In Mastery Connect, you can create an essay question with plain text. An essay with plain text item allows the student to enter text in response to a prompt.
Note: District and school administrators (admins) can also create items directly in the district item bank.
Add New Item
In the Global Navigation menu, click the Assessments link. Then, follow the steps to create a new item.
Enter Essay Prompt
Enter the essay question or prompt in the Compose question text field [1].
By default, copy, cut, and paste options are enabled for student answers. To disable the copy, cut, or paste options click the checkbox(es) to de-select [2].
To set a word limit for the response, enter a maximum word count in the Word limit text box [3]. To select how the word limit will display in the student view, click the Word limit drop-down menu and select a display option [4].
Selections display in the preview pane [5].
To add additional scoring, layout, formatting, and labeling options for the item, click the More options drop-down menu [6].
View Authoring Help
For more information about additional authoring options, scroll to the top of the item authoring page and click the Authoring Help icon.
Add Features
To add optional features to the item, click the Add Feature button [1] and select the features you wish to add from the drop-down menu [2]. Learn more about adding Passages and other features.
Note: The Desmos calculators are only available in districts that have paid Desmos subscriptions.
Add Rubric
To add a rubric to the item, enter it in the Rubric text field [1].
Enter the total number of points possible in the rubric in the Rubric Total Points text field [2].
Save or Publish Item
To save the item as a draft and keep editing enabled, click the Save As Draft button [1]. When you save an item as a draft, it can be edited and deleted in your personal item bank and by admins in the district teacher item bank.
To disable editing and share the item with teachers in your district, click the Publish button [2]. When you publish an item, it displays in the district teacher item bank and is available to all users in your district. You can delete the item from your personal item bank, and admins can delete the item from the district teacher item bank.
To disable editing and share the item with admins only, click the Publish & Reserve button [3]. When you publish and reserve an item, you can delete it in your personal item bank, and admins can view and delete the item in the district teacher item bank.
To clear question fields and return to the Create New Item page, click the Go Back button [4].