This lesson provides step-by-step guidance on creating a Math Equation Response Item in the Item Bank. Math Equation Response items provide students with an equation editor to respond to a question and is automatically scored.
Where to Start
- Select Assessments.
- Select Browse Item Bank.
Create a New Item
- Select Create Item.
- Use the dropdown menu to select Math Equation Response as the item type.
Math Equation Response Items
- Enter the Item Stem. The prompt is the beginning part of an item that presents a problem to be solved, a direct question, or an incomplete statement to be completed, as well as any other relevant information.
- To insert a line break in the Stem, use shift-return (or shift-enter, depending on the keyboard).
- Use the dropdown menu to select which Grade Level Equation Editor should be attached to the item. The selection made here will be provided both to you as the author to enter the correct answer, and also to students who are taking the item on an assessment.
- Use the dropdown menu to select a Validation Type.
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Literal Validation means that, with certain exceptions, the student’s answer will need to be identical to the “official” correct answer to be recognized as correct. For instance, if the correct answer is defined as 5/4, then 1¼, 10/8, 1.25, and 125% would all be scored as incorrect. The exceptions are as follows:
- Extra spaces are ignored. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as x+3, then x + 3 will also be accepted (and vice versa).
- Leading zeros are ignored. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as 0.5, then .5 will also be accepted (and vice versa).
- Commas used as thousands separators are ignored. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as 1000, then 1,000 will also be accepted (and vice versa).
- The multiplication symbol (×) and multiplication dot (⋅) are treated as interchangeable, as are the radical sign (√ ) with and without a 2 to indicate square root.
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Symbolic Validation means that if the student’s answer is mathematically equivalent to the correct answer, it will, in most cases, be recognized as correct. Symbolic validation allows the sides of an equation to be swapped. It does not, however, allow other transformations of the equation.
- If the specified answer is 1.25, some other answers that will validate as correct include: 1¼, 125%, 5/4, 25/20, 1+1/4, 2 - 0.75, 5/8 x 2
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Literal Validation means that, with certain exceptions, the student’s answer will need to be identical to the “official” correct answer to be recognized as correct. For instance, if the correct answer is defined as 5/4, then 1¼, 10/8, 1.25, and 125% would all be scored as incorrect. The exceptions are as follows:
While both validation types recognize math variables, neither validation type recognizes units. If the correct answer for a math or science question requires including a unit, such as a word problem involving distance, velocity, area, volume, etc., another item type, like Explicit Constructed Response, might be better suited.
- Use the on-screen equation editor and/or the keyboard to specify the “official” correct answer. Depending upon the Validation selection and certain other item settings, a Math Equation Response may accept answers that are not identical to the “official” correct answer.
- If alternate answers are going to be accepted, select Add Alternate. Repeat as needed. This step may not be needed, depending on the Validation type.
- Use the checkboxes to enable Allow Trailing Zeros and/or Ignore Order:
- If the Allow Trailing Zeros option is checked, then validation will be indifferent to the presence or absence of trailing zeros. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as 30, then 30.00 will also be accepted, and vice versa. Similarly, if the correct answer is defined as 5.04, then 5.040, 5.0400, and so forth will be recognized as correct. This may be appropriate when dealing with dollar values, where students may be likely to add a decimal place and zeros to the end of an answer, or with measurements, if significant figures are not important.
- If Ignore Order is checked, then validation will be indifferent to the order of multiplicands and addends. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as 3⋅x+5, then 5+x⋅3 will also be recognized as correct. This setting also allows the sides of an equation or inequality to be swapped to produce an equivalent expression. E.g., if the correct answer is defined as x=3, then 3=x will also be recognized as correct, and if the correct answer is defined as x<3, then 3>x will also be recognized as correct.
Drafted items are automatically saved.
Item Details
- To link Standard(s) to the item, select the Three Pages icon.
- To link a Passage to the item, select the Book icon.
- To add Tags to the item, select the Tag icon.
- Additional Settings are available to edit per item, such as enabling/disabling the Item Stem and Rationale.
Item Preview
- Select Item Preview to see a preview.
- You can select to preview the item from a Student or Instructor Role.
- Test the item by using the equation editor to enter a response.
- Select Check Answers to test whether the response entered is recognized as correct. Correct responses will be outlined in green, and incorrect responses will be indicated in orange.
Publish Item
- When you've completed creating/editing your item, select Done.
- To make your item available to use in an assessment, select Publish.
- To save an item that you isn't ready to be published, select Save Draft.
- To delete the item, select Discard.
Once items are Published, they can be Locked, Edited, or Deleted.
Next Steps
Now that you have created a Math Equation Response item, learn about Creating an Item Bank Assessment.