> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gradingpal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Open, schedule or close an assignment

> Control exactly when students can see an assignment and submit to it, and what the pill says at each point.

export const updated_0 = "19 September 2026"

export const page_0 = "/teachers/collect/open-schedule-close"

export const label_0 = "Open your dashboard in GradingPal, then pick the assignment"

export const href_0 = "https://app.gradingpal.ai/teacher"

export const who_0 = "Teachers and co-teachers"

export const plans_0 = "All plans"

export const where_0 = "The bar at the top of an assignment, and Settings > Danger zone"

<Card title="Who can use this?" icon="user-check">
  * **Who:** {who_0}
  * **Plans:** {plans_0}
  * **Where:** {where_0}
</Card>

### Limits and notes

* This page is for assignments students submit to. An assignment where you upload the work has no open or close; it shows a **Teacher-only** chip and nothing else.
* A due date passing does not close an assignment. Only **Close for submissions** does.
* Closing in GradingPal does not close the assignment in Google Classroom.
* Times are read in the class's time zone, shown beside every date.

## Go live

A new assignment students submit to starts as **Draft**: "Hidden from students — open it so they can submit". Going live is one action, not two.

* For a class collecting in GradingPal, select **Open for submissions**. The toast reads **Assignment is open — students can submit with the join link**.
* For a Google Classroom class, select **Post to Google Classroom**. The toast reads **Posted to Google Classroom — students can now submit there**. Posting creates the assignment in Classroom; there's no separate sync step.

The pill changes to **Live**, and the bar starts counting submissions.

## Schedule an opening time

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select Schedule">
    In the bar, select **Schedule**. The dialog says when it will open, or post to Classroom, and that until then it stays a draft.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the time">
    Fill in **Opens on** (or **Posts on**). The note under it names the class time zone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Select **Schedule**. The pill changes to **Scheduled** and the bar reads **Opens to students** followed by the time.
  </Step>
</Steps>

To change it, select **Edit schedule** and **Update**, or **Remove schedule** to go back to a draft. **Open now** or **Post now** skips the wait.

## Close and re-open

Open the menu beside the main button and select **Close for submissions**, or use the same row under **Settings > Danger zone**. The confirmation says nothing is lost and you can re-open any time. The pill changes to **Closed** and the bar reads **Closed** with the date and "no new submissions".

For a Classroom assignment the confirmation adds: "The assignment stays open in Google Classroom, so students can still turn in — but GradingPal stops collecting and grading." Anything that arrives afterwards comes in with **Import from Classroom**.

**Re-open** in the bar, or **Re-open for submissions** in the menu, puts it back to **Live**. Grades and feedback stay as they are.

## How to tell it worked

The pill and the bar hint match what you did: **Draft** and hidden, **Scheduled** with a time, **Live** with a count, or **Closed** with a date. The class's **Assignments** list shows the same pill.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Open for submissions is greyed out">
    The tooltip says **Finish setting up the questions first**. A question-based assignment can't open until its questions and answer keys are approved.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Assignment is open, but Google Classroom sync failed">
    Students can submit in GradingPal but Classroom wasn't posted. Retry from **Post to Google Classroom** under **Settings > Distribution**, or reconnect your Google account first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Students say they can't see it">
    Check the pill. **Draft** and **Scheduled** are hidden from students. For a Classroom class, check **Settings > Distribution** reads **Connected — syncing**, not **Not posted yet**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related tasks

* [What each status means](/teachers/collect/statuses)
* [Where student work comes from](/teachers/collect/collection-modes)
* [Assignment settings](/teachers/create/assignment-settings)

<Card title={label_0} icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" href={href_0} horizontal>
  Opens GradingPal on the screen this page describes.
</Card>

<hr />

<p style={{ fontSize: "0.875rem", opacity: 0.75 }}>Last updated {updated_0}</p>

<p>
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</p>

<p style={{ fontSize: "0.875rem" }}>
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