Course Finalization in Buzz

This article outlines processes and tips for course finalization in Buzz.

This article answers the below questions. Click each question to be taken directly to that information.

• Why do students’ final grades need to be submitted in Buzz?
• If students’ grades are not automatically finalized in Buzz, how can I tell when my students are completed with a course?
• Where can I find the end date for courses and what does an end date mean?
• How can I prepare my students for the end of the semester?
• How to finalize a student when using your teachers?
• What if I use Lincoln Learning Solutions Teachers? How will the course get finalized?
• How do I request a finalization if using a Lincoln Learning Solutions Teacher?
• How and when can I enroll my students in Semester 2 of their courses?
• What if my students are enrolled in a full-year course? Do I need to do anything?
  
  

Why do students’ final grades need to be submitted in Buzz?

In order for you to see a Completed status for students in Pulse, the student management system, students’ final grades will need to be submitted in Buzz, the learning management system, first. When a course is not finalized, the status will remain as Active, Expired, or Inactive.

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If students’ grades are not automatically finalized in Buzz, how can I tell when my students are completed with a course?

There are still instances when districts need grades to be finalized even if a student does not meet all the criteria for automatic final grade submission in Buzz (i.e., 100% gradable completion, no retries available, all assessments are graded, 60% or higher overall grade). When utilizing Lincoln Learning Solutions instructional services, you are also able to request final grade submissions.

Please view this video to identify in Buzz when students are completed with a course and final grades can be requested:

Verifying a Student is Ready for Finalization in Buzz

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Where can I find the end date for courses and what does an end date mean?

You can find the end date for your students’ courses by looking at the enrollment end dates in Pulse. The end date is the last day that a student has access to the course. Students have until 11:59 pm on the end date to submit assessments.

Please keep in mind that any assessments submitted up to the students’ end dates will still need to be graded. We ask that if you have a deadline for final grades, the students’ end dates should precede the deadline by at least a week to allow time for assessments to be graded and the final grades to be requested and submitted.

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How can I prepare my students for the end of the semester?

If your students are enrolled in semester courses, we recommend students’ first semester courses be finalized prior to students being enrolled in the second semester of the course.

Encourage your students and families to stay on track with the pacing of their course. The To-Do List is a projection of soft due dates associated only to graded activities (Assess Its). To stay on pace, students should strive to submit work on, or near, these due dates. (However, students using LLS instructional services will not be penalized for submissions after due dates.) It is important that students complete Assess Its after completing lesson activities leading up to the Assess It.

Once students’ grades are finalized, they will still see the courses on their Buzz dashboards for two weeks. Students will not have access to submit assessments though. After two weeks, the courses will no longer be available on students’ dashboards.

If students would like access to courses they have completed, here are some tips to help them navigate to those courses:

Viewing Past Course Details in Buzz

After the student is finalized, then you can enroll your student in the second semester of your course. Here are the directions for setting up enrollments for the second semester:

Creating a Student Enrollment in Pulse

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How to finalize a student when using your own teachers?

You can utilize these directions for finalizing students when using your own teachers:

Finalizing Grades in Buzz

As a teacher, you can still make changes to a student’s gradebook information two weeks after the student’s end date has passed or a student’s final grade has been submitted.

To support the process for client teachers, these additional articles may be of use. 

Options for Enrollment Completion in Buzz: This article highlights the available enrollment completion setting options in Buzz.

Correcting an Inaccurate Finalized Score in Buzz This article identifies the required steps for correcting an inaccurate finalized score after a student has been completed within a course.

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What if I use Lincoln Learning Solutions Teachers? How will the course get finalized?

When using a Lincoln Learning Solutions Teacher, students are finalized automatically in Buzz if they meet the following criteria:

• 100% gradable completion
• No retries available
• All assessments are graded
• 60% or higher overall grade

Once a student’s grade is finalized in Buzz, you will be able to see the Completed grade in Pulse.

If students do not meet the criteria for having their grades automatically finalized, a representative from the district (mentor teachers) will need to request final grades for students.

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How do I request a finalization if using a Lincoln Learning Solutions Teacher?

Requests can be made for one student or multiple students. There are unique steps for finalizing courses when students are enrolled in courses with a Lincoln Learning Solutions teacher:

1. A representative from the district (mentor teacher) will need to verify that the student(s) have completed all the necessary course work according to your district’s expectations. This video will provide you with information to make that determination:

Verifying a Student is Ready for Finalization in Buzz

2. Once you know the student(s) have completed the necessary course work, you can request final grades by submitting the following form:

Final Grades Request Form

The below video, specifically geared toward clients using Lincoln Learning Solutions instructional services who need a final grade for a student not meeting the typical finalization scenario, highlights the above steps for completing a final grade request form. Click the Play button to get started.

When submitting a request for final grades for multiple students, you will need to pull the existing enrollment report from Pulse with the necessary information. The below video will walk you through the process; click the Play button below to get started.

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How and when can I enroll my students in Semester 2 of their courses?

You can enroll a student in the second semester of their course once they have completed semester 1 and the final grades have been submitted.

You can use these directions for steps on how to enroll for second-semester courses:

Creating a Student Enrollment in Pulse

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What if my students are enrolled in a full-year course? Do I need to do anything?

If your students are enrolled in a full-year course or a course with an end date of June, then you do not need to do anything now. Your students will have access to their course until the end of the school year.

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