Create standards-based assignments

To track student progress in meeting standards, apply the reporting standards you want to enter scores for within an assignment's details.

For example, you might apply the Sort objects by category and similarities standard to an elementary ELA assessment.

This way, you can enter scores to determine student growth in this standard as demonstrated by their work on the assessment.

To create an assignment for a class and align reporting standards to enter scores:

1. Log on to the Staff view.
2. Do one of the following:
• Click the Gradebook tab. Select the class you want to create an assignment for, and then click the Assignments side-tab. Click Add Assignment on the Options menu; or select an existing assignment, and then click Save and New.
• Click the Gradebook tab. Select the class you want to create an assignment for, and then click the Scores side-tab. Click Add Assignment on the Options menu.
• Click the Planner tab, Events view, and then select a class. Click in the date you want the assignment to be due.

No matter where you like to create assignments, the New Assignment page, General sub-tab appears.

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3. For assignments that you enter standards scores for, you only need to complete the following fields:
• Category: Type or select the assignment category.
• GB column name: Type the name that you will use to identify this assignment on your Scores page.
• Date assigned: This field defaults to today's date. You can change the date, if needed.
• Date due: This field defaults to today's date. You can change the date, if needed.
• Total points: This value comes from the default Total points you defined for the assignment category. Although this field is required, the value does not affect the student's standards scores.
• Visibility type: This value comes from the Visibility type you defined for the assignment category. Change the value, if needed. If your students and their families use the Student and Family portals, the value you select determines what they can see for assignments in this category. Select one of the following:
  • Private: Assignments do not appear in the Student or Family portals.
  • Public: Assignments and grades appear in the portals.
  • Public– no grades: Assignments appear in portals, but grades do not.
• Resources Provided by the Teacher: Click an icon to attach files to this assignment.

  Note: The rest of the fields are pre-determined by the reporting standard you align to this assignment, or do not apply to a standards-based assignment. For example, you cannot apply a grade scale, weights or extra credit points to a standard score.

4. If you are expecting students to access this assignment online in the portal, click the Portal Description sub-tab to enter instructions.

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5. To align the reporting standards you want to enter scores for to this assignment, click the Standards sub-tab.

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   Note: The district populates the Reporting Standards side-tab when it prepares reporting standards. These school-created standards are then available for teachers to align to assignments. Teachers often use the school-created standards because they are associated with the Rubric Library, and have a rubric name and performance descriptor. If they prefer, teachers can also create their own standards.

6. Below Section Reporting Standards, click Multi-Add. A list of the reporting standards for this class appears.

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7. Select the checkbox next to each reporting standard you want to align to this assignment. This selects the reporting standard "parent" and any "child" criteria within it. Or, click to expand the standard and select the checkboxes next to the criteria that you want.

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8. Click OK. The selected standards appear.

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   If you selected a standard by mistake, select the checkbox next to it, and then click Delete.

9. Do one of the following:
• If creating the assignment in the Planner, click Save.
• If creating the assignment on the Gradebook tab, Assignments side-tab or your Scores page, click Save to save the information you enter without closing the assignment. Or, click Save and New to create another assignment.
• If editing an existing assignment on the class Page > Submit Assignments widget, click the assignment name, and then click Save and New to create another assignment.
  

Once you create an assignment and align it to reporting standards and their criteria, the standards are available for grading (from the Standard drop-down) on your Scores page. In the Single Student or Single Assignment view, the standards appear as columns headers for the assignment.