K12 Learning Management System
(LMS) Overview
High School Teacher Guide
SY10-11
SY10-11 HS LMS Overview Teacher Guide
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Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Overview ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
K12 High School Model ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Online School (OLS) ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
TotalView School (TVS) ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
High School Curriculum ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
High School Course Levels ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Course Resources and Materials ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Remedial and Foundation Courses .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Path Builder ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
High School Course Variations ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
K12 Courses .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
K12 Managed Courses............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
K12 Technology Courses ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
K12 World Language Courses.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
K12 Partnered Courses .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Learning Management System (LMS) ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
LMS Login ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
TotalView School (TVS) Login Option ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Online School (OLS) Login Option....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Path Builder ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Classroom Setup ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Course Pacing .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Due Date Settings .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Gradebook Review Date Settings ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Course Syllabus........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Create a Course Syllabus within the LMS ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Upload an Existing Course Syllabus .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Graded Assignments................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Display Hidden Items ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Exclude an Assignment from Final Grade Calculation ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Include Assignments in Grade to Date Calculations ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Assign Teacher Graded Items to Students........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Create a Group ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Assign Content Item to Groups ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Assign Student(s) to Groups ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Grading Student Work ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Knowing When Assignments Have Been Submitted .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
Finding Answer Keys .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Grading Student Work ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Download Student Work ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Return Graded Work ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Monitor Student Progress ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Gradebook ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Exam and Question Statistics................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Gradebook Details ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14
User Activity .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Course Management .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Course Announcements ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Creating New Course Announcements............................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Edit Existing Course Announcements ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Assessments .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Password Settings ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Granting Additional Time on Computer-Scored Assessments .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Changing the Allowed Time on Computer-Scored Assessments ...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Permitting Students to Retake Computer-Scored Assessments ....................................................................................................................................................... 17
Course Content ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Adding New Lesson Content .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Adding New Computer Scored Assessments (CS) .................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Adding a Custom Item to the Gradebook .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Effects of Including Quiz Performance in Overall Course Average......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Extra Credit Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
ExamGuard ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Windows PC Installation Process ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Macintosh Installation Process .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Taking an Assessment............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21
Questions .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21
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Introduction
This teacher guide provides a brief overview of the High School Learning Management System (LMS) and the basic
functionalities and teacher responsibilities associated with facilitating and monitoring students’ academic achievement.
Additional Teacher Guides are available for various topics; please refer to other teacher guides as needed to assist you
with various aspects of K12 virtual school models.
Overview
K12 High School Model
K12 courses designed for students to work primarily asynchronously with synchronous support from teachers. Student
instruction and lessons largely delivered through pre-designed online lessons that employ text, images, video,
animations, hands-on and interactive activities. Students access online lessons through the Learning Management
System (LMS).
Students receive offline materials including textbooks, art supplies, laboratory supplies and other reference materials to
assist in their learning. The type and quantity of materials varies by course, with K12 providing many proprietary
textbooks written to compliment the online experience. K12 uses Teacher Graded Assignments (TGA) and Computer
Scored (CS) activities to assess student learning. Students submit all assessments online through the Learning
Management System (LMS). Instructional feedback for student assignments and assessments becomes an integral part
of student learning. In this model, teachers’ written instructional feedback becomes part of the direct instructional
practices of our virtual teachers. Instructional feedback provides opportunities for students to review and revise their
current work and future efforts in the context of teacher feedback. Standard online assessments are benchmark testing
and gauge student success in relation to state standards.
Online School (OLS)
The Online School (OLS) is one entry point for K12 High School staff. The OLS has several functions, which include
containing all the K-8 curriculum, lessons and resources. One of the most important functionality for the OLS is the
attendance component. All families K-12 record student attendance within the OLS (not the LMS).
TotalView School (TVS)
TotalView School (TVS) is a secure, internal communication system designed specifically to meet the needs of students,
Learning Coaches and academic staff in facilitating a positive learning experience for students. TotalView School (TVS)
provides access to student biographical, compliance and performance information, as well as provide communication
documentation, staff and meeting notes, and communications between staff and Learning Coaches. TotalView School
(TVS) is the primarily location for messaging and communication; everyone logs into TotalView School (TVS) to send,
receive and read K-Mail.
TotalView School (TVS) is the staff and teacher version of the communication tool. Learning Coaches and students log
and access MyInfo. TotalView School (TVS) and MyInfo is the same tool, with different views and permissions. When
speaking to Learning Coaches, families and students, reference MyInfo not TotalView School.
Teacher can access TotalView School (TVS) as well as the K12 Learning Management System (LMS) through the OLS, or
access TotalView School (TVS) directly using this link: https://totalviewschool.k12.com.
Please refer to other teacher guides as needed to assist you with various aspects of K12 virtual school models and
platforms.
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High School Curriculum
K12 organizes course content around big ideas and not around the rote memorization of details. Getting students to
think in terms of big ideas allows concept understanding, as they see how big ideas affect and interact with each other.
Original rich text content, images, audio, videos, simulations, and virtual manipulatives provide direct online instruction
in a media-rich environment provide easy to follow, consistent course structure making course navigation easy for
students, mentors, and teachers.
High School Course Levels
K12 provides three levels of key courses in Math, English, Science, and History: Core, Comprehensive, and Honors.
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Core Courses: Course codes ending in the number “2” indicate a Core level course, for example, MTH112 is a
Pre-Algebra core course. Core level courses usually have fewer Teacher Graded Assignments (TGA) and present
topics with less depth and breadth to allow teachers to provide students with additional learning time and
assistance or remediation
Comprehensive Courses: Course codes ending in the number “3” indicate a Comprehensive level course, for
example, SCI203 is a Biology comprehensive course. Comprehensive courses have greater depth and breadth,
and additional Teacher Graded Assignments (TGA) than core courses.
Honors Courses: Course codes ending in the number “4” indicate an Honors course level, for example, HST204 is
a Modern World Studies Honors course. Honors courses contain all the concepts, assignments and rigor of
Comprehensive courses, with additional projects and extension requirements. Most Honors courses meet or
exceed national standards and culminate in honors project and student collaboration.
Course Resources and Materials
K12 curriculum employs a mixture of online and offline materials and techniques, specifically designed for delivery in an
online educational settings creating complete materials for students, mentors, and teachers. Some of those materials
include resources available within the course, such as websites, whiteboards, and study guides. Other materials and
reference outside the Learning Management System (LMS) such as worksheets, text, trade, reference books, and
hands-on science lab materials, move learning offline. Check with your school for specific information regarding course
materials for teachers and students.
Remedial and Foundation Courses
Remedial courses are available in math and reading for use with students not yet ready for core level courses.
Path Builder
The Learning Management System (LMS) provides an additional tool that controls access to course items based on
performance on Computer Scored (CS) assessments. Access to course content can be controlled by passwords for
Computer Scored (CS) assessments, or any content item by access dates in the course scheduler. Additional information
on Path Builder is provided later in this document.
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High School Course Variations
Some K12 Courses have a different look or feel to them and require exploration. Below is a brief introduction to these
variations, however to have a complete understanding and navigation, teachers should investigate their courses in the
LMS.
K12 Courses
K12 Courses design and development following a standard format and include a similar left-hand navigation course
structure. As described above K12 Courses constructed around Big Ideas and lessons that best fit the modality and
learning required to meeting online learning needs.
K12 courses follow a "lesson-per-day" pacing. These courses are designed for use in 90 day semester or 180 day school
year settings. As such, courses typically provide 90 lessons in a semester-length course or 180 lessons in a year. Pacing
guides are available to help teachers ensure proper course scheduling throughout the school year. These pacing guides
also assist in the Course Scheduler set-up and creating course calendars. Schools who are not using a 90-day semester or
180-day school year can adjust pacing guides to fit their needs. Each lesson and corresponding activities reflect
approximately 45 to 60 minutes to complete in total.
K12 Managed Courses
K12 managed courses, not necessarily created by K12, however undergo a reviewed and rating against a stringent set of
K12 standards for instructional design and content. The best of these courses are selected to complete the K12 course
catalog. These courses follow a similar layout; however, differ from K12 course layout and left-hand navigation. K12
managed courses follow the K12 pacing guides provided to teachers for appropriate lesson pacing and course calendar
setup.
K12 Technology Courses
Similar to K12 managed courses, Technology Courses undergo a similar review and rating process against a stringent set
of K12 standards for instructional design and content. The best of these courses are selected to complete the K12's course
catalog. Technology courses follow a unique left-hand navigation and course structure and include Projects, Assignments
and Quizzes. Technology courses follow the K12 pacing guides provided to teachers for appropriate lesson pacing and
course calendar setup.
K12 World Language Courses
World Language courses offered as part of the K12912 curriculum are provided by powerspeaK12 formerly PowerGlide.
Previous language learning breakthroughs added to language learning effectiveness, but each method focused almost
exclusively on its own approach. Linguist Dr. Robert Blair put the best methods together with his own innovations, and
tested and validated it with thousands of students.
K12 Partnered Courses
K12 partners with Apex Learning, Inc. to complete the K12 course catalog. Apex Learning courses differ from the K12
courses and K12 managed courses. Please review the LMS courses and course structure for additional information
regarding all course variations. Some of the K12 partnered courses are provided a K12 pacing structure guide, which
teachers use as a gauge appropriate lesson pacing and course scheduling.
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Learning Management System (LMS)
LMS Login
There are several ways to access the High School Learning Management System (LMS), teachers prefer the first method
while students or Learning Coaches login using the second method.
TotalView School (TVS) Login Option
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Navigate  http://totalviewschool.k12.com
Enter  your Username
Enter  your Password
Select  Login
Select  LMS in upper right of your TotalView School page
Online School (OLS) Login Option
Select one links below to navigate to the OLS login link:
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Navigate  https://login-learn.k12.com or http://www.k12.com
Select  OLS Login in the upper right of the webpage 
Enter  your Username
Enter  your Password, if necessary; recover your Username or Password through the Forgot Username? or
Forgot Password? links
Select  Login
Select  Continue if prompted
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Select  Virtual High School on the right side of the page 
A new window opens listing courses assigned to you under Course List or My Courses.
Select  the course you wish to access within the Learning Management System (LMS)
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 Indicates page opens in a new window, you may need to disable your pop-up blockers
Path Builder
As mentioned above, Path Builder provides tools to set performance conditions on content items within the course,
these items are controlled by password, Course Scheduler or Path Builder options. Below is a brief description of Path
Builder setting options.
Keep in mind, making changes to the Path Builder settings can result in unexpected results if you are not careful and are
unclear about how these settings affect student access to course content.
To revise Path Builder settings follow the steps below:
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Select  Course Admin tab at the top of the course screen
Select  Course Information and Preferences
Select  Course Scheduler & Path Builder
Scroll to find the course item you wish to modify, in this example below 1.07 Mid-Unit Test is used
Select  Condition from the pull-down menu, in this example student must complete the Diagnostic 1.1 prior to
Mid-Unit Test 1.07 access
Select  the Computer Scored (CS)
assessment that will be used to permit
access to the course item – in this case
it would be quiz 1.01
Select  Number Grade from the next
pull-down menu
Select  the appropriate condition, in
this case Greater Than or Equal to from
the next pull-down menu
In this example, Greater Than or Equal to is set
to zero to ensure that the student completes
Diagnostic 1.1 before accessing the 1.07 MidUnit Test.
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Classroom Setup
There are several important tasks to complete before your students will be able to work in K12 High School courses.
How you chose to implement the K12912 courses will determine how you should set the Due Dates for graded
assignments in the course. Failure to set Due Dates in a course will result in TotalView School (TVS) administration
reports and course information provided to students and mentors to be inaccurate or absent.
Course Pacing
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Self-Paced: If students are allowed to follow their own pace through the course, it’s recommended to set all Due
Dates to the last day of the course
Self-Paced with Milestones: If students are expected to complete the entire course, set milestone Due Dates
throughout the course, for example, if students have four weeks to complete a course that includes 8 units, you
might want to set Due Dates for assignments that require students to complete two units each week
Teacher-Paced: If the teacher controls the pace of the course on a daily basis, set Due Dates for graded
assignments that reflects the pace you have chosen for your students, keeping in mind, lessons and related
activities (e.g. labs, quizzes, worksheets, etc.) are designed to take approximately 45 to 60 minutes each day
with a 90-day semester
Due Date Settings
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Select  Course Admin tab at the top of your course screen
Select  Course Scheduler link
Enter the due date for each graded assignment in the Due Date field
Select  Save Changes
Wait for confirmation message before leaving the screen
Gradebook Review Date Settings
The Gradebook Review Date is a Gradebook setting that determines when students can see earned grades within the
LMS Gradebook. Typically, Gradebook Review Dates reflect the last day of the semester, which means students will not
be able to see their graded lessons, activities and assessments until the last day of the semester. It is important that
teachers set these Gradebook Review Dates in the Course Scheduler.
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Select  Course Admin tab at the top of your course screen
Select  Course Scheduler link
Enter  Gradebook Review Date for each Computer Scored (CS) assignment in the appropriate field
Select  Save Changes
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Wait for confirmation message before leaving the screen
Course Syllabus
There is a space in the Course Home region of the left-hand navigation of your course for you to upload and display a
Course Syllabus that you have created using Microsoft Word or to create using an online Rich Text Editor.
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Select  Author tab at the upper-left corner of the course screen
Select  Syllabus link in the course home area of the left-hand navigation frame
Select  Compose Text Item to create your Syllabus from scratch using the online Rich Text Editor
Create a Course Syllabus within the LMS
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Create and edit your Course Syllabus using the Rich Text tools
Select  Save Changes when you have finished editing your Course Syllabus
Upload an Existing Course Syllabus
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Select  Upload Microsoft Word Syllabus to add a Course Syllabus saved to your computer
Select  Browse and navigate to your syllabus, Select  Open
Select  Upload and Convert File
Wait until the document has completed being converted and uploaded, it will appear in this space when you
have the Course tab selected
Graded Assignments
K12 High School courses include Computer Scored (CS) and Teacher Graded Assignments (TGA) activities such as lab
reports, essays, Threaded Discussions, as well as Teacher Graded Unit Tests. The course default settings include all
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graded assignments in the final grade calculation. It is recommended that K12 Virtual Academy teachers include the
teacher graded portion of unit tests, as well as the Teacher Graded Assignments (TGA) whenever possible. Including
Teacher Graded assignments and assessments increases the level of understanding and academic integrity of the course.
If a teacher chooses to include, exclude or modify course assignments from the Gradebook grades, changes are made in
the LMS Gradebook Settings. Below are some setting items for making
assignment modifications.
Display Hidden Items
Some items are hidden from student view as indicated by the asterisk to
the right of the item name in the left-hand navigation area. These hidden
items are excluded from the Gradebook. Teachers may include these as
required assignments for any or all students. Dropbox items are included
in the course to permit students to submit these completed assignments
to their teachers.
1. Select  Author tab at the top of the course screen
2. Select the name of the item from the left-hand navigation area you wish
to unhide
3. Select  Toolbox button at the top of the main area of the screen
4. Scroll down to uncheck the box next to Hide item from students
5. Select Save Changes at the bottom of the screen
Exclude an Assignment from Final Grade Calculation
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Select  Gradebook tab at the top of the course screen
Select Setup Gradebook button at the top of the page
Select  Select Gradable Items
Scroll down to find the item in the list provided, and uncheck the box across from the assignment name and
below the unit number
In the event that a teacher adds an assignment or assessment to the course that
they wish to have included in the final grade calculation, the course item must be
added to the Gradebook.
Include Assignments in Grade to Date Calculations
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Select  Gradebook tab at the top of the page
Select  Setup Gradebook button at the top of the Gradebook
Select  Select Gradable Items sub-tab on the Gradebook screen
Scroll to find the item in the list provided, and check the box across
from the assignment name and below the unit number
Select  Save Changes at the bottom of the Select Gradable Items
sub-tab
Wait for confirmation message before leaving the screen
It is important that students are made aware of assignments they are
required to complete.
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Assign Teacher Graded Items to Students
If every student is required to complete an assignment, notify students of the requirement:
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Post a Course Announcement
Send via K-Mail or e-mail
Explain to students
If only certain students should see the item, you will need to create and assign students to a Group as well as assign
content.
Create a Group
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Select Course Admin tab at the top of the page
Select Group Management tab
Select Add New Group
Enter Group Name
Select  Add Group
Assign Content Item to Groups
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Select  Author tab at the top of the page
Select  the name of the item from the left-hand navigation
area you wish to unhide
Select  Toolbox at the top of the main area
Scroll to the bottom of the screen
Select  the Group Name from the pull-down menu to assign the item
Select  Save Changes
Assign Student(s) to Groups
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Select  Course Admin tab at the top of the screen
Select  Group Management sub-tab
Select Edit for the group assigned to the course item
Select  student name from the Select Group Members
Select  the right-facing arrow to add the student to the
group
Select Save Changes
Grading Student Work
Your implementation of High School courses may include one or more teacher graded assignments or assessments and it
is important for students to receive timely instructional feedback on work they have completed.
Knowing When Assignments Have Been Submitted
At the bottom of the Course Home page of your course, you will find the
What’s New tool. This tool will indicate activity that occurred in the
course since the last time you entered the course. If the title of a Teacher
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Graded assignment or assessment (TGA) appears here, it indicates that at least one student submitted that item. By
selecting the name of the course item, the names of the students who submitted this item display. Selecting Go to the
right of the item title will take you directly to the items to be graded.
Finding Answer Keys
Answer Keys are provided for all graded assignments in a course. Teacher answer keys are available within the lesson
screen immediately below the assignment or assessment item and with the Unit Resources in the left-hand navigation
area.
Grading Student Work
Students submit Teacher Graded offline work via the course Dropbox tool. Students will save their work to their local
computer, navigate to the Dropbox, select the Dropbox basket for that assignment, and upload their file and any
comments for the teacher.
Download Student Work
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Select  Go from the What’s New area when a new assignment appears for grading, or…
Select  Dropbox from the top of your course screen for the assignment you wish to download
Select  Download Attachments to download the attachments from single or multiple students
Return Graded Work
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Select  Dropbox tab at the top of the course screen
Select  the name of the student whose work you are returning
Select  to upload the file
Enter  the numerical grade in the space provided and any comments to the student
Select  Save and Return to Student
Monitor Student Progress
Monitoring student progress is important in any instructional environment. The LMS provides several powerful tools to
monitoring student progress in their courses. You can review student progress at the individual student level as well as
the assignment level.
Gradebook
Selecting the Gradebook tab at the top of the Learning Management System (LMS) opens the course Gradebook.
Selecting any student name will display his or her grades in the course so far.
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To examine grades for all students on assignments in a specific unit, select the Unit from the pull-down menu and select
Go.
Exam and Question Statistics
Selecting the bar chart icon at the top of an assignment column will display the Exam Statistics for that assignment. The
second tab of the Exam Statistics allows you to pinpoint items on the test that many students struggled with on the
assessment.
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Gradebook Details
Selecting the grade of any student assignment will open the Gradebook Details for the assignment, displaying the
questions provided to the student, their answers, date and time the test was taken, and the length of time spent on the
test.
User Activity
User Activity within the Learning Management System (LMS) Gradebook displays data accurate to the previous 24
hours. Selecting User Activity in the Gradebook displays the amount of time (in minutes) that students have spent in
each unit of the course. Selecting the unit
number will display how much time every
student spent in each unit item.
Selecting the name of any student displays
the time that student spent in each area of
the course. Expanding a unit title displays the
time spent on each individual course item in
the unit.
Choosing View by date from the drop-down
menu and selecting Go allows you to see the
amount of time each student spent in the course on any given day. You may select options to view a date range less
than 31 days.
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You can export any Gradebook activity to Microsoft Excel by selecting the Export View link found on the screen.
Course Management
Course Announcements
Posting announcements to the homepage of your course is a great way to keep your students informed and engaged in
your course.
Creating New Course Announcements
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Select  Course Home unit header in the left-hand navigation area
Select  Author tab at the upper-left corner of the course screen
Select  Add Announcement link
Enter  a title for your Course Announcement in the Subject box
Enter  Course Announcement text in the Rich Text Editor box
Set  Start and End Dates and Times to define when the message appears to students
Select  Add Announcement
Edit Existing Course Announcements
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Select  Course Home in the left-hand
navigation area
Select  Author tab
Select  Edit icon
Edit  the Subject, Text, Start and End
Dates and Times as needed
Select  Save Changes
Assessments
Teachers may choose to prevent access to Computer Scored (CS) items. In addition to the use of the Path Builder tool
and the Course Scheduler, teachers may choose to add passwords to course assessments.
Password Settings
Other than using groups, preventing access to an exam or quiz by use of a password is the only method in the LMS to
permit access to one or more students while preventing access by others.
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Select  Author tab
Select  the assessment item from the left-hand navigation
Select Toolbox button
Scroll the bottom of the Toolbox settings
Enter (to set) or delete (to remove) the password restricting access to the item
Select Save Changes
Wait for confirmation message before leaving the screen
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Granting Additional Time on Computer-Scored Assessments
Computer-Scored (CS) assessments are timed and occasionally teachers may need to grant additional time to students,
based upon IEP documentation or other circumstances. This setting can only be modified after a student has attempted
an assessment. Follow these steps to grant additional time on an assessment to a single student:
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Select  Gradebook tab
Select  the related unit from the dropdown box
Select  the grade the student earned (or
the asterisk) associated with that assignment
Enter  the number of additional minutes
the student can use on the assessment in the
Gradebook Detail window
Select  Grant button
The status of the assignment will change to in
process
Select  Save and Close
Changing the Allowed Time on Computer-Scored Assessments
Computer Scored (CS) assessments have presets indicating the amount of time a student may spend on an assessment.
Teachers may revise these settings to require a shorter or longer period and/or change whether or not the system to
kick students out of the assessment when the time expires. Follow these steps to make these adjustments:
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Select  Author tab
Select the name of the assessment in the
left-hand navigation
Select Toolbox button at the top of the
main content screen
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Edit Edit the time in hours and minutes next to the Time allowed label
Check/Uncheck  if students should be removed from the text when the time expires
Select Save Changes
Permitting Students to Retake Computer-Scored Assessments
The default settings restrict students from taking Computer Scored (CS) Assessments more than once. Follow these
steps to change this setting to permit students to take assessments more than once.
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Select  Author tab near the upper-left of the course screen
Select  the name of the assessment in the left-hand navigation
Select  Toolbox button at the top of the main content screen
Scroll to the Exam Type settings
Select  the appropriate radio button to restrict students to taking the exam once or allowing them to retake
the exam
Select  Save Changes
Course Content
Teachers may wish to add course content items or assessments to K12912 courses in order to meet local requirements.
Three types of content can be added to the courses: Lesson Content, Computer Scored (CS) assessments and Teacher
Graded Assessments (TGA).
Teachers in K12 Virtual Academy programs should always discussion course additions and deletions with their school
academic administrator.
Adding New Lesson Content
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Select  Author tab near the upper-left of the course screen
Select  the name of the unit in which you want to include a new content item
Select Unit Content Items
Select Add Items button
Enter a name for your content item, the type of item to add and to which unit it should be added
o Text/Multimedia: Allows you to create a content item using HTML or a rich text editor
o Microsoft Office Document: Allows you to upload a file created using one of these three popular
Microsoft Office suite
o Exam: Allows you to use the Quiz Builder to create a Computer Scored (CS) assessment
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Threaded Discussion: Allows you to create a threaded discussion to permit student asynchronous
discussion
o Web Content Upload: Allows you to upload web content
Select  the boxes to create a Dropbox basket for this item or to hide it from student view
Select  Add Items or Save & Add More Items
Adding New Computer Scored Assessments (CS)
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Add an Exam content item following the directions above
Select  the name of the assessment from the left-hand navigation area
Select  the type of question you wish to add to the assessment from the Add drop-box
Select  the question in the text box labeled Question
Depending on the type of item, enter the choice options, the correct answer and points possible for the
question
 enter explanations for correct and/or incorrect answers, or general explanations about the question in the boxes
provided, if necessary
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Adding a Custom Item to the Gradebook
Teachers may wish to provide a grade to students for an assignment or event that is not related to a course item. Do add
an assignment or even unassociated with the left-hand navigation, the Learning Management System (LMS) requires a
custom item to add to the Gradebook.
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Select  Gradebook tab
Select Setup Gradebook
Select Add New Items
Scroll to the bottom of the screen
Enter  the name of the custom item in
the box labeled Add Custom Item
Select  Add
Find the item in the checklist on this page
Mark  the checkbox to the left of the
item name
Select Save Changes
Select Select Gradable Items
Scroll to find the item you added
Mark  the checkbox for each unit the new item will appear in the Gradebook
Select  Save Changes
Select Assign Points/Weights sub-tab
Scroll to find the item you added in each unit
Enter  the total points possible for the item in the box provided
Select Save Changes button at the top or bottom of the screen
Effects of Including Quiz Performance in Overall Course Average
Most lessons have a quiz associated with them, and although they are graded and results are visible in the Gradebook,
these scores do not calculate into the students’ overall grade in the course. Although teachers may be tempted to
include these scores into the final course grade calculation, this is not a recommended practice, since quizzes are set for
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students to take multiple times and not based upon a question pool. Students could easily earn enough points on
quizzes for a passing grade in the course and do not reflect an accurate measure of content mastery. It is preferred that
participation is rewarded through a teacher added “participation” Gradebook item or through the Extra Credit points
already available in the Gradebook.
Extra Credit Recommendations
Teachers frequently indicate the desire to employ the use of Extra Credit in courses s a means of encouraging student
engagement and effort. It is important to limit the use of Extra Credit in a course to prevent artificial inflation of grades.
K12 recommends that the total amount of Extra Credit possible students can earn is limited to 5% of the total points in
the course. The default design of the course assumes that only Unit tests will be used to calculate the final grade in the
course. Because of this, the 5% is limited to the total points possible on the unit tests.
ExamGuard
The High School Learning Management System features ExamGuard, a secure browser add-on that limits the student’s
ability to print, navigate the Internet, and access other programs while taking an online assessment. The default setting
activates this functionality for Computer Scored (CS) Unit assessments.
Students must download and install a small piece of software called the Respondus Lockdown Browser. When students
access these assessments, the ExamGuard software is activated, allowing the student to complete the assessment, but
prevents access to any other functionality on the computer.
ExamGuard prohibits students from the following when taking an online assessment:
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Printing functions are disabled
Print Screen and capturing functions are disabled
Copying and pasting anything into or from the assessment
Surfing the Web
Opening or using any other applications such as Microsoft Word, e-mail, instant messenger, etc.
Function keys are disabled
Selecting on any other area within the course
Students will not be able to select the Begin Exam button without the necessary software. Selecting the ExamGuard
Download and Instructions link will take student to the download page to download the ExamGuard plug-in.
Windows PC Installation Process
Upon selecting download, users will receive a dialog box ask to Open or Save the plug-in. Select Open to begin
installation without saving a file or select Save to download and save the plug-in file to the computer without installation
of the software. We recommend users select Open to alleviate any confusion or extra steps for installation.
After selecting Open users, use the Installation Wizard to accept the User License and initiating a complete installation.
Once the process is complete, users should check their programs file to confirm the plug-in successfully installed. PC
users will find an ExamGuard program listed in their program list or Start Menu.
Macintosh Installation Process
The installation process for a Mac will differ slightly then the process for a PC. As part of the download process, users
may need to verify the Respondus applet. To verify the applet, select  the Trust button to allow the Respondus
Certificate. Once the certificate is accepted and installation is complete, users are asked to accept the package, Select 
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Continue to grant access to the ExamGuard Installer. The installer will guide the user through the process of accepting
the user license and installing the plug-in on their Mac.
Note for both PC and Mac Users: it is only necessary to download this plug-in once for each computer used for
schoolwork or taking assessments; students do not need to download the plug-in each time they take an assessment.
Taking an Assessment
After the plug-in installation, eCollege platform will detect the plug-in and allow the user to begin their assessment.
ExamGuard has features that detect other open software running in the background and prevent users from completing
an assessment. ExamGuard will provide the user with a message indicating they must close the other software
applications to proceed. ExamGuard will provide a message and ask users if they want ExamGuard to close the other
detected software. If the user chooses Yes, Exam Guard will close the software and continue. If the user chooses No, the
assessment process will stop and it will be up to the user to close all programs before they can begin their assessment.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding this document or training, feel free to submit a teacher help ticket to
teachereffectiveness@k-12.com.
K12 Teacher Effectiveness Division
March 8, 2016