diff --git a/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/get_grades.py b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/get_grades.py
index e24fef26e3..bbbbd3453d 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/get_grades.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/student/management/commands/get_grades.py
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ from certificates.models import GeneratedCertificate
 from django.test.client import RequestFactory
 from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand, CommandError
 import os
+from opaque_keys import InvalidKeyError
+from xmodule.modulestore.keys import CourseKey
+from xmodule.modulestore.locations import SlashSeparatedCourseKey
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
 from optparse import make_option
 import datetime
@@ -62,24 +65,37 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
                 options['output']))
 
         STATUS_INTERVAL = 100
-        course_id = options['course']
-        print "Fetching enrolled students for {0}".format(course_id)
+
+        # parse out the course into a coursekey
+        if options['course']:
+            try:
+                course_key = CourseKey.from_string(options['course'])
+            # if it's not a new-style course key, parse it from an old-style
+            # course key
+            except InvalidKeyError:
+                course_key = SlashSeparatedCourseKey.from_deprecated_string(options['course'])
+
+        print "Fetching enrolled students for {0}".format(course_key)
         enrolled_students = User.objects.filter(
-            courseenrollment__course_id=course_id)
+            courseenrollment__course_id=course_key
+        )
         factory = RequestMock()
         request = factory.get('/')
 
         total = enrolled_students.count()
         print "Total enrolled: {0}".format(total)
-        course = courses.get_course_by_id(course_id)
+        course = courses.get_course_by_id(course_key)
         total = enrolled_students.count()
         start = datetime.datetime.now()
         rows = []
         header = None
         print "Fetching certificate data"
-        cert_grades = {cert.user.username: cert.grade
-                       for cert in list(GeneratedCertificate.objects.filter(
-                       course_id=course_id).prefetch_related('user'))}
+        cert_grades = {
+            cert.user.username: cert.grade
+            for cert in list(
+                GeneratedCertificate.objects.filter(course_id=course_key).prefetch_related('user')
+            )
+        }
         print "Grading students"
         for count, student in enumerate(enrolled_students):
             count += 1
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/compute_grades.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/compute_grades.py
index d1c66d51d2..41289f1a61 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/compute_grades.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/compute_grades.py
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
 from instructor.offline_gradecalc import offline_grade_calculation
 from courseware.courses import get_course_by_id
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
+from opaque_keys import InvalidKeyError
+from xmodule.modulestore.keys import CourseKey
+from xmodule.modulestore.locations import SlashSeparatedCourseKey
 
 from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
 
@@ -25,19 +28,24 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
         else:
             print self.help
             return
-
+        course_key = None
+        # parse out the course id into a coursekey
         try:
-            course = get_course_by_id(course_id)
+            course_key = CourseKey.from_string(course_id)
+        # if it's not a new-style course key, parse it from an old-style
+        # course key
+        except InvalidKeyError:
+            course_key = SlashSeparatedCourseKey.from_deprecated_string(course_id)
+        try:
+            course = get_course_by_id(course_key)
         except Exception as err:
-            if course_id in modulestore().courses:
-                course = modulestore().courses[course_id]
-            else:
-                print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
-                print "Sorry, cannot find course %s" % course_id
-                print "Please provide a course ID or course data directory name, eg content-mit-801rq"
-                return
+            print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
+            print "Sorry, cannot find course with id {}".format(course_id)
+            print "Got exception {}".format(err)
+            print "Please provide a course ID or course data directory name, eg content-mit-801rq"
+            return
 
         print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
-        print "Computing grades for %s" % (course.id)
+        print "Computing grades for {}".format(course_id)
 
-        offline_grade_calculation(course.id)
+        offline_grade_calculation(course_key)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/dump_grades.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/dump_grades.py
index 9da068cedf..7312de05a6 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/dump_grades.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/management/commands/dump_grades.py
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ import csv
 
 from instructor.views.legacy import get_student_grade_summary_data
 from courseware.courses import get_course_by_id
+from opaque_keys import InvalidKeyError
+from xmodule.modulestore.keys import CourseKey
+from xmodule.modulestore.locations import SlashSeparatedCourseKey
 from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
 
 from django.core.management.base import BaseCommand
@@ -39,20 +42,26 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
             get_raw_scores = args[2].lower() == 'raw'
 
         request = DummyRequest()
+        # parse out the course into a coursekey
         try:
-            course = get_course_by_id(course_id)
-        except Exception:
-            if course_id in modulestore().courses:
-                course = modulestore().courses[course_id]
-            else:
-                print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
-                print "Sorry, cannot find course %s" % course_id
-                print "Please provide a course ID or course data directory name, eg content-mit-801rq"
-                return
+            course_key = CourseKey.from_string(course_id)
+        # if it's not a new-style course key, parse it from an old-style
+        # course key
+        except InvalidKeyError:
+            course_key = SlashSeparatedCourseKey.from_deprecated_string(course_id)
+
+        try:
+            course = get_course_by_id(course_key)
+        except Exception as err:
+            print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
+            print "Sorry, cannot find course with id {}".format(course_id)
+            print "Got exception {}".format(err)
+            print "Please provide a course ID or course data directory name, eg content-mit-801rq"
+            return
 
         print "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------"
-        print "Dumping grades from %s to file %s (get_raw_scores=%s)" % (course.id, fn, get_raw_scores)
-        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course.id, get_raw_scores=get_raw_scores)
+        print "Dumping grades from {} to file {} (get_raw_scores={})".format(course.id, fn, get_raw_scores)
+        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_raw_scores=get_raw_scores)
 
         fp = open(fn, 'w')
 
@@ -63,4 +72,4 @@ class Command(BaseCommand):
             writer.writerow(encoded_row)
 
         fp.close()
-        print "Done: %d records dumped" % len(datatable['data'])
+        print "Done: {} records dumped".format(len(datatable['data']))
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/offline_gradecalc.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/offline_gradecalc.py
index 5b95899005..02b46534e4 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/offline_gradecalc.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/offline_gradecalc.py
@@ -26,21 +26,21 @@ class MyEncoder(JSONEncoder):
             yield chunk
 
 
-def offline_grade_calculation(course_id):
+def offline_grade_calculation(course_key):
     '''
     Compute grades for all students for a specified course, and save results to the DB.
     '''
 
     tstart = time.time()
     enrolled_students = User.objects.filter(
-        courseenrollment__course_id=course_id,
+        courseenrollment__course_id=course_key,
         courseenrollment__is_active=1
     ).prefetch_related("groups").order_by('username')
 
     enc = MyEncoder()
 
-    print "%d enrolled students" % len(enrolled_students)
-    course = get_course_by_id(course_id)
+    print "{} enrolled students".format(len(enrolled_students))
+    course = get_course_by_id(course_key)
 
     for student in enrolled_students:
         request = DummyRequest()
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ def offline_grade_calculation(course_id):
 
         gradeset = grades.grade(student, request, course, keep_raw_scores=True)
         gs = enc.encode(gradeset)
-        ocg, created = models.OfflineComputedGrade.objects.get_or_create(user=student, course_id=course_id)
+        ocg, created = models.OfflineComputedGrade.objects.get_or_create(user=student, course_id=course_key)
         ocg.gradeset = gs
         ocg.save()
         print "%s done" % student  	# print statement used because this is run by a management command
@@ -57,18 +57,18 @@ def offline_grade_calculation(course_id):
     tend = time.time()
     dt = tend - tstart
 
-    ocgl = models.OfflineComputedGradeLog(course_id=course_id, seconds=dt, nstudents=len(enrolled_students))
+    ocgl = models.OfflineComputedGradeLog(course_id=course_key, seconds=dt, nstudents=len(enrolled_students))
     ocgl.save()
     print ocgl
     print "All Done!"
 
 
-def offline_grades_available(course_id):
+def offline_grades_available(course_key):
     '''
     Returns False if no offline grades available for specified course.
     Otherwise returns latest log field entry about the available pre-computed grades.
     '''
-    ocgl = models.OfflineComputedGradeLog.objects.filter(course_id=course_id)
+    ocgl = models.OfflineComputedGradeLog.objects.filter(course_id=course_key)
     if not ocgl:
         return False
     return ocgl.latest('created')
@@ -86,7 +86,10 @@ def student_grades(student, request, course, keep_raw_scores=False, use_offline=
     try:
         ocg = models.OfflineComputedGrade.objects.get(user=student, course_id=course.id)
     except models.OfflineComputedGrade.DoesNotExist:
-        return dict(raw_scores=[], section_breakdown=[],
-                    msg='Error: no offline gradeset available for %s, %s' % (student, course.id))
+        return dict(
+            raw_scores=[],
+            section_breakdown=[],
+            msg='Error: no offline gradeset available for {}, {}'.format(student, course.id)
+        )
 
     return json.loads(ocg.gradeset)
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/views/legacy.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/views/legacy.py
index 53c28793a5..4f0053b997 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor/views/legacy.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor/views/legacy.py
@@ -226,19 +226,19 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
 
     if action == 'Dump list of enrolled students' or action == 'List enrolled students':
         log.debug(action)
-        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=False, use_offline=use_offline)
+        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=False, use_offline=use_offline)
         datatable['title'] = _('List of students enrolled in {course_key}').format(course_key=course_key.to_deprecated_string())
         track.views.server_track(request, "list-students", {}, page="idashboard")
 
     elif 'Dump Grades' in action:
         log.debug(action)
-        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
+        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
         datatable['title'] = _('Summary Grades of students enrolled in {course_key}').format(course_key=course_key.to_deprecated_string())
         track.views.server_track(request, "dump-grades", {}, page="idashboard")
 
     elif 'Dump all RAW grades' in action:
         log.debug(action)
-        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True,
+        datatable = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=True,
                                                    get_raw_scores=True, use_offline=use_offline)
         datatable['title'] = _('Raw Grades of students enrolled in {course_key}').format(course_key=course_key)
         track.views.server_track(request, "dump-grades-raw", {}, page="idashboard")
@@ -246,12 +246,12 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
     elif 'Download CSV of all student grades' in action:
         track.views.server_track(request, "dump-grades-csv", {}, page="idashboard")
         return return_csv('grades_{0}.csv'.format(course_key.to_deprecated_string()),
-                          get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, use_offline=use_offline))
+                          get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, use_offline=use_offline))
 
     elif 'Download CSV of all RAW grades' in action:
         track.views.server_track(request, "dump-grades-csv-raw", {}, page="idashboard")
         return return_csv('grades_{0}_raw.csv'.format(course_key.to_deprecated_string()),
-                          get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_raw_scores=True, use_offline=use_offline))
+                          get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_raw_scores=True, use_offline=use_offline))
 
     elif 'Download CSV of answer distributions' in action:
         track.views.server_track(request, "dump-answer-dist-csv", {}, page="idashboard")
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
 
     elif action == 'List assignments available for this course':
         log.debug(action)
-        allgrades = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
+        allgrades = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
 
         assignments = [[x] for x in allgrades['assignments']]
         datatable = {'header': [_('Assignment Name')]}
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
         msg += 'assignments=<pre>%s</pre>' % assignments
 
     elif action == 'List enrolled students matching remote gradebook':
-        stud_data = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=False, use_offline=use_offline)
+        stud_data = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=False, use_offline=use_offline)
         msg2, rg_stud_data = _do_remote_gradebook(request.user, course, 'get-membership')
         datatable = {'header': ['Student  email', 'Match?']}
         rg_students = [x['email'] for x in rg_stud_data['retdata']]
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ def instructor_dashboard(request, course_id):
         if not aname:
             msg += "<font color='red'>{text}</font>".format(text=_("Please enter an assignment name"))
         else:
-            allgrades = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
+            allgrades = get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=True, use_offline=use_offline)
             if aname not in allgrades['assignments']:
                 msg += "<font color='red'>{text}</font>".format(
                     text=_("Invalid assignment name '{name}'").format(name=aname)
@@ -1354,8 +1354,8 @@ class GradeTable(object):
         return self.components.keys()
 
 
-def get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True, get_raw_scores=False, use_offline=False):
-    '''
+def get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, get_grades=True, get_raw_scores=False, use_offline=False):
+    """
     Return data arrays with student identity and grades for specified course.
 
     course = CourseDescriptor
@@ -1370,8 +1370,8 @@ def get_student_grade_summary_data(request, course, course_key, get_grades=True,
     data = list (one per student) of lists of data corresponding to the fields
 
     If get_raw_scores=True, then instead of grade summaries, the raw grades for all graded modules are returned.
-
-    '''
+    """
+    course_key = course.id
     enrolled_students = User.objects.filter(
         courseenrollment__course_id=course_key,
         courseenrollment__is_active=1,