castle learning handbook for teachers

castlelearning.com

Handbook for Teachers

April 30, 2008

Castle Software, Inc. 626 Layport Drive, Suite 100

Sebastian, FL 32958 1-800-345-7606

e-mail: [email protected] website: castlelearning.com

mailto:[email protected]

www.castlelearning.com

Castle Learning Online Handbook for Teachers

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Prepared by Theresa Fischette, White Light Communications for Castle Software. Copyright 2001-2008 Castle Software, Inc.

All rights reserved. Castle Learning Online is a trademark of Castle Software, Inc.

Permission is hereby granted to reproduce and distribute this document to teachers in your school. Reproduction and distribution of this document in any form, printed or electronic, for any other purpose is strictly prohibited

without permission in writing from Castle Software, Inc.

Table of Contents

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Welcome!.............................................................................1-1 Scope/Purpose .........................................................................................................1-1 Getting Started .........................................................................................................1-1

Activating School-Purchased Accounts ...............................................................1-1 Activating Home-Purchased Accounts.................................................................1-2

Using This Handbook ...............................................................................................1-3 Getting Help..............................................................................................................1-4 Next Step..................................................................................................................1-4

Chapter 2 - Signing In and Out..............................................................2-1 Objective...................................................................................................................2-1 Signing In..................................................................................................................2-1 Signing Off................................................................................................................2-1 Next Step..................................................................................................................2-2

Chapter 3 - Using the Teacher Home Page ..........................................3-1 Objective...................................................................................................................3-1 Accessing Features ..................................................................................................3-1 Returning to the Home Page ....................................................................................3-3 Terminating a Session ..............................................................................................3-3 Next Step..................................................................................................................3-3

Chapter 4 - Using the Classes Page .....................................................4-1 Objective...................................................................................................................4-1 Description................................................................................................................4-1 Accessing the Classes Page ....................................................................................4-2 Viewing List of Classes.............................................................................................4-3 Adding a Class .........................................................................................................4-4

Overview ..............................................................................................................4-4 Using Custom Classes ........................................................................................4-6

Editing Class Name and Primary Course .................................................................4-7 Overview ..............................................................................................................4-7 Using Custom Classes ........................................................................................4-9

Deleting a Class......................................................................................................4-10 Monitoring Classes .................................................................................................4-11

Overview ............................................................................................................4-11 Using the Class Management Tab.....................................................................4-12 Using the Short Answer Activity Tab..................................................................4-18 Using Constructed Response Activity Tab.........................................................4-26 Using Courses with Math Skills Activity Tab ......................................................4-28 Managing Access Rights Tab ............................................................................4-30


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Reading Skills .........................................................................................................4-32 Factual Information ............................................................................................4-32 Inferences and Conclusions ..............................................................................4-32 Vocabulary in Context........................................................................................4-32 Main Theme.......................................................................................................4-32 Mood ............................................................................................................4-33 Multiple Levels of Meaning ................................................................................4-33

Next Step................................................................................................................4-33

Chapter 5 - Using the Assignments Page ............................................5-1 Objective...................................................................................................................5-1 Accessing the Assignments Page.............................................................................5-1 Selecting Assignment Type ......................................................................................5-2 Using Short Answer Assignments.............................................................................5-3

Overview ..............................................................................................................5-3 Viewing Assignment Lists ....................................................................................5-5 Viewing Assignments in Another Folder ..............................................................5-6 Creating a New Short Answer Assignment..........................................................5-7 Editing an Existing Short Answer Assignment ...................................................5-18 Assigning an Assignment to One or More Students ..........................................5-31 Monitoring Students...........................................................................................5-38 Deleting an Assignment.....................................................................................5-44 Moving Assignments into Another Folder ..........................................................5-44 Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers........................................................5-45 Publishing Public Assignments..........................................................................5-46 Submitting Assignments as Benchmarks...........................................................5-47 Duplicating Assignments ...................................................................................5-50 Viewing Public Assignments..............................................................................5-50

Using Vocabulary Flash Cards ...............................................................................5-51 Accessing Vocabulary Flash Cards ...................................................................5-51 Viewing Assignment Lists ..................................................................................5-52 Viewing Assignments in Another Folder ............................................................5-52 Creating a Flash Card Assignment ....................................................................5-53 Editing a Flash Card Set....................................................................................5-57 Assigning an Assignment to One or More Students ..........................................5-60 Monitoring Students...........................................................................................5-66 Deleting an Assignment.....................................................................................5-68 Moving Assignments into Another Folder ..........................................................5-69 Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers........................................................5-69 Duplicating Assignments ...................................................................................5-70

Using Constructed Response .................................................................................5-71 Overview ............................................................................................................5-71 Accessing Constructed Response Assignments ...............................................5-71 Viewing Assignment Lists ..................................................................................5-73 Viewing Assignments in Another Folder ............................................................5-74 Creating a New Constructed Response Assignment .........................................5-74

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Editing an Existing Constructed Response Assignment ....................................5-78 Assigning an Assignment to One or More Students ..........................................5-84 Monitoring Students...........................................................................................5-90 Deleting an Assignment.....................................................................................5-91 Moving Assignments into Another Folder ..........................................................5-92 Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers........................................................5-92 Duplicating Assignments ...................................................................................5-93

Using DBQs............................................................................................................5-94 Overview ............................................................................................................5-94 Accessing DBQ Assignments ............................................................................5-94 Viewing Assignment Lists ..................................................................................5-95 Viewing Assignments in Another Folder ............................................................5-96 Creating a New DBQ Assignment......................................................................5-97 Editing an Existing DBQ Assignment.................................................................5-99 Assigning an Assignment to One or More Students ........................................5-104 Monitoring Students.........................................................................................5-110 Deleting an Assignment...................................................................................5-111 Moving Assignments into Another Folder ........................................................5-112 Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers......................................................5-112 Duplicating Assignments .................................................................................5-113

Creating PDF Files All Activities ...........................................................................5-114 Next Step..............................................................................................................5-114

Chapter 6 - Using the Reports Page .....................................................6-1 Objective...................................................................................................................6-1 Accessing the Reports Page ....................................................................................6-1 Creating Assessment Reports ..................................................................................6-2 Creating Course Usage Reports...............................................................................6-7 Next Step..................................................................................................................6-7

Chapter 7 - Using Personal Content Sets ............................................7-1 Objective...................................................................................................................7-1 Accessing the Personal Content Sets Page .............................................................7-1 Creating a New Personal Content Set ......................................................................7-3 Renaming a Personal Content Set ...........................................................................7-4 Adding Content to a New Personal Content Set.......................................................7-5

Overview ..............................................................................................................7-5 Using Question Editor..........................................................................................7-7 Adding Questions ................................................................................................7-7 Spell Checking Questions....................................................................................7-9

Including Personal Content Set into an Assignment ...............................................7-10 Viewing / Editing an Existing Personal Content Set for Short Answer Questions ...7-11

Overview ............................................................................................................7-11 Using Question Editor........................................................................................7-11 Viewing an Existing Personal Content Set for Short Answer Questions ............7-12 Viewing Questions .............................................................................................7-13


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Renaming an Existing Question Set ..................................................................7-13 Adding More Short Answer Questions to an Existing Personal Content Set .....7-13 Editing an Existing Question..............................................................................7-15 Spell Checking Questions..................................................................................7-15 Removing an Existing Question.........................................................................7-15

Viewing / Editing an Existing Personal Content Set for Flash Card Vocabulary .....7-16 Overview ............................................................................................................7-16 Using Question Editor........................................................................................7-16 Viewing Vocabulary Items .................................................................................7-17 Renaming Vocabulary .......................................................................................7-17 Adding Vocabulary.............................................................................................7-17 Editing Vocabulary.............................................................................................7-18 Removing Vocabulary........................................................................................7-18

Deleting an Existing Personal Content Set .............................................................7-18 Next Step................................................................................................................7-18

Chapter 8 - Using Other Castle Learning Features .............................8-1 Objective...................................................................................................................8-1 Accessing State Learning Correlation.......................................................................8-1 Reviewing / Updating the Teacher Profile.................................................................8-2

Viewing Your Profile ............................................................................................8-2 Changing Your Password ....................................................................................8-3 Changing Your Name ..........................................................................................8-3 Changing Your Salutation....................................................................................8-3 Changing Your E-Mail Address ...........................................................................8-3 Submitting Profile Changes .................................................................................8-4

Viewing Castle Learning as a Student ......................................................................8-4 Designating an Assistant Administrator ....................................................................8-4 Next Step..................................................................................................................8-5

Chapter 9 - Obtaining Support ..............................................................9-1 Objective...................................................................................................................9-1 Using Online Help.....................................................................................................9-1 Accessing Castle Learning Documents ....................................................................9-1 Subscribing to the Castle Learning Newsletter .........................................................9-1 Reviewing Terms of Service .....................................................................................9-2 Contacting Technical Support...................................................................................9-2

Chapter 1 – Welcome!

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Chapter 1 - Welcome!

Scope/Purpose Castle Learning OnlineTM is a web-based content review and skill assessment application, which allows students to review, assess, and learn Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts (including English, Spanish, French) in a friendly question and answer format from any computer with an Internet connection. Students receive immediate feedback and printable progress reports.

This handbook provides teachers with step-by-step instructions for using Castle Learning Online to monitor student work, create specialized assignments, as well as tailor lesson plans to individual and class strengths and weaknesses. Using actual field-tested questions, with hints, reasons, defined vocabulary terms, and printable assessment reports, teachers may use Castle Learning Online for individual students or for a whole class.

Getting Started Schools may purchase Castle Learning Online subscriptions for all their students and teachers. In addition, Home Edition subscriptions are available - perfect for home school students and teacher-parents; tutors and their pupils; and any student without a school-sponsored subscription.

Activating School-Purchased Accounts • If you are a first-time visitor to Castle Learning Online and do not have a Castle

Learning Online ID, be sure to enroll prior to participating in any Castle Learning Online activities.

• If you are pre-enrolled, you are given a Castle Learning Online ID and possibly a password.

• If you purchased a personal subscription (not through your school), you were assigned a Castle Learning Online ID at the time of purchase.

• If you did not receive a password, leave the password field blank. Castle Learning Online prompts you to create a password for subsequent visits.

To sign in, follow the directions provided in Chapter 2.


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Activating Home-Purchased Accounts After purchasing a Castle Learning Online Home Edition subscription, the purchaser receives an e-mail confirming their order. This e-mail also specifies the website to go to for activating the purchased subscription. Order activation is a three-step process and is as follows:

1. Follow the instructions provided in an e-mail; specifically, enter the Order Number and E-mail Address in the provided fields on the Account Activation - Step 1 page then click Continue:

2. Enter the names of the student and/or teachers for whom the purchased accounts will be used into the provided field(s) on the Account Activation - Step 2 page then press Continue:

Chapter 1 – Welcome!

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The Account Activation - Step 3 page displays the Castle Learning Online ID and password for each user.

3. Print the Account Activation - Step 3 page and/or write down the Castle Learning Online ID and Password for each user.

4. Distribute this page to the appropriate students and teachers. At this point, the individuals for whom you purchased Castle Learning Online subscriptions may go to the Castle Learning Online website (castlelearning.com); sign in with their Castle Learning Online ID and password; and begin using Castle Learning.

Using This Handbook This handbook is organized into nine chapters:

• Chapter 1 - Welcome, which describes the scope, audience, and content of this handbook.

• Chapter 2 - Signing In and Out, which describes how to sign in and sign out of Castle Learning.

• Chapter 3 - Using the Teacher Home Page, which describes how to access the Teacher Home page and use Castle Learning Online features that have been tailored specifically for teachers.

• Chapter 4 - Using the Class Page, which describes how to use the Classes page for creating and managing your classes.

• Chapter 5 - Using the Assignments Page, which describes how to use the Assignment pages for creating and managing class assignments.

• Chapter 6 - Using the Reports Page, which describes how to use the Reports page for monitoring student activities.

• Chapter 7 – Using Personal Content Sets, which describes how to the Personal Content Sets page to develop personal content sets.

• Chapter 8 - Using Other Castle Learning Online Features, which describes how to work with Castle Learning Online profiles and other features.

• Chapter 9 - Obtaining Support, which describes how to obtain support while using Castle Learning.


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Getting Help Help (online help that is) is just a click away. From the upper right corner of any Castle Learning Online page, click HELP. Information directly related to the current page displays.

Next Step Proceed to Chapter 2 to learn how to sign in and out of Castle Learning.

Chapter 2 – Signing In and Out

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Chapter 2 - Signing In and Out

Objective This chapter shows you how to sign in and out of Castle Learning Online.

Signing In To sign into Castle Learning Online:

1. Go to castlelearning.com. The Login page displays:

2. Type in your Castle Learning Online Teacher ID into the ID field.

3. Type your password into the Password field.

Note 1: If you have not yet set a password, leave the Password field blank; click SIGN IN; and follow the steps provided for setting a password.

Note 2: If you forgot your ID or password, click the Forgot my ID or Password link. If you previously specified your e-mail address on the Profile page, then Castle Learning Online e-mails your ID and password.

4. Click SIGN IN. The Teacher Home page displays.

5. Proceed to Chapter 3 to learn how to use the features found on the Teacher Home page.

Signing Off To sign out of Castle Learning Online:

1. Click HOME. The Teacher Home page displays.

2. Click LOGOUT. The Login page displays.


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Next Step Proceed to Chapter 3 to learn how to use the features found on the Teacher Home page.

Chapter 3 – Using the Teacher Home Page

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Chapter 3 - Using the Teacher Home Page

Objective This chapter shows you how to use the Teacher Home page; specifically, how to:

• Access Castle Learning Online features • Return to the Teacher Home page • Terminate a session

Accessing Features Once signed in, the Teacher Home page displays.


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From this page, you may access all Castle Learning Online features specifically designed for teachers, including: • The Classes page, which allows you to create and manage your classes as well as

monitor student activity • The Assignments page, which allows you to create assignments and monitor student

progress • The Reports page, which allows you to view assessment and course activity reports • The Personal Content Sets page, which allows you to create your own question and

vocabulary sets for use in assignments • The State Learning Standards Correlation page, which allows you to view

correlations between your state’s standards and Castle Learning Online courses • The Profile page, which allows you to update your Castle Learning Online account

information • The Student Home page, which allows you to view Castle Learning Online pages

your students see • The Documents page, which allows you to access various Castle Learning Online

documents; view all new features and updates for the current school year; and view Teacher FAQs

• The Newsletter page, which allows you to subscribe to the Castle Learning Online Newsletter as well as view current and past issues

Notice your e-mail address displays at the top of the Teacher Home page, just below the Greeting.

Chapter 3 – Using the Teacher Home Page

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Castle Learning Online uses this e-mail address when sending your ID and Password in the event you forget them. You may set or change your e-mail address using the change link provided or the Profile page.

To access each Castle Learning Online feature, just click the desired blue underlined hypertext link. Refer to the remaining chapters of this guide for detailed instructions for using each feature.

Note: For best results, do not use your browser's BACK and FORWARD buttons while using Castle Learning. Always use the navigation buttons in the upper right corner of the page, or the blue underlined hypertext links found at the bottom of the page.

Returning to the Home Page To return to the Teacher Home page from any Castle Learning Online page, just click HOME. This is located in the upper right corner of each page.

Terminating a Session When you have completed a session, be sure to click LOGOUT, which is located in the upper right corner of the Teacher Home page.

Next Step Proceed to Chapter 4 to learn how to use the Classes page for creating and managing your classes as well as for monitoring student activity.


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Chapter 4 – Using the Classes Page

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Chapter 4 - Using the Classes Page

Objective This chapter shows you how to:

• Access the Classes page • View a list of classes • Add a class • Edit class name and primary course • Delete a class • Monitor classes • Use reading skills

Description A class is a group of students whose activity you are monitoring. The Classes page is the starting point for all class-related activities, including organizing classes and monitoring student progress. You may use Castle Learning Online classes to organize your students in many different ways:

• Example 1: You may want to create a Castle Learning Online class for each class you teach. Alternatively, you may group students together into larger classes.

• Example 2: If you teach three Biology classes and two Chemistry classes, you may want to create five Castle Learning Online classes – one for each of your actual classes. Alternatively, you may find it convenient to create one Castle Learning Online class for all of your Biology students and another Castle Learning Online class for all of your Chemistry students.

• Example3: You may want to group students who work at the same pace – students who require extra help; students who work at a normal pace; and students who are more advanced. It is possible to assign students to more than one class. In addition, students may be added or removed from classes as needs change throughout the school year.

Castle Learning Online offers the flexibility to create classes and organize your students in ways convenient for you.


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Accessing the Classes Page To access the Classes page:

1. Click the Classes link on the Teacher Home page. The Classes page displays.

This page lists all classes you have created, along with the name of the primary course taught. Next to the name of each class are icons, which allow you to delete and edit classes.

From this page, you may perform a variety of class-related activities, including:

• View a list of classes • Add a class • Edit a class • Monitor a class • Delete a class


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Viewing List of Classes Special Note: The Administrator’s Edit Account/Add Account pages have a "district access "check box for indicating whether the account is for a teacher. When enabled, the teacher may select students from any school in the district for their classes.

The Classes page provides a list of classes by class name as well as the necessary functionality to add, edit, delete, or monitor classes. To view details associated with a specific class, just click on the name of the class.


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Adding a Class

Overview To add a class:

1. Click the Add Class link on the Classes page.

The Add Class page displays.

2. Type in the name of the class you wish to create in the Class name field. For Example: Period 1 – Algebra.

3. Use the Course drop down menu to select the primary course associated with this class. You will also be able to monitor student usage in other courses. Note: Be sure to select the course you use most often with this class. Although you will be able to use any course with any class, this setting defines the "default" course selected on various pages. For Example: the Students for a Class page where student activity is monitored, the Assignments page where assignments are created, etc.


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4. Click the Advanced Features link to display a list of courses from which you would like your students to access from your Classes page.

5. Click to select each course you would like your students to access from your Classes page. Note 1: Students can now access Castle Learning Online assignments and course activities by selecting your class from the Student Home page. As such, you now have control over which courses your students can access from your Classes page. Students will still have access to all Castle Learning Online courses from their Student Home page. Note 2: Students will also have access to any course for which the teacher has assigned an assignment, even if not checked here. This is because once the student completes all the assignments for a course, the student can only go back to that course if it is included in the Classes page drop-down menu.

6. Click SAVE to save your changes. The Classes page redisplays, with your new class added to the list of classes. OR Click CANCEL to cancel this task.

Note: When a student views a teacher-assigned session on the Sessions Details page (located off the Classes page), they will see a column indicating the name of the assigning teacher.


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Using Custom Classes Custom Courses are non-Castle Learning Online courses. For Example: Health, Music, etc. Using the Custom Classes feature, teachers can create assignments categorized as a “custom course” and can include content from Castle Learning Online courses as well as from Personal Content Sets.

Note: Custom courses do not include self-generated activities, that is, students may only access custom assignments from their Classes page.

From the Student Home page, custom courses look much like a regular course. The exceptions are that only short answer and flash card activities are available and students are limited to assigned assignments (no self-generated activities).

From the teacher pages, a new course name "Custom" is included in the various course drop-down menus. When selected, some pages (Add Class, Edit Class, etc.) include a second drop-down menu for specifying the name of the custom course. For Example: Art, Music, Health, etc.

On the Add Class and Edit Class pages, a teacher may select a custom course to be the Primary Course, specify the name of the custom course as well as check the Custom check box to include custom courses in class activities.


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Editing Class Name and Primary Course

Overview To edit an existing class name or to change the primary course associated with a class:

1. Locate the name of the class you wish to edit from the Classes page.

2. Click the Edit icon ( ) in the row associated with the class. The Edit Class page for the desired course name displays.

3. Change the name of the class by typing the new name into the Class name field.

4. Change the primary course associated with this class by selecting a course from the Primary Course drop-down menu.


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5. Optional: Click the Advanced Features link to display a list of available courses. This section allows a teacher to specify which courses their students can have access to when they select the teacher's class from the Student Home page.

To use this feature, click to select the check box of each course you would like your students to access from your Classes page.

Note: Students will also have access to any course for which the teacher has assigned an assignment, even if not checked here. This is because once the student completes all the assignments for a course, the student can only go back to that course if it is included in the Classes page drop-down menu.

6. Click SAVE to save your changes. The Classes page redisplays with the newly edited class information. OR Click CANCEL to cancel the task.


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Using Custom Classes Custom Courses are non-Castle Learning Online courses. For Example: Health, Music, etc. Using the Custom Classes feature, teachers can create assignments categorized as a “custom course” and can include content from Castle Learning Online courses as well as from Personal Content Sets.

Note: Custom courses do not include self-generated activities, that is, students may only access custom assignments from their Classes page.

From the Student Home page, custom courses look much like a regular course. The exceptions are that only short answer and flash card activities are available and students are limited to assigned assignments (no self-generated activities).

From the teacher pages, a new course name "Custom" is included in the various course drop-down menus. When selected, some pages (Add Class, Edit Class, etc.) include a second drop-down menu for specifying the name of the custom course. For Example: Art, Music, Health, etc.

On the Add Class and Edit Class pages, a teacher may select a custom course to be the Primary Course, specify the name of the custom course as well as check the Custom check box to include custom courses in class activities.


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Deleting a Class To remove a class:

1. Click the Delete ( ) icon next to the class name in the class list.

Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm deletion of the selected class.

Note: Once a class is deleted, it cannot be restored or undone.

2. Click OK if you are sure you want to delete the selected class. OR Click Cancel if you do not want to delete the class. The task is cancelled and the class is not affected.


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Monitoring Classes

Overview To monitor a class:

1. Locate the name of the class and course you wish to monitor from the Classes page. For Example: Earth Science Period 7.

2. Click to select the name of the class you wish to monitor. The Class Details page for the selected class displays:

The Class Details page uses a tabbed interface to organize class-related functions:

• The Class Management tab allows teachers to add or remove students; view student IDs; and clear student passwords.

• The Short Answer tab allows teachers to view Short Answer activity information. • The Constructed Response tab allows teachers to view Constructed Response

activity information. • The Math Skills tab allows teachers to view Math Skills activity information. • The Access Rights tab allows teachers to allow or prevent student access to certain

content, depending on the course.

All courses have Class Management and Short Answer tabs. Other tabs are available for select courses; they include Constructed Response, Access Rights, and Math Skills.


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Using the Class Management Tab Overview

The Class Management tab is automatically opened when the Class Details page displays. This page lists all students added to this class.

From this page, you may select the desired class and course using the available drop-down menus. In addition, you may click the Display for printing link to display a class list in a separate pop-up window for printing purposes.

Note: The Course drop-down menu on the Class Details page includes all associated tabs, along with a ".Custom" course, but not the specific name of the custom course.

This page also lists the following information for each student in a table format:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting a student • Student Last Name as entered when enrolled • Student First Name as entered when enrolled • Student Castle Learning Online ID • An X icon for clearing each student's password in the event a student forgets their

password. Once cleared, students are then asked to sign-in without a password. Castle Learning Online prompts the student for a new password.

Using the Class Management tab of the Class Details page, you may:

• Add students to a class • Remove students from a class • Clear a student's password


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Adding Students to a Class (School Edition)

To add students to this class:

1. Click the Add Students link below the class list. The Add Students page displays for the selected class, allowing you to select your students from the list of all students in your school who currently have Castle Learning Online accounts.

2. Check the check box to the left of each student's name you wish to add to your class.

Note: If the check box is dimmed, the student is already in your class.

3. Quickly search for the desired student by: Selecting a student category from the Student Category drop-down menu to reduce the length of the student list. OR Using the Previous, Next, First, and Last links to quickly scroll through the long list. OR Typing the first few letters of a student's last name in the box provided to the right of the Search link. Click the Search link to find a specific student. OR Clicking a letter to jump ahead in the list alphabetically.

4. Optional: Qualify this list further by specifying indicating the records per page.


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5. Click Add Checked Students at the end of the list once all students have been selected.

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The list redisplays with the selected students grayed out.

Note: Clicking Add Checked Students only “adds” the students checked on the current page. You cannot scroll back and forth, checking your work, and then click Add Checked Students.

6. Click the Back to Student List link to return to the Class Management tab of the Class Details page.


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Adding Students to Your Class (Home Edition)

To add students to your class:

1. Select the class.

2. Add any student with a home subscription to your class by clicking the Add Students link. The Add Student page displays:

3. Ask the student for their Castle Learning Online ID and PIN number. This information may be found on the student's Profile page.

4. Enter the student's Castle Learning Online ID into the provided field.

5. Enter the student's PIN number into the provided field.

6. Click Add Student To Class.

7. Repeat this procedure to add other students.

Note: Your class is not limited only to the students for whom you purchased Castle Learning Home subscriptions yourself. If you teach other students who have Home subscriptions, then you may also monitor their Castle Learning Online usage and assign to them your assignments.


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Removing a Student from a Class

To remove one or more students from a class:

1. Check the check box to the left of each student's name you wish to remove from the class.

2. Click the Remove link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm deletion of the selected student.

3. Click OK if you are sure that you want to remove the student. The student list redisplays with the selected student(s) removed. OR Click Cancel if you do not want to delete the selected student(s) and to cancel the task.

Note 1: This is a very critical step. While there is no “undo” function, you can undo your work by adding a student back into your class after he/she has been removed. However, this affects their assignments, i.e. you would have to reassign them to the student.

Note 2: Deleting a student from a class does not delete the student's account; nor does it remove this student from any other class list or interfere with their Castle Learning Online sessions. It merely removes this student from the list for this class.


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Clearing A Student's Password

To clear a student's password:

1. Check the check box to the left of each student's name in which you wish to clear their password.

2. Click associated with the selected student to clear their password. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm the clearing of the password for the selected student.

3. Click OK. Castle Learning Online displays a second confirmation message asking you to confirm the clearing of the password for the selected student.

4. Click OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message confirming clearance of the selected student’s password.

5. Click OK.

6. Notify the student immediately that you have cleared their password so that they can log in again to establish a new password.


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Using the Short Answer Activity Tab Overview

To manage short answer activity:

1. Click the Short Answer tab of the Class Details page to display class details for the Short Answer activity.

From this page, you may view Student Session Reports as well as Student Cumulative Reports for each student. In addition, you may view the Class Cumulative Report for the entire class.


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Viewing Student Sessions

To view a report of an individual student' session:

1. Select the course to monitor from the drop-down menu located on the Short Answer tab of the Class Details page. The default option is the primary course associated with the class.

Note: The Course drop-down menu on the Class Details page including all associated tabs, includes a ".Custom" course, but not the specific name of the custom course.

2. Click the View Sessions icon ( ) for a specific student to view a summary of an individual student's session.

The above example shows the status of all sessions for Vinnie Barbarino – both assigned and student-generated (unassigned). Assigned sessions are marked with a red asterisk (*), along with the name of the teacher who assigned the session. Each summary includes the following information for each session:

• The date on which the session was created • A description of the session • The name of the teacher who assigned the session (when applicable) • The number of questions in the session • The number of questions in the session that the student answered correctly • The number of questions in the session that the student answered incorrectly • The score as a percentage of the questions answered so far • Two report links:

• The Session link displays the Session Report • The Responses link displays the entire assignment along with scoring

information, including question, correct answer, and student responses (first and retry). Student information displays below the question.


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Notes:

• If you assigned a session, your name is listed

• If the student has not finished the session, the score is reported as "incomplete"

• If the student has not yet answered any questions from a session, the score is reported as "not started"

3. Click the Session link next to the desired assignment for a detailed report of the specific session and assignment.


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4. Click the Response link to display the entire assignment along with scoring information, including question, correct answer, and student responses (first and retry). Student information displays below the question.

5. Click the Print link to print the report. OR Click the Vocabulary Study Sheet link to print a study sheet containing vocabulary related to the incorrect questions.

6. Click the Close link to close the report and to return to the Sessions Summary page.

7. Click the Back to Class Details link to return to the Short Answer tab of the Class Details page.


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Viewing Student Cumulative Report

As a student works through question-and-answer sessions in a particular course, Castle Learning Online accumulates statistics on the student's overall progress as well as his/her performance on each individual session.

To view a Cumulative Report for a specific student:

1. Select the course to monitor from the drop-down box located on the Short Answer tab of the Class Details page. The default is the primary course associated with the class.

2. Click the Cumulative Report ( ) icon next to the desired student's name. For Example: Vinnie Barbarino. The Cumulative Session Report page displays.


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3. Use the Time Period drop-down menu to select the desired time period (1 to 10 weeks, or All). By selecting a Cumulative Report for "all" time periods, this report helps you to determine all the strengths and weaknesses of a particular student. It may also help you to give the student more individualized attention as the report displays cumulative information by Unit/Section, Theme, Difficulty Level, and Attribute.

4. Use the Scoring Threshold drop-down menu to specify a score for determining whether a score displays with a blue bar (pass) or a red bar (fail). Values are 50 – 85 are available in increments of five. The default value is 65. If a score is greater than or equal to the defined scoring threshold, then a blue bar displays for that item; otherwise, a red bar displays.

5. Optional: Check the Assigned Only check box if the specified time period and scoring threshold is for assigned questions only.

6. Click Refresh Report to redisplay the report with the new options.

Note: This summary only includes the data for the course specified in the drop down box on the Student List page.

This report includes the student's name, the course, the class as well as the score, the number of correct answers, and the number of incorrect answers by unit/section, theme, difficulty level, and attribute.

7. Click the Printer Friendly link to print a copy of this report.



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Viewing Class Cumulative Reports

Castle Learning Online also accumulates statistics on the progress of all students within a class, as a group. To view a Cumulative Report for the class:

1. Select the course to monitor from the drop-down box located on the Short Answer tab of the Class Details page. The default is the primary course associated with the class.

2. Click the Class Cumulative Report link to view an assessment report for the entire class.

3. Use the Time Period drop-down menu to select the desired time period (1 to 10 weeks or All). By selecting a Cumulative Report for "all" time periods, this report helps you to determine all the strengths and weaknesses of a particular student. It may also help you to give the student more individualized attention as the report displays cumulative information by Unit/Section, Theme, Difficulty Level, and Attribute.

4. Use the Scoring Threshold drop-down menu to specify a score for determining whether a score displays with a blue bar (pass) or a red bar (fail). Values are 50 – 85 are available in increments of five. The default value is 65. If a score is greater than or equal to the defined scoring threshold, then a blue bar displays for that item; otherwise, a red bar displays.

5. Optional: Check the Assigned Only check box if the specified time period and scoring threshold is for assigned questions only.


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6. Click Refresh Report to redisplay the report with the new options.

This report includes the class name, the course, as well as the score, the number of correct answers, and the number of incorrect answers by unit/section, theme, difficulty level, and attribute.

7. Click the Printer Friendly link to print a copy of this report.



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Using Constructed Response Activity Tab Overview

For select courses, a Constructed Response tab displays the list of students who have been assigned a Constructed Response activity. This list identifies each student by last name and first name as well as provides a View Constructed Response ( ) icon for viewing all answers to their constructed response questions.

Viewing Constructed Response Activities

You may view constructed responses for select courses that include a Constructed Response activity. For Example: Living Environment.

To view constructed response results for a specific student and course:

1. Click the Constructed Response tab of the Class Details page. The Constructed Response page displays.

2. Select the class to monitor from the Class drop-down menu.

3. Select the course to monitor from the Course drop-down menu. The default course is the primary course associated with the selected class.

Note 1: You may only view Constructed Responses for completed questions.

Note 2: The Course drop-down menu on the Class Details page including all associated tabs, includes a ".Custom" course, but not the specific name of the custom course.


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4. Click the Constructed Response icon ( ) next to the desired student's name. For Example: Zelda Gilroy. A summary of constructed responses displays for the selected student.

5. Click the View Answers icon ( ) to the right of the unit to view for details including the Constructed Response questions and this student’s responses. For Example: Zelda Gilroy, Earth Science Course, The History of the Earth, Question 1.

If this icon does not appear, then the student did not answer any Constructed Response questions in that unit; it is therefore marked as “no answers”.


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Using Courses with Math Skills Activity Tab For select Math courses, the Math Skills tab of the Class Details page allows you to view a Math Skills report for each student.

To access:




3. Click the Math Skills tab of the Class Details page. The Math Skills page lists students who have been assigned a Skill Review Activity.

4. Click the View Skills Report ( ) icon for the selected student to view the Skills Report for that student.

5. Select the desired scoring threshold using the Scoring Threshold drop-down menu.


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6. Click Refresh Report to display the Skills Report with the selected scoring threshold. This report shows student results for each skill.

7. Click the Printer Friendly link to print the Skills Report for the selected student.

8. Click the Back to Class Details link to return to the Class Details page.


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Managing Access Rights Tab Overview

For selected courses with limited content activities (such as Reading Sets or Constructed Response), you can control whether your students have access to content that have not yet been assigned to them.

To access this page:

1. Click the Access Rights tab of the Class Details page. This page lists students who have access rights defined for a specific course.

The Access column identifies the type of access rights each student has for the selected course. Available values are:

• Full - which allows the students to work with all content for the activity • Assigned - which limits access to assigned content only in this activity.




4. Change access rights for one or more students by checking the check boxes beside each desired student’s name.


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5. Click the Change access to Full link at the bottom of the page to allow selected students to work with this content items on their own. OR Click the Change access to Assigned link to prevent students from working with this content except when in an assignment. Note 1: It is possible that another teacher has modified access rights for your students. Clicking the Full or Assigned links shows you the teacher who last modified that student's access rights. Note 2: If you add a new student, of if no one has explicitly set the access rights, then the default value is Full access rights.

6. Click the Full or Assigned link in the Access column to view the name of the teacher who last modified the access rights for the selected student.


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Reading Skills The Themes for the English courses include a number of reading skills. They are defined as follows.

Factual Information A question requiring this reading skill relies on specific facts found in the reading passage. After reading the article, the student uses key words or phrases from the question to locate the facts needed to answer the question. This type of question tests the ability to find specific words that the author uses. It shows that the student understands the basic points being made.

Inferences and Conclusions This type of question asks the student to make a solid "guess" based on what the author has written. The correct answer will not be presented directly in the reading passage. As the student reads the answer choices, s/he thinks back to the main points the author was trying to make. The student eliminates answers that do not make sense based on the information provided and then looks for answers that can be supported using the words and intents of the author.

Vocabulary in Context Some questions ask the student to identify the meaning of an unfamiliar word by examining how it is used in the reading passage. The student carefully reads the sentence in which the word appears, along with the sentences that come before and after it then takes a guess as to what the word might mean. One strategy for answering this type of question is to try substituting a word that might be a synonym for the given word to see if it fits.

Main Theme This kind of question asks the student to identify what the reading passage was about. What point was the author trying to make? What did the writer want the reader to understand after having read the story? We might look at the theme as a lesson the story teaches.


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Mood A question requiring this reading skill asks the student to identify a mood or tone developed in a reading passage by the author's use of specific words. Words convey meaning through denotation (what the word actually means) as well as through connotation (what the word suggests or implies). Students look for both when trying to determine the mood and tone of a story.

Multiple Levels of Meaning Some questions ask the student to identify the various levels of meaning found in a reading passage. An author might appear to be talking about something very simple on one level, but that subject might be a lot more complicated when viewed on a different level. For Example, the children's story of Little Red Riding Hood might seem to be about a little girl who was fooled by a wolf. However, on a higher level, it might be telling us that we have to be very careful where we go and with whom we talk.

Next Step Refer to Chapter 5 to learn how to use the Assignment page for managing student assignments.


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Chapter 5 – Using the Assignments Page

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Chapter 5 - Using the Assignments Page


• Access the Assignments page • Select an assignment type • Use Short Answer assignments • Use Vocabulary Flash Card assignments • Use Constructed Response assignments • Use DBQ assignments

Accessing the Assignments Page Teachers may use the Assignments page to create and manage assignments. To access the Assignments page:

1. Click the Assignments link on the Teacher Home page. The Assignments page displays:


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Selecting Assignment Type Depending upon the selected course, Castle Learning Online allows you to use the Assignments page to create and manage up to four types of assignments:

• Short Answer • Vocabulary Flash Cards • Constructed Response • DBQs

The Assignments page has a tabbed interface, with a tab provided for each assignment type. To select a specific assignment type, just click the appropriate tab at the top of the Assignment page.

The remaining sections of this chapter describe the tasks that you may perform with each assignment type.


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Using Short Answer Assignments

Overview When the Assignments page displays, the Short Answer Assignment tab is automatically open. If after completing another assignment type, you wish to return to the Short Answer Assignments page, just click the Short Answer tab.

The Short Answer Assignments page is organized into two sections. The top section allows you to create a new assignment. The bottom section lists all existing assignments for the selected course. Each assignment includes:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting an assignment • Assignment, which indicates the name of the assignment • Question Count, which indicates the number of questions in an assignment • Create Date, which indicates the date on which an assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon, which allows you to view or edit an assignment • Complete/Assigned, which indicates the number of questions completed compared

with the total number of questions in an assignment


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• An Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon, which allows you to assign as well as monitor students of a given assignment

• A Delete ( ) icon, which allows you to delete an assignment

In addition, this section of the page provides links for managing existing assignments: In summary, you may:

• View your assignments list • View assignments in another folder • Edit existing assignments • Assign an assignment to students • Monitor students who have been given an assignment • Delete an assignment • Move assignments to another folder • Share assignments with other teachers • Publish assignments as Public Assignments • Submit an assignment as a benchmark • Duplicate assignments • View Public Assignments


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Viewing Assignment Lists To view an assignment list for a specific course:

1. Select a course from the Course drop-down menu. Initially, -default folder- is selected.

The Short Answer Assignment page summarizes the assignments you have already created for the selected course, assignment folder, and assignment type.

Note: When “Custom” is the selected as the course, the Short Answer Assignments page adds a new drop-down field for selecting a custom course name for a new assignment. It also adds a new column under existing assignments for specifying the name of the Custom Course. For Example: Health or Art.


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For Short Answer assignments, this table includes:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting an assignment • Assignment, which indicates the name of the assignment • Custom Course, which indicates the name of the custom course • Question Count, which indicates the number of questions in an assignment • Create Date, which indicates the date on which an assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon, which allows you to view or edit an assignment • Complete/Assigned, which indicates the number of questions completed compared

with the total number of questions in an assignment • An Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon, which allows you to assign as well as

monitor students of a given assignment • A Delete ( ) icon, which allows you to delete an assignment

If you have not yet created any Short Answer assignments, this list is empty.

The Short Answer Assignments page also includes links for performing the following tasks:

• Move assignments to another folder • Share assignments with other teachers • Publish assignments as Public Assignments • Submit assignments as benchmarks • Duplicate assignments • View Public Assignments

Viewing Assignments in Another Folder To view assignments in another folder for the selected course, select a new folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu. A list of Short Answer assignments in the selected folder displays. The last entry (named -any folder -) displays all assignments for this course, along with the name of the folder in which it resides.


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Creating a New Short Answer Assignment To create a new assignment:

1. Select the desired course from the Course drop-down menu.

2. Select the desired folder from the Assignment drop-down menu.

3. Enter the name of the new assignment in the New Assignment name field.

4. Click Create New Short Assignment. The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page displays.

The top portion of the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page identifies the assignment name, course, number of questions, and a system-generated assignment verification number. This assignment verification number visually confirms all students are working on the same assignment in a computer classroom environment. This number displays on the right side of the title area of the Short Answer Question page large enough to view from a reasonable distance away. In addition, this portion of the screen is set to display in one of a number of colors. Screens for all students working on the same assignment contain the same assignment verification number and color, making it easier for you to visually verify they are working on the same assignment.

From the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page, you may:

• Rename the assignment • Select multiple choice style • Add questions • Import questions • Reclassify to another course


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Renaming the Assignment

To rename the assignment:

1. Click the Rename the assignment link under Assignment Options. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for renaming the assignment.

2. Type the name of the new assignment over the existing name in the provided field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Selecting Multiple Choice Style

Many standardized tests use letters rather than numbers as answer choices for multiple-choice questions. When creating a Short Answer assignment, a new Multiple-Choice Style option allows teachers to select numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) or letters (A, B, C, D) for the multiple-choice questions in the assignment.

To select a multiple-choice style:

1. Use the Multiple Choice Style drop-down menu under Assignment Options to select numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) or letters (A, B, C, D) for the new assignment.

Note: As with other options affecting assignments, this option cannot be modified once the assignment has been assigned.


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Adding Questions to the Assignment

To add questions to an assignment:

1. Click the Add Questions link under Assignment Options. The Add Questions for Assignment page displays.


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This page contains:

• Course name

• Available units and sections with a for viewing related standards • Available themes • Available difficulty levels • Available attributes • Related vocabulary terms • Related state standard with:

* C check box for selecting or deselecting unit/section related to state standard (for select courses with state standards) * A Course drop-down menu for specifying the course * A Standard drop-down menu for specifying the specific standard.

• An option for specifying the number of randomly selected questions to be automatically added to an assignment

Note: An assignment is limited to 50 questions. The actual number of questions added, however, may be less depending upon your selection criteria.

• An option for browsing and selecting individual questions

Note You may set up another set of criteria and pick up additional questions when creating an assignment. For Example, a teacher can pick up five questions from each section of a unit, doing this one section at a time. The limit of 50 questions applies both to the maximum number you can select at one time and to the maximum number of questions that the assignment can have in total.

• A Cancel option for cancelling the task and not adding any questions to the assignment.


3. Click to select one or more check boxes to define the units associated with the new assignment.

4. Optional: Click Standards to view related state standards for the selected unit.

5. Use the drop down menu for each selected unit to define the appropriate sections for this assignment.

6. Click to select one or more check boxes to define the themes associated with the new assignment.

7. Click to select one or more check boxes to define the difficulty level associated with the new assignment.

8. Click to select one or more check boxes to define the attributes associated with the new assignment.


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9. Optional: Check the Related Vocabulary Term check box to select related vocabulary term.

10. Optional: Select related standard by: • Click to select the Unit/section related to state standard check box. • Select the state course from the State Course drop-down menu. • Select desired standard from the Standard drop-down menu. • Click the View Standard link to view the selected standard.

OR Click the View All Standards link to view all standards.

11. Go to the Add Questions portion of the page (at the bottom) and select from one of two available options for adding questions: • If you would like to automatically add randomly selected questions to your

assignment: • Specify the maximum number of questions you want in your assignment in

the available text box. • Click Add Randomly Selected Questions. Castle Learning Online

randomly selects questions. Note 1: An assignment is limited to 50 questions. Note 2: The actual number of questions added may be less than the specified number depending on your defined selection criteria. OR

• If you would like to browse then select individual questions from all available questions matching your criteria: • Click Browse and Select Questions Individually. Castle Learning

Online displays questions matching your criteria 50 at a time. • Review then select questions you wish to add to your assignment. The total

number of questions in an assignment is limited to 50 questions.

In both instances, the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page redisplays with selected questions added to the assignment session. OR Click CANCEL to cancel the task.

12. Click the Back to Assignments Page link to return to the Short Answer Assignment page. The new assignment displays in the assignments list.

Note: The assignment will go into the currently selected folder. The exception is in the case where -any folder- is selected; in which case, the assignment will go into the default folder.


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Adding a Reading Set to an Assignment

For select Language Arts courses, you may add a full reading set to your Short Answer assignment. Reading sets include a reading passage, a specified number of short answer questions, and, optionally, directions for writing an essay. Assignments, however, cannot contain a mixture of reading sets and questions from other units.

To create an assignment with a reading set:

1. Create a new assignment (see above procedure). The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page displays.

2. Click the Add Reading Set link under Assignment Options. A table listing all of the available Reading Sets displays.

3. Click on one of the tabs labeled Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced to view the sets for each Difficulty Level. This table includes the following columns: • Set – provides a Set ID for identifying the set. • Description – describes the set. This link is clicked to select the set for the

assignment. • Section – indicates the section within the unit for the set. • Number of Questions – indicates the number of questions associated with the

reading passage. You have the option to remove specific questions, if desired. • View Set ( ) icon – allows you to view the entire set (reading passage and

questions).

4. Select a set for the assignment. The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page redisplays and includes a link to view the passage, directions (if available), and links to view all of the associated questions.


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Adding a Lesson

The Intermediate English course includes a series of grammar lessons that you may include with your assignment. Each section of the grammar units has an associated lesson. To make a lesson available to your students when they work on the assignment:


2. Click the Add Lesson link under Assignment Options. A table with all the available lessons displays.

3. Click a View Lesson ( ) icon to view each lesson.

4. Click a description link to include the selected lesson in the assignment.

Note: Select the lesson that matches the questions that you have included in the assignment.

After selecting the lesson, the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page redisplays with a link in the left-hand column and a display of the lesson. A lesson may be removed by clicking the Remove Lesson link in the Assignment Options list.


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Importing Questions

Overview

To import questions into an assignment:


2. Click the Import Questions link on the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page. The Import Questions page for the selected assignment displays.

3. Select the source of your questions. The Import Questions page has a tabbed interface, with three tabs for selecting the question source. • Your current assignments. • Your Personal Content Sets • Public Assignments


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Your Assignments Tab

The Your Assignments tab displays a table listing all of your current assignments.

This table includes the following information for each assignment:

• Course – which is the course in which the assignment was created. Note: Assignments may contain questions from multiple courses.

• Description – which describes the assignment • Create Date – which indicates the date on which the assignment was created • Count – which indicates the number of questions contained in the assignment • A Properties ( ) icon – which allows you to display properties for the selected

assignment. The Properties window includes a breakdown of the percentage of questions in each units, theme, etc.

• An Import link for including questions from the selected assignment into the new assignment


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Personal Content Sets Tab

The Personal Content Sets tab provides a table listing your Personal Content Sets.

This table includes the following information for each Personal Content Set:

• Description – which describes the Personal Content Set • Count – which indicates the number of questions contained in the Personal

Content Set • An Import link for including questions from the selected assignment into the new

assignment

Public Assignments Tab

The Public Assignments tab displays a table listing all Public Assignments. A Course drop-down menu is provided for selecting the course where the desired Public Assignment resides.


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This table includes the following information for each Public Assignment:

• Course – which is the course in which the Public Assignment was created • Description – which describes the Public Assignment • Count – which indicates the number of questions contained in the Public

Assignment • A Properties ( ) icon – which allows you to display properties for the selected

Public Assignment. The Properties window includes a breakdown of the percentage of questions in each units, theme, etc.

• An Import link for including questions from the selected Public Assignment into the new assignment

5. Click the Import link to import questions into your assignment. Each question in the selected assignment displays, with check boxes that allow you to select the questions to import. OR Click CANCEL if you do not wish to import any of the displayed questions.

Note: Since assignments are limited to 50 questions, you may not be able to import all of the questions from the selected assignment.

Reclassifying to Another Course

Reclassification of an assignment can be useful if the questions you included in the course do not reflect the course associated with the assignment. All assignments are categorized by a Castle Learning Online course regardless of the original source of the questions included. Since students select assignments based on the associated course, be sure to select the course most closely associated with the questions. To reclassify an assignment to another course:


2. Click the Reclassify to another course link. A dialog box displays.

3. Select the course in which to reclassify the assignment to using the Course drop-

down menu.

4. Click OK to confirm the change. OR Click Cancel to change the change.


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Editing an Existing Short Answer Assignment Overview

Each Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page includes the assignment name, course name, the number of questions in the assignment, the current question number, and a system-generated assignment verification number. This assignment verification number visually confirms all students are working on the same assignment in a computer classroom environment. This number displays on the right side of the title area of the Short Answer Question page large enough to view from a reasonable distance away. In addition, this portion of the screen is set to display in one of a number of colors. Screens for all students working on the same assignment contain the same assignment verification number and color, making it easier to visually verify they are working on the same assignment.

The left side of the page provides a link to each question number in the assignment. Clicking on the question displays the question and answer. When there are no questions associated with an assignment, a placeholder is provided for questions, but is blank.


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The main portion of the page provides question details. The right side of the page provides options for managing assignment questions, including:

• Renaming Assignment • Selecting Multiple Choice Style • Adding More Questions • Importing More Questions • Removing Question • Reordering Questions • Moving Questions • Displaying Question Properties • Displaying Assignment Properties • Displaying Assignment with answers • Displaying Answer Key • Displaying Vocabulary • Displaying Answer History • Assigning an Assignment • Reclassifying to Another Course




2. Type in the new name of the assignment over the existing name in the provided field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Selecting Multiple Choice Style

Many standardized tests use letters rather than numbers as answer choices for multiple-choice questions. When creating a Short Answer assignment, a new Multiple-Choice Style option allows teachers to select numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) or letters (A, B, C, D) for the multiple-choice questions in the assignment.

To select a multiple-choice style:

1. Use the Multiple Choice Style drop-down menu under the Assignment Options heading to select numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) or letters (A, B, C, D) for the new assignment.

Note: As with other options affecting assignments, this option cannot be modified once the assignment has been assigned.


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Adding Questions From Other Courses

There are occasions when a teacher may want to include some questions in an assignment from other courses, that is, create a multi-course assignment. For Example, a math teacher may want to supplement a Math A assignment with material from Intermediate Math or Math B; a history teacher may want to include some Intermediate-level or AP-level social studies questions; a science teacher may want to review some math concepts in a science unit involving calculations.

To add questions from other courses:

1. Click the Add More Questions link on the Edit/Create Assignments page. The Add More Questions for Assignment page displays.

2. Select a different course from the Course drop-down menu. The Add More Questions for Assignment page redisplays with the units, themes, etc. for the selected course.

3. Select question criteria as you would in the previous procedure.

4. Click OK to add questions to the assignment. The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page redisplays with questions added to the assignment session. OR Click CANCEL to cancel the task.


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Importing More Questions

Overview

To import more questions into an assignment:

1. Click the Import More Questions link from the Editing/Creating Assignment page. The Import Questions page for the selected assignment displays.

2. Select the source of your questions. The Import Questions page has a tabbed interface, with three tabs for selecting the question source. • Your Current Assignments • Your Personal Content Sets • Public Assignments


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Your Assignments Tab

The Your Assignments tab displays a table listing all of your current assignments.

This table includes the following information for each assignment:

• Course – which is the course in which the assignment was created. Note that assignments may contain questions from multiple courses





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Personal Content Sets Tab

The Personal Content Sets tab provides a table listing your Personal Content Sets.

This table includes the following information for each Personal Content Set:

• Description – which describes the Personal Content Set • Count – which indicates the number of questions contained in the Personal

Content Set • An Import link for including questions from the selected assignment into the new

assignment


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Public Assignments Tab

The Public Assignments tab displays a table listing all Public Assignments. A Course drop-down menu is provided for selecting the course where the desired Public Assignment resides.

This table includes the following information for each Public Assignment:

• Course – which is the course in which the Public Assignment was created • Description – which describes the Public Assignment • Count – which indicates the number of questions contained in the Public

Assignment • A Properties ( ) icon – which allows you to display properties for the selected

Public Assignment. The Properties window includes a breakdown of the percentage of questions in each units, theme, etc.

• An Import link for including questions from the selected Public Assignment into the new assignment

1. Click the Import link to import questions into your assignment. Each question in the selected assignment displays, with check boxes that allow you to select the questions to import. OR Click CANCEL if you do not wish to import any of the displayed questions.

Note: Since assignments are limited to 50 questions, you may not be able to import all of the questions from the selected assignment.


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Removing a Question

To remove a question from the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click to select and highlight the question number you wish to remove from the current assignment. Question numbers are located in the left portion of the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page.

2. Click the Remove Question link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message, which asks you to confirm the deletion of the question.

3. Click OK. The page refreshes with the selected question removed. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Reordering Questions

To change the order of the questions in this assignment to a random sequence using the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the Reorder Questions link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm whether you want to reorder the question.

2. Click OK. The page refreshes and all assigned questions are randomly reordered. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Moving a Question

To move one or more questions in this assignment using the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click to select the question number you wish to move in the current assignment.

2. Decide where in the assignment you would like to position the question.

3. Select the position using the provided drop down menu to the right of the Move to position link.

4. Click the Move to Position link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm whether you wish to move the question.

5. Click OK. The page refreshes and selected question is moved to the specified location. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.


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Displaying Question Properties

To display properties for the current question:

1. From the left side of the screen, click on the question number whose properties you wish to view.

2. Click the Question Properties link under Assignment Options. The Question Properties window displays.

3. View question properties.

4. Click the Close link when done.

Displaying Assignment Properties

The Assignment Properties feature allows you to view a breakdown of the assignment by various categories. With this information, you can add or remove questions to create an assignment with very specific characteristics. To display assignment properties:

1. Click the Assignment Properties link under Assignment Options. The Assignment Properties window displays.

2. View properties.



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Displaying Assignments

To display or print assignments from the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the With Answers check box under the Display Assignment link if you wish to display the assignment along with its answers. OR Leave the With Answers check box blank the Display Assignment link if you wish to display the assignment without its answers.

2. Click the Display Assignment link. A separate Assignments Details pop-up window displays.

3. View the assignment.

4. Click the Close link in the top right corner of the pop-up window to close the window. OR Print the assignment as a PDF file. See “Creating PDF-Formatted Versions of a Short Answer Assignment” instructions below.


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Displaying Answer Key

To display or print an answer key from the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the Display Answer Key link. The Answer Key page displays for the selected assignment.

2. View the answer key.

3. Click the Close link to close the window. OR Click the Print link to print the contents of the Answer key window.

Displaying Related Vocabulary

To display or print an assignment-related vocabulary list from the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the Display Vocabulary link. The Vocabulary page displays for the selected assignment.

2. Click the Close link to close the window. OR Print the assignment as a PDF file. See “Creating PDF-Formatted Versions of a Short Answer Assignment” instructions below.


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Displaying Answer History

It is often useful to know how your students previously performed on questions you are including in an assignment. At times, you may only want to include questions not previously assigned, or specifically include questions students struggled with in a previous assignment.

To display the answer history, click the Answer History link. Past student performance on each question in the assignment displays within a pop-up window. For Example:

Displayed as a table, the total number of correct and incorrect responses for each question within an assignment displays for all students within all of your classes. This includes responses from any assignment from which questions were used. Only the results of assigned questions are included; results from self-generated student sessions are excluded.

Reclassifying Assignment

To reclassify an assignment to another course:

1. Select the assignment to edit (see above procedure). The Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page displays.

2. Click the Reclassify to another course link. A dialog box displays:

3. Select the course in which to reclassify the assignment to using the Course drop-down menu.



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Assigning Assignments

To assign assignments from the Edit/Create Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the Assign to Students. The Assignment Details page displays.

2. Refer to the next section for a description of the Assignment Details page, along with the use of its associated tabs.


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Assigning an Assignment to One or More Students Castle Learning Online allows for differentiation of assignments. That is, you do not have to assign a particular session to the entire class. When you would like some or all of your students in one or more specific classes to do a required assignment:

1. Create a new assignment or edit an existing assignment (see above).

2. Click the Assign to Students link on the Edit/Create Assignments page. The Assignment Details page displays.

At the top of the page is a Class drop-down menu for selecting one of your classes. Below this menu is a tabbed interface, with four tabs:

• Assignment Results - displays the progress on the assignment by the students in

the selected class. Once a student has started an assignment, a Report ( ) icon is provided for viewing the student's progress. You may also use this tab to unassign the assignment as well as to change the assignment mode of individual students. Lastly, you may view Class Cumulative and Quick Results reports.

• Assign to Students – allows you to assign an assignment to one or more students in the class, randomize the order of questions, as well as set the initial assignment mode.

• Quick Assign – allows you to assign an assignment to one or more classes, randomize the order of questions, as well as set the initial assignment mode.

• Self Assign – allows you to assign an assignment to yourself when accessing student pages from the Teacher Home page. It also allows you to reassign, unassign, as well as change the assignment mode.


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Assignment Results Tab

The Assignment Results tab displays a list of students in the selected class who have been assigned this assignment.

For Short Answer assignments, each row of the table shows:

• Check box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • - indicates the number of questions in the assignment answered correctly

• - indicates the number of questions in the assignment answered incorrectly • Score – indicates the score (if completed) or incomplete • Date Assigned – indicates the date the assignment was assigned • Date Completed – indicates the date the assignment was completed • Randomized – indicates whether the assignment questions were randomized • Assignment Mode – indicates the status of the assignment (Open, Lock, Quiz, Review

A Quiz, or Open From/To); see below • Two report links:

• The Session, link displays the Session Report. • The Responses link displays the entire assignment, along with scoring

information, including each question, the correct answer, and the student's responses (first and retry). Student information displays below the question.


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In addition, this page provides the following links:

1. Click the Unassign link to remove a student from an assignment.

2. Select the desired assignment mode from the available drop-down list then click the Set Assignment Mode link to change the Assignment Mode of the assignment. For Short Answer assignments, the teacher can now control access to their assignments by setting the Assignment Mode, which may be set differently for individual students. There are five modes: • Open, which allows the student full access to the assignment. • Lock, which prevents the student from accessing the assignment. • Quiz, which allows the student to answer questions, but no feedback is given to

the student. • Review a Quiz, which allows the student to review the correct answer; see the

Reason; and view related vocabulary for questions that the student has answered. Students cannot, however, access questions that have not been answered.

• Open From/To, which allows students to work on the assignment in Open mode within a date range.

These modes are useful if you want to control the times when students can access the assignment. For Example, if you want the students to work on the assignment as a Quiz during a class period in the computer lab, you can do the following:

3. Assign the assignment, with the mode set to Lock. The assignment displays in the students' list of assignments but they will not be able to access the questions.

4. Set the mode of the assignment to Quiz for all the students in the class prior to bringing your students to the computer lab. The students can now work on the assignment, but do not receive any feedback.

5. Set the mode to either Review a Quiz or Lock at the end of the computer lab period so no changes can be made.

6. Record the score of the assignment

7. Set the mode to Open to allow the students to complete the assignment on their own. OR Set the mode to Review a Quiz. This allows students to review the questions they have answered. They are not allowed, however, to answer questions that have not been previously answered. This prevents their score from changing.


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8. Click the Class Cumulative Report link to report the progress a class has made on a given assignment. More specifically, an overview of how well the class performed on various categories covered (unit, section, theme, difficulty level, and attribute).This report includes a report option for defining Scoring Threshold; that is, to specify a score for determining whether a score displays with a blue bar (passing) or a red (failing) bar. Threshold values of 50 – 85 are available in increments of five. The default value is 65. If a score is greater than or equal to the defined scoring threshold, then a blue bar displays for that item; otherwise, a red bar displays. After changing an option, click Refresh Report to redisplay the report with the new options.

9. Click the Results Report link to display the scores of each student in the class for a given assignment within a separate pop-up window. This report shows three scores: • Score - only counts correct answers is answers on the "first try". • Score With Retry As Full Credit - answers "correct on retry" are scored as full

credit. • Score With Retry As Half Credit - answers "correct on retry" are scored as half

credit.

10. Click the Export all responses as spreadsheet file link to export assignment data as a spreadsheet file; specifically, all student status indicators and responses to all questions in an assignment.

11. Click the Vocabulary Study Sheet link to display a study sheet containing vocabulary related to questions answered incorrectly.


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Assign to Students Tab

The Assign to Students tab displays a list of students in the selected class who have not been assigned the assignment.

This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • Randomize Question Order option – allows you to randomize the question order • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment Mode

To assign students to an assignment:

1. Check the students to whom you wish to assign the assignment.

2. Optional: Check the Randomize question order check box if you want to display questions for each student in a randomized order.

3. Optional: Use the Assignment Mode drop-down menu to initially set the mode of the assignment for control of student access.

4. Click Assign.


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Quick Assign Tab

To quickly assign the assignment to an entire class (or multiple classes):

1. Click the Quick Assign tab. A list displays the classes who have not yet been assigned an assignment.

This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Class – indicates the name of the class • Randomize Question Order option – allows you to randomize the question order • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment

Mode

2. Check the classes to whom you wish to assign the assignment.

3. Optional: Check the Randomize question order check box if you want to display questions for each student in a randomized order.


5. Click Assign.


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Self Assign Tab

To have an assignment assigned to you so you can see it the same as your students:

1. Click the Self Assign tab on the Assignment Details page. This page allows you to assign an assignment to yourself.

2. Click Assign to myself link to assign an assignment to yourself if not already assigned. OR Click Reassign to myself link to reassign an assignment to yourself if already assigned. This clears your answers and makes sure that the latest version of the assignment is available to you. Your results of using the assignment are not included in any of the reports. OR Click Unassign to myself link if you want to unassign an assignment that you had already assigned to yourself.

3. Click on Back to Assignment List to return to the Assignments page when you are finished working with this assignment.


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Monitoring Students Overview

To monitor students to whom you have given an assignment:

1. Click the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon to the right of the assignment name. The Assignment Details page displays. An assignment is accessible when students can work with it in some way. Students can access an assignment when the Assignment Mode is set to Open, Quiz, or Review a Quiz. They can also access an assignment in Open from ... to mode when the date range includes today's date. An assignment is inaccessible if a student cannot work with it in some way. Locked assignments are not accessible. An assignment is also inaccessible when in Open from...to mode and the date range does not include today's date. The color of the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon indicates the accessibility of an assignment. It reminds the teacher that the assignment mode may need to be altered.

• White = The assignment has not yet been assigned to any students.

• Green = The assignment is accessible to all students to which it is assigned.

• Yellow = The assignment is accessible to some, but not all, students to which it is assigned.

• Red = The assignment is not accessible to any students to which it is assigned.


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2. Optional: Export all student responses as a spreadsheet file by clicking the Export all responses as spreadsheet file link.

3. Optional: Click the Vocabulary Study Sheet link to view and print a Vocabulary Study Sheet in a separate window. This study sheet includes vocabulary terms related to questions answered incorrectly on an assignment by all students in a class.

4. Monitor the progress of one of more students by: • Viewing a student's Session Report • Viewing a student's Response Report • Viewing a Class Cumulative Report • Viewing the Results Report


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Viewing a Student's Session Report

To view a student's Session Report for a specific assignment:

1. Click the Short Answer tab.

2. Click the Session link next to a student's name on the Assigned list. Notes: This link does not appear if the student has not yet started the assignment.

The report for this session displays in a separate pop-up window. This allows you to track the progress of a student on an assignment.

3. Click the Print link to print the report. OR Click the Close link to close the window.


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Viewing a Student's Response Report

To view a student's Session Report for a specific assignment:


2. Click the Response link next to a student's name on the Assigned list. Notes: This link does not appear if the student has not yet started the assignment.

The report for this session displays in a separate pop-up window. This allows you to track the progress of a student on an assignment.

3. Click the Print link to print the report. OR Click the Close link to close the window.


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Viewing a Class Cumulative Report

To view a report showing the progress of the class on a session assignment:


2. Click the Class Cumulative Report link located below the Assignment Results list to report the progress all students in a class has made on a given assignment. More specifically, an overview of how well the class performed on various categories covered (unit, section, theme, difficulty level, and attribute).

3. Optional: Define the Scoring Threshold; that is, specify a score for determining

whether a score displays with a blue bar (passing) or a red (failing) bar. Threshold values of 50 – 85 are available in increments of five. The default value is 65.

4. Click Refresh Report to redisplay the report with the new threshold. If a score is greater than or equal to the defined scoring threshold, a blue bar displays indicating a passing grade for that item; otherwise, a red bar displays indicating a failing grade for that item.


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Viewing Results Report

To view a report showing the progress of the class on a session assignment:


2. Click the Results Report link to display the scores of each student in the class for a given assignment within a separate pop-up window.

This report shows three scores:

• Score - only counts correct answers is answers on the "first try". • Score With Retry As Full Credit - answers "correct on retry" are scored as full

credit. • Score With Retry As Half Credit - answers "correct on retry" are scored as half

credit.

3. Click the Export link to export the report as a spreadsheet file. OR Click the Print link to send the report to a printer. OR Click the Close link to close the report window.


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Deleting an Assignment To delete one assignment from the Short Answer Assignment page:

1. Click the check box to the left of each assignment you wish to delete; a check mark displays.

Note: Assignments currently assigned to one or more students cannot be deleted.

2. Click the Delete icon ( ) associated with the selected assignment. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm this action as it cannot be undone.

3. Click OK if you want to delete the assignment from your assignments list. A second dialog box asks you if you are really sure that you want to delete this assignment because once deleted, it cannot be restored. Click Yes. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Note 1: If you have accidentally placed a check mark next to the wrong name, click the check box again to clear it. Note 2: Removing an assignment does not delete the question-and-answer session from the sessions list of any of the students; it does, however, change the status of the session. The session is no longer assigned and the student may delete the session if s/he chooses.

Moving Assignments into Another Folder Castle Learning Online provides a limited folder capability (one level down) to help teachers organize their work. As a result, you may wish to move one or more assignments to another folder. To accomplish this:

1. Select the course from the Course drop-down menu where the required assignment(s) need to be moved. For Example: Living Environment.

2. Select the assignment folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu where the required assignment(s) need to be moved. For Example: the default folder.

3. Check the assignment(s) that need to be moved. For Example: January Review.

4. Select the assignment folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu where you wish to move one or more assignments. For Example: New Folder.

5. Click the Move link. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for entering the name of the new folder.

6. Enter the name of the new folder in the provided field then click OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm the move.

7. Click OK. Castle Learning Online refreshes the Short Answer Assignment with the checked assignments moved to the selected (new) folder.


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Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers Your assignments may be shared with one or more staff member who use Castle Learning Online for assignment to their classes. With this feature, teachers may enter multiple Castle Learning Online IDs into the ID field, with the ID field allowing entry of up to 100 characters. To share assignments:

1. Obtain the Castle Learning Online IDs of the teacher(s) for which you wish to share assignments.

2. Select the course for the assignment you wish to share from the Course drop-down menu.

3. Click the check box of each assignment(s) you wish to share with another staff member.

4. Enter the ID of each teacher with whom you want to share the assignment in the field provided at the bottom of the screen. When specifying multiple teacher IDs, be sure to separate each ID with a comma or a space.

5. Click the Share link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message ask you to confirm the sharing of the selected assignment.

6. Click the OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message indicating the selected assignment(s) have been shared with each specified teacher. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task. Note: Teachers receiving the shared assignment receive a message alert about the shared assignment below the Information Center on the Teacher Home page. Click the associated message link to view message details, including the name of the teacher sharing the assignment; assignment name; the course; and assignment activity. Additionally, an option is provided for deleting old message alerts.


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Publishing Public Assignments Public Assignments are sets of pre-defined questions that can be imported into a teacher's assignment. Castle Learning Online publishes some Public Assignments for a number of courses. In addition, any teacher can publish an assignment to the list of Public Assignments. These teacher-published sets are available to any teacher in the publishing teacher's school district. This feature makes it easier for departments to share assignments or for schools and districts to create benchmark assignments for students in various grades and classes.

To publish an assignment as a Public Assignment:

1. Display the appropriate Short Answer Assignment page.

2. Select and check the assignment you wish to publish. Note: Only one may be checked.

3. Click the Publish link, located below the table of assignments. Castle Learning Online displays a Publish Assignment dialog box.

4. Specify the name of the Public Assignment in the field provided.

5. Click Publish the Public Assignment. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task. Note: If a Public Assignment already exists with the specified name, you can overwrite the existing public set name provided you are the owner; that is, you originally created it. Otherwise, specify a different name.

6. Other teachers who want to use the questions you have published may import them into a new assignment.

Note: Only Short Answer assignments may be published as Public Assignments.


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Submitting Assignments as Benchmarks Overview

A Benchmark Assignment is a Castle Learning Online Short Answer assignment intended to be assigned to multiple groups of students in one or more schools in a district.

Benchmark assignments differ from other Public Assignments in the following ways:

• Teachers can only import questions from a Benchmark if the assignment does not contain any other questions.

• Teachers cannot select which questions from the Benchmark to include or exclude. Rather, all questions must be included in the new assignment.

• Teachers cannot delete a Public Assignment if it has been designated as a Benchmark.

Administrators can designate any specific Public Assignment as a Benchmark. Public Assignments designated as Benchmarks may be created by any Administrator or Teacher within the district. In addition, Teachers may submit their assignment for designation as a Benchmark. Lastly, various Administrator Reports are available to allow Administrators to monitor benchmark assignment results for the district.

Recommended Process

The following process is recommended when using Benchmark assignments:

1. An Administrator or Teacher creates a new assignment then publishes the new assignment as a Public Assignment. OR An Administrator or Teacher submits an existing assignment as a Benchmark.

2. An Administrator clicks the Public Assignments link on the Reports page; designates the Public Assignment as a Benchmark if the Teacher has not already done so; then unlocks Benchmark Assignment, allowing Teachers to create assignments from the Benchmark. Note: When a Teacher submits an assignment as a Benchmark, the Benchmark and the Teacher's assignments are immediately locked.

3. The Administrator informs the Teachers whose students are to work on the Benchmark assignment that the Benchmark are to be assigned to the appropriate students for completion on a specific date or dates.

4. Each Teacher creates a new assignment, importing questions from the Benchmark using the Import Questions function.

5. Each Teacher assigns the new assignment to students using the appropriate Assignment Mode (most likely locked until the students are about to access the assignment.

6. Each Teacher monitors the results of their students as with any other assignment.

7. Administrators review Benchmark Reports to monitor results for any class or school.


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Creating a Benchmark Assignment

To create a Benchmark assignment:

1. Create a new assignment using the procedures found earlier in this chapter.

2. Click the Import Questions link on the Edit/Create Assignments page to import questions from available Public Assignments into a new assignment. The Import Questions page for the selected Benchmark assignment displays.

Notice that the import links for Benchmark assignments are labeled Import Benchmark to differentiate them from non-Benchmark assignments.

3. Click the Import Benchmark link to display the Questions page. Note: All questions are checked and you will not able to add or remove any questions.

4. Click Import Checked Questions to import ALL questions from a Benchmark assignment. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message indicating the number of questions imported. The Edit/Create Assignments page redisplays with all imported questions. Note: The assignment cannot be modified once questions have been imported.


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Optional: Once questions have been imported from a Benchmark Public Assignment, feel free to use the Rename the assignment link or the Rename to benchmark name link to rename the assignment as needed. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for renaming the assignment.

5. Enter the new name of the assignment over the existing assignment name.

6. Click OK. Once renamed, Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm the name change. Note: Administrators will still be able to view results for the Benchmark regardless of your assignment name.

7. Follow your Administrator’s instructions with respect to Assignment Mode (Open, Lock, Quiz, Open From/To) when assigning benchmark to students).

The Assignments page listing the teacher's assignments displays "Benchmark: " in front of the actual assignment name to indicate that the assignment was derived from a Public Benchmark Assignment.


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Duplicating Assignments There are times when you want some of your students to retake an assignment. The following steps allow you to accomplish this without losing the information from the initial assignment:

1. Check the check box beside each assignment on the Short Answer Assignment page you wish to copy.

2. Click the Duplicate link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm duplication of the selected assignment.

3. Click OK. Castle Learning Online creates a duplicate copy of checked assignments. These assignments are identical to the original, but with "Retake: " pre-pended to the name unless it already is part of the assignment name. Note: Duplicate assignments are not automatically assigned to any students. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

4. Optional: Click the View/Edit ( ) icon to rename the duplicated assignment.

5. Click the Assign/Monitor ( ) icon to assign the duplicate assignment to the desired students.

Viewing Public Assignments Once published, Public Assignments may be viewed. To do so:

1. Click the View Your Public Assignments link. A separate pop-up window displays a list of all previously published Public Assignments. You may view each set's questions and properties or delete a Public Assignment that is no longer needed by other teachers in your school or district.

2. Click to view Public Assignment properties for the selected assignment in a separate pop-up window. OR Click to view Public Assignment details for the selected assignment in a separate pop-up window. OR Click to delete the selected Public Assignment.


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Using Vocabulary Flash Cards

Accessing Vocabulary Flash Cards To access Vocabulary Flash Cards:

1. Click the Assignments link on the Teacher's Home page. The Short Answer Assignments page displays.

2. Click to select the Flash Card tab. The Flash Card Assignment page displays.

This page is organized into two sections; a section for creating a new flash card assignment and a section for managing existing flash card assignments. Information associated with existing Flash Card assignments include:

• Check Box – an option indicating whether to select or deselect an assignment • Assignment – the name of the assignment • Vocabulary Count – the number of items in the vocabulary assignment • Create Date – the date on which the assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon – an option for viewing and editing assignment items • Complete / Assigned – the number of students who completed the assignment as

compared to the number of students to whom the assignment is currently assigned

• An Assign / Monitor ( ) icon – an option for assigning and monitoring student progress on the assignment

• A Delete ( ) icon – an option for deleting the assignment


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If you have not yet created any Flash Card assignments, then this list is empty. Students access all vocabulary assignments from their Flash Card Activity pages. There is also additional functionality for moving, sharing, and duplicating assignments. To summarize, you may:

• View an assignment • Create a new assignment • Edit an existing assignment • Assign an assignment to one or more students or to a class • Monitor assignments • Delete assignments • Move assignments • Share assignments • Duplicate assignments


1. Select a course from the drop-down menu within the course field, just below the page header. The Flash Card Assignment page summarizes the assignments that you have already created for the selected course and assignment type. Initially, the folder named -default folder- is selected. Only assignments in the selected folder display.

Viewing Assignments in Another Folder To view assignments in another folder for the selected course:

1. Select a new folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu. A list of Flash Card assignments in the selected folder displays. The last entry (named -any folder -) displays all assignments for this course, along with the name of the folder in which it resides.


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Creating a Flash Card Assignment To create a new Flash Card assignment using the Flash Card Assignment page:

1. Select a course from the Course drop-down menu.

2. Select the folder you want the assignment to be in using the Assignment Folder drop-down menu. A list of current assignments for the selected course and folder displays.

3. Enter a name for the new assignment into the New Assignment name field.

4. Click Create New Flash Card Assignment. Castle Learning Online displays the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page. The new assignment will go into the currently selected folder, except in the case where -any folder- is selected, in which case the assignment will go into the default folder. Similar to entering questions for use in Short Answer assignments, you can now enter your own vocabulary terms and definitions for use in Flash Card assignments.

The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page includes:

• The assignment name • The course name • The number of vocabulary terms in the set

In addition, the left side of the page displays the name of each vocabulary term in the set. The right side of the page lists available options for renaming the set, adding a vocabulary set, importing a vocabulary set, and reclassifying a set.


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Renaming the Vocabulary Set

To rename the vocabulary set that is displayed on the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page:

1. Click the Rename the assignment link under Vocabulary Options. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for renaming the assignment.

2. Enter the new name of the assignment into the New name field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page redisplays with the new assignment name.

Adding Vocabulary

To add vocabulary terms to the set:

1. Click the Add Vocabulary link. The Add Vocabulary page displays.


3. Select the desired unit from the Unit drop-down menu.

4. Click Continue. The Select Vocabulary page displays.

5. Click the check box beside each vocabulary term you wish to add to your assignment. You may select up to 50 terms in a single vocabulary set.

6. Click Add Checked Vocabulary Terms at the bottom of the page. Castle Learning Online sends a confirmation message, indicating the number of terms added then redisplays the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page with the selected terms displayed.


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Importing Vocabulary

To import vocabulary terms from other sources into the set:

1. Click the Import Vocabulary link. Castle Learning Online displays the Import Vocabulary page for the selected assignment.

Castle Learning Online allows you to import vocabulary from your assignments as well as from Personal Content Sets.

2. Click the appropriate tab to select the desired vocabulary source: Your Assignments of Personal Content Sets.

3. Click the Import link of the desired vocabulary set. Castle Learning Online displays the Import Vocabulary Details page.

4. Select the check box of each term you wish to add. You are limited to 50 terms in a single vocabulary set.

5. Click Import Checked Vocabulary. Castle Learning Online sends a message indicating the number of terms added then redisplays the Edit/Create Vocabulary page, with the selected terms added.


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Reclassifying to Another Course


1. Create assignment (see above procedure). The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page displays.

2. Click the Reclassify to another course link. A Reclassify Assignment dialog box displays.



Viewing Terms

To view a term's definition within the Edit/Create Vocabulary page, just click the hypertext link of the associated term. The appropriate definition displays in a separate pop-up window.


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Editing a Flash Card Set Overview

Once created, a Flash Card Set may be modified. The only exception is when an assignment has already been assigned to student; once assigned, an assignment cannot be modified.

To edit a set:

1. From the Assignments page, click the View/Edit( ) icon to the right of the assignment name you wish to update.

The Edit/Create Vocabulary page for the selected assignment displays.

The left side of the page lists existing vocabulary terms. The right side of the page provides the following options for modifying a vocabulary set:

• Rename set name • Add more vocabulary • Import more vocabulary • Remove checked terms • Display worksheet • Reclassify to another course


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Renaming Vocabulary Set

To rename the vocabulary set that is displayed on the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page:

1. Click the Rename the assignment link under Vocabulary Options. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for renaming the assignment.

2. Enter the new name of the assignment into the provided field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page redisplays with the new assignment name.

Adding More Vocabulary

To add vocabulary terms to the set:

1. Click the Add More Vocabulary link. The Add Vocabulary page displays.


3. Select the desired unit from the Unit drop-down menu.

4. Click Continue. The Select Vocabulary page displays.

5. Click the check box beside each vocabulary term you wish to add to your assignment. You may select up to 50 terms in a single vocabulary set.

6. Click Add Checked Vocabulary Terms at the bottom of the page. Castle Learning Online sends a confirmation message, indicating the number of terms added then redisplays the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page with the selected terms displayed.

Importing More Vocabulary

To import more vocabulary terms from other sources into the set:

1. Click the Import More Vocabulary link. Castle Learning Online displays the Import Vocabulary page for the selected assignment. From this page, you may import vocabulary from your assignments as well as from Personal Content Sets.

2. Click the appropriate tab to select the desired vocabulary source: Your Assignments of Personal Content Sets.

3. Click the Import link of the desired vocabulary set. Castle Learning Online displays the Import Vocabulary Details page.

4. Select the check box of each term you wish to add. You are limited to 50 terms in a single vocabulary set.

5. Click Import Checked Vocabulary. Castle Learning Online sends a message indicating the number of terms added then redisplays the Edit/Create Vocabulary page, with the selected terms added.


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Removing Checked Terms

To remove one or more vocabulary terms from the vocabulary set displayed on the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page:

1. Check the check boxes of the terms you wish to remove.

2. Click the Remove Checked Terms link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking to confirm removal of checked terms from the set.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page redisplays with the selected term(s) removed. OR Click Cancel. The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page redisplays with the selected term(s) retained.

Displaying the Flash Card Set

To display an entire vocabulary set on the Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page:

1. Click the Display Worksheet link. The entire vocabulary set displays, along with their definitions, in a separate pop-up window. The displayed page includes options at the bottom of the page for displaying the worksheet in a printable format. Refer to “Creating PDF-Formatted Versions of the Vocabulary List” for instructions.

Reclassifying To Another Course


1. Create assignment (see above procedure). The Edit/Create Flash Card Assignment page displays.

2. Click the Reclassify to another course link. A Reclassify Assignment dialog box displays:




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• Assignment Results - displays the progress on the assignment by the students in the selected class. You may also use this tab to unassign the assignment as well as to change the assignment mode of individual students. Lastly, you may view the Results Report.

• Assign to Students – allows you to assign an assignment to one or more students in the class as well as set the initial assignment mode.

• Quick Assign – allows you to assign an assignment to one or more classes as well as set the initial assignment mode.



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For Flash Card assignments, each row of the table shows:

• Check box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • Status – indicates the status of the assignment (complete or incomplete) • Date Assigned – the date on which the assignment was assigned • Date Completed – indicates the date the assignment was completed • Assignment Mode – indicates the status of the assignment (Open, Lock, Quiz, Review

A Quiz, or Open From/To); see below



2. Select the desired assignment mode from the available drop-down list then click the Set Assignment Mode link to change the Assignment Mode of the assignment.

For Flash Card assignments, the teacher can now control access to their assignments by setting the Assignment Mode, which may be set differently for individual students. There are five modes:

• Open, which allows the student full access to the assignment. • Lock, which prevents the student from accessing the assignment. • Quiz, which allows the student to answer questions, but no feedback is given to

the student.


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• Review a Quiz, which allows the student to review the correct answer; see the Reason; and view related vocabulary for questions that the student has answered. Students cannot, however, access questions that have not been answered.



1. Assign the assignment, with the mode set to Lock. The assignment displays in the students' list of assignments but they will not be able to access the questions.



4. Record the score of the assignment 5. Set the mode to Open to allow the students to complete the assignment on their

own. OR Set the mode to Review a Quiz. This allows students to review the questions they have answered. They are not allowed, however, to answer questions that have not been previously answered. This prevents their score from changing.

6. You may also click the Results Report link to display the status of each student in the class for a given assignment within a separate pop-up window.

7. Click the Export link to export the report into a spreadsheet file.

OR Click the Print link to send the report to the printer. OR Click the Close link to close the window.


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This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment Mode




3. Click Assign.


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Quick Assign Tab



This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Class – indicates the name of the class • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment

Mode



4. Click Assign.


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Self Assign Tab






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1. Click the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon to the right of the assignment name. The Assignment Details page displays. An assignment is accessible when students can work with it in some way. Students can access an assignment when the Assignment Mode is set to Open, Quiz, or Review a Quiz. They can also access an assignment in Open from ... to mode when the date range includes today's date. An assignment is inaccessible if a student cannot work with it in some way. Locked assignments are not accessible. An assignment is also inaccessible when in Open from...to mode and the date range does not include today's date. The color of the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon indicates the accessibility of an assignment. It reminds the teacher that the assignment mode may need to be altered. • White = The assignment has not yet been assigned to any students. • Green = The assignment is accessible to all students to which it is assigned. • Yellow = The assignment is accessible to some, but not all, students to which

it is assigned. • Red = The assignment is not accessible to any students to which it is

assigned.


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The progress of one of more students may be monitored by:

• Viewing a student's progress in the Status column (complete or incomplete) • Viewing the Results Report by clicking the Results Report link. The status of each

student in the class for a given assignment displays within a separate pop-up window.

From this page, you may click the Export link to export the report into a spreadsheet file. OR Click the Print link to send the report to the printer. OR Click the Close link to close the window.


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Deleting an Assignment To delete one assignment from the Flash Card Assignment page:


Note: Assignments that are currently assigned to one or more students cannot be deleted.

2. Click the Delete icon ( ) associated with the selected assignment. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm deletion of the selected item as it cannot be undone.

3. Click OK if you want to delete the assignment from your assignments list. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Note 1: If you have accidentally placed a check mark next to the wrong name, click the check box again to clear it.

Note 2: Removing an assignment does not delete the question-and-answer session from the sessions list of any of the students; it does, however, change the status of the session. The session is no longer assigned and the student may delete the session if s/he chooses.


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Moving Assignments into Another Folder Castle Learning Online provides a limited folder capability (one level down) to help teachers organize their work. As a result, you may wish to move one or more assignments to another folder. To accomplish this:

1. Select the course from the Course drop-down menu where the required assignment(s) need to be moved. For Example: Earth Science.

2. Select the assignment folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu where you wish to move one or more assignments. For Example: New Folder.

3. Check the assignment(s) you wish to move to a new folder. For Example: Rocks. 4. Click the Move link. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for entering the

new folder’s name. 5. Type the name of the new folder in the provided field. 6. Click OK. The Flash Card Assignment page refreshes with the checked assignments

moved to the selected (new) folder.

Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers Your assignments may be shared with one or more staff member who use Castle Learning Online for assignment to their classes. With this feature, teachers may enter multiple Castle Learning Online IDs into the ID field, with the ID field allowing entry of up to 100 characters. To share assignments:

1. Obtain the Castle Learning Online IDs of the teacher(s) for which you wish to share assignments.

2. Select the course for the assignment you wish to share from the Course drop-down menu.

3. Click the check box of each assignment(s) you wish to share with another staff member.

4. Enter the ID of each teacher with whom you want to share the assignment in the field provided at the bottom of the screen. When specifying multiple teacher IDs, be sure to separate each ID with a comma or a space.

5. Click the Share link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm sharing of the selected assignment(s).

6. Click the OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message indicating that the selected assignments have been shared with each specified teacher. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Note: Teachers receiving the shared assignment receive a message alert about the shared assignment below the Information Center on the Teacher Home page. Click the associated message link to view message details, including the name of the teacher sharing the assignment; assignment name; the course; and assignment activity. Additionally, an option is provided for deleting old message alerts.


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1. Check the check box beside each assignment on the Flash Card Assignment page you wish to copy.

2. Click the Duplicate link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm whether you wish to duplicate the checked assignment.





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Using Constructed Response

Overview Teachers can create assignments consisting of up to 20 constructed response questions. Each constructed response question has a Maximum Points value that the can be assigned for each question, resulting in a real score as well as comments for providing feedback.

Accessing Constructed Response Assignments To access Constructed Response Assignments:


2. Click to select the Constructed Response tab. The Constructed Response Assignment page displays.


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This page is organized into two sections. The top section is for creating a new Constructed Response assignment. The bottom section is for managing existing assignments. The bottom section for managing Constructed Response assignments, includes an assignment table with the following information:

• A check box - which allows you to select or deselect an assignment • Assignment – which indicates the name of the assignment • Question Count – which indicates the number of questions in the defined

assignment • Create Date – which is the date on which the assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon – which allows you to view and edit assignment questions • Completed/Assigned – which indicates the number of students who completed the

assignment compared with the number of students to whom the assignment was assigned

• An Assign/Monitor ( ) icon – which allows you to assign and monitor student progress on an assignment

• A Delete ( ) icon – which allows you to delete an assignment

If you have not yet created any Constructed Response assignments, then this list is empty. Students access all assignments from their Constructed Response Activity pages.

Functionality is provided for creating, moving, sharing, and duplicating assignments. In summary, this page allows you to:

• View an assignment • Create an assignment • Edit an assignment • Assign an assignment to students or to a class • Monitor progress of an assignment • Delete an assignment • Move an assignment • Share an assignment • Duplicate an assignment


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1. Select a course from the Course drop-down menu. Initially, -default folder- is selected. The Constructed Response Assignment page summarizes the assignments you have already created for the selected course, assignment folder, and assignment type.

For Constructed Response assignments, this table includes:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting an assignment • Assignment, which indicates the name of the assignment • Question Count, which indicates the number of questions in an assignment • Create Date, which indicates the date on which an assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon, which allows you to view or edit an assignment • Complete/Assigned, which indicates the number of questions completed compared




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If you have not yet created any Constructed Response assignments, this list is empty. The Constructed Response Assignments page also includes links for performing the following tasks:

• Create new assignments • Move assignments to another folder • Share assignments with other teachers • Duplicate assignments


1. Select a new folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu. A list of Constructed Response assignments in the selected folder displays.

The last entry (named -any folder -) displays all assignments for this course, along with the name of the folder in which it resides.

Creating a New Constructed Response Assignment To create a new assignment:


2. Optionally select the desired assignment folder from the Assignment folder drop-down menu.

3. Enter the name of the new Constructed Response assignment in the New Assignment name field.

4. Click Create a new Constructed Response Assignment. Castle Learning Online displays the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page.

From the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page, you may:

• Rename the assignment • Add questions • Import questions


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2. Type in the new name of the assignment over the current name in the provided field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed.

Adding Questions to the Assignment

To add questions to an assignment:

1. Click the Add Questions link under Assignment Options. The Add Questions for Assignment page displays.

This page contains:

• Course name • Available units • An option for browsing and selecting individual questions

Note You may set up another set of criteria and pick up additional questions when creating an assignment. For Example, a teacher can pick up five questions from each section of a unit, doing this one section at a time. The limit of 50 questions applies both to the maximum number you can select at one time and to the maximum number of questions that the assignment can have in total.

• A Cancel option for cancelling the task and not adding any questions to the assignment.


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4. Go to the Add Questions portion of the page (at the bottom) to browse then select individual questions from all available questions matching your criteria: • Click Browse and Select Questions Individually. Castle Learning Online

displays questions matching your criteria 50 at a time. • Review then select questions you wish to add to your assignment. The total

number of questions in an assignment is limited to 50 questions. • Click Done link.

The Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page redisplays with selected questions added to the assignment session. OR Click CANCEL to cancel the task.

5. Click the Back to Assignments Page link to return to the Constructed Response Assignment page. The new assignment displays in the assignments list.



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Importing Questions

Overview

To import questions into an assignment:

1. Create a new assignment (see above procedure). The Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page displays.

2. Click the Import Questions link on the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page. The Import Questions page for the selected assignment displays.

The Your Assignments tab displays a table listing all of your current assignments. This table includes the following information for each assignment:





3. Click the Import Questions link for the desired assignment on the Import Questions page. The Import Questions Details page displays.

4. Check the questions that are to be imported into the assignment. A counter keeps track of the number of questions added.

5. Click Import Checked Questions. Castle Learning Online redisplays the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page, with the selected questions included.


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Editing an Existing Constructed Response Assignment Overview

Each Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page includes the assignment name, the number of questions in the assignment, and course name.

The left side of the page provides a link to each question number in the assignment. Clicking on the question displays the question and answer. When there are no questions associated with an assignment, a placeholder is provided for questions, but is blank.

The main portion of the page provides question details.

The right side of the page provides options for managing assignment questions, including:

• Renaming Assignment • Adding More Questions • Importing More Questions • Removing Question • Reordering Questions • Moving Questions • Displaying Question Properties • Displaying Assignment with answers • Assigning an Assignment


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1. Click the Rename the assignment link under Assignment Options. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for entering the assignment’s new name.


3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed.

Adding Questions From Other Courses

There are occasions when a teacher may want to include some questions in an assignment from other courses, that is, create a multi-course assignment. For Example, a science teacher may want to review some math concepts in a science unit involving calculations.

To add questions from other courses:

1. Click the Add More Questions link on the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignments page. The Add More Questions for Assignment page displays.

2. Select a different course from the Course drop-down menu. The Add More Questions for Assignment page redisplays with the units, themes, etc. for the selected course.



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4. Go to the Add Questions portion of the page (at the bottom) to browse then select individual questions from all available questions matching your criteria: • Click Browse and Select Questions Individually. Castle Learning Online

displays questions matching your criteria 50 at a time. • Review then select questions you wish to add to your assignment. The total

number of questions in an assignment is limited to 50 questions. • Click Done link.

The Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page redisplays with selected questions added to the assignment session. OR Click CANCEL to cancel the task.

5. Click the Back to Assignments Page link to return to the Constructed Response Assignment page. The new assignment displays in the assignments list.


Importing More Questions

Overview

To import more questions into an assignment:

1. Click the Import More Questions link from the Editing/Creating Assignment page. The Import Questions page for the selected assignment displays.


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The Your Assignments tab displays a table listing all of your current assignments. This table includes the following information for each assignment:





2. Click the Import Questions link for the desired assignment on the Import Questions page. The Import Questions Details page displays.

3. Check the questions that are to be imported into the assignment. A counter keeps track of the number of questions added.

4. Click Import Checked Questions. Castle Learning Online redisplays the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page, with the selected questions included.

Removing a Question

To remove a question from the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page:

1. Click to select and highlight the question number you wish to remove from the current assignment. Question numbers are located in the left portion of the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page.

2. Click the Remove Question link. Castle Learning Online displays confirmation message asking you to confirm removal of the selected question.

3. Click OK. The page refreshes with the selected question removed. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Reordering Questions

To change the order of the questions in this assignment to a random sequence using the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page:

1. Click the Reorder Questions link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm reordering of questions.

2. Click OK. The page refreshes and all assigned questions are randomly reordered. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.


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Moving a Question

To move one or more questions in this assignment using the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page:

1. Click to select the question number you wish to move in the current assignment.

2. Decide where in the assignment you would like to position the question.

3. Select the position using the provided drop down menu to the right of the Move to position link.

Click the Move to Position link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirming message asking you to confirm moving of the selected question.

4. Click OK. The page refreshes and selected question is moved to the specified location. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.







Displaying Assignment Properties

The Assignment Properties feature allows you to view a breakdown of the assignment by various categories. With this information, you can add or remove questions to create an assignment with very specific characteristics. To display assignment properties:

1. Click the Assignment Properties link under Assignment Options. The Assignment Properties window displays.

2. View properties.



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To display or print assignments from the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page:


2. Click the Display Assignment link. A separate Assignments Details pop-up window displays.


4. Click the Close link in the top right corner of the pop-up window to close the window. OR Print the assignment as a PDF file. See “Creating PDF-Formatted Versions of a Constructed Response Assignment” instructions below.


To assign assignments from the Edit/Create Constructed Response Assignment page:

1. Click the Assign to Students link. The Assignment Details page displays. Refer to the next section for more information.


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3. At the top of the page is a Class drop-down menu for selecting one of your classes. Below this menu is a tabbed interface, with four tabs: • Assignment Results - displays the progress on the assignment by the students in

the selected class. You may also use this tab to unassign the assignment as well as to change the assignment mode of individual students.





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For Constructed Response assignments, each row of the table shows:

• Check box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name

• A Details ( ) icon – for displaying progress report results for a specific student • Answered– indicates the number of questions answered • Score – indicates the score (if completed) or incomplete • Date Assigned – indicates the date the assignment was assigned • Date Completed – indicates the date the assignment was completed • Randomized – indicating whether the questions were randomized. • Assignment Mode – indicates the status of the assignment (Open, Lock, Quiz, Review




2. Select the desired assignment mode from the available drop-down list then click the Set Assignment Mode link to change the Assignment Mode of the assignment. For Constructed Response assignments, the teacher can now control access to their assignments by setting the Assignment Mode, which may be set differently for individual students. There are five modes: • Open, which allows the student full access to the assignment. • Lock, which prevents the student from accessing the assignment.


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• Quiz, which allows the student to answer questions, but no feedback is given to the student.

• Review a Quiz, which allows the student to review the correct answer; see the Reason; and view related vocabulary for questions that the student has answered. Students cannot, however, access questions that have not been answered.


• These modes are useful if you want to control the times when students can access the assignment. For Example, if you want the students to work on the assignment as a Quiz during a class period in the computer lab, you can do the following: 1. Assign the assignment, with the mode set to Lock. The assignment displays in

the students' list of assignments but they will not be able to access the questions.



4. Record the score of the assignment 5. Set the mode to Open to allow the students to complete the assignment on

their own. OR Set the mode to Review a Quiz. This allows students to review the questions they have answered. They are not allowed, however, to answer questions that have not been previously answered. This prevents their score from changing.


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This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • Randomize Question Order – allowing you to randomize the order of questions. • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment Mode



2. Optional: Use the Randomize Question Order check box to randomize the order of questions.


4. Click Assign.


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Quick Assign Tab



This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Class – indicates the name of the class • Randomize Question Order – allowing you to randomize the order of questions. • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment

Mode


3. Optional: Use the Randomize Question Order check box to randomize the order of questions.


5. Click Assign.


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Self Assign Tab






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1. Click the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon to the right of the assignment name. The Assignment Details page displays.

An assignment is accessible when students can work with it in some way. Students can access an assignment when the Assignment Mode is set to Open, Quiz, or Review a Quiz. They can also access an assignment in Open from ... to mode when the date range includes today's date. An assignment is inaccessible if a student cannot work with it in some way. Locked assignments are not accessible. An assignment is also inaccessible when in Open from...to mode and the date range does not include today's date.


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The color of the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon indicates the accessibility of an assignment. It reminds the teacher that the assignment mode may need to be altered.

• White = The assignment has not yet been assigned to any students. • Green = The assignment is accessible to all students to which it is assigned. • Yellow = The assignment is accessible to some, but not all, students to which


assigned.

The progress of one of more students may be monitored by viewing a student's

Details Report. This is accomplished by clicking the Details ( ) icon to the right of the selected student’s name.

Deleting an Assignment To delete one assignment from the Constructed Response Assignment page:


Note: Assignments currently assigned to one or more students cannot be deleted.

2. Click the Delete icon ( ) associated with the selected assignment. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm deletion of the selected item as it cannot be undone.

3. Click OK if you want to delete the assignment from your assignments list. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Note 1: If you have accidentally placed a check mark next to the wrong name, click the check box again to clear it. Note 2: Removing an assignment does not delete the question-and-answer session from the sessions list of any of the students; it does, however, change the status of the session. The session is no longer assigned and the student may delete the session if s/he chooses.


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Moving Assignments into Another Folder Castle Learning Online provides a limited folder capability (one level down) to help teachers organize their work. As a result, you may wish to move one or more assignments to another folder. To accomplish this: 1. Select the course from the Course drop-down menu where the required assignment(s)

need to be moved. For Example: Living Environment. 2. Select the assignment folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu where you

wish to move one or more assignments. For Example: New Folder. 3. Check the assignment(s) you wish to move. For Example: January Review. 4. Click the Move link. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for entering the

name of the new folder. 5. Enter the name of the new folder in the provided field then click OK. Castle Learning

Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm moving of the selected item.

6. Click OK. Castle Learning Online refreshes the Constructed Response Assignment with the checked assignments moved to the selected (new) folder.

Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers Your assignments may be shared with one or more staff member who use Castle Learning Online for assignment to their classes. With this feature, teachers may enter multiple Castle Learning Online IDs into the ID field, with the ID field allowing entry of up to 100 characters. To share assignments: 1. Obtain the Castle Learning Online IDs of the teacher(s) for which you wish to share

assignments. 2. Select the course for the assignment you wish to share from the Course drop-down

menu. 3. Click the check box of each assignment(s) you wish to share with another staff

member. 4. Enter the ID of each teacher with whom you want to share the assignment in the field

provided at the bottom of the page. When specifying multiple teacher IDs, be sure to separate each ID with a comma or a space.

5. Click the Share link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm sharing of the selected assignment(s).

6. Click the OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message indicating that the selected assignments have been shared with each specified teacher. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.



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1. Check the check box beside each assignment on the Constructed Response Assignment page you wish to copy.

2. Click the Duplicate link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm duplication of the selected assignment.





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Using DBQs

Overview Teachers can create Document Based Question (DBQ) assignments.

Accessing DBQ Assignments To access DBQ Assignments:


2. Click to select the DBQs tab. The DBQ Assignment page displays.

This page is organized into two sections; the top section is for creating a new assignment while the bottom section is for managing existing assignments. Existing assignments are listed in a table format, which includes:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting an assignment • Assignment, which indicates the name of the assignment • Create Date, which indicates the date on which an assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon, which allows you to view or edit an assignment • Complete/Assigned, which indicates the number of questions completed compared




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If you have not yet created any DBQ assignments, then this list is empty.

Students access all assignments from their DBQ Activity pages. In addition, options are provided for creating, moving, sharing, and duplicating assignments. In summary, you may perform the following using this page:

• View an assignment • View an assignment in another folder • Create an assignment • Edit an assignment • Assign an assignment to students or to a class • Monitor progress of an assignment • Delete an assignment • Move an assignment • Share an assignment • Duplicate an assignment


1. Select a course from the Course drop-down menu. Initially, -default folder- is selected. The DBQs Assignment page summarizes the assignments you have already created for the selected course, assignment folder, and assignment type.


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For DBQ assignments, the assignment table includes:

• A check box for selecting or deselecting an assignment • Assignment, which indicates the name of the assignment • Create Date, which indicates the date on which an assignment was created • A View/Edit ( ) icon, which allows you to view or edit an assignment • Complete/Assigned, which indicates the number of questions completed compared



If you have not yet created any DBQ assignments, this list is empty.

The DBQs page also includes links for performing the following tasks:

• Create new assignments • Move assignments to another folder • Share assignments with other teachers • Duplicate assignments


1. Select a new folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu. A list of DBQ assignments in the selected folder displays.

The last entry (named -any folder -) displays all assignments for this course, along with the name of the folder in which it resides.


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Creating a New DBQ Assignment To create a new assignment:


2. Optionally select the desired assignment folder using the Assignment Folder drop-down menu.

3. Enter the name of the new assignment in the New Assignment name field.

4. Click Create a new DBQ Assignment at the bottom of the DBQs Assignments page. Castle Learning Online displays the Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page.

From the Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page, you may:

• Rename the assignment • Add DBQ set





3. Click OK. The Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed.


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Adding DBQ Sets

To add a DBQ set to an assignment:

1. Click the Add DBQ Set link under Assignment Options. The Add DBQ Set page displays.

This page contains:

• Set – which indicates the number of the set • DBQ Name – which indicates the name of the DBQ set • A View DBQ ( ) icon – which allows you to view DBQ set details

2. Click the View DBQ ( ) icon of the desired DBQ set to view set details. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm your request to add the selected set.

3. Click OK for yes and to display the DBQ Set Questions page. The Edit/Create DBQ page displays.

OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

4. Click Back to return to the DBQ Assignment page. Your new assignment displays in the assignments list.


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Editing an Existing DBQ Assignment Overview

To edit an existing DBQ assignment:

1. Click the View/Edit ( ) icon associated with the assignment you wish to change. The Edit/Create DBQ page displays and includes the assignment name, the number of questions in the assignment, and course name.


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The left side of the page provides a link to each document and question number in the assignment.

Note: Some documents have more than one associated question.

The center section of the page displays Additional DBQ Information and Instructions, which includes the name of the DBQ as well as links to display Directions and an Essay which the students will be able to view. Below this is the actual question along with example answers that a good answer should include. The right side of the page provides editing options; specifically for:

• Renaming the assignment • Renaming the assignment to the DBQ set name • Viewing question properties • Displaying an assignment with or without answers


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1. Click the Rename the assignment link under Assignment Options. Castle Learning Online displays the Rename Assignment dialog box.


3. Click OK. The Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed.

Renaming Assignment to DBQ Set Name


1. Click the Rename to DBQ Name link under Assignment Options. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message box asking you to confirm the name change.

2. Click OK to change the name The Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page refreshes with the new name displayed.








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To display assignments from the Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page:


2. Click the Display Assignment link. A separate Assignments Details pop-up window displays (see the following page).


4. Click the Close link in the top right corner of the pop-up window to close the window. OR Print the assignment as a PDF file. See “Creating PDF-Formatted Versions of a DBQ Assignment” instructions below.


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To assign assignments from the Edit/Create DBQ Assignment page:

1. Click the Assign to Students. The Assignment Details page displays.

2. Refer to the next section for a description of the Assignment Details page, along with the use of its associated tabs.


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1. Create a new assignment or edit an existing assignment. The assignment displays on the DBQ Assignments page.

2. Click the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon. The Assignment Details page displays.


• Assignment Results - displays the progress on the assignment by the students in

the selected class. Once a student has started an assignment, a Details ( ) icon is provided for viewing the student's progress. You may also use this tab to unassign the assignment as well as to change the assignment mode of individual students.





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For Short Answer assignments, each row of the table shows:

• Check box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • A Details ( ) icon – allows you to view the student's progress on an assignment • Answered – indicates the number of questions in the assignment answered correctly • Score – indicates the score (if completed) or incomplete • Date Assigned – indicates the date the assignment was assigned • Date Completed – indicates the date the assignment was completed • Assignment Mode – indicates the status of the assignment (Open, Lock, Quiz, Review



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2. Select the desired assignment mode from the available drop-down list then click the Set Assignment Mode link to change the Assignment Mode of the assignment. For DBQ assignments, the teacher can now control access to their assignments by setting the Assignment Mode, which may be set differently for individual students. There are five modes: • Open, which allows the student full access to the assignment. • Lock, which prevents the student from accessing the assignment. • Quiz, which allows the student to answer questions, but no feedback is given to

the student. • Review a Quiz, which allows the student to review the correct answer; see the

Reason; and view related vocabulary for questions that the student has answered. Students cannot, however, access questions that have not been answered.



a. Assign the assignment, with the mode set to Lock. The assignment displays in the students' list of assignments but they will not be able to access the questions.

b. Set the mode of the assignment to Quiz for all the students in the class prior to bringing your students to the computer lab. The students can now work on the assignment, but do not receive any feedback.

c. Set the mode to either Review a Quiz or Lock at the end of the computer lab period so no changes can be made.

d. Record the score of the assignment.

e. Set the mode to Open to allow the students to complete the assignment on their own. OR Set the mode to Review a Quiz. This allows students to review the questions they have answered. They are not allowed, however, to answer questions that have not been previously answered. This prevents their score from changing.

3. Click the Details ( ) icon to view the student's progress on an assignment.


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This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Last Name – indicates the student's last name • First Name – indicates the student's first name • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment Mode • To assign students to an assignment:



3. Click Assign.


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Quick Assign



This list includes:

• Check Box – allows you to select or deselect a student • Class – indicates the name of the class • Initial Assignment Mode Setting – allows you to initially set the Assignment

Mode


3. Optional: Use the Assignment Mode drop-down menu to initially select the mode of the assignment for control of student access.

4. Click Assign.


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Self Assign Tab






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1. Click the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon to the right of the assignment name. The Assignment Details page displays. An assignment is accessible when students can work with it in some way. Students can access an assignment when the Assignment Mode is set to Open, Quiz, or Review a Quiz. They can also access an assignment in Open from ... to mode when the date range includes today's date. An assignment is inaccessible if a student cannot work with it in some way. Locked assignments are not accessible. An assignment is also inaccessible when in Open from...to mode and the date range does not include today's date. The color of the Assign/Monitor Students ( ) icon indicates the accessibility of an assignment. It reminds the teacher that the assignment mode may need to be altered. • White = The assignment has not yet been assigned to any students. • Green = The assignment is accessible to all students to which it is assigned. • Yellow = The assignment is accessible to some, but not all, students to which


assigned.


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The progress of one of more students may be monitored by clicking the Details ( ) icon associated with each student.

Deleting an Assignment To delete one assignment from the DBQ Assignment page:


Note: Assignments that are currently assigned to one or more students cannot be deleted.

2. Click the Delete icon ( ) associated with the selected assignment. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm deletion of the selected items as this action cannot be undone.

3. Click OK if you want to delete the assignment from your assignments list. A second dialog box asks you if you are really sure that you want to delete this assignment because once deleted, it cannot be restored. Click Yes. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

Note 1: If you have accidentally placed a check mark next to the wrong name, click the check box again to clear it.

Note 2: Removing an assignment does not delete the question-and-answer session from the sessions list of any of the students; it does, however, change the status of the session. The session is no longer assigned and the student may delete the session if s/he chooses.


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Moving Assignments into Another Folder Castle Learning Online provides a limited folder capability (one level down) to help teachers organize their work. As a result, you may wish to move one or more assignments to another folder. To accomplish this: 1. Select the course from the Course drop-down menu where the required assignment(s)

need to be moved. For Example: Global History and Geography. 2. Select the assignment folder from the Assignment Folder drop-down menu where you

wish to move one or more assignments. For Example: New Folder. 3. Check the assignment(s) you wish to move. For Example: January Review. 4. Click the Move link. Castle Learning Online displays a dialog box for entering the

name of the new folder. 5. Enter the name of the new folder in the provided field then click OK. Castle Learning

Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm moving of the selected item.

6. Click OK. Castle Learning Online refreshes the DBQ Assignment with the checked assignments moved to the selected (new) folder.

Sharing Assignments with Other Teachers Your assignments may be shared with one or more staff members who use Castle Learning Online for assignment to their classes. With this feature, teachers may enter multiple Castle Learning Online IDs into the ID field, with the ID field allowing entry of up to 100 characters. To share assignments: 1. Obtain the Castle Learning Online IDs of the teacher(s) for which you wish to share

assignments. 2. Select the course for the assignment you wish to share from the Course drop-down

menu. 3. Click the check box of each assignment(s) you wish to share with another staff

member. 4. Enter the ID of each teacher with whom you want to share the assignment in the field

provided at the bottom of the page. When specifying multiple teacher IDs, be sure to separate each ID with a comma or a space.

5. Click the Share link. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm the sharing of the selected assignment.

6. Click the OK. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message indicating the selected assignments have been shared with each specified teacher. OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.



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1. Check the check box beside each assignment on the DBQ Assignment page you wish to copy.

2. Click the Duplicate link.

3. Castle Learning Online displays a confirmation message asking you to confirm duplication of the selected assignment.





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Creating PDF Files All Activities The pages that display when viewing all activities include an option for creating a file in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). This requires Adobe Reader software. To download this software, click the Adobe icon ( ) provided. This icon takes you to Adobe’s web site where you can download Adobe Reader software.

Note: Creating PDF formatted versions of an assignment is only available for school-sponsored teacher subscriptions. Home Teachers may print an assignment, if necessary, by printing via the browser's PRINT command after displaying the assignment.

At the bottom of the displayed assignment or vocabulary list are some PDF options, which include some or all of the following (depending on the operation):

• Page Header - printed at the top of each page • Font size - choice of 10pt or 12pt • Instructions - displayed at the beginning of the first page. You may edit these

instructions. For Example: to include a due date, a teacher’s name, etc. • Answer key - if displaying an assignment with the answer checkbox unchecked, you

can specify that the last page of the PDF be an answer key

After selecting the desired PDF options, click Display as PDF. The current window is replaced with a PDF version. You may save or print the file using the Adobe toolbar in your browser.

Note: Creating the PDF page takes a few seconds, so please do not click this button more than once.

Next Step Proceed to Chapter 6 to learn how to generate reports.

Chapter 6 – Using the Reports Page

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Chapter 6 - Using the Reports Page


• Access the Reports page • Create Assessment Reports • Create Course Reports

Accessing the Reports Page The Reports page allows you to view various assessment and course usage reports. While some of these reports may be accessed from the Class and Assignments pages, the Reports page provides a convenient place to access the reports.

Note: Reading Comprehension and Grammar reports are NOT available from this page. They are accessed from the Classes page.

To access the Reports page:

1. Click the Reports link on the Teacher Home page. The Reports page displays.

This page allows you to generate two types of reports:

• Assessment Reports • Course Usage Reports


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Creating Assessment Reports Assessment Reports are cumulative reports based on one or all assignment or a course. Each report provides a breakdown of student performance by unit, section, theme, level, and attribute. In addition, you may specify the students to include in the report; more specifically, this may be a single student, a class, or all students in your class. The Assessment Reports portion of the Reports page allows you to select report criteria as well as generate the report.

To generate an Assessment Report for an assignment:

1. Select the desired report type by clicking the appropriate radio button: • Assignment (single) • Assignments (all) • Course

2. If you select Assignment (single), then use the provided drop-down menu to select the specific assignment. OR If you select Assignment (all), then use the provided drop-down menu to specify the desired time period (1 to 10 weeks or All). OR If you select Course, then use the provided drop-down lists to select the desired course and time period (1 to 10 weeks or All).

3. Select the desired "Students to include" option (Single student or Students in class) by clicking the appropriate radio button: • If you select Single Student, then use the provided drop-down menu to select a

specific student. • If you select Students in class, then use the provided drop-down to select a

specific class, or to select "all classes" (the last item in the drop-down list).

4. Click Create Report to generate the report. The Assessment Report for the specified assignment or course displays in a separate browser window.

5. Use the browser's Print command in the report window to print the report. OR Click Close to close the report window without printing.


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Sample Assignment (Single) – The Planets - Single Student: Zelda Gilroy


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Sample Assignment (Single) – The Planets – All Students

The Assignment Class Cumulative Report allows you to view the actual student answers to individual questions for short answer assignments. To view a student's answers (first attempt and retry, if any) click any status indicator (the graphic that indicates correct, incorrect, or correct on retry) in the Individual Questions Results section of the report. The student's response to the question displays in a pop-up window.

Note: Student responses for older assignments may not be available.


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Sample Assignment (All) Report – All Time Periods - Single Student: Zelda Gilroy

Sample Assignment (All) Report – 10 Weeks – Class: 5th Grade

Sample Assignment (All) Report – All Weeks – Earth Science Period 7

Accessed from the Teacher's Reports page, the Assignments (all) Assessment Report, allows you to specify how questions answered correctly on the retry are scored. Choices are:

• No credit • Half credit • Full credit

On the page displaying the results, select the desired Correct-On-Retry Scoring value then click the Refresh button. The page redisplays with scores reflecting your selection.


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Sample Course Report for Earth Science – 10 Weeks – All Classes


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Creating Course Usage Reports Course Usage Reports show you how many questions students have answered in a course. It also shows how many of the answered questions came from student-generated sessions and how many came from assignments.

To generate a course usage report, use the controls and buttons in the Course Usage Report section of the page:

1. Select a course from the Course drop-down menu.

2. Select a class from the Class drop-down menu.

Note: If you wish to see all of your students in the report, select the last entry (all classes).

3. Click Create Report to generate the report. The Course Usage Report displays in a separate browser window.

4. Use the browser's Print command in the report window to print the report. OR Click Cancel to cancel and close the window.

Next Step Proceed to Chapter 7 to learn how to manage Personal Content Sets.


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Chapter 7 – Using the Personal Contents Sets

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Chapter 7 - Using Personal Content Sets


• Access the Personal Content Sets page • Create a new Personal Content Set • Rename a Personal Content Set • Add content to a new Personal Content set • Include Personal Content Sets into an Assignment • Viewing and editing an existing Personal Content Set for Short Answer Questions • Viewing and editing an existing Personal Content Set for Flash Card Vocabulary

Questions • Deleting an existing Personal Content Set

Accessing the Personal Content Sets Page Personal Content Sets consist of up to 50 content items that you type in yourself. A Personal Content Set can contain either short answer questions or vocabulary terms, but not both.

1. Short Answer Question sets for import into Short Answer assignments may be multiple choice or fill-in type questions. These questions display in the various Cumulative Reports as "Uncategorized".

2. Vocabulary terms for import into Flash Card assignments

Note 1: Due to possible copyright infringement issues, you are not able to share your personal content with other teachers.

Note 2: Do not use copyrighted material in your Personal Content Sets. If you use or share content containing copyrighted content, you may be violating state and federal copyright laws. You - not Castle Software, Inc. - are responsible for such copyright infringement violations.


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To access the Personal Content Sets page:

1. Click the Personal Content Sets link on the Teacher Home page. The Personal Content Sets page displays.

This page lists previously-defined Personal Content Sets. For each set, this page provides a description, the activity type (Short Answer or Vocabulary), the number of items in the set, as well as an option for deleting a set.

From this page, you may:

• Create a new Personal Content Set. • Add content to a new Personal Content Set. • Include Personal Content Set into an assignment • View an existing Personal Content Set. • Edit an existing Personal Content Set. • Delete an existing Personal Content Set.


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Creating a New Personal Content Set To create a new Personal Content Set:

1. Click the Create New Content Set link at the bottom of the Personal Content page. Castle Learning Online displays a New Personal Content Set dialog box.

2. Type in a description for the new content set into the Content Set name field.

3. Select the desired content set type (Short Answer Question or Vocabulary for Flash Cards) from the Content Type drop-down menu.

4. Click Create New Content Set. The Add Personal Content Set window displays.

From this page you may:

• Rename the set • Add a question


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Renaming a Personal Content Set To rename a Personal Content Set:

1. Click the Rename the set link under Question Set Options.

Castle Learning Online displays the Rename Set dialog box.

2. Type in the new name of the set over the current name in the New name field.

3. Click OK. The Edit/Create Personal Content Set page refreshes with the new name displayed.


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Adding Content to a New Personal Content Set

Overview A Personal Question Set may contain up to 50 multiple-choice or fill-in questions that you create yourself. The Add Personal Question Set page allows you to create questions in a set.

The blue title bar near the top of the page indicates the name of the question set; the total number of questions contained in the set so far; and the number of the question currently on display. Once added, the left sidebar lists the questions by number. The center of the page displays the currently selected question. The right sidebar lists available options for the question set.

Note: Before using this feature, be sure to enable pop-ups in your browser for this web site.

To add a question, click the Add a Question link. The Question Editor window displays.


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Using Question Editor The Question Editor allows you to create, format (such as bold, italic, colors, superscripts, and subscripts), spell check, and edit questions as well as incorporation graphics into the questions. Teachers may use the Image Library, which contains images supplied by Castle Learning, or may upload their own images.

The Question Editor requires one of the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher • Firefox 2.0+ • Safari 3.0

If you are using a Mac, we recommend the use of the Firefox browser.

Adding Questions To add questions to a new Personal Content Set:

1. Click the Add Question link in the Question Set Options portion of the Add Personal Content Set window. The Question Editor pop-up window displays, allowing you to add new questions or edit existing questions for the selected Personal Question Set.

2. Type in the new question or edit an existing question within the Question portion of Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images. • For multiple-choice questions, be sure to include the answer choices. • For fill-in questions, include ~~1~~ to indicate where an answer box will be

displayed.


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3. Specify the answer parameters in the Answer portion of the Question Editor window.

• Select the Multiple Choice radio button when entering a multiple choice question.

Use the Answer drop-down list to select the number of the correct answer. Use the Number of Choices drop-down list to select the number of possible answer choices. Be sure this number matches the choices displayed in the question. OR

• Select the Fill-In radio button when entering a question requiring students to type in their answer into an answer box. Answers must be exact so only create questions where the answer is either a number or a single word. Enter the correct answer into the Answer box; specify the character width of the answer box in the Answer Box Width box; and select the font size of the answer box using the Answer Box Font Size drop-down list.

4. Enter an optional hint into the Hint editing portion of the Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images.


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5. Enter an optional reason into the Reason editing portion of the Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images.

6. Click Save to save the question, OR Click Cancel to cancel the task.

7. Repeat Steps 1 through 6 to add each question to the new Personal Content Set.

Spell Checking Questions The Personal Content Sets Editor includes a spell checker option. To check spelling, click the Spell Check ( ) icon in the editing toolbar.


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Including Personal Content Set into an Assignment To include content from your Personal Content Set into an assignment:

1. Create or edit a Short Answer or Flash Card assignment using the Assignments page. Refer to Chapter 5 for details.

2. Select the Import link from the Assignment Options portion of the applicable View/Edit Assignment page.

3. Click to select the Personal Content Sets tab. The Personal Content Sets page displays.

4. Click the Import link associated with a Personal Content Set. All items associated with the selected set displays.

5. Click to select the check boxes associated with the items you wish to add to the new assignment.

6. Click Import Checked Items.

7. Click the Back to Assignments page link to return to the Assignments page.


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Viewing / Editing an Existing Personal Content Set for Short Answer Questions

Overview A Personal Question Set may contain up to 50 multiple-choice or fill-in questions that you create yourself. The Edit/Create Personal Question Set page allows you to modify questions in a set. The blue title bar near the top of the page indicates the name of the question set; the total number of questions that it contains so far; and the number of the question currently on display. Once added, the left sidebar lists available questions by number. The center of the page displays the currently selected question. The right sidebar lists the available question set options.


Using Question Editor The Question Editor allows you to create, format (such as bold, italic, colors, superscripts, and subscripts), and edit questions as well as incorporation graphics into the questions. Teachers may use the Image Library, which contains images supplied by Castle Learning, or may upload their own images.





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Viewing an Existing Personal Content Set for Short Answer Questions To view an existing Personal Content Set:

1. Click to select the description link targeted for viewing/editing.

The View/Edit Personal Content Set page for the new Personal Content Set displays.

Each question includes question number, answer, a hint, and a reason. From this page, you may rename a set as well as add, edit, or remove short answer questions.

Warning: Use caution when editing or removing items from a content set. If the question is in use for an assignment, then the assignment item is also edited or removed.


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Viewing Questions Click on a number to view a particular question, or click Next at the top of the page. The display area shows the question text and answer choices as well as the correct answer choice and the number of choices.

Renaming an Existing Question Set To rename an existing Personal Content Set:

1. Click the Rename the set link under Vocabulary Set Options. Castle Learning Online displays the Rename Set dialog box.



Adding More Short Answer Questions to an Existing Personal Content Set To add more questions to an existing Personal Content Set:

1. Select and view an existing Personal Content Set. See previous procedure. The View/Edit Personal Content Set page for the new Personal Content Set displays.

2. Click the Add a Question link in the Question Set Options portion of the View/Edit Personal Content Set page. The Question Editor window displays. This window allows you to add or edit a question in a Personal Question Set.


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3. Type in the new question or edit an existing question within the Question portion of Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images. • For multiple choice questions, be sure to include the answer choices. • For fill-in questions, include ~~1~~ to indicate where an answer box will be

displayed.

4. Specify the answer parameters in the Answer portion of the Question Editor window. • Select the Multiple Choice radio button when entering a multiple choice question.

Use the Answer drop-down list to select the number of the correct answer. Use the Number of Choices drop-down list to select the number of possible answer choices. Be sure this number matches the choices displayed in the question. OR

• Select the Fill-In radio button when entering a question requiring students to type in their answer into an answer box. Answers must be exact so only create questions where the answer is either a number or a single word. Enter the correct answer into the Answer box; specify the character width of the answer box in the Answer Box Width box; and select the font size of the answer box using the Answer Box Font Size drop-down list.

5. Enter an optional hint into the Hint editing portion of the Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images.

6. Enter an optional reason into the Reason editing portion of the Question Editor window. Use the provided editing tools to control formatting, fonts, styles and colors, or to add special symbols or images.


8. Repeat Steps 1 through 7 to add each question to the new Personal Content Set.


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Editing an Existing Question To edit an existing question:

1. Click the Edit Question link under the Question Set Options portion of the Edit/Create Personal Content Set window. The Question Editor window displays.

2. Select the question number to be edited from the left sidebar.

3. Review the Question portion of the Question Editor window. Edit as required.

4. Edit the answer in the Answer portion of the Question Editor window as required.

5. Edit the optional hint in the Hint portion of the Question Editor window as required.

6. Edit the optional reason into the Reason editing portion of the Question Editor window as required.


8. Repeat Steps 1 through 7 to edit each question to the existing Personal Content Set.

Spell Checking Questions The Personal Content Sets Editor includes a spell checker option. To check spelling, click the Spell Check ( ) icon in the editing toolbar.

Removing an Existing Question To remove a question:

1. Select the question to remove by clicking its number on the left sidebar, or using the Next button.

2. Click the Remove Question link.

3. Click OK in the confirmation dialog window.


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Viewing / Editing an Existing Personal Content Set for Flash Card Vocabulary

Overview A Personal Vocabulary Set may contain up to 50 vocabulary terms that you create yourself. The Edit/Create Personal Vocabulary Set page allows you to add, view, and modify items in a set. The blue title bar near the top of the page indicates the name of the set; the total number of items that the set contains so far; and the number of the item currently displayed. Once added, the left sidebar lists the vocabulary items by number. The center of the page displays the currently selected vocabulary item. The right sidebar lists the available options.


From this page, you may rename a set as well as add, edit, or remove vocabulary.

Using Question Editor The Question Editor allows you to create, format (such as bold, italic, colors, superscripts, and subscripts), and edit questions as well as incorporation graphics into the questions. Teachers may use the Image Library, which contains images supplied by Castle Learning, or may upload their own images.





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Viewing Vocabulary Items Click on a vocabulary number in the left sidebar to view a particular term, or click Next at the top of the page. The display area shows the vocabulary term and its definition.

Renaming Vocabulary To rename an existing Personal Content Set:

1. Click the Rename the set link under Vocabulary Set Options. Castle Learning Online displays the Rename Set dialog box.



Adding Vocabulary To add a vocabulary term:

1. Click the Add a Vocabulary Item link. The Vocabulary Editor page displays in a separate window.

2. Type in the vocabulary name into the Vocabulary Name field.

3. Type in the definition for the vocabulary word in the Definition field.

4. Click Save to save the results of your editing. OR Click Cancel if you change your mind.


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Editing Vocabulary To edit an existing vocabulary items:

1. Select the desired editor (basic or advanced) as the Default Editor.

2. Click the Edit Vocabulary link under Vocabulary Set Options. The Vocabulary Editor page displays in a separate window.

3. Edit vocabulary information by changing the vocabulary name in the Vocabulary Name field, or by changing the definition for the vocabulary word in the Definition field.

4. Click Save to save the results of your editing. OR Click Cancel if you change your mind.

Removing Vocabulary To remove a vocabulary item:

1. Select the item to remove by clicking its number on the left sidebar, or click Next. 2. Click the Remove Vocabulary link. A Confirmation dialog box displays.

3. Click OK in the confirmation dialog window.

Deleting an Existing Personal Content Set To delete an existing Personal Content Set:

Note: All questions must be removed prior to deleting an existing Personal Content Set.

1. Check the check box to the left of the set targeted for deletion.

2. Click the Delete ( ) icon. The selected set is removed from the list of available Personal Content Sets.

Next Step Proceed to Chapter 8 to learn how to use other Castle Learning Online features.

Chapter 8 – Using Other Castle Learning Online Features

8-1

Chapter 8 - Using Other Castle Learning Online Features

Objective This chapter shows you how to use other Castle Learning Online features; specifically how to:

• Access State Learning Correlation Data • Review and update the Teacher Profile • View Castle Learning Online as a student • Designate an Assistant Administrator

Accessing State Learning Correlation For selected states, correlations between the state's learning standards and Castle Learning Online courses are available to administrators and teachers.

For Administrators, the Administrator Home page includes a State Learning Standards Correlation link. Click this link to display a window correlating state standards to units/sections of individual Castle Learning Online courses.

For Teachers, the Teacher Home page includes a State Learning Standards Correlation link. Click this link to display a window correlating state standards to units/sections of individual Castle Learning Online courses. In addition, the Assignment Add Questions page includes Standards buttons for displaying the state correlations to the sections within the selected unit.


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Reviewing / Updating the Teacher Profile

Viewing Your Profile To view your profile:

1. Click the Profile link on the Teacher's Home page. The Profile page displays.

2. View this page periodically to make sure salutation, first name, last name, and e-mail address are current.


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Changing Your Password To change your password:

1. Enter your current password into the Current Password field.

2. Enter your new password into the New Password field. A password meter is provided to indicate the security (or strength) of a password from very weak to very strong. Be sure to choose a password whose strength is at least 'Medium'. What makes a strong password? • At least 12 characters • A combination of letters and numbers • At least one special character, such as !@#$%^&*()+-=) • Do not use names of people you know or favorite sports teams, hobbies, etc. • Do not use parts of phone numbers or e-mail addresses • Consider using a pass-phrase (up to 50 characters) - you can use spaces

3. Re-enter your password into the Re-type your new password field. • If the two password fields do not match, then an error message displays. • If this occurs, then enter your password again into the New Password and Re-type

fields.

4. Write down your ID and new password and keep them in a secure place.

Note: If you forget your ID or password, then ask the Castle Learning Online Administrator to look up your ID and clear your password. You may reset the password the next time you sign in.

Changing Your Name To change your first and/or last name, enter the new information into the First Name and Last Name fields, respectively.

Changing Your Salutation To change your salutation, use the Salutation drop-down menu to select from one of many available English, French, or Spanish salutation.

Changing Your E-Mail Address To specify a different e-mail address, enter the new address into the Email Address field.


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Submitting Profile Changes To submit profile changes:

1. Click SUBMIT when you are happy with the changes you have made. Castle Learning Online confirms your changes by sending a brief message.

2. Click RESET to clear the form and start over.

3. Click BACK upon completion to return to the Teacher's Home page.

Viewing Castle Learning Online as a Student To view Castle Learning Online pages that your students see:

1. Click the Student Home Page link on the Teacher's Home page.

2. View student-related information. Refer to the Castle Learning Online Handbook for Students for guidance as needed.

3. Click the Teacher Home page link on the Student Home page to return to the Teacher Home page upon completion.

Designating an Assistant Administrator The Castle Learning Online Administrator may designate one or more teachers to be Assistant Administrators. Teachers designated as Assistant Administrators have an extra item on their home page, named All Accounts. This feature allows the teacher to view all IDs and optionally clear passwords for anyone in the school.

Note: This is separate from the View Class Roster feature that allows a teacher to do the same for students in their own classes.

When a student or teacher forgets his or her ID and password, you may look up their ID and clear their password. To do this:

1. Click the All Accounts link from the Teacher Home page. The All Accounts page displays. The ID is displayed in the table.

2. Click the X for the individual whose password you want to clear.

3. Click OK in response to the confirmation prompt.

4. Notify the user that you have cleared their password. Advise them that the next time they log into Castle Learning, enter their Castle Learning Online ID and leave the Password field blank. Castle Learning Online will prompt them to specify a new password for subsequent access.

In addition, the Administrator’s Edit Account/Add Account pages have a "district access" checkbox for indicating whether the account is for a teacher. If enabled, the teacher may select students from any school in the district for their classes.


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Next Step Proceed to Chapter 9 to learn how to obtain support.


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Chapter 9 – Obtaining Support

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Chapter 9 - Obtaining Support

Objective This chapter shows you how to obtain support; specifically how to:

• Use Online Help • Access Castle Learning Online documents • Subscribe to the Castle Learning Online Newsletter • Review Terms of Service • Contact Technical Support

Using Online Help If you have a problem, first consult Online Help as it contains a wealth of information. The next step is to look for answers in the documentation. If that fails, then contact Technical Support.

To report an error in a question, answer, hint or reason, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Be sure to specify the name of the course; question properties information; a description of the error; and a suggested correction.

For a vocabulary term, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Be sure to specify the name of the course; the name of the term; a description of the error; and a suggested correction. We will relay this information to the course author for review and post any corrections. You will usually receive a response within 48 hours.

Accessing Castle Learning Online Documents You may download and print various Castle Learning Online documents. To do so, click the Documents link on the Teacher's Home page. From this page, you may access a variety of Castle Learning Online documents, which are available to Administrators, Teachers, and Students for download in PDF format. To open and view these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Software.

Subscribing to the Castle Learning Online Newsletter You may subscribe to as well as view current and back issues of the Castle Learning Online Newsletter. Just click the Newsletter link on the Teacher's Home page. To sign up for the newsletter, specify your e-mail address in the field provided. To view current and back issues of the Castle Learning Online Newsletter, click the one of the provided links.


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Reviewing Terms of Service Enrolling in Castle Learning Online means that you accept the Terms of Service. Click on the link at the bottom of the Sign-In page to read your rights and obligations as a Castle Learning Online subscriber or user.

Contacting Technical Support Please send your support questions to [email protected].