Adding Content by Creating a Custom Assessment

To create your own assessment items, you need to create an entire assessment made up of your own items, using a template.

1. Log in to Renaissance.
2. On the Home page:
   
   • Renaissance Next: Select Accelerated Reader under “My Apps” in the left-hand sidebar; then select Manage Content in the sidebar.
   • Legacy Mode: Select Manage Content.
     
     

3. On the Manage Content page, select Create an Assessment under Star Custom.

   

4. In the top section of the Create an Assessment window, fill out the required information for the assessment you are creating.

   

   1. Enter a title and a description for the assessment.
   2. Select the Subject field and select a subject for the assessment. Select Language Arts for reading and science assessments, and Mathematics for math assessments.
      
   3. Choose Select... in the Grade field and select the grades you want the assessment to be available for. In the pop-up window, check or uncheck grades, then select Done . To remove a grade after it has been entered, select the white on the right .
      
   4. Select Add skill... in the Skill field to select skills to relate to this assessment. (You must select at least one skill, but can select more than one.) In the pop-up window, select the subject, grade, domain, and then check a skill ; if subskills are available, another column will open to the right. Then select Done . To remove a skill after it has been entered, select the white on the right .
      
      

      You can search the items in a column by clicking within that column and then typing Ctrl+F or control-F on the keyboard.

   5. Select the Language field and select a language.
      
   6. Select the Available To field and choose who should have access to this assessment: everyone in your school district, everyone in your school, or just yourself. If a user at the district or school level is searching for assessments and the user's search criteria match some of the assessment details, they will be able to see and view this assessment unless you choose to restrict its availability.
      
      

5. In the Step 2 section of the page, select the Download template... field , and then select of the templates to download . The templates are Microsoft Word files; to create an assessment, you need to use a version of Word that can open, edit, and save .docx files.

   

   • Multiple Choice or Constructed Response Template is for creating assessments with up to six multiple-choice and/or constructed-response items.
   • Multiple Choice Template is for creating assessments with up to ten multiple-choice items.

   Files created or edited in the online version of Word are not compatible.

6. Once you have downloaded the template, open it. You may need to select Enable Editing in order to work with the template:

   

   Instructions for filling out the template are included on the first page of the template. Follow the instructions and fill out the template, then save it.

7. Upload the completed template in the Step 3 section of the page, either by dragging it into the dashed-outline area or selecting click to browse your computer and navigating to the file's location.

   

8. After you have uploaded the file, you can see it in the dashed-outline area . (If you selected the wrong file, or you want to make changes to the template and re-upload it, select Delete .)

   

   When you are ready to create the assessment, select Create Assessment . If you select Cancel , the Create an Assessment window will close, and none of your work will be saved (although any templates you have downloaded and saved will still be on your computer).

9. You will see a message reminding you that it will take some time for the process to finish; select OK to close this message .

   

10. Once the process is complete, you will be able to search for and assign the assessment items just like any other item. Depending on the availability setting you chose, other users may also be able to find/assign the items you have created.