diff -Naur moodle197a/grade/report/grader/lib.php moodle197b/grade/report/grader/lib.php
--- moodle197a/grade/report/grader/lib.php	2009-11-26 02:22:06.000000000 -0600
+++ moodle197b/grade/report/grader/lib.php	2009-12-11 17:00:18.000000000 -0600
@@ -200,6 +200,23 @@
                         $finalgrade = $postedvalue;
                     }
                 } else {
+				    // HACK: bob puffer to allow calculating grades from input letters
+                	$context = get_context_instance(CONTEXT_COURSE, $grade_item->courseid);
+				    if ($letters = grade_get_letters($context)) {
+						unset($lastitem);
+				    	foreach ($letters as $used=>$letter) {
+					        if (strtoupper($postedvalue) == $letter) {
+					            if (isset($lastitem)) {
+					        		$postedvalue = $lastitem;
+					            } else {
+					            	$postedvalue = $grade_item->grademax;
+					            }
+					            break;
+					        } else {
+					        	$lastitem = $used - .01;
+					        }
+					    }
+				    } // END OF HACK
                     $finalgrade = unformat_float($postedvalue);
                 }