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[WIP] How to assess student work as an educator?

Prerna Singh

Last edited 1 day ago by Prerna Singh.

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As an educator, you can effortlessly create various tasks for your students on Toddle. Students can easily submit their work for these tasks, and you'll have multiple assessment tools at your disposal to evaluate their progress.

This article will cover:

Access student submissions

Evaluate tasks using assessment tools

Evaluate on learning goals

Explore the activity and messages tab

Mark task as evaluated and share evaluation with students and families

Download student work

Send bulk reminders

Access student submissions

To begin:

On your homepage, scroll to the Courses and classes area.

Here, you will see the courses and classes you are mapped to. Select the one for which you want to assess students’ submissions.

Go to the ‘Assignments’ section of the relevant class from the left pane.

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On the ‘Assignments’ page, you can view all the tasks created in your class. Tasks are organized into tabs for quick access and tracking:

All: Provides a consolidated view of all published assignments that are either in the To review or Reviewed stage. Draft and scheduled tasks are excluded for a focused view.

To-review: Lists all assignments that have new student submissions pending your evaluation. By default, these tasks are sorted by the assigned date.

Reviewed: This tab displays tasks you’ve already reviewed. Tasks can be moved here when marked as complete or evaluated, or manually at any time.

Unread messages: Tasks with unread student messages appear here, keeping you updated on new communications.

Scheduled: In this tab, you can view all tasks that are scheduled but not yet assigned to students.

Draft: This tab gives you access to the tasks that are saved as drafts.

Additionally, use the Tags panel on the left to quickly locate tasks associated with specific tags created during task setup.

Tip: To learn how to create assignments, refer to

this article.⁠

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Evaluate tasks using assessment tools

When you click on a task, you’ll land on the All submissions page, where you can view each student’s submission for the current task. Depending on your school’s setup, submissions may include a variety of file types such as PDFs, images, audio files, video files, Google Docs, Word documents, or links. Additionally, if your school has enabled Turnitin check, you will be able to view the similarity index for the submission.

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You can evaluate student work in two ways:

Bulk evaluation- assess all students at once.

Individual evaluation- review and evaluate submissions one student at a time.

Let’s look at each option in detail.

Bulk evaluation

1. From the All submissions page

On the All submissions page, locate the ‘Assessment tools’ column. This will list the assessment tools you have used for the current task.

Click the ‘Edit’ icon in the table header to start evaluating students on these assessment tools.

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In the modal that opens, use the left pane to select each student one by one and record their evaluation. Use the tabs at the top to switch between available tools such as Checklist, Rubric, Score and Comment.

If your task includes learning goals, you’ll see a separate Learning goals tab at the top.

After completing your evaluations, click ‘Save evaluation’ to apply the ratings for all students.

Tip: When using bulk evaluation, student submissions are not visible. This workflow works best when students have completed their work offline, and you simply need to record the evaluations on Toddle.

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2. From the Gradebook

You can also record evaluations in bulk directly from the Gradebook, which gives you quick access to scores, dropdown ratings, comments, and evaluation tools, all in one table view.

Here’s what you can do from the Gradebook:

Apply the same grade to all students using the Assign same grade to all students option in the three-dot menu.

Open quick evaluation to record ratings for each student using tools like Checklist, Score and Comment, or Rubric without leaving the Gradebook.

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Edit evaluations directly in the table by typing scores, selecting scale-based scores from dropdowns, or adding comments.

Use keyboard shortcuts (arrow keys, Enter/Return, drag-to-fill, copy/paste) to navigate and apply ratings faster.

Open the right-side detailed panel for a student by clicking the 'expand' button on a student’s cell to view or edit their full evaluation, including rubric levels, scores, and comments.

Tip: To learn more about evaluating from the Gradebook, refer to

this⁠

article.

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Individual evaluation

When you want to review each student’s submission in detail, open the All submissions page and click on the student’s name. This will take you to the individual evaluation screen.

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On this evaluation screen, you can do the following:

1. Review and evaluate student work

View the student’s submission on the left panel.

Use the

assessment tools⁠

on the right panel to record your evaluation (will be explained further in this article).

You can expand the assessment tools in a new window using the expand icon.

2. Use additional assessment features

Annotate submissions: Use

Toddle’s PDF annotator⁠

for PDF submissions, or add comments directly through the

Google Docs comment feature⁠

for Google file submissions.

Download work: Save the submission for offline reference.

Portfolio addition:

Add student’s work to the portfolio⁠

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Google document playback: If the student submitted a Google Doc as a link, you can use the

playback feature⁠

to review their writing process step-by-step.

3. Communicate with the student

Open the Activity & Messages tab to view the task activity log and send private feedback to the student.

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4. Participate in class discussion

If class discussion was enabled for the task, you can access it from the collapsible menu on the left. This shared space allows you and your students to exchange feedback, attach files or images, use emojis, or send quick voice notes.

5. Navigate and filter efficiently

Switch between students using the left panel.

Filter submissions by status (e.g., submitted, missing, pending) using the dropdown next to the filter icon.

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Assessment tools

Based on the assessment tools selected during the creation of tasks, you will see one or more of the following in the right pane:

Score-based assessment

Final remarks/comments

Standard-based rubric

Score-based rubric

Grade scale

Rubric

Single-point rubric

Checklist

Let’s take a closer look at each of these tools and how you can use them to assess student work.

Score-based assessment

The score-based assessment allows you to award a score to each student for the task. To evaluate the student's work, simply provide a number out of the maximum score, reflecting their performance.

Final remarks/comment

This assessment tool allows you to provide a descriptive comment/feedback on student’s work.

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Checklist

If a checklist is added to the task, you can rate each indicator using the predefined options (for example, Yes/No). You can create your own checklist for the task or use one from the school library.

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Rubric

At the time of task creation, you can either choose to use one of the existing rubric templates from your school library or create your own. You will see the added rubric in the right panel, where you can evaluate students on each defined criterion. Select the appropriate performance level (for example, Beginning, Developing) to record your evaluation.

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Single-point rubric

If a single-point rubric is added to the task, it appears in the right panel. Here, you can provide comments related to concern areas or advanced skills against the points mentioned in the rubric. You can create your own single-point rubric for the task or use one from the school library.

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Standards-based rubric

If a standards-based rubric is added to the task, you’ll see it in the right panel during evaluation. The rubric lists the selected standards as criteria, with rating options based on the grade scale (alpha or numeric) linked during setup.

To assess students, select the appropriate rating for each criterion:

For alpha grade scales, ratings appear as letter grades (e.g., A–F) or proficiency labels (e.g., Beginning, Developing, Proficient).

For numeric grade scales, ratings appear as numbers (e.g., 1–7) with optional descriptors. The total score auto-calculates and appears in the top-right corner of the evaluation window.

Tip: To learn more about evaluating using a standards-based rubric, refer to

this⁠

article.

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Score-based rubric

If a score-based rubric is added to the task, you will see it in the right panel during evaluation. The rubric displays each criterion with its rating levels, and each rating level shows its associated point value.

To evaluate a student:

Select the appropriate rating for each criterion. As you select ratings, Toddle automatically calculates the total score by summing the selected point values across all criteria. For example, if a student receives 2 points on one criterion and 3 on another, the total score is 5.

The total score is shown as a fraction of the maximum score (for example, 5/6). You can override this score by typing a value directly into the score field. When overridden, the field turns yellow and a reset icon appears. Hover over the reset icon to see the calculated score, and click it to revert to the rubric-calculated value.

If you change a rating selection after overriding the score, the override is cleared, and the score recalculates based on the updated ratings.

You cannot enter a score higher than the maximum score configured for the rubric.

Use the Show description toggle to show or hide criteria and rating descriptions during evaluation. This preference persists across all assessments that use a score-based rubric.

Students can also self-evaluate using this tool if self-evaluation is enabled for the task.

Once you mark a student’s evaluation as complete, the rubric goes into view mode. You can still show or hide the description, but you cannot change ratings or override the score.

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Grade scale

If a grade scale is added to the task, you will see it in the right panel during evaluation. Select the appropriate grade to record your evaluation.

Using Grade scale with score

When a Grade scale and Score are both added to the same assessment, the grade in the grade scale is auto-populated based on the score awarded, using the cut-offs defined in the grade scale. You can override the auto-calculated grade at any time.

Using Grade scale with score based rubric

The Grade scale value is automatically calculated based on the rubric evaluation. As you select ratings across criteria, each rating is mapped to its corresponding grade value, and an average is calculated to determine the final grade. This behaviour applies to both alpha and numeric grade scales. You can override the calculated value and reset it if needed.

Using Grade scale with standard based rubric

When used with a standards-based rubric, the behaviour depends on the type of grade scale used:

Alpha grade scale: Toddle automatically calculates the grade scale value based on the rubric evaluation. Here is how it works:

As you select a rating for each rubric criterion, Toddle converts each rating to its corresponding grade value.

It then averages the grade values across all criteria.

The averaged value is mapped back to the closest grade on the scale to produce the final grade scale result.

For example, if a student is rated B, A, C, and B across four standards, Toddle converts these into their grade values (for example, 80, 95, 65, and 80), calculates the average, and maps it back to the grade scale. If the average falls in the range for B+, the Grade scale value is set to B+.

Note: The grade updates in real time as you evaluate the rubric. You can override the calculated value and reset it if needed. The system will display both the calculated value and your override so the distinction is clear.

Numeric grade scale: The rubric calculates a score based on the selected ratings. Since a score is already generated, the Grade scale value is not automatically calculated and must be selected manually during evaluation.

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Evaluate on learning goals

If your task includes learning goals such as standards or skills, you can assess student performance against them directly from the ‘Rating on learning goals’ section on the right panel. It will list the selected learning goals, with rating options based on the linked grade scale(s).

Here’s how you can assess students in this section:

Rate on learning goals: For each learning goal, select a rating from the dropdowns.

Track progress: Click the graph icon next to each learning goal to see the student’s past ratings and progress across multiple tasks and their progress reports. This helps track growth and identify areas for improvement over time.

Note: Ratings given here are visible in the gradebooks, but they don’t contribute to the overall score. The task must be marked as evaluated for the ratings to appear in the gradebook.

Tip: To learn more about rating students on

standards⁠

and

skills⁠

, refer to these articles.

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Explore the activity and messages tab

Use this tab to communicate privately with students and track all task-related actions:

Send private messages: Send messages directly to students. They’ll receive an in-app notification immediately, and you’ll be notified when they reply. If a message remains unread for more than five minutes, both parties also receive an email notification.

View activity log: The activity log lists all actions taken by you or the student related to the task, such as adding or removing assessment tools, and new submissions. Remember that any updates you make to the task will be visible to both students and their family members.

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Mark task as evaluated and share evaluation with students and families

Once the assessment is complete, you can mark the task as evaluated and share the evaluation with students and families. Additionally, you have options to mark the evaluation as not applicable for specific students, request a resubmission, or close the task for submissions. These actions can be applied individually through the three-dot menu in each row, or in bulk using the options above the table. Here’s how each option works:

1. Mark as evaluated

Click on ‘Mark as evaluated’ if you have completed the evaluation but do not want to share it with students and families yet. This action marks the task as evaluated at the teacher's end, and the evaluation will start showing in the gradebook for teachers, but will not be visible to students or families .

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2. Mark as evaluated and share with the student and family

To mark the evaluation as complete and share it with students and families simultaneously, choose the ‘Mark as evaluated and share with students and families’ option from the dropdown.

When selected:

A notification is sent to both students and families.

Student and family members will see the task evaluation in their portal.

Students can view the evaluation, but can no longer modify or resubmit their work.

3. Evaluation not applicable

Choose the 'Evaluation not applicable' option from the dropdown to disable the evaluation for a specific student. Students will only see the 'Evaluation N/A' status when they visit their assessment page. No notification is sent for this action.

4. Request resubmission

Allows students to revise and resubmit their work based on your feedback. When selected:

Students receive a notification.

They can modify and resubmit their work before the deadline.

Close submissions for a task

The ‘Close submission’ feature prevents students from submitting or modifying their work after a given stage.

You can set a Closes on date while creating or editing the task under Configure assign settings. Once this date passes, submissions will automatically close, and students will see a Closed for submissions status.

You can also manually close submissions anytime using the ‘Close for submissions’ option.

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Additionally, when you mark a task as evaluated, the submission closes automatically. However, you can choose to keep submissions open after evaluation to give students flexibility to add or update their work even after grading.

You can access this option directly from the ‘All submissions’ page — either while evaluating an individual student’s work or when performing a bulk evaluation for multiple students. When you click ‘Mark as evaluated’, a confirmation modal appears with the checkbox ‘Close submission for selected student(s)’.

If the checkbox is selected, submissions will close after evaluation.

If you leave the checkbox unchecked, submissions remain open after evaluation.

Note: The ‘Close submission for [student name(s)]’ checkbox appears in both ‘Mark as evaluated’ and ‘Mark as evaluated and share with students and families’ modals.

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When you keep the submission open after evaluation:

Students can continue to submit or modify their work until the close date or until you manually close submissions. In this case, the Turned in status continues to show as Pending until the due date has passed. After the due date, the status changes to ‘Overdue’, but students will still be able to submit their work. If the close date passes without a submission, the status changes to ‘Not submitted’ and no further submissions are allowed.

You’ll see an exclamation icon beside the student’s name in both the All submissions page and the Gradebook, indicating that new work has been added after evaluation. You can review the updated work and click ‘Edit’ to re-evaluate it. Once the new evaluation is saved, the icon disappears.

Note: For more details on how auto-closing (locking) of submissions works, refer to

this⁠

article.

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Download student work

You can download a student’s submission directly from the evaluation page or from the ‘All Submissions’ page. Here’s how you can do it:

Click the download icon in the ‘Submission and evaluation’ window.

To download the version that includes your annotations, select ‘Download annotated (without names)’ from the three-dot menu next.

To download the student’s original submission, choose ‘Download original’ from the same menu.

You can also use the Print option from this menu if you prefer a hard copy of the submission.

Note: When downloading from the All submissions page, only the original student submission will be downloaded. Annotated versions can be downloaded only from the individual evaluation view.

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Send bulk reminders

In case there are pending submissions for a task, you can send bulk reminders to students and their family members about submission deadlines.

Here’s how you can do it:

Click the clock icon at the top of the page.

A pop-up window will open with a reminder message pre-selected based on the state of the task (for example: Approaching due date, Submission pending, or Submission overdue).

Review the list of students, add or remove names as needed using the dropdown under Students.

Edit the reminder message if required.

Click Send reminder to notify the selected students and their family members via both in-app and email notifications.

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