This lesson reviews how to customize your answer key for your Manual/Hybrid Assessment. It is important to have your desired test and answers available in order to build your answer key correctly. The answer key will tell Lightning Grader and the Enter/Edit page how to record and score your student's answers.
Please note, these practices are not available for Itembank or Flex assessments.
Before You Start
See the Create a Manual Assessment lesson first if you do not know how to create an assessment.
Where to Start

When in a selected assessment or after creating a new assessment, select Setup > Answer Key to begin.
Enter Question Information
First you need to build your answer key.

There are many options on how to enter your assessment's answer key depending on your assessment's results:
If you have items that have one correct answer, more than one answer, multiple correct answers, then you enter the answer in your key. Enter the answer choice in Correct. Variations are available for a single answer, multiple answers, either/or, and combination of.
- One answer: A (Only A is correct)
- Either answer: A, B (A or B is correct)
- Multiple Answers: CD (Both have to be bubbled or entered to be correct.)
- Multiple Either Answers: AB, CD (Either AB OR CD are correct.)
The key defaults to 1 point, you can adjust the points based on the item.
Consider This! When adjusting various point values for your items, review your overall score expectations and performance band levels. You can review, manage and create performance bands by visiting Create and Manage Performance Bands.
Mark Advanced to use custom point values such as A:4, B:3, C:2, etc. Using a comma, will separate all of the possible correct answers allowed on this item or question.
Learn more about such scoring options, by visiting Advanced Scoring Options!
For Rubric/Constructed Response items, aka Teacher-Graded, select the Rubric/Constructed Response checkbox. Enter the number of bubbles according to a rubric (such as 4), then add the max value correct or points, which typically matches the rubric (i.e. 3 point rubric is worth 3 points).
- Sentence (1 Line)
- Short Answer (4 lines)
- Constructed Response (8 lines)
- Essay (Full Page)
With the above, you will later apply a background type of lined, blank, or gridded.
If want a place value or number, you can have a number grid on your answer sheet. Place your correct answer in Points, (i.e. 1.001, 1.26, etc.).
While the Number Grid option works for Lightning Grader scanning, it does not currently work for Online Testing Administration. If wanting to assess online, consider making this item a rubric (correct or incorrect, with a point value of 1). Online, students will have to enter the value or type the word and they will be teacher graded with a point value of 1 or 0.
Other options while designing your answer key include:
- Check the Extra Credit box if you want the question to be extra credit. The total percentage may be over 100% since the number of points a student receives may be over the maximum points possible of the actual test. For example, a student may receive 21/20 points for a twenty question test (1 point per question) and an extra credit question worth 1 point. In this case if a student got all answers correct plus full credit for the extra credit question, he or she would receive a 105%.
- Click Save to save your progress so far and remain in the Answer Key.
- Add Questions if you need more questions on your answer key.
- Link Standards (Optional) later in Setup > Standard.
- Print a copy of your answer key anytime for your records.
At anytime you can delete any questions at this stage. To do this, simply hover to the left of the question and click the trash can icon that appears.
Save & Go to Sheet Designer
Once your key is complete, now it is time to customize your sheet using Sheet Designer!
11. Select Save & Go to Sheet Designer to customize your items with various question types and settings.
Next Steps
Now that your answer key is ready to go, visit Customize Your Answer Sheet with Sheet Designer LiG!
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