Creating Equation Items

Equation Response items require students to use an on-screen keypad to enter a mathematical expression or equation in the response area.

For example, an Equation item could provide an algebraic equation and ask students to reduce it.

1.To fill out the template, in the Compose Item Prompt section, replace the sample text with the content for the item's question. You can use the toolbar in this box to format text and insert media elements. You may need to use the button to insert a formula.

2.In the Select Equation Keypad section, select an option from the Equation Preset drop-down list to determine which buttons will be available on the student’s keypad.

• The keypad in this section displays the buttons associated with the selected Equation Preset type. By default, all keypads include Back, Next, Undo, Redo, and Delete buttons at the top.

3.In the Construct Answer Keys section, enter the item’s highest possible score in the Maximum Score field.

4.Optional: To set the item to automatically simplify the student’s entered response, set the Simplify Response toggle to Yes.

5.To create the answer key for the item, do the following:

a.In the Point field, enter the score for a correct (or partially correct) response.

• If a sample response is already entered, you may need to clear the response area first.

b.In the provided response area, use the keypad to enter the mathematical expression that students would need to input in order to earn the score entered in the Point field. After entering a fraction, exponent, or root, you may need to click in order to enter additional characters.

c.Optional: In the Explanation field, explain why the entered response is worth the score you specified.

6.Optional: If the item has more than one correct or partially correct answer, you can click beside the Point field to create additional answer keys. Repeat step 5 for each answer key you add.

a.Optional: To remove an answer key, click in the tab for that answer key.

7.Optional: If you want to provide a description of the scoring criteria to view in reports for the item, mark the Include Scoring Description checkbox. Then fill out the Description and Exemplar fields that appear.

8.To save the item, click Save above the template.