool to support instructors using it.

Internationalization Support

Screenshot showing the tool's loading page in French.

Export Grades to SIS now supports internationalization to display text in languages other than English. Pictured above is an example of the tool's loading page in a course site where the language is set to French. The text, "Loading your assigned rosters..." has been translated as follows: "Chargement de vos listes d'étudiants..."

If instructors who set their course site to a language other than English would like to contribute translated text to display when their course is using that language, please contact the Learning Technology Services (LTS) Team and let us know.

For more information about Canvas course language settings, see How do I change the language preference for a course? (opens new window).

Note: If a course site's language setting is the default Not set (user-configurable, defaults to English (United States)), and an instructor sets their preferred Canvas account language to a language other than English, that language setting will also be reflected in Export Grades to SIS. For more information, see How do I change the language preference in my user account as an instructor? (opens new window).

November 16, 2023 - General Usability Improvements and Bug Fixes

The tool has improved usability in the following areas:

  • If a Canvas course grading scheme has been enabled, a warning banner now displays to alert instructors that they may need to update grading schemes accordingly in Export Grades to SIS before they export grades.
  • A pop-up has been added when exporting grades for the instructor to confirm they are ready to submit.

The following bugs were fixed:

  • In some courses with many rosters included, the tool would not load and would time out.
  • If a section's SIS ID included a space, an error page displayed.
November 16, 2023 - Potential Issues for Instructors Using Screen Readers

The following potential issues were identified for screen reader users. These issues will be addressed in an upcoming version.

  • In the Grades tab, the currently-selected option in the Select a roster and Course Grade drop-down menus can be changed using the left and right arrow keys. This can make it difficult for a screen reader user to access and read text in columns of the Grades table other than the Course Grade column.
  • When you need to wait for processing to complete, some of the messages that say, "Please wait," are not currently being read by screen readers. The affected messages include the warning on initially loading the tool that you may need to wait for rosters to be loaded and the prompt after editing a grading scheme indicating that you may need to wait for the grades to be recalculated.
  • In the Schemes tab, when initially navigating to the Threshold field of a letter grade with a plus or minus, the plus or minus is not read. However, the correct grade is indicated after the screen reader describes the threshold without the plus or minus. For example, when navigating into the field to edit the percentage for A+, JAWS screen reader first says, "A threshold," then it follows up with the correct information, "Percent threshold for A+." To work around this issue for now, we recommend waiting for the full "Percent threshold" field label to be read.
  • In the Schemes tab, each grade threshold can be changed by either typing in the Threshold field or using the up and down arrow keys to edit the percentage via a control that a screen reader calls a "spin box." You can enter up to two decimal places for a threshold, but the "spin box" controls use whole numbers. If you type in a percentage with a decimal place, for example, 95.5, the "spin box" control will say it is an "invalid value," even though it is valid and will save successfully.

Note: If you encounter an issue using Export Grades to SIS with a screen reader, please contact the Learning Technology Services (LTS) Team. In your email, please include the screen reader you are using and a description of the issue, so we can try to investigate and address it.