Multiple Selection questions allow more than one correct answer.

If you have your questions and answer choices list in a Google Doc or Word format, you can copy/paste all answer choices in one go. First make sure your answer choices are separated into separate lines. Then copy/paste from your document into the first answer choice field in Formative. Our system will separate the answer choices to separate fields based on the location of the line break from your document.

Answer Choice Explanations

Answer Choice Explanations are immediate feedback notes teachers can add to answer choices that help their students understand any misconceptions they may have as soon as their score is returned.

Required

Students will not be able to submit their work without providing an answer

Use Rubric (Silver/Gold plan only)

Switch scoring method for this question from auto-grading to a rubric based grading.

Allow Partial Credit (Silver/Gold plan only)

Switch on the ability to allow Partial Credit* for Multiple Selection question types to take auto-grading up a notch by allowing your students to get credit for answering part of the question correct. (Find out more about how Partial Credit grading works for Multiple Selection questions below.)

Show Your Work (Silver/Gold plan only)

Add a whiteboard style box for your students to showcase their work

You can also add hints for your students, and tag your question to standards.

Randomize Order (Gold plan only)

If you are in a school on the Gold plan you can also randomize* the order of the answer choices to mix things up a bit.

Note: When randomizing the order, the randomization will appear only on the students' end. The teacher's version will remain in the original order, including within the Preview mode. The responses tab for the teacher will also present the answers in the original order.

Your students will have the option to eliminate incorrect answers by using the strikethrough feature. Please note that this feature is only available at the moment. If a student used the strikethrough and then navigated outside of the assignment, when they return the strikethrough markings will be gone and only the correct answer that was check marked will be preserved.

Are you using the Math Keyboard to enter answer choices often? Formative now offers the option to add a Math Button to the answer choice fields within several question types, inlucing Multiple Selection questions, for quicker access to the Math Keyboard.

This will eliminate the need to repeatedly click on the little plus button and choose the Math Keyboard from the dropdown menu.

Once this setting is toggled on, you will see a Math Button added next to the little plus button within your answer choice fields. Clicking this button will immediately bring up the Math Keyboard.

When toggling on "Allow Partial Credit"** you can choose between subtracting points for incorrect answers, or not subtracting points for incorrect answers.

Let's take a look at an example of how this works in practice.

Here is a Multiple Selection answer key:

Here are some examples of student responses to this Multiple Selection question, along with their auto-graded scores.

Let's take a look at an example of how this works in practice.

Here is the same Multiple Selection answer key as before:
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Here are the same examples of student responses to this Multiple Selection question, along with their auto-graded scores, when choosing not to subtract points for incorrect answers.
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Based on consistent feedback from teachers and students, on June 16, 2023 we have updated how partial scoring calculates for Multiple Selection questions.

Previously, the point value of the question is distributed across all answer choices (correct or incorrect). After the update, the point value is distributed across the correct answers only. This update brings these question types' Partial Credit formula in alignment with the way Partial Credit is calculated for all other question types on the Formative platform.

The new partial credit formula is the default for any new formatives created, as well as any existing formatives when assigned to new students/classes.

As long as no new activity is registered for a previously graded question, the scores granted in the past will not change. However, if a new activity is registered on a specific question (i.e. a new response by a student, an edit of a previously entered response, assigning the same formative to additional students, etc.) the scores previously granted will adjust to reflect the new formula.

If you want your old scores to be saved unchanged yet assign the same formative to new students/classes we recommend duplicating the formative and assigning the new clone to new students/classes instead.

If a new activity is registered to an already graded Multiple Selection, Categorize, Hot Text or Hot Spot question that had "Partial Credit" toggled on, the Partial Credit algorithm will default to the new formula. Your students' scores on these questions changed because a new activity was registered - either one of the students provided a new response, edited an existing response, or the formative was assigned to new students.

What's Next?

Learn how to Grab and Edit a Copy of Formative from our Library!

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