Create ungraded assignments

Create ungraded assignments to alert students of assignments they are responsible for but will not earn a score or grade for.

For example, you might assign reading for homework. You want this assignment to appear in students' To Do widget in the Student portal, but you will not enter a score for the assignment.

Note that you can copy assignments to quickly create duplicates, and you can import assignments from another of your class sections or from previous years.

To create an ungraded assignment:

  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 Ungraded Assignment on the Options menu; or select an existing assignment, and then click Save and New.
    • Click the Planner tab, and select a class. Click in the date the assignment is due, and then select Add Ungraded Assignment.
  1. Enter information in the following fields:
  2. Field

    Description

    Classes

    The classes this assignment is created for appear here after you click Save.

    Assignment Name

    Type a name for the assignment. This name appears in the To Do widget.

    GB column name

    This field is optional. Type the name that you will use to identify this assignment on your Scores page.

    Category

    Select the assignment category.

    Date assigned

    This field defaults to today's date. To change the date, click Select Date icon..

    Note: You can move assignment dates forward or backward for a course section. This is helpful if a day of school is canceled because of weather, or a last-minute assembly is scheduled for an upcoming school day. If you change an assignment’s 'date assigned' so that it is ahead of the date due, the date due automatically updates to match the new date assigned.

    Date due

    This field defaults to today's date. To change the date, click Select Date icon..

    Grade Term

    The system enters the grade term based on the date you enter at the Date due field. You can change this value.

    Note: If a grade term is locked, you cannot enter it here or select it from the Grade Term pick list.

    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.

    Description

    Use the text editor to type a description of the assignment. The description can include links to the web, and any other feature available in the text editor.

    Linked or All drop-down

    If you are creating an assignment for a class that is not linked with other sections, this drop-down defaults to All. If you want to associate this assignment with other classes, select their checkboxes under the Also add this assignment to classes section.

    If you are creating an assignment for a linked class section, this drop-down defaults to Linked. If the Add to all linked classes by default Gradebook preference is enabled, the checkboxes next to all linked classes are selected. You can deselect/select the checkboxes next to the class sections this assignment applies to. The Add Assignment? checkbox toggles on and off, deselecting and selecting the checkboxes for the linked sections.

    Resources Provided by the Teacher

    Click Add File, Select Google Doc or Add Weblink to attach a file, Google Doc or weblink to this assignment. Aspen automatically adds the file or weblink to your Uploads folder in My Resources.

    Note: If your district uses Aspen IMS, you can also click  Create Online Quiz.

    To add a resource from your personal course materials to the assignment, click Drag and Drop from My Resources. The My Resources pop-up appears. Find the resource you want to add, drag it to the drop area in the Resources Provided by the Teacher section, and drop it.

  1. To prevent a student from receiving this assignment, click the Students sub-tab. Then, select the student's name, and click Exclude. Use the Exclude, Exclude All, Include and Include All buttons as needed, so that only the students who should receive the assignment appear in the Included Students column.
    Note: When you exclude a student from receiving an assignment, he will not see it in the To Do widget or on the assignments list (Academics > Assignments) in the Student portal.
  1. 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, click Save to save the information you enter without closing the assignment. Or, click Save and New to create another assignment.
      Note: An administrator can merge your class sections if they occur during the same class period. You manage assignments from the "primary" course section (Gradebook > Assignments). If your course sections are merged, a message appears with a link directing you to the "primary" class section.