1 Skyward online assignmentsAvoiding the middle steps By creating the assignment in skyward, you eliminate the need to wait or double check that scores have uploaded correctly from other platforms.

2 Create an assignment To get started, create a place-holder in the grade book as you would when entering any assignment. Don’t worry about the MAX SCORE…skyward will adjust that when you have finished the assignment. Once you create the assignment, click on “options” to see your choices. Select “create online assignment” to begin. I recommend putting the assignment on the date it is DUE.

3 Select Options This is the first screen you see in making a new assignment. It will reflect the name you created for the assignment in the grade book, but adding information in the description will help students understand more about the activity. Be mindful of the options in the ACCESS portion of the screen. How you set it up could create headaches with absences and late work.

4 Skyward will score and post OBJECTIVE questions.Create assignment Choose the kind of questions you want. Skyward will score and post OBJECTIVE questions. These clearly are good for low-level thinking assessments like matching, but as you know, T/F MC can be adapted to require some higher level thinking as well.

5 Multiple choice Notice your options in answer choices. If you want the question to be worth less or more than ONE point, change at this screen. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT FORGET to mark the correct answer! When you have finished this question, select “save and add another” to keep working. Make sure you SAVE!

6 True/False Self-explanatory… just be sure to mark the correct answer choice! SAVE and add….

7 Matching Standard matching format. Make sure you adjust the total points, though, if you want each response to be scored separately. Save and add…

8 Format & Design Notice that each section in the question allows you some design choices. Click the arrow to maximize the options; change as desired. Notice you can insert content here as well. These design options are available in creating questions, adding ‘extra content’, and in the answer choices as well.

9 Take a break…. If you need to stop and return to the activity, you may. But this is a critical part of the process: Make sure you select “do not make available…” or the kids will see it as soon as you hit “save & back” in the upper right corner. I always hit “save” then “save and back” just to be sure! Save and back should take you back to the grade book screen.

10 Once you have finished the assignment, be aware of the new options on the right. The “edit online assignment” allows you to return to the activity and make changes, even if some students have already finished. Most likely, you will use this option only when you get interrupted. Wherever you are in the process, it is CRITICAL to hit “save and back” on this screen. It finalizes the assignment in the grade book.

11 The assignment should now show up in skyward.

12 All done (creating)… Click the arrowhead to see the entire question.When you have completely finished creating the assignment and have hit “save and back,” you should arrive at this screen. Here, you will see a list of your questions as well as the options to finalize before posting. Double check: stop and end dates/times, auto score, randomize questions, auto score, questions per page. You may also shuffle the order once you have all questions entered. When you have double-checked, then select “save and back” to return to the grade book screen. Click the arrowhead to see the entire question.

13 DOUBLE CHECK! Notice that selecting “do not make available” closes other options. DON’T FORGET TO SAVE on each screen. There is no auto save, so it is critical you save often and at each screen. If you see a problem, you can return to the question with the edit function.

14 CLONING Select “clone from another teacher” even if you are re-using your own assignment.

15 You will arrive at this screen. Notice the YEARYou will arrive at this screen. Notice the YEAR. It is empty because this is the new term.

16 This is helpful if multiple teachers are using the same assignment or This shows the library from You will see all assignments created. This is helpful if multiple teachers are using the same assignment or if you wish to use assignments from previous years. Notice the repeated class sections. Knowing that each class gets its own “file” of assignments can be useful if you are modifying activities among classes. If you do this, be sure to name each assignment clearly and differently. To see which activities were used in which class, select the arrow

17 Notice you can preview before selectingNotice you can preview before selecting. Once you select, this is what appears on your screen. Notice the “name” is not populated yet, and you canNOT name it yet. You can, however, begin adding questions, but EDITING is not yet available.

18 Notice that you can see the question and answer choices from this screen. Select the arrow at each question. You cannot edit from this screen, though. You must save to see these options. (compare this slide to #17)

19 Once you select save and back, the name you give the assignment will populate the name field. Remember to CHECK all the critical options: start/stop date, auto score, show results. Also notice the “do not allow other teachers to clone.” This is a new option, I think. I don’t remember it from last year.

20 Now it is in your grade bookNow it is in your grade book. If you plan to use this in multiple classes, DO NOT forget to select every class you need the activity in. Notice the “available online” notation and the options unique to online activities in your task options.

21 SUBJECTIVE questions In the question maintenance screen, selectthe type of subjective question you want to create. Be sure to note the point value as well. You have same options for formatting and attachments as the objective questions as well. If you create a “short answer” Answer, the student response must match EXACTLY to receive credit. I can see how this would be useful for DBQs in the history department as well as original response questions in English.

22 Notice ‘auto score’ is not availableNotice ‘auto score’ is not available. Also, If you choose the short answer, you have the option of adding pre-determined responses, but I believe the responses must match exactly to be considered correct. This might be useful if you want to score writing conventions. I have not used this function yet, so you will have to play with it to see how scoring works. In both cases, I believe you will score using the “score online assignment” option on the assignment screen. (see next screen)

23 SCORING & REPORTS Notice all the options. You may use any of these at any time, but to score, select “score online assignment” if you forgot to hit “auto score. This is also the tab to select in scoring SUBJECTIVE assignments. You can manually override scores using “score entry,” which will look just like a regular assignment entry. To create a paper copy of the assignment, select “report.”

24 After you select “score online assignment,” this screen should appear with all scores entered in grade book IF you selected “autoscore” at the setup screen. If you forgot, the “score online assignment” should calculate and enter. Notice that you will see a message about the status of the assignment. (This is the SUBJECTIVE screen, and I have not yet scored the response, so no numbers are entered.)

25 Previewing responses You can preview responses before you score, something you might wish to do to get an overview of typical responses. Click the arrowhead to maximize.

26 To score SUBJECTIVE questionsFrom what I can see, you have limited space to comment. You may wish to make a comment code list and legend for more options in responding. I have not yet worked with this feature, so I am speculating.

27 I got cut off!

28 Amended… Insert your score and select the appropriate option for posting. You may delay posting grades as you score so that all students see their grades at the same time. Once you have entered a score in this page, you should be able to mass score from the grade book page. (not sure because I haven’t done it)

29 If students have the option to complete the activity in more than one sitting, it is critical they select the correct closing option. “Save,” “Save and complete later,” and “Save and complete assignment” are the choices they should see. If they select “SAVE and complete”… before they have finished the activity, you will have to go in and “allow students to resume” before they can finish. I will discuss these more in the ‘student view’ section.

30 Creating a report…

31 Creating a report… From this menu, you can print a blank document, the answer key, and reports on assignment statistics. The PRINT function works exactly as it does with other reports. After selecting ‘print’ you will land on the next screen that asks about about printing. You can view before printing an online assignment the same as any report.

32 Creating a report… Notice you can select a variety of report. The ones I most use are “hard copy” and “key”.

33 What students see… Students will receive a notification in their message center that an online assignment is available. See the wording of the notice: the ‘deadline’ means when it closes, thus the problem with LATE work. They think that means the DUE DATE. If you plan to leave it open after it is due, expect confusion unless you repeatedly tell them and explain the difference between “due” and “open” in your classroom.

34 The assignment opens, and students begin to complete the activityThe assignment opens, and students begin to complete the activity. These are the essay and short answer type question. The important thing on this screen is the options to complete. “Save” must be selected after each response; “Save and complete later” means they are not ready for their work to be scored; “Save and complete assignment” is the cue for scoring.

35 The student should clearly understand options at this stage and choose accordingly.

36 Just to be sure…they will see this popup screen to help avoid premature closing.

37 My usage issues…. Losing assignments – SAVE OFTEN and on every screen where “save” is an option! Remember, there is not AUTO SAVE. Deadlines – students may (likely) perceive the date the activity is closed as the due date; you can re-open the assignment after it has closed, and you can allow students to resume, but you will have to decide how you want to deal with LATE WORK. I am going to try making the DUE date the date it is placed on in the grade book. Access issues – occasionally, students may have tech problems that prevent their completing the assignment on time. With the 1-to-1 this year, I am not sure how much that will be lessened. Also, students must use their own accounts(not parents’) and go through a browser (not the app). Dealing with absences and accommodations is also something to deal with. *OOPS problems – if you make a tired-eyes mistake or a typo or were distracted and just hit the wrong key, you can make changes to both questions and answers, even after some students have finished the activity. If some have already been scored, and you need to change an answer, I believe Skyward will recalculate the score to reflect the correct answers on those assignments where needed.

38 Issues (con’t.) Cheating – I have never used skyward as a TEST in the classroom but as activities that I WANTED them to collaborate with. If you do, you will want to attend closely to the TIME the test is open. I include a section in my “policies & procedures” handout concerning online activities, noting that should they google answers rather than consult the materials I provide, that in the even of a conflict, the CORRECT answer will always come from the materials I provide. Also, I am unsure how long students can revisit their assignments once the activity is scored. I know that once they are scored, students can review which answers were wrong as long as the assignment is open. The issues with scored assignments are obvious. Student mistakes – occasionally students will select the wrong option at the end of the activity, closing before they are finished.

39 My P & P explanation: SKYWARD QUIZZES – As we move more toward complying with the district’s technology initiative, students should expect more and more schoolwork to contain an online component. The purpose of online quizzes in this class is to ensure that students are interacting with the assigned texts and taking notes during discussions and lectures. Students should always do the READING before attempting the quiz and then use the materials I provide to complete the quiz. If students elect to “google answers” rather than find them in the assignments, be advised that the correct answers will always reflect the ASSIGNED READINGS and class discussions. These quizzes will have a window of opportunity for completion and will be ENTERED IN SKWARD ON THE DUE DATE. The DUE DATE may NOT be the same as the “available date” that appears in your message center, so use the date the assignment appears on as your guide. At the due date , the quizzes will be scored and posted. The assignment will be marked ‘missing’ and scored as 0 if it has not been completed. Students may then elect to complete the activity by getting a paper copy of the quiz, which will be subject to LATE charges.* Therefore, students must work diligently NOT to procrastinate such activities. Waiting until the final hour before the window closes invites stress if technology problems arise. Plan ahead and USE CLASSTIME WISELY. Students who do not have reliable internet access MUST make getting the activity done during class a priority or check out a hotspot from our library. Whenever a skyward quiz is posted, I will ensure that class time is available for students to complete the activity. If you are absent on that day, you must find time on your own to finish, as you would any other assignment. Longer quizzes will have longer windows to be completed. *Students who have “extra time” as an accommodation in an IEP or 504 plan should be advised that extra time does not mean unlimited time. The activity will close within three days of the due date. I will have a poster of this up in class as well, for a constant, visual reminder of procedure.