The Teacher Gradebook allows teachers to enter different types of assignments and options. In this article, we will cover creating, editing, and deleting assignments and all the options that are available for those assignments.
Assignment Options
On the assignments screen under the Assignment Title box you will find 5 tabs: Details, Rubric, Resources, Standards and Options. Below is detailed information on the fields and options available under each tab of the assignment screen. Information on the Details tab can be found in Gradebook Assignments - Basics article here.
Assignment Posts
Posts is a new feature that can be used to provide additional information or updates to the individual assignment.
Create a Post
On the Details tab of the assignment, click + New Post.
Complete the Post Details.
a. Enter the Title for the post in the Post Title text box.
Info: A Title is not required for the post. If no Title is created, the default title will be Assignment News followed by the date and time the post was added.
b. In the text box, enter the post details.
c. Enter the profiles for whom should view the post.
Warning: If no profile is selected then the post will be available on both the Student and Parent portals, which is the default setting.
d. Click Send Notifications if the district is using the Mobile Application to send a notification to the Mobile Application when the post is created.
e. Click Post to display the post to the profiles selected.
Edit a Post
Posts may be modified after posting. On the Details tab of the assignment, click Edit for the post that should be modified.
This opens the post for editing. Modify as needed.
a. Update the Profiles who should view the post if necessary.
b. Click Delete to delete the post.
c. Click Cancel to cancel any changes to the post.
d. Click Save to save any changes to the post.
Comments to Posts
If Allow Comments is enabled on the Options tab of the assignment, students will be able to post comments to the post. Parents will be able to view the comments, but parents will not be able to add comments.
If a student or staff posts a comment, an alert will display with the number of comments added to the post. Click on the comment alert to view comments.
The Comment(s) will display.
Click Hide Comments to collapse the comments from view on the current screen.
Info: This only hides comments from view on the current screen for the user. It does not hide comments from the Post or from the Parent/Student portals.
Click Comment to add a comment to the post. The comment will display within the feed of comments of the post.
Click Reply to reply to the comment.
Info: Students will be able to reply to teacher comments. Students will only be able to reply to student comments if Students can reply to other students is enabled on the Options tab of the Assignment.
Deselect Hidden to allow the Comment to display on the Student/Parent portals. This checkbox will only display if Comments Require Moderation is enabled.
Info: Only student comments may be hidden; teacher comments will be viewable by all.
Rubric tab
Rubrics can be added to one or many assignments to provide a standard of how grading is conducted.
Create a New Rubric
A rubric is created from the Rubric tab on an assignment. Click the Rubric tab at the top. Click New+.
Enter a Title on the Rubric popup.
Check Weighted Criteria (optional). This will create an additional column on the rubric to provide weights for each criterion.
Check This Assignment Only (optional). This will remove the Title box and make the rubric only available for this assignment.
Check Use Standards (optional). This will replace the Criteria text boxes with a drop-down list of Standards. Note: this will only be available if the district has attached Standards to the section.
Score Setup:
- Enter a Title for the score (required if Score is entered).
- Enter a Score
- To add a score, click +Score on the right of the pop-up.
- To delete a score, click the red x at the top of the column.
Criteria Setup:
- Enter a Title for each criterion piece of the rubric.
- If Use Standards is selected, use the drop-down to select the appropriate standard.
- Enter the Description for each criterion under the score box.
- To add a criterion, click +Criterion at the bottom of the pop-up.
- To delete a criterion, click the red x on the left of the criterion.
Click Save.
Edit a Rubric
Rubrics can be edited to adjust the criteria or scores.
Warning: Once a rubric is used for grading, the user can no longer add or remove columns, or change the value of each score, but they can change the text on the rubric and/or clone the rubric into a new one.
Find the applicable assignment. Click the i in the header of the assignment.
Click the Rubric tab at the top. Click Edit and make adjustments as necessary.
Click Save.
Use an Existing Rubric
An existing rubric can be attached to a new or existing assignment. Find the appropriate assignment. Click Rubric at the top. Click the drop-down on the left side. This will contain any rubrics that have been created. Select the applicable rubric. Click Save.
Clone (Duplicate) a Rubric
A rubric can be cloned or duplicated to adjust and reuse so that the teacher doesn’t have to recreate something from scratch. Find the appropriate assignment. Click Rubric at the top. A rubric must already be saved to the assignment in order to see the Clone option.
Click Clone. A pop-up will display with a copy of the existing rubric. Make any necessary changes. It is recommended to change the Title to differentiate the cloned from the original rubric.
Click Save.
Resources tab
Resources such as videos, files, web links, etc. can be added to any assignment. Click the Resources tab at the top. Click the green Create Resource box to post a resource to the assignment.
Add a Link Resource
This will add web links to the assignment under the Resources tab.
Enter a Title and select Link in the dropdown field. Enter the Web Address in the provided text box. Click Sharable to other teachers to allow other teachers to view this within the Resource Browser. Click Select Image to add an image to the resource.
Click Save.
Add a Folder Resource
This allows the upload of multiple resources to the Folder, such as a file or link. There is no limit to how many resources that can be in a folder. The folder must be created first and additional resources added within the folder.
Enter a Title select Folder in the dropdown field. Click Sharable to other teachers to allow other teachers to view this within the Resource Browser. Click Select Image to add an image to the resource.
Click Save.
Then, add more resources within the folder.
NOTE: If a resource is created outside the folder, it cannot be moved into the folder.
Add a File Resource
This allows the upload of a file from a computer.
Enter a Title and select File from the dropdown field. Click No File to browse the computer files. Select the appropriate file. Once the file is uploaded, the file displays along with two additional icons. Click the cloud icon to download the file. Click the red X to delete the file and upload a new one. Click Sharable to other teachers to allow other teachers to view this within the Resource Browser. Click Select Image to add an image to the resource.
Click Save.
Add a Google Calendar Resource
This allows a Google Calendar link to be created as a resource.
Alert: The district must have the Google Classroom Integration setup or the the teacher will be unable to Save this resource.
Enter a Title and select Calendar Event. Click Sign in with Google Classroom. A new google tab will open with a prompt to sign in. Select the Calendar from which the event will be created. When sections are linked to a Google Classroom, Focus will automatically select the calendar for that Google Classroom. Select if the event is going to repeat. Enter the Start and End Dates for the event. Enter the Start and End Times for the event. Check the box to Link directly to Google Hangouts. Click Sharable to other teachers to allow other teachers to view this within the Resource Browser. Click Select Image to add an image to the resource.
Click Save.
Standards Tab
Click the Standards tab to add a standard to the assignment.
Info: Only Sections with Standards attached to the Course by the District will display the Standards tab.
a. The Standards attached to the Assignment will display above the list of Available Course Standards.
b. Click Remove to remove an attached Standard from the Assignment.
c. Scroll the list of Available Course Standards to find the appropriate Standard to attach.
d. Use the Filter bar to search by Standard or by description key words.
e. Click + Add to attach the Standard to the Assignment.
Click Save.
Options Tab
Click the Options tab for additional settings for the assignment.
- Requires Completion of - This option is only applicable to districts with the Focus LMS/Assessment system. Select an assignment from the drop-down if a student must complete a particular assignment prior to completing the assignment. If allowing students to upload a document to this assignment, they will not be able to do so until the assignment selected in this drop-down has been graded. Info: This drop-down will not appear until there is at least one assignment in the gradebook per marking period.
- Allow Student Uploads - allows students to be able to upload a word document, PDF, or PowerPoint directly to the gradebook.
- Don’t allow late submissions - prevents students from uploading assignments into Focus once the Due date/time has passed. If no time was selected on the Details tab, then students will be able to upload assignments until 11:59 p.m. of the Due date.
- Exclude from Average - excludes the grades for this assignment from factoring into the student’s overall average such as practice test. Note: This option may be turned off by your system admin.
- Hide from Excluded - hide the assignment from student(s) on the parent/student portal who are marked as excluded from the assignment. Teachers can mark a student as excluded by entering an asterisk in the points box. This is helpful when a transfer student comes into the class or for differentiating assignments.
- Allow Comments - allow students to add comments to posts.
- Comments Require Moderation - makes it so teachers view comments made by students before making the comments viewable. Info: This option will only appear if Allow Comments is selected.
- Students can reply to other students - allows students to reply student comments. If unchecked, students will only be allowed to reply to staff comments. Info: This option will only appear if Allow Comments is selected.
Import (copy) an Assignment
The Import an Assignment feature allows the teacher to use an assignment already created for another section, previous marking period, or previous school year.
From the course section dropdown in the portal header, select the section the assignment(s) will be imported (copied) to. Go to the Grades menu and select Gradebook. Select the Category in the upper left corner. Click Import Assignment.
A pop-up will display to select the Assignment to import.
Use the drop-downs to select the Year, Section, Quarter, and Assignment. At least one Assignment must be selected. Click Import.
Edit Assignments
Select the section in which the assignments will edited. Go to the Grades menu and select Gradebook. The assignment information can be viewed by hovering over the underneath the title in the Assignment header. Click the
to open the assignment details on the Gradebook screen to view or edit the assignment. Click Save after making changes.
Move Assignments to a Different Category
Select the section in which the assignments will moved. Go to the Grades menu, select Gradebook and click the to open the assignment details. Use the Category drop-down on the Edit Assignment screen to move the assignment to a different Category. Click Save.
Delete Assignments
Select the section in which the assignments will be deleted. Go to the Grades menu and select Gradebook. Find the applicable assignment. Click the to open the assignment details. Click Delete in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. In the pop-up, click Delete. If the assignment exists in more than one section, select the section(s) from which the assignment should be deleted.
Alert: If grades were given for the assignment, the grades will be deleted along with the assignment.
The assignment will no longer display.
If an assignment is deleted by mistake, it can be recovered. For more information, please see the documentation on the Deleted Assignments Report within the Grades menu and Reports option.