Use a screen reader with Classroom on your computer (for teachers)

This article is for teachers.

Teachers who are visually impaired can use a screen reader on their computers and mobile devices to use Classroom. This article focuses on computer screen readers, although mobile screen readers are also supported.

This article has sections on recommended browsers for screen readers, navigating around Classroom, completing common teacher tasks in Classroom, and related resources.

To jump to a specific teacher task below, select an option:

Create a class
Invite students or co-teachers to a class
Create an assignment
Crate a question
Create a quiz assignment
Add an attachment to a post
Communicate with students or co-teachers
Open student work
Grade and return an assignment

Navigate around Classroom

When you open Classroom, you’re on the Classroom homepage, also known as the Classes page. The Classes page has 3 main areas:

Main navigation area—Find your classes, calendar, notification settings, and archived classes. You can also open the main navigation area from within a class to return to the Classes page.
Banner—Find general settings and controls, including the Google bar for switching to other apps and user accounts.
A list of your classes—Find all the classes you teach or are invited to teach. Each class has a class card with buttons and links on it.

Within each class, you have 4 main areas:

The Stream page—Post announcements to your class and access your class settings.
The Classwork page—Create and post questions, assignments, and quiz assignments. You can also post materials, such as a class syllabus. You can organize your posts under topics you create.
The People page—Invite students or co-teachers to join your class, and email students, guardians, or co-teachers.
The Grades page—You can enter, review, and return student grades from the Grades page. If you grade a student’s work in another area of Classroom, such as the Classroom grading tool, the grade automatically updates to the Grades page.

Complete educator tasks in Classroom with a screen reader

Create a class

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school. If you’re already signed in and need to switch accounts, on the Classes page, in the banner, navigate to the Google account button and press Enter. Then select or add your account.
In the banner on your Classes page, navigate to the Create or Join a Class button and press Enter.
Select the Create class menu item and press Enter.
A window called Create class opens so you can enter your class details.
Enter a class name (required), section, subject, and room. Then navigate to the Create button and press Enter. You are now in your new class, on the Stream page tab.

For more information, go to Create a class.

Invite students or co-teachers to a class

You can invite students or co-teachers to join your class in 2 ways: with an invite or with the class code. If you send an invite, people get an email and the class shows on their Classes page. If you share the class code, people sign in to Classroom and enter the code to join your class.

To jump to the instructions below, select an option:

Send an invite
Share the class code

To invite students or co-teachers with an invite:

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to your class and, when you hear the class name, press Enter.
You are now in the class on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the People page tab and press Enter.
On the People page, navigate to the Invite teachers button or the Invite students button and press Enter. Based on your choice, an Invite teachers or Invite students window opens.
Tip: Be sure to invite only students from the Invite students button and only teachers from the Invite teachers button.
Enter the names or email addresses of the people you want to invite.
Tip: As you enter a name or email address, a list of suggested people appears in Search results. You can select people from the list.
When you finish adding people to the invite, navigate to the Invite button and press Enter.
The people you invited receive an email with your invite.

To invite students or co-teachers with the class code:

You can share the class code in different ways. For example, you can share it in an email or use a projector to display it.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to your class and, when you hear the class name, press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
(Optional) To display the class code with a projector, navigate to the Display button and press Enter. The enlarged code shows in a window. To make the code even larger, in the window, navigate to the Full screen button and press Enter.
(Optional) To share the class code in an email, on the Stream page, navigate to the Class settings button and press Enter. In Class settings, complete the following steps:
1. Navigate to the Class enrollment code menu item and press Enter.
2. Select Copy from the menu item list.
  The code copies to your clipboard. You can close the Class settings page.
3. Paste the code into an email for your students or co-teachers.

For more information, go to Invite your students to a class or Add a co-teacher to a class.

Create an assignment

Assignments you create post to the Classwork page. You can also show or hide classwork posts on the Stream page. When you create an assignment, you can post it immediately or schedule it to post later.

You can add files and attachments to an assignment. When you attach a file to an assignment, you can set student permissions on the attachment to Students can view file, Students can edit file, or Make a copy for each student. If you select Make a copy for each student, every student gets an individual copy of the file to work on.

Step 1 of 3: Create your assignment

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to your class and, when you hear the class name, press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the Classwork page tab and press Enter.
On the Classwork page, navigate to the Create button and press Enter.
A list opens of the Create menu items.
On the list of Create menu items, select Assignment.
A window opens so you can enter the assignment details.
In the Title text box, enter an assignment title (required).
Note: After you enter a title, the assignment saves as a draft on your Classwork page. Students can’t see your drafts.
To add assignment details, continue to Step 2: Add assignment details.

Step 2 of 3: Add assignment details

After you enter an assignment title, you can add other details to your assignment.

To jump to the instructions below, select an option: Add instructions, add attachments, post to multiple classes, post to specific students, add a grade category, change the point value, enter a due date, add a topic, add a rubric, turn on originality reports.

(Optional) To add instructions for your students, in the assignment details window, after the Title text box, navigate to the Instructions text box and enter any instructions.
(Optional) To add or create attachments, jump to Add an attachment to a post, below.
(Optional) To post the assignment in more than one class, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Post in menu item and press Enter. A list of your classes opens. To post to a class, check its box in the list.
Note: If you post the assignment to multiple classes, you have to post to all students in those classes.
(Optional) To post the assignment to specific students in your class, in the assignment details window, navigate to the For all students menu item and press Enter. A list of students in the class opens. By default, all students are selected to get the post. To deselect a student so they don’t get the post, in the list, uncheck the box next to their name.
(Optional) To add a grade category, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Grade category menu. By default, No category is selected. Select a grade category from the list and press Enter.
Note: To create grade categories, you have to set up grading. For instructions, go to Set up grading.
(Optional) To change the point value, in the assignment details window, navigate until you hear Maximum point value. By default, the value is set to 100. Enter a new value, or select Ungraded and press Enter.
Note: When you return Ungraded work, students get a check mark rather than points.
(Optional) To enter a due date, in the assignment details window, navigate to the No due date menu item and press Enter. A window opens called Due Date and time.
1. In the Due date and time window, enter a due date, or to select a date from a calendar, navigate to the No due date button and press Enter.
2. To enter a due time, in the Due date and time window, navigate to the Add due time button and press Enter. Enter a time with AM or PM and press Enter.
(Optional) To add the post to a topic, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Topic menu. By default, No topic is selected. On the menu, select a topic, or select Create topic and enter a new topic name.
Tip: Topics help organize classwork for you and your students. For example, you can group posts by learning objective, unit, or week. Posts show under their topic, and you can filter by topic.
(Optional) To add a rubric, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Attach rubric menu item and press Enter. You can choose from the following menu options: Create rubric, Reuse rubric, or Import from Sheets.
For detailed rubric instructions, go to Create or reuse a rubric for an assignment.
(Optional) To turn on originality reports for the assignment, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Originality reports checkbox and press Enter to check the box. A window opens to confirm you want to turn on originality reports for the assignment. In the window, navigate to the Continue button and press Enter. For more information about originality reports, go to Turn on originality reports for an assignment.
To finish and post your assignment, continue to Step 3: Post or schedule your assignment.

Step 3 of 3: Post or schedule your assignment

Students can view an assignment after you post it. Students can’t view a scheduled assignment until it posts.

Choose an option:
- To post the assignment immediately, in the assignment details window, navigate to the Assign button and press Enter. The assignment posts and you return to the Classwork page.
  Note: After an assignment posts, you can’t change it later to a scheduled post.
- To schedule the assignment to post later, navigate to the Save options menu item and press Enter. A menu opens with 3 options: Assign, Schedule, and Save draft. Select Schedule. A Schedule Assignment window opens. In the window, navigate to Schedule date and enter a date. Then navigate to Schedule time and enter a time. To finish, in the window, navigate to the Schedule button and press Enter. The assignment will post as scheduled. You return to the Classwork page.

Note: Before a scheduled assignment posts, you can edit the scheduled date. On the Classwork page, on the assignment, select the Edit button. In the assignment details, navigate to Scheduled for and change the date, or for more options, select the Remove scheduled date button.

For more information, go to Create an assignment.

Create a question

To check understanding or facilitate class discussion, you can ask your class a question. You can create a short-answer question or a multiple-choice question. By default, the question type is set to Short answer. For instructions to grade a question, go to Grade and return question answers.

Step 1 of 4: Create the question

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to the class name and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the Classwork page tab and press Enter.
On the Classwork page, navigate to the Create button and press Enter.
A menu opens with the types of classwork posts you can create.
On the Create button menu, select Question.
You are now in the question details window, in the Question text box.
In the Question text box, enter the question.
Choose an option:
- To set up a multiple choice question, go to Step 2: Set up a multiple-choice question.
- To add question details, continue to Step 3: Add question details.

Step 2 of 4: (Optional) Set up a multiple-choice question

To create a multiple-choice question, navigate to the Question type menu and select Multiple choice. Two blank options appear under the Instructions text box.
Navigate to Option 1 and enter an option.
Navigate to Add option, and enter the next option. To add more options, repeat this step.
(Optional) To remove an option, navigate to its Remove option button and press Enter.
Tip: The Remove option button comes after the option.
(Optional) After students select an answer, you can let them see a summary of how the class answered. By default, students can see the class summary. To turn off the class summary, uncheck the box for Students can see class summary.
To add question details, such as instructions or a due date, continue to Step 3: Add question details.

Step 3 of 4: Add question details

You can add other details to your question. To jump to the instructions below, select an option: Add instructions, add attachments, post to multiple classes, post to specific students, add a grade category, change the point value, add a due date, add a topic, set student permissions.

(Optional) To add instructions for the question, navigate to the Instructions text box and enter any instructions.
(Optional) To add attachments, in the question details, navigate to the Add or Create menu items and select a file type. For more instructions, jump to Add an attachment to a post, below.
(Optional) To post the question to multiple classes, navigate to the Post in menu item and press Enter. A checklist of all your classes opens. By default, only the current class is checked. To post to other classes, check their boxes on the list.
Note: If you post to multiple classes, you have to post to all students in those classes.
(Optional) To post the question to specific students, navigate to the For all students menu item and press Enter. A checklist of students in the class opens. By default, the All students option is checked. Uncheck the All students box, and then check the boxes for the students you want to post to.
(Optional) To add a grade category, navigate to the Grade category menu item and select a category. By default, No category is selected.
Note: To create grade categories, you have to set up grading. For instructions, go to Set up grading.
(Optional) To change the point value, navigate to the Point value text box. By default, the value is set to 100. Enter another value, or select Ungraded.
(Optional) To set a due date, navigate to the No due date menu item and press Enter. A Due date and time window opens.
1. In the window, select the Add due date button, and then select a date on the calendar that opens. The date is added and the calendar closes.
2. To add a due time, in the window, select the Due time button. Enter a time with AM or PM and press Enter. The due date and time are set. You can close the Due date and time window.
(Optional) To add the question to a topic, navigate to the Topic menu. By default, No topic is selected. In the Topic menu, choose an option:
1. Select a topic from the menu.
2. Select Create topic, and enter a new topic name in the text box that opens.
  Tip: Topics help organize classwork for you and your students. For example, you can group posts by learning objective, unit, or week. Posts show under their topic, and you can filter by topic.
(Optional) Set student permissions (for short-answer questions only):
1. To let students reply to their classmate’s answers, navigate to Students can reply to each other and make sure the box is checked.
  Note: By default, the box is checked.
2. To let students edit their answers, navigate to Students can edit answer and check the box.
  Note: By default, the box is unchecked.

Step 4 of 4: Post or schedule the question

You can post the question immediately, or schedule it to post later.

Choose an option:
- To post the question immediately, in the question details, navigate to the Ask button and press Enter.
  The question posts and you’re returned to the Classwork page.
- To schedule the question to post later, navigate to the Save options menu item and press Enter. A menu opens with 3 options: Ask, Save draft, and Schedule. Select Schedule. A Schedule question window opens. In the window, navigate to the Schedule date text box and enter a date. Then navigate to the Schedule time text box and enter a time. To finish, in the window, navigate to the Schedule button and press Enter.
  The question will post as scheduled. You’re returned to the Classwork page.

For more information, go to Create a question.

Create a quiz assignment

When you create a quiz assignment, Classroom creates a blank quiz using a Google Form and attaches it to the assignment. You can then edit the quiz and add questions.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to the class name and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the Classwork page tab and press Enter.
You are now on the Classwork page.
On the Classwork page, navigate to the Create button and press Enter.
A menu opens with the types of classwork posts you can create.
On the Create button menu, select the Quiz assignment menu item and press Enter.
You are now in the quiz assignment details window. A blank Google Forms quiz automatically attaches to your quiz assignment.
In the quiz assignment details, enter a title and other details, such as instructions or a topic. For more information, jump to Add assignment details or Add an attachment to a post.
(Optional) To prevent students from opening other browser tabs during the quiz, navigate to Locked mode on Chromebooks and check the box.
Note: This option is available for schools that use managed Chromebooks. Learn more.
To begin creating the Forms quiz, in the quiz assignment details, navigate to the Google Forms quiz attachment and press Enter. A blank Forms quiz opens in a new browser tab.
Navigate to the browser tab for your Forms quiz, and then:
1. In the Forms quiz, navigate to Form title and enter a title for the quiz.
2. Fill in the rest of the quiz.
  Your updates to the Forms quiz automatically save to the quiz attachment in your quiz assignment.
To assign or schedule your quiz, navigate back to the browser tab for your Classroom quiz assignment, and choose an option:
1. To assign your quiz immediately, in the quiz assignment details, navigate to the Assign button and press Enter.
2. To schedule your quiz to post later, in the quiz assignment details, navigate to the Save options button and press Enter. Then select Schedule and set a date and time.

For more information, go to Create a quiz assignment or Create and grade quizzes with Google Forms.

Add an attachment to a post

To distribute resources or materials to your students, you can add attachments such as worksheets, videos, or web links to the posts you create.

With classwork posts, such as assignments or questions, you can also create a new file that attaches automatically. On the attachment, you can set student access to Students can view file, Students can edit file, or Make a copy for each student.

To jump to the instructions below, select an option: Add an attachment or create an attachment.

To add an attachment

Note: You can use this option for announcements or classwork posts.

In the details of the post you’re creating, navigate to the Add button and press Enter. A menu opens with attachment options. To jump to the instructions below, select an option: Attach a file from Google Drive, attach a link, attach a file from your device, or attach a YouTube video.
(Optional) To attach a file from Google Drive, on the Add menu, select Google Drive. A window opens called Insert files using Google Drive. In the window, a tab menu item for Recent files is selected.
1. Select or search for the file in Drive.
  Note: If you select a suggested search result, the file attaches and the window closes.
2. In the Insert files using Google Drive window, navigate to the Add button press Enter. The file attaches to your post.
(Optional) To attach a link, on the Add menu, select Link. An Add link window opens.
1. In the Link text box, enter your link.
2. Navigate to the Add link button and press Enter. The link attaches to your post.
(Optional) To attach a file from your device, on the Add menu, select File. A window opens called Insert files using Google Drive. In the window, a tab menu item for Upload is selected. You can:
1. (Optional) Drag files into the window.
2. (Optional) Navigate to the Select files from your device button and press Enter.
3. When you finish adding files, in the Insert files using Google Drive window, navigate to the Upload button and press Enter. The file attaches to your post.
(Optional) To add a YouTube video, on the Add menu, select YouTube. An Insert video window opens with tabs to search for a video or enter a URL for a video.
1. Select your video or enter a video URL.
2. In the Insert video window, navigate to the Add button and press Enter. The video attaches to your post.

To create and attach a new file

Note: You can use this option for classwork posts. For announcements, jump to Add an attachment, above.

In the details of the classwork post you're creating, navigate to the Create button and press Enter. A menu opens with options to create Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, and Forms.
Select one of the options.
A blank file attaches to your post and you’re taken to a new browser tab to create your content.
In the new browser tab, add your content.
Any changes you make to the file automatically save to the attachment in your classwork post.
Navigate back to the browser tab for your classwork post and finish creating the post.

For more information on attaching files, go to Create an assignment.

Communicate with students or co-teachers

You can post an announcement for your class, send a private comment to a student about their work, and email students or co-teachers.

To jump to instructions below, select an option:

Post an announcement to your class
Send a private comment to a student
Email students or co-teachers

Post an announcement to your class

When you post an announcement, you can post it to all students in multiple classes, or to specific students in one class.

Step 1 of 3: Create the announcement

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to the class name and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the Share something with your class button and press Enter.
A window opens to enter announcement details.
In the window, navigate to the Share something with your class text box and enter your announcement.

Step 2 of 3: (Optional) Add other announcement details

To jump to the instructions below, select an option: Add an attachment, post to multiple classes, post to specific students.

(Optional) To add an attachment to your announcement, navigate to the Add menu item and press Enter.
A list opens with the following attachment options: Google Drive, Link, File, or YouTube. For more information, jump to Add an attachment, above.
(Optional) To post the announcement to all students in multiple classes, in the announcement details window, navigate to the Post in menu and press Enter. A list of your classes opens. For each class you want to post to, check the box in the list.
Note: If you post to multiple classes, you have to post to all students in those classes.
(Optional) To post the announcement to specific students in the class, in the announcement details window, navigate to the For all students menu and press Enter. A checklist of your students opens. By default, all students are selected to receive the announcement. To omit a student from the announcement, uncheck their box.

Step 3 of 3: Post or schedule the announcement

Choose an option:
- To post the announcement immediately, in the announcement details window, navigate to the Post button and press Enter. Your announcement posts.
- To schedule the announcement to post later, in the announcement details window, navigate to the Save options menu and press Enter. A list opens with options to Post, Schedule, or Save Draft. Select Schedule and press Enter. A Schedule Announcement window opens. In the Schedule announcement window, navigate to Schedule date and enter a date, and then navigate Schedule time and enter a time. To finish, in the window, navigate to the Schedule button and press Enter. Your announcement will post as scheduled.

For more information, go to Post announcements to your students.

Send a private comment to a student

You can send a student a private comment about their work. After you post the comment, the student gets a notification and can view the comment.

Note: You can’t edit or delete private comments to students.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to the class name and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the Classwork page tab and press Enter.
You are now on the Classwork page.
Navigate to the assignment or question and open it. For assignments, you are taken to the Student work page. For questions, you are taken to the Student answers page.
Navigate to the All students table. When you reach the link for the student’s name you want to communicate with, press Enter. A text box called Add a private comment opens in a main area.
Tips:
- If a student left you a private comment for the assignment or question, you hear it with the link for their name in the table.
- After you select a student’s name in the table, a main area opens with their work, the private comment option, and another link with their name that leads to their Student profile page.
In the Add private comment text box, enter your private comment to the student and select the Post button.

For more information, go to Give feedback on assignments.

Email students or co-teachers

If your school allows, you can send an email to students or co-teachers from the People page. If you don’t have the email option on the People page, your school hasn’t turned on email for Classroom.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On the Classes page, navigate to the class name and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Stream page tab.
Navigate to the People page tab and press Enter.
You are now on the People page. Students and co-teachers are listed.
Navigate to the Options for menu for the teacher or student you want to email, and select the Email menu item.
A new browser tab opens for your email message with the recipient’s email address added.
In the browser tab for your email message, follow these steps:
1. In the Subject text box, enter a subject for your email.
2. In the Message body text box, enter your message.
To send or schedule your message, choose an option:
- To send the email immediately, navigate to the Send button and press Enter.
  The message sends and the email browser tab closes.
- To schedule when the email sends, navigate to the More send options menu and select the Schedule send menu item. A window opens called Schedule send with options to select a suggested time or Pick date and time. If you select Pick date and time, another window opens where you can pick a date and time. To finish, in the window, select the Schedule send button.
  The message sends as scheduled and the email browser tab closes.

Note: You can’t get emails in Classroom. To read your emails, in the Classroom banner, select the Google Apps button, and then select Gmail.

For more information, go to Email your students or Email students with the same work status.

Open student work

After you post classwork, you can open the assignment or question to check work status or begin grading. When you open an assignment, you're taken to the Student work page. When you open a question, you're taken to the Student answers page.

Both pages group students by work status as follows:

Assigned—For work you assigned
Turned in—For work students have turned in
Graded—For graded work you returned
Returned—For ungraded work you returned
Note: This option only shows if you set the point value to Ungraded.

You can open a student's work in multiple ways. To jump to instructions below, select an option:

Open student work from the Stream page
Open student work from the Classwork page
Open student work from the Grades page

Open student work from the Stream page

To check the work you have to review, you can open the To-do page, which organizes classwork as Reviewed or To Review. From the To-do page, you can open the student work you want to review.

In a class, select the Stream page tab, and then navigate to the View all work button and press Enter.
You are taken to your To-do page. The To-do page lists classwork as Reviewed or To review to help organize teacher tasks.
On the To-do page, navigate to an assignment or question and press Enter.
If the item is an assignment, you’re taken to the Student work page. If the item is a question, you’re taken to the Student answers page. You hear the assignment or question.
(Optional) For instructions to enter grades on the Student work page, jump to Grade on the Student work page, below.

Open student work from the Classwork page

The Classwork page lists classwork under topics you create. For teachers, each classwork item has an options menu and a count of student work status. Items on the Classwork page are collapsed until you expand them or filter by topic.

Tip: When you filter by topic, select a title to open student work.

In a class, select the Classwork page tab, and then navigate to an assignment or question and press Enter to expand it.
Select the number next to "Turned in" or "Assigned" Enter. The Student work page displays.
- A number can only be clicked when it's greater than zero.

Learn how to grade on the Student work page.

Open student work from the Grades page

The Grades page, also known as your gradebook, consists of a table to enter and return grades. The top row lists and links to classwork items, and the left column lists students and links to their profile pages. After a student submits work, you can open their submission from the Grades page.

In a class, select the Grades page tab.
You hear the class name followed by gradebook.
Navigate to a link for an assignment or question and press Enter.
If the item is an assignment, you are taken to the Student work page. If the item is a question, you are taken to the Student answers page.
(Optional) For instructions to enter grades on the Student work page, jump to Grade on the Student work page, below.

Grade and return an assignment

How you grade depends on the requirements you set for the assignment.

For example, if a student turns in a file with their assignment, you can grade the file in the Classroom grading tool. When you enter a grade in the grading tool, the grade updates on your other Classroom pages, such as the Grades page and the Student work page. This way, you only have to enter a grade once.

When you enter a grade, it saves as a draft, until you return it to the student. After you return the grade, the student can view it and any feedback you left on their work. You can return grades to one or more students at a time.

You can enter and return grades from multiple pages in Classroom. To jump to instructions below, select an option:

Grade on the Grades page—a table of all work in the class
Grade on the Student work page—a page with students organized by work status
Grade in the Classroom grading tool—a tool to give feedback on a student’s work

For instructions to grade questions, go to the article Grade and return question answers.

Enter and return a grade on the Grades page

The Grades page consists of a table. In the top row, you have links to classwork items. In the leftmost column, you have student names that link to the student’s profile. The cell where you enter a student’s grade is an action menu. When you navigate to an action menu cell, you hear the student’s work status, such as Assigned or Missing, or a previously entered grade. In each action menu cell, you have options to open the student’s work or return the grade.

Go to classroom.google.com and click Sign In.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example, [email protected] or [email protected]. Learn more.
Make sure to sign in with the account you use for school.
On your Classes page, on a class card, navigate to the Open gradebook link for the class and press Enter.
You are now in the class, on the Grades page.
Tip: Within a class, you can get to the Grades page by selecting the Grades page tab. Students don’t have the Grades page in their version of Classroom.
In a student’s row, navigate to the action menu cell for the assignment, and then choose an option:
1. To open the student’s submission, in the student’s action menu cell, select the View submission link item. You are taken to the student’s work in the grading tool, in a new browser tab.
2. To enter a grade, when you hear the students name and then Action menu, enter a grade in the cell. The grade saves as a draft until you return it.
3. To return one student’s grade, select the student’s action menu item Return.
  The student’s work is returned and they can view their grade.
4. To return grades to all students for the assignment, navigate to an assignment’s Header action menu and select the Return all menu item.

Tip: You can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate and update your gradebook:

Action	Mac shortcut	PC/Chrome shortcut
Save draft and move to the More menu, or move to next cell from the More menu.	Tab	Tab
Save draft and move to previous column, same row	Shift + Tab	Shift + Tab
Save draft and move to next row, same column	Return	Enter
Save draft and move to previous row, same column	Shift + Return	Shift + Enter
(View Mode) Move between cells (showing selected cell)	Arrow keys	Arrow keys
(Edit Mode) Move between characters in a selected cell	Arrow keys	Arrow keys
Return to view mode	Esc	Esc
Open menu options in a cell	⌘ + Shift + \	Ctrl + Shift + \
Return assignment	⌘ + Option + r	Ctrl + Alt + r
View submission	⌘ + Option + v	Ctrl + Alt + v

For more Grades page instructions, go to View and update your gradebook.

Enter and return a grade on the Student work page

On the Student work page, students are listed in rows grouped by work status. For each student, you have a checkbox column, a student name column, and a grade column. There’s also a main area where you can filter by work status or review a selected student’s work. When you select a student’s name, only their work shows in the main area.

In a class, open an assignment. You're taken to the Student work page.
For more instructions to open student work, jump to Open student work, above.
On the Student work page, choose an option.
(Optional) To review a student’s work, under Turned in, navigate to a student’s name and press Enter. The student’s work shows next to the table, in the main area. If the student attached a file, navigate to their attachment and press Enter. The file opens in the Classroom grading tool, in a new browser tab. For grading tool instructions, jump to Enter and return a grade from the grading tool, below.
(Optional) To enter a grade for a student, navigate to the student’s grade column, and then enter a grade and press Enter.
Tip: In a student’s row, you hear the checkbox column, the student’s name column, and then the grade column, which is an action menu. The action menu has a cell to enter points, and you can select other menu items.
(Optional) To return grades, choose an option:
- To return grades to individual students, check the boxes next to their names, and then navigate to the Return button and press Enter. Grades are returned to the selected students.
- To return grades to all students, check the All students checkbox. Then navigate to the Return button and press Enter. A window might open to confirm grade return. Grades are returned to all students.

For more instructions, go to Grade and return an assignment.

Enter and return a grade from the Classroom grading tool

When a student turns in a file with an assignment, you can review and grade their work in the Classroom grading tool.

The grading tool has 3 main areas:

A banner area with buttons to return student work and move to the next student.
A main area for the student’s work where you can suggest edits or make comments.
A side panel where you can enter a grade, open an originality report, and access your comment bank. You control side panel options by selecting the Grading tab item or the Comment bank tab item on the side panel. By default, the Grading tab item is selected.

As you grade, you can return work to individual students, or you return work to multiple students later. When you return work, students can view their grades.

In a class, select the attachment a student turned in with their work. The file opens in the grading tool, in a new browser tab.
For more instructions to open student work, jump to Open student work, above.
To enter a grade in the grading tool, in the side panel, navigate to Grade edit and enter a grade in the text box. The grade saves as a draft.
To return work, choose an option:
- To return work to one student, in the grading tool banner, navigate to the Return button and press Enter. A window opens to confirm return. In the window, navigate to the Return button and press Enter.
- To return work to multiple students, in the grading tool banner, navigate to the Return options button and press Enter to open a menu. On the menu, select Return multiple submissions. A window opens called Return multiple submissions. In the window, check the boxes for the students you want to return work to. Then navigate to the Return button and press Enter.

The work is returned and students can check their grade.

Tip: In the grading tool, you can also use these options:

To run an originality report on the student’s work, in the side panel, navigate to Check originality and press Enter. When the report is ready, Check originality changes to number of flagged passages. To open the report, select number of flagged passages.
For more instructions, go to View an originality report.
To grade with a rubric, in the side panel, navigate to a rubric criterion and enter a score. For more instructions, go to Grade with a rubric.
To add a comment from your comment bank, select the Comment bank tab item on the side panel. Then search for or copy the comment you want to use. For more instructions, go to Give feedback on assignments.
To move to the next student’s work, in the grading tool banner, navigate to the Select the previous student button or the Select the next student button and press Enter. Another student’s work loads in the grading tool.

For more grading tool instructions, go to Give feedback on assignments.

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