How to Access Test Attempts From the Needs Grading Page

For courses with many enrolled students and gradable items, the Needs Grading page can help you determine which tests need grading first. For example, you can sort by the due date to ensure your final tests are graded before your institution's deadline.

If you have a designated turnaround schedule set for all gradable items, the Needs Grading page allows you to customize the view of items with a needs grading status. You can sort and filter the list and grade the most urgent tests first.

To access the Needs Grading page:

1. On the Left task bar, expand the Grade Center section.
2. Select Needs Grading. The total number of items to grade appears on the Needs Grading page.

To filter and sort attempts:

1. Use the Filter drop-down lists to narrow the list of items to grade by Category, Item, User, and Date Submitted. For example, make selections in both the Category and User drop-down lists to display tests submitted by a particular user.
2. Click Go. The filtered items appear on the Needs Grading page.
3. Click a column heading or the caret to sort the tests. For example, sort the tests by Item Name.
4. On the action bar, click Grade All to begin grading test attempts.
5. The filtered test attempts are placed in a queue for easy navigation among items. Test attempts appear on the Grade Test page in the order you sorted and filtered them on the Needs Grading page.

How to Access Test Attempts From the Grade Center

The Grade Center shows all gradable items. The number of items may influence how you organize your time for grading tasks. You may also find it beneficial to view a student's previous grades as you grade.

To access the Grade Center:

1. On the Left task bar, expand the Grade Center section.
2. Select Full Grade Center or the Tests smart view, if available, to access test attempts.

To grade a single test:

1. Locate the cell for a student's test containing an exclamation mark.
2. Access the cell's contextual menu and select Attempt. The Grade Test page appears.

To grade all attempts for a particular test:

1. Access the test column's contextual menu.
2. Select Grade Attempts. The Grade Test page appears.

About the Grade Test Page

Access the Grade Test page from the Needs Grading page or the Grade Center. You can navigate among users and attempts, view rubrics, grade anonymously, and view information about a test.

On the action bar, you can perform the following actions:

• Click Hide User Names to grade attempts anonymously, if needed. Click Show User Names to display user information.
• Click View Rubric to view the rubrics you associated with a test's column in the Grade Center. To learn more, see Rubrics.
• Click Jump to and select another attempt to view or grade.

Expand the Test Information link to view the following information:

• Status: Shows the status of the test—Needs Grading, In Progress, or Completed.
• Score: The score awarded for the test. If the test needs grading, this number is blank.
• Time Elapsed: If you chose the Set Timer option, the time a student spent taking the test is recorded and appears here.
• Started Date: The date the student began.
• Submitted Date: The date the student submitted the test for grading.
• Instructions: Any instructions associated with the test.
• Clear Attempt: Clears the current test attempt. Use when you want to give a student another chance to start over on a test. For example, if a student started a test that forced completion and a technical issue prevented him from finishing, you could allow him to retake the test.
• Submit Attempt: This function overrides an In Progress test attempt and submits it for grading.

  If a test is listed as in progress, either you or the student taking it must submit the test for you to grade it.

How to Use the Grade Test Page

You access the Grade Test page from the Needs Grading page or the Grade Center.

1. On the Grade Test page, type a score for each question. You can overwrite scores for questions graded automatically.
2. Optionally, if you associated a rubric with Essay, Short Answer, or File Response questions, click View Rubric to grade the question using the rubric. To learn more, see Rubrics.
3. Optionally, add Response Feedback specific to the individual question. The Response Feedback box only appears for certain question types, such as Essays.
4. Optionally, type comments in the Feedback to User box. Optionally, use the content editor functions to format the text and include files, images, links, multimedia, and mashups.
5. Optionally, type comments in the Grading Notes box. This text is not seen by students.
6. Click Save and Exit to return to the Full Grade Center, the Needs Grading page, or the Grade Details page, depending on where grading began.

   -OR-

   Click Save and Next to display the next user, when available.

   -OR-

   Use the arrows on the action bar to display the previous or next user, when available.

How to Grade Tests Anonymously

You can choose to grade tests anonymously to ensure an impartial evaluation of student work. Grading anonymously allows you to remain objective and not unduly influenced by a student's behavior or previous performance. This practice can also contribute to the student-instructor relationship because students are assured that grading was unbiased.

When grading anonymously, all identifying information is hidden and assessment attempts appear in random order. Each student is assigned a number, such as Student 8.

To grade anonymously from the Needs Grading page:

1. Access a test attempt's contextual menu.
2. Select Grade Anonymously. The Grade Test page appears.

To grade anonymously from the Grade Center:

1. Access the test column heading's contextual menu.
2. Select Grade Anonymously. The Grade Test page appears.

To grade anonymously from the Grade Test page:

1. On the action bar, click Hide User Names.
2. Click OK. If grading was in progress, any unsaved changes to the open attempt are lost. The Grade Test page refreshes and all identifying information is hidden.

How to Grade Tests by Question

For each test, you can choose to grade all responses to a specific question. This allows you to move from test to test, viewing and scoring the same question for each student. Grading this way can save time as you concentrate only on the answers for a single question. You can see how all students responded, providing immediate feedback about how the group performed on that particular question. Also, grading by question is useful when you want to revisit a question that requires a score adjustment for all or many students.

At the same time, you can grade questions anonymously. All test attempts remain in needs grading status until you have graded all of the responses for all questions.

1. In the Grade Center, access a test column's contextual menu and select Grade Questions.

   –OR-

   On the Needs Grading page, access a test's contextual menu and select Grade by Question.

2. On the Grade Questions page, you can filter the questions by status: Graded, Needs Grading, or In Progress. You may also select the check box for Grade Responses Anonymously, if needed.
3. For each question, click the number in the Responses column.
4. On the Grade Responses page, expand the Question Information link to view the question. If you did not previously select anonymous grading, click Hide User Names on the action bar. Click OK in the pop-up window to verify the action.
5. Click Edit next to the score for a user.
6. Type a grade in the Score box. Optionally, add Response Feedback specific to the individual question. The feedback box only appears for certain question types, such as Essays. Optionally, use the content editor functions to format the text and add files, images, links, multimedia, and mashups. Click Submit.
7. Optionally, if you associated a rubric with Essay, Short Answer, or File Response questions, click View Rubric to grade the question using the rubric. To learn more, see Rubrics.
8. When you have graded all student responses, click Back to Questions to return to the Grade Questions page.

How to Give or Remove Full Credit

You can Give Full Credit for all test submissions for the question you are viewing. Subsequent submissions are given full credit as well. After giving full credit, you can Remove Full Credit to revert to the automatic grade or to a previously entered manual grade.

1. In the Grade Center, access a test column heading's contextual menu and select Grade Questions.

   –OR-

   On the Needs Grading page, access a test's contextual menu and select Grade by Question.

2. On the Grade Questions page, you can filter the questions by status: Graded, Needs Grading, or In Progress. You may also select the check box for Grade Responses Anonymously, if needed.
3. For each question, click the number in the Responses column.
4. On the Grade Responses page, expand the Question Information link to view the question.
5. Click Give Full Credit to assign full credit for the question.
6. If you already assigned full credit and you want to remove it, click Remove Full Credit. The question reverts to the automatic grade or a previously entered manual grade.
7. Click Back to Questions to return to the Grade Questions page.

Source and more information: https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/Learn/9.1_SP_12_and_SP_13/Instructor/100_Tests_Surveys_Pools/190_Grading_Tests