For information on entering grades, importing grades, configuring the gradebook, adding student notes, and more, see Gradebook.
In order to create assignments, you must first create at least one Gradebook Category. If your district doesn't use categories, you can create one category titled "All Assignments."
Categories can be created in the gradebook whether or not they will be weighted. If the configuration option to use weighted categories was selected via Settings > Gradebook Configuration, the weights must total 100% or an error message will display. The option to weight grades should be selected prior to the start of the school year or before assignments and grades are given as this may cause a loss in assignments and grades.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click the Category tab.
3. Click + New Category.
4. Enter a Title for the category.
5. Click the Color radio button to display the color options and to select the color for the Category. This color will show in the column header.
6. Enter the Percent of Final Grade in the text box (will only accept integers) if using weights. Note: This field will only appear if Weight grades by assignment category to use weighted categories was selected in Gradebook Configuration.
7. Enter a value for the number of dropped grades in the Automatically Drop Lowest Grades text box. Using this option will automatically drop the lowest grade(s) of the number of assignments for each class section assigned to this category and marking period. These will appear as gray values in the gradebook.
More than one assignment needs to be added to a category to utilize the Automatically Drop Lowest Grade option. Focus will not drop the only assignment in a category. Note: If you enter 2, as in automatically drop the lowest 2 grades, and there are only 2 assignments, neither of the assignment grades will be dropped. It is recommended that you utilize this option at the end of the term to ensure students do not receive a false grade throughout the term. If the option is changed, the grade will also change.
8. From the Linked Sections pull-down, select the sections that should be assigned to this category. Note: If you are planning to add assignments to more than one section, the category will need to be added to those sections as well.
The marking period short name displays when the section is not full year.
(Inactive) displays at the end of the section name when the marking period selected is not within the current quarter / semester / year.
(Not Graded) displays at the end of the section name when the section is not graded.
Select the sections from the Linked Sections pull-down to share a category among all applicable sections, as opposed to creating a category for each section, especially when the same assignments will be assigned to multiple sections.
Hover over the question mark (?) icon for additional information about select settings.
9. From the Linked Marking Period pull-down, select the periods that should be assigned to this category. Note: The current marking period and future marking periods default to selected (the current marking period cannot be cleared). Marking periods can be added or removed from the pull-down.
10. Click Save to create the category. Click Cancel to close the pop-up window without adding the category.
Click the X at any point to close the pop-up window. Note: Data will not be saved.
Once the category is created, it displays in the Assignments panel with options to edit the category, add assignments, and import assignments. See the following sections for more information: Editing Categories, Adding Assignments, Importing Assignments.
If Weight Grades by Assignment Category is enabled, there will be an error message at the bottom of the screen until the categories add to 100% on this screen. This warning will also display in the Gradebook.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click the Category tab.
3. Click the category in the Assignments panel that needs to be edited.
4. Click Edit.
5. Make all necessary edits and click Save.
6. Depending on the edits made, you may have to select the periods and marking periods to which changes should be applied. Note: The current/selected period and marking period are grayed out/inactive because they cannot be cleared. Changes apply here because it is where the changes were made.
Click Save to apply changes. Click Cancel to return to the Edit Category pop-up window.
When editing a category, changing the title or marking periods fields will not automatically effect all periods. You will get a prompt when saving to select the sections that should be impacted in addition to the marking periods. Note: The marking periods reflected in the pull-down now reflect the marking periods selected for the current section group, which can be different from the marking periods for other section groups.
For detailed information about each setting, see Adding Categories.
The Import a Category feature allows teachers to import and use a Category already created for another section, previous marking period, or previous school year in Focus.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click the Category tab.
3. Click Import Category.
4. Select the school Year from the first pull-down.
5. Select the Section from which you'd like to import the category.
6. Select the marking period from the Quarter pull-down.
7. Select the categorie(s) that you want to import from the Category pull-down.
8. Select Additional Linked Sections from the provided pull-down to import the category to other sections as well.
9. Click Import to import the category and category information. Click Cancel to close the pop-up window without importing the category.
Click the X to close the pop-up window at any time. Note: If you click the X, the window will close without saving/importing data.
Once imported, you will see the Category and attached assignments display in the Assignments panel.
The Assignments linked to the category imported are automatically updated for the current school year; therefore, the Assigned Date, Due Date, and Publish Date are automatically updated based on the date of importation.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click the Category tab.
3. Click the category in the Assignments panel that needs to be deleted.
4. Click Edit.
5. Click Delete.
When you click the Delete button on a category, the category is checked for assignments, instead of grades. If the category currently has an assignment in the current section, a message displays telling you to remove the assignments first.
When a category does not have any assignments in the current section, a delete confirmation pop-up displays all section groups linked to the category. Any section groups that contain assignments will show the amount of assignments, which cannot be selected for deletion.
Deleting a category allows you to delete from the current section/marking period (or receive an error if you cannot due to an existing assignment), but you can choose specific marking periods within each section from which to delete the category. Select the applicable sections/marking periods by selecting the check boxes. Then, click Delete.
6. All linked sections are selected by default when deleting a category. However, you can clear the check boxes for specific sections if you do not want to delet the category from all sections.
7. Click Delete to remove the category from select sections. Click Cancel to keep the category in all sections.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click + (blue plus sign) to add an assignment.
You can also add assignments directly to categories. Click the Category tab.
Click the applicable category, then click + New Assignment.
At any point, while adding, viewing, or editing an assignment, you can click the slider (left arrow) to collapse the Assignments panel displayed. Click the slider (right arrow) to display the panel.
If you try to create an assignment but haven't created any categories, upon trying to add a new assignment, you will be prompted to create a category first.
1. The assignment screen defaults to the Details tab.
2. Click the pencil icon to add an assignment image.
You can select from the existing System Images. upload an image, or take a photo with your webcam. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section. Click Take Photo to take a photo using your computer's webcam.
3. Enter the Assignment Title in the text box.
4. Enter the number of Points possible in the text box. If this is left blank, then the assignment will be taken out of 0 points and will count as extra credit.
If you entered a value for Default Assignment Points in Gradebook Configuration, the points box will automatically be populated with a value.
If the Points field is left blank or set to 0, the assignment will save as Extra Credit and appear as EC in the gradebook.
If your district is utilizing the system preference Restrict percent of extra credit, you will be limited to the percentage over the points assigned when granting extra credit on assignments. If you try to enter a value that exceeds the limit set, a pop-up displays alerting you that you have exceeded the maximum amount of extra credit. The value will then default to the maximum amount of credit allowed.
If the total possible Points is changed on an assignment, a pop-up message displays when a change to total points is saved. The user has the option to use the previous functionality (Maintain Points button), or select to use new functionality (Update Grades button), which recalculates the points for existing student grades. This change applies to changes where grades have been entered by Letter Grade, Questions Correct, and Percent.
![[FOCUS-31850] Gradebook: Option to Recalculate Grades When Changing Total Points on an Assignment - JIRA](https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/004/981/140/original/1b1673e2-fa47-405e-a49b-5532aff360e1.png)
5. Select the Completion Only check box to establish the assignment as completion based in which you would enter a check mark when the assignment is completed by the student, as opposed to entering a grade. This feature can be used for permission forms or an assignment draft that won't be graded.
6. Enter the number of Questions in the text box. This is not required and is typically used when entering scores based upon questions correct/incorrect.
7. Select the assignment Category from the pull-down.
8. Enter an Assigned Date to determine the date the assignment will be assigned to students.
a. Select the Time check box next to the Assigned Date to determine the exact time the assignment will be assigned on the entered date. If a time isn't entered, the assignment will be assigned at midnight of the assigned date entered.
9. Enter the Due Date to determine when the assignment is due by the students.
a. Select the Time check box next to the Due Date to determine the exact time the assignment is due on the entered date. If a time isn't entered, the assignment will be due at midnight of the due date entered.
If both settings, Allow Student Uploads and Don't Allow Late Submissions, are enabled from the Options tab, students will not be able to upload documents after the Due Date and Time.
If your district is using the Create Assessments module, and an Assessment is attached to the assignment, the Assessment will not be available on the Student Portal after the Due Date and Time.
10. Enter a Publish Date to determine when the assignment is visible to parents and students in the Parent/Student Portal. Note: The assignment will not be visible to parents/students until the Publish Date has passed. The Publish Date also determines when links for attached assessments displays.
The Publish Date for assignments can pre-date the Due Date.
A crossed out eye icon displays in the assignment header on the All tab to indicate that Parents and students cannot see this assignment until [Publish Date]
When viewing grades for an individual student, the crossed out eye icon displays in red stating Parents and students will not see this assignment. The rows for these assignments are dimmed, but you can still enter grades and comments, as needed.
a. Select the Time check box next to the Publish Date to determine the exact time the assignment will be published on the entered date. If a time isn't entered, the assignment will be published at midnight of the publish date entered.
11. Select the Marking Period for which the assignment will take place.
If you are using block scheduling, the marking period pull-down displays with the progress periods instead of the parent quarters.
If the assignment dates are outside of the progress period, there is a pop-up that displays alerting you that you cannot add the assignment with the set dates and progress period combination.
If you are using normal quarter setup and the assignments dates are outside of the marking period selected, a pop-up warning displays alerting you that the dates are not in the selected marking period. You can click Confirm to continue or click Cancel to edit the assignment dates.
12. To add the assignment to additional sections, select the sections from the Linked Sections pull-down.
When Linked Sections is selected as the New Assignment Method via Settings > Configuration tab, one assignment is created, which may be linked and unlinked to other sections. You can then select the applicable sections from the Linked Sections pull-down , which links the assignment to the selected sections. Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the Linked Sections pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
The marking period short name displays when the section is not full year.
(Inactive) displays at the end of the section name when the marking period selected is not within the current quarter / semester / year.
(Not Graded) displays at the end of the section name when the section is not graded.
If Add All Assignments to Each Section of Your Course by Default is selected via Settings > Gradebook Configuration, sections with the same course number are automatically selected, as long as the Category has been created in the other sections.
If a student is enrolled in multiple section taught by you, and you add an assignment across those sections, the student will have a single grade for the assignment.
Hover over the question mark (?) icon for more information.
13. Select the applicable sections from the Copy to Sections pull-down to add a copy of the assignment to each of the selected sections; afterwards, each assignment can be edited individually.
When Copy is selected as the New Assignment Method via Settings > Configuration tab, the assignments are treated as two separate assignments and changes/grades in one section do not affect the other section. I.e. selecting Copy creates an assignment linked to the current section and copies the new assignment into additional selected sections. You can then select the applicable sections from the Copy to Sections pull-down, so a copy of the assignment will be added to each of the selected sections; after which, each assignment can be edited individually. Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the Linked Sections pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
14. Select the Create as Copy in Other check box to link the assignment to each selected section. When the check box is selected, the Copy to Sections pull-down displays from which you can select to add a copy of the assignment to each of the selected sections.
When Select Each Time is selected as the New Assignment Method via Settings > Configuration tab, a "Create as Copy in Other Sections" check box is added to the Details tab. Note: This setting is also dependent on the sections linked to the Category from the "Linked Sections" pull-down (at the category level not the assignment level).
15. To Autofill a grade for all students, select the type of grade that should be auto-filled from the pull-down, such as Points, Percent, Letter Grade, etc. Then enter the applicable information, such as points, or letter grade in the Autofill text box.
If you select Completion Only for Points, you can select the Complete check box in which a check mark will autofill for the students.
The Gradebook assignment auto-fill feature works with students active on the first day of school, if the school year has not yet started.
16. Click + New Assessment to create a test or assignment within Focus. See Adding an Assessment to an Assignment in the Gradebook for more information.
17. Click Import Assessment to import an existing assessment created via Create Assessments (assessments created by the district or teachers can be imported with the applicable permissions). See Adding an Assessment to an Assignment in the Gradebook for more information.
Assignments can have only one of the following: Learnosity assessment, FAS test, or the Allow Student Uploads setting enabled (Options tab). You will be prevented from allowing student uploads if an assessment or test are linked to the assignment, and prevents adding an FAS test if an assessment is present, preventing more than one of these from being selected (attaching Learnosity unlinks any existing tests, and prevents student uploads).
Learnosity, FAS, and the ability to create assessments are additional features that may not be available to you, depending on your district settings.
18. Click the Restrict Test of Times toggle to enable time restrictions for assessments. This option allows you to specify restricted times for both FAS and Learnosity assessments. For Learnosity-only assessments, an additional option enables class-time restrictions, matching the functionality available for other Learnosity assignments.
a. Once enabled, enter the Start and End times in the provided text boxes to set the time window during which the test or assessment will be accessible to students. Only within this specified time range will students be able to view and complete the assessment; outside of these times, access will be restricted.
19. If Google Classroom is enabled, select the Google Classroom Assignment from the pull-down to sync/add the assignment with Google Classroom.
20. If tests have been created via Grades > Create Tests, you can link those tests to the assignment from the Assign Test pull-down. See Assigning a Test in the Gradebook for more information.
a. If a test is assigned, you can enter a Test Login PIN that students will need to enter in order to access the test.
21. Enter a Description of the assignment (optional), which will be available when viewing assignment details, such as hovering over the informative i on assignment headers.
The Description text box allows users to bold, italicize, underline, and strikethrough text, as well change the font type and size, format in bullets, add background color, add a table of information, add a link, picture, video, and more.
22. Click + New Post to add a post to the assignment to provide additional information on the assignment viewable by students/parents on the Grades (Assignments) screen.
a. Enter a Post Title in the provided text box.
b. Enter Post Content in the provided text box.
c. If you want to specify profiles that should have access to the assignment post, select the appropriate profiles from the Visible To pull-down.
d. Select the Send Notifications check box to send a notification to the Community App if your district us using the mobile app (when adding a post).
e. Click Post to post the content to the assignment. Click Cancel to remove the post.
Once posted, posts are viewable by students/parents on the Grades (Assignments) screen.
f. Once posted, click Edit to open the post and edit content as needed.
g. Click + New Post to add another post.
h. If students or other users have added a comment on your post, click the [1] Comments link to view them.
Students and other users can add comments if you enable comments on the Options tab of the assignment.
1. Click Comment to add your own comment.
2. Click Reply to reply to the comment made by the student/user.
3. Select the Hidden check box to hide the comment from other students. Clear the selected check box, to make the comment visible to others.
4. Click Hide Comments to hide the comments made from the Details tab.
23. When all data has been entered, click the Save button to officially add the assignment.
When Unsaved Changes is displayed, you must click Save before navigating away from the screen to ensure entering information is not lost.
Rubrics can be created in the gradebook for use with one, or many assignments. Teachers can create a new rubric, clone an existing rubric, or add an existing rubric to the selected assignment. Once created, rubrics can be used to grade assignments. Standards can be add to rubrics, which can then be used to grade assignments.
1. Click the Rubric tab.
2. To create a new rubric, click New +.
3. Enter a Title for the New Rubric in the provided text box.
4. Select the Weighted Criteria check box to enter a Percent of Grade for each established criterion. A percentage can be assigned for each criterion and must equal 100%.
5. Select the This Assignment Only check box to ensure this rubric is only applied to the selected assignment.
6. Select the Use Standards check box to select Standards as the Criteria to set up the rubric.
7. Enter the rubric Criteria in the provided text box.
If Use Standards is enabled, select the Standard from the pull-down in the Criteria column.
8. Enter a Title and a Score, such as A and 95.
9. If Weighted Criteria is enabled, enter a Percent of Grade to assign a percentage of the total grade. Note: Percentage of Total must equal 100%.
If the Percent of Grade for all criteria does not add up to 100%, an error message displays.
10. Enter a Description for the Title and Score in the applicable column for the identified Criteria.
If a Standard was selected as Criteria, the Description automatically populates in the first column.
11. Add as many titles, scores, and descriptions, as needed. To add more scores than displayed, click + Score.
12. To add addition criteria, click + Criterion.
13. To delete criterion or scores, click the corresponding red X next to the applicable information.
14. Click Save to save the rubric for use. Click Cancel to close the pop-up window without saving the rubric.
At any point while on the rubric pop-up window, you can click the X to close the window.
15. Once saved, the rubric displays on the Rubric tab where it can be edited or cloned and deleted. Click Save to apply the rubric.
1. Click the Rubric tab.
2. Select the rubric in question from the pull-down.
3. Once selected, click Edit.
If a rubric is in use and has already been applied for grading, only descriptions in the rubric can be edited and the rubric cannot be deleted.
4. Click the applicable text boxes and make necessary changes. If using standards, click the pull-down to change the selection.
5. Add criteria and scores as needed by clicking + Criterion and/or + Score.
6. Click the corresponding red Xs to delete content.
For detailed information about creating rubrics, see Adding a Rubric.
7. Click Save to apply changes. Click Cancel to discard changes and close the window.
8. Click Delete to delete the rubric.
9. From the Rubric tab, click Save to apply changes.
1. Click the Rubric tab.
2. To apply a different rubric to the assignment, select the rubric from the pull-down. Once selected, you can copy the rubric.
3. Once selected, click Clone.
4. Make any necessary changes to the copied rubric. See Adding a Rubric for detailed information about each function.
5. Click Save to save the copied rubric as a new rubric. Click Cancel to discard the copy.
6. From the Rubric tab, click Save to apply changes.
1. Click the Resources tab to add different resources to the assignment, such as documents, links, calendar events, and more.
2. Click Create Resource.
3. In the resource pop-up, enter a Title in the provided text box.
4. Select whether the resource provided is a Link, Folder, File, or Calendar Event from the pull-down.
5. Depending on the type of resource selected, the follow steps will vary. See the appropriate step for each type of resource. See Adding a Calendar Event as a Resource for more information on calendar events.
a. If you selected Link, enter the Web Address in the provided text box.
b. If you selected Folder, you will upload multiple resources to the Folder, such as a file or link; therefore, nothing will be uploaded here.
i. Click on the created Folder to add resources.
ii. Click Create Resource to add links, files, calendar events, or additional folders to the folder.
c. If you selected File, click No File to browse your computer and select the document to be uploaded as a resource.
i. Once the file is uploaded, the file displays along with two additional icons. Click the cloud to download the file. Click the red X to delete the file and upload a new one.
6. You have the option to share uploaded Resources with other teachers by selecting the Shareable to other teachers check box. Selecting the check box allows other teachers to search for and share the same resource on their web pages via Assessment > Resource Browser. The same is accessible for administrative profiles via Grades > Resource Browser.
If you do not have permission to access the Resource Browser enabled by the district via Users > Profiles, the Shareable to other teachers option does not display.
7. To display an image for the resource link, folder, or file, click Select Image.
a. You can select from the existing System Images or upload an image. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section.
8. Once all selections have been made, click the Save button to post the resource to the assignment. Click Cancel to return to the Resource tab without adding a resource.
9. Click the resource to open the link, file, or folder. To edit the resource, click the blue pencil located in the lower right corner of each resource.
10. You can also click the four arrowed icon in the right corner of each resource to rearrange the order of the icons. For example, if you wanted the Essay Outline resource first, click the four arrowed icon and drag the icon to the left.
11. To add more resources, click Create Resource.
Resources added display for students and parents on the Grades (Assignments) screen on the Resources tab.
Adding a calendar event will be available to you if your district integrates with Google Classroom and/or you have the Show Google Classroom permission enabled by the district via Users > Profiles.
1. Click the Resources tab to a calendar event.
2. Click Create Resource.
3. In the resource pop-up, enter a Title in the provided text box.
4. Select Calendar Event from the pull-down.
5. Click Sign in with Google to link the Calendar Event in your web page to a calendar event in your Google Calendar.
6. Follow the prompts in order to sign in to your Google account. Once signed in, your email address displays next to Google Account. Click the unlink button to sign out of the account.
7. Your Google Calendar(s) associated with your Google Classroom now display in the Calendar pull-down. Select the applicable Calendar from the pull-down.
If the assignment has linked sections, and any of those sections are linked to a Google Classroom class, Focus will automatically select the calendar for that Google Classroom class.
See the following links for information on enabling Google Classroom: Focus & Google Classroom, Preferences, Google Classroom, and/or Google Classroom for Teachers.
8. Select the days the event should repeat from the Repeat every pull-down.
If the assignment has linked sections, Focus will auto-fill the scheduling fields based on the superset of the section schedules. For example, if the web page is linked to Section A, which meets on Monday from 10:00am to 11:00am, and Section B, which meets on Tuesday from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, then the event will be repeated weekly on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
9. Enter or edit the dates and times the event should be active in the corresponding text boxes.
10. Select the Link directly to Google Hangouts check box so the event gets created with a Google Hangouts meeting. If the check box is left cleared, the calendar event will be saved in the associated calendar without going to Google Hangouts.
You can select Link from the resource type pull-down and enter the Google Hangouts meeting URL, which will navigate directly to Google Hangouts, as opposed to creating an Event Calendar resource. For more information on creating different types of resources, see Adding Resources.
11. To display an image for the resource link, folder, or file, click Select Image.
a. You can select from the existing System Images or upload an image. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section.
12. Once all selections have been made, click the Save button to post the resource to your web page. Click Cancel to return to the Resource tab without saving data.
13. Click the created resource to open the event in the Google Calendar or with Google Hangouts.
If the resource has been linked to Google Hangouts, when clicked, Google Hangouts will automatically open for the meeting.
If the resource hasn't been linked to Google Hangouts, when clicked, Google Calendar opens and the event is displayed.
1. Click the Standards tab.
The section selected must have at least one standard linked to its course for this tab to be available in assignments. Standards are assigned to courses by the district from Assessment > Assign Standards to Courses.
All attached standards display at the top of the screen.
All Available Course Standards display at the bottom.
2. Click + Add to attach a standard to the assignment.
3. To filter for specific standards, enter key words in the Filter field.
a. Click the X to remove the Filter.
4. Once added, click Remove to remove a standard from the assignment, if applicable.
1. Click the Options tab.
Hover over the question mark (?) icon to display additional information about the setting.
2. Select the Assign to Individual Students Only check box to select the students who should be assigned the assignment in the selected section(s). Selecting the check box activates the Assigned Students pull-down for a more specified selection of students. If the Assign to Individual Students Only check box is left cleared, the assignment will be assigned to all students in the section and linked sections (determined from the Details tab).
a. Select the Assigned Students from the pull-down to determine the students for whom the assignment should be assigned. You can select the applicable students in addition to or in place of Assigned Groups.
b. Click the Assign Groups icon to select the group of students to which the assignment should be assigned. The groups displayed here are created via Settings > Groups tab. Students can then be assigned from the gradebook using the Group pull-down. Note: The Group column only displays when first enabled via Settings > View Options > Optional Columns: Gradebook Group.
i. Select the check box(es) to assign the assignment to the aplicable group(s). Then, click Add. Click Cancel to close the Assign Groups window without adding a student group.
ii. Once the students from the selected group have been added, their names display in the Assigned Students pull-down. From here, you can edit the selections made, if needed.
When students of a custom group are updated, you must re-assign the group to ensure all students in that group are assigned the assignment.
If students have not been assigned an assignment, the grade field displays as grayed out and is inactive, which prohibits you from entering grades and comments.
3. Select the Use Text To Speech check box to enable the text to speech feature for assessments where questions will be read aloud to students.
a. When the Use Text To Speech check box is selected, you must then select the Students who need Text To Speech from the corresponding pull-down. The pull-down defaults to All Students but select students can be selected as needed.
These options display if Learnosity is enabled on your site and a Assessment has been linked from the Details tab.
4. Select an assignment from the Requires Completion of pull-down if students must complete a particular assignment prior to completing the assignment. Students will not be able to upload a document until the assignment selected in this pull-down has been given a grade, if allowing students to upload a document to this assignment. Note: This pull-down will not appear until there is at least one assignment in the gradebook per marking period.
5. Select the check box to Allow Student Uploads for students. Once enabled, students can upload a word document, PDF, or PowerPoint directly to the gradebook for assignments due.
The district's Account Executive must first enable Student Uploads; therefore, if this setting does not display, your district has not elected to enable the Allow Student Uploads setting via Setup > Site Administration.
Assignments can have only one of the following: Learnosity assessment, FAS test, or the Allow Student Uploads setting enabled. You will be prevented from allowing student uploads if an assessment or test are linked to the assignment, and prevents adding an FAS test if an assessment is present, preventing more than one of these from being selected (attaching Learnosity unlinks any existing tests, and prevents student uploads).
6. If you select the Allow Student Uploads check box, you can select the Don't Allow Late Submissions check box to ensure students are not able to upload files for an assignment after the Due Date and Time (if applicable) has passed.
7. Select the Exclude from Average check box to ensure the assignment doesn't count for or against the students averages, such as a practice test.
A down arrow indicator displays in the assignment header in the Gradebook for assignments that have been flagged as Exclude from Average.
8. Select the Hide from Excluded check box to create an exclusive assignment for a student or group of students. Students with an asterisk (*) will not see the assignment on the student or parent portal. This is helpful when a transfer student comes into the class or make-up work has been assigned.
Hide From Excluded is only needed when you want to hide the assignment from students that have an excluded grade. Note: You do not need to Hide From Excluded if the option to Assign to Individual Students Only option is enabled and the assignment has been assigned to applicable students only because the assignment will be hidden from all students not selected from the Assigned Students pull-down.
9. Select the Allow Comments check box to allow students to post comments on assignments. If enabled, students and staff may add their own comments to posts. Staff may view all comments, and their comments will be immediately viewable by all.
Students and other users can post comments if a Post has been published by you first from the Details tab. If a post has not been added, comments cannot be added by other students or users.
10. Select the Comments Require Moderation check box to view comments made by students before making the comments viewable. Note: This option will only appear if Allow Comments is selected. If enabled, student comments are not visible to other students, until moderated by a staff member. Staff may view all comments, and their comments will be immediately viewable by all.
11. Select the Students can reply to other students check box to allow students to reply to student comments. If not selected, students will only be allowed to reply to staff comments. Note: This option will only display if Allow Comments is selected.
12. Click Save to apply the settings to the assignment.
When Unsaved Changes is displayed, you must click Save before navigating away from the screen to ensure entering information is not lost.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. From the All tab, click the i for the assignment that needs to be edited.
Hover over the i symbol to display additional assignment information including: Title, Points, date Assigned, date Due, Category, Average, Range, and Description.
You can also access an assignment using the following steps: Click the Category tab, then click the applicable category in the Assignments panel. Next, click the assignment title in the category to view and edit the assignment.
4. Once all edits have been performed, click Save to apply changes.
When Unsaved Changes is displayed, you must click Save before navigating away from the screen to ensure entering information is not lost.
At any point, while adding, viewing, or editing an assignment, you can click the slider (left arrow) to collapse the Assignments panel displayed. Click the slider (right arrow) to display the panel.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. From the All tab, click the i for the assignment that needs to be edited.
Hover over the i symbol to display additional assignment information including: Title, Points, date Assigned, date Due, Category, Average, Range, and Description.
You can also access an assignment using the following steps: Click the Category tab, then click the applicable category in the Assignments panel. Next, click the assignment title in the category to view and edit the assignment.
3. To delete the assignment, click Delete located in the upper right corner of the screen.
4a. If you try to delete an assignment that contains student grades, a pop-up displays altering you that the assignments has been graded. Select the check boxes to delete the assignment from the section regardless of the grades.
4b. If the assignment is linked to multiple sections, the assignment will be deleted from all listed sections unless the check box for the section is cleared.
5. Click Delete to remove the assignment from the selected sections/periods. Click Cancel to close the window without deleting the assignment.
If you need to restore an assignment that has been deleted, go to Gradebook Reports > Deleted Assignments.
The Import an Assignment feature allows teachers to import and use an assignment already created for another section, previous marking period, or previous school year in Focus.
1. In the menu, click Gradebook.
Selecting Gradebook navigates to the main Gradebook screen where there are various options available.
2. Click the Category tab.
3. Click the category from the Assignments panel to which assignments are to be imported.
4. Click Import Assignment.
5. Select the school Year from the first pull-down.
6. Select the Section from which you'd like to import the category.
7. Select the marking period from the Quarter pull-down.
8. Select the Assignment(s) from the pull-down.
9. Select Additional Linked Sections from the provided pull-down to import the assignment to other sections as well.
10. Click Import to import the assignment(s). Click Cancel to close the pop-up window without importing assignment(s).
Click the X to close the pop-up window at any time. Note: If you click the X, the window will close without saving/importing data.
Once imported, you will see the assignment(s) display in the left panel in the selected category of the selected section(s).
The Due Date, Publish Date and Assigned Date copy from each assignment. The dates are copied, but the year is adjusted to either the first or second calendar year of the current school year. Publish Date defaults to tomorrow. When a section uses weighted progress periods, the initial Due Date used will always be within the top right progress period or the last progress period of the top right quarter.