---
title: "Macmillan - How to prepare your Macmillan Achieve course materials"
canonical: "https://help.cccs.edu/space/KnowledgeBase/35258614/Macmillan%20-%20How%20to%20prepare%20your%20Macmillan%20Achieve%20course%20materials"
format: markdown
---
## Create gradebook categories (if needed)
Creating gradebook categories in Achieve is done from the [gradebook settings](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Gradebook-settings?r=201&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1) page. Having your gradebook categories prepared before starting to assign items will make the assigning process easier.
## Add items to your course
In order to assign items, they must be added to your Achieve course. Some Achieve courses come with a [pre-built course](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Start-with-a-Pre-built-Course?r=169&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1). Others require you to [add resources to your course](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Add-resources-to-your-course?r=34&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1) yourself. Note: If you are teaching with a Restricted Access section of a Section Manager, you will not be able to add items to your course.
When adding resources yourself, you will have the option of assigning them immediately after you add them by clicking the calendar icon, or, if you added items in bulk using the checkboxes, you can click the Add Due Dates button.
Students will be able to view items and begin working on them as soon as you add them to your course unless you [hide them](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Hide-or-show-resources-and-assignments).
Once you have items in your course that you wish to assign, you must assign them.
## Assign items in your course
You can assign items from the My Course area in any of the three views: Assignments, Course Content, or Resource Type. In the Assignments view, unassigned items appear in the No Due Dates section at the bottom. In the Course Content view, you may have to open a unit to find the item.
If you want to preview the item before assigning it, click on the item to open it. When the item is open, you will have the option to assign it in the top right of the header.
## Assign an individual item
There are three ways to assign an individual item from within the course. If you would rather assign multiple items at once, jump to [Assign items in bulk](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Assign-an-item-or-change-assignment-settings#batch).
### Method 1
Click on the calendar icon for the item you want to assign. If the item is not assigned yet, No Date will appear under the calendar icon.
Note: If the item is already assigned, you will see the due date here. You can still click on the icon to edit assignment settings.
### Method 2
Click on the three dots icon (...) to the far right of the item, then click Assign Item.
### Method 3
Click the checkbox to the left of the item and click **Assign/Edit**. (If you'd like to assign multiple items at once by checking multiple checkboxes, see the instructions below for [batch assigning](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Assign-an-item-or-change-assignment-settings#batch).)
## Enter assignment settings
Within the Student Access box, you can change a variety of settings for the assignment. To see these options, you must first select Assign to students.
After making any changes to assignment settings, click the Save Changes button at the top right.
### Assign to
The first field, Assign to, allows you to assign this item to specific students or [groups of students](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Create-and-edit-groups-for-assignment-exceptions). The default for the field is Everyone. Only students or groups listed in the Assign to field are responsible for completing the assignment. The rest of the students will not see the assignment in the course or have an entry for it in their Gradebook.
Click in the field and a drop-down list of students and groups will appear. Click on a student or group name to add it to the list of assignees. You can add as many students or groups as you like.
### Due Date
Select a due date from the calendar and enter a due time. The default due date is 11:59 PM on the day you assign it.
If you are assigning a Writing assignment with multiple drafts, you will need to select a due date for each draft. The order of the due dates must match the order that the drafts are submitted. For example, Draft 1 must be due before Draft 2, and Drafts 1 and 2 must both be due before the final paper.
### Points Value & Scoring
To assign the item with a Scoring setting of Graded or Extra Credit, you must enter a Points Value. This is the maximum number of points the assignment is worth. If you select a Scoring setting of Ungraded, you will not be able to enter a point value. Ungraded assignments will only be marked as complete or incomplete in the gradebook.
Writing assignments have a Points and Scoring setting for each draft. For more information, see the help article [Find and assign a Writing assignment](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Find-and-assign-a-Writing-assignment).
### Peer Review Groups
This option only appears for Writing assignments with a peer review draft. See the help article [Create and edit groups for Writing assignment peer review](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Create-and-edit-groups?r=66&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1) to learn more about this feature.
### Late Submissions and Penalty
For more information, see the help article [Allow late submissions of an assignment](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Allow-late-submissions-of-an-assignment).
### Student Visibility
These options allow you to limit the visibility of the assignment so students can only see it and work on it in a specific window of time. For more information on visibility, see the help article [Hide or show resources and assignments](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Hide-or-show-resources-and-assignments?r=169&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1).
### Create Student Exception
You can create due date exceptions for students or groups who need extra time to complete the assignment.
**Note for Writing assignments:** Due date exceptions are currently not available for Writing assignments, but the Writing assignment will remain open to student submissions past the due date.
Click **+ Create Student Exception**.
Click into the **Create Exception For field** to select one or more students or [groups of students](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Create-and-edit-groups-for-assignment-exceptions) from the drop-down list. You can also start typing a student or group's name to narrow the options in the list.
Below the student or group name(s), you will have the option to set a new due date for the student(s) or group(s) you selected. If this is an Assessment with a timed [grading policy](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies?r=201&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1), you can also check the box for **Time accommodation** to allow the selected student(s) or group(s) a number of additional minutes to complete the Assessment. Click **Save Student Exceptions** when done.
If you need to create an exception with a different due date or time accommodation for another set of students or groups, click + Create Student Exception at the bottom again to repeat this process.
### Category & Recommended Use
Add a [Gradebook Category](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Gradebook-settings?r=62&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1) and Recommended Use (Pre-Class, In-Class, or Post-Class) to the assignment from the Category & Recommended Use box.
You can only change the gradebook category if the item is assigned with a due date and points. Only assigned items will appear in the gradebook. Ungraded items have their own gradebook category that can't be changed.
Note: Available gradebook categories for Writing assignments are determined by the grading setting on the Final Paper, not each draft. For more information, see the help article [Find and assign a Writing assignment](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Find-and-assign-a-Writing-assignment).
### Assessment Grading Settings
The Assessment Grading Settings box will only appear if you are assigning an Assessment. Here you can select a [grading policy setting](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies?r=62&ui-knowledge-components-aura-actions.KnowledgeArticleVersionCreateDraftFromOnlineAction.createDraftFromOnlineArticle=1) for the Assessment or create a new policy.
Note: If you are teaching a Restricted Access section, you will not be able to edit the grading policy.
## Batch updates to multiple items
From My Course, check the boxes for more than one item
With multiple items selected, click **Assign/Edit** to be taken to the Batch Update screen for those resources.
The Batch Update screen has three possible tabs: the Dates, Points, and Gradebook Categories tab, the Assessment Grading Settings tab, and the Recommended Use tab. (The Assessment Grading Settings tab will not be present if there are no Assessments in the batch.)
Here's what you can do in each tab when batch updating. When you are finished making any changes, be sure to click Save & Continue.
## Dates, Points, and Gradebook Categories
- Edit settings for an individual item in the batch
- Edit all due dates, Allow late submissions
- Edit all visibility
- Edit all points and scoring methods
- Edit all gradebook categories
## Assessment Grading Settings
Edit all grading policies
## Recommended Use
- Edit this setting for an individual item in the batch
- Edit all recommended uses
## Edit settings for an individual item in the batch
In the table on the Dates, Points, and Gradebook Categories tab, you can edit the due date, visibility, points possible, scoring method, and gradebook category for any individual item by adjusting the values in the row for that item.
Some rules to be aware of when editing these settings:
- Any item with a gradebook category, points, or visibility date range must have a due date.
- Any item with a due date must have either points set or be set to Ungraded.
- The default visibility date range when you give an assignment a due date is the duration of the course.
- Assignments must be visible when they are due. See the help article [Hide or show resources and assignments](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Hide-or-show-resources-and-assignments).
Remember to click Save at the upper right of the main batch update screen when you are completely finished with your batch updates.
## Edit all due dates, Allow late submissions
Click to expand the Batch Actions drop-down, then select **Edit All Dates, Allow Late**.
You will be presented with multiple options for editing due dates.
- **Change all due dates to a single date** - This option will set all of the items you selected to have the same due date. Once you select it, you will be able to choose the date.
- **Sequence assignments every 1 week(s)** - This option will allow you to set the due dates for each item in a sequence. The first item in the list will be set to the due date you select, then each subsequent item will be due a number of weeks after.
- **No due dates** - This option will remove any due dates that were set previously.
You will also have options to change Late Submission settings for all items in the batch. For more information, see the help article [Allow late submissions of an assignment](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Allow-late-submissions-of-an-assignment).
After making your desired changes to due dates, click **Save**, then click Save again at the upper right of the main batch update screen when you are finished with your batch updates.
## Edit all visibility
Click to expand the Batch Actions drop-down, then select **Edit All Visibility**.
You will be presented with multiple options for editing visibility.
- **Make visible to students for entirety of the course** - This option will make all items visible to students for the entirety of the course. It will overwrite any other visibility settings.
- **Make visible 7 days before due date** - This option will make any assigned items visible only a certain number of days before the due date. This option requires that all items have a valid due date.
- **Select date range that activities will be visible to students** - This option will make any assigned items visible for only a certain date range that you specify.
By default this date range will be from the course start date to the course end date.
This option requires that all items have a valid due date. If any items in the batch have no due dates, the Visible To date will be used as the due date.
Assignments are required to be visible when they are due. For more information, see the help article [Hide or show resources and assignments](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Hide-or-show-resources-and-assignments).
- **Hidden from students** - This option will make all items hidden from students for the entirety of the course. It will overwrite any other visibility settings and remove any due dates set.
After making your desired changes to visibility, click Save, then click Save again at the upper right of the main batch update screen when you are completely finished with your batch updates.
## > Macro (anchor)
Edit all points and scoring methods
Click to expand the Batch Actions drop-down, then select Edit All Points.
You will be presented with options to update the number of Points and Scoring Method (Graded, Ungraded, or Extra Credit) for the selected items. If you add a number of points or an Ungraded scoring method to an unassigned item, the due date will automatically change to 11:59 PM on the current day, then can be adjusted as desired. All items assigned for points or as Ungraded are required to have a due date.
After making your desired changes to points, click Save, then click Save again at the upper right of the main batch update screen when you are completely finished with your batch updates.
## Edit all gradebook categories
Click to expand the Batch Actions drop-down, then select **Edit All Gradebook Categories**.
You will be presented with a drop-down to select the gradebook category you want to move the items to. If you need to create or edit your Gradebook Categories, click **Manage Your Categories**. If you add a gradebook category to an unassigned item, the due date will automatically change to 11:59 PM on the current day, then can be adjusted as desired. All items assigned with a gradebook category are required to have a due date.
**Note: **The gradebook category for any Ungraded assignments will always be Ungraded.
After making your desired changes to gradebook categories, click Save, then click Save again at the upper right of the main batch update screen when you are completely finished with your batch updates.
## Edit all grading policies
Click the **Assessment Grading Settings** tab, to edit the grading policy for any Assessments you selected all at once. Select the desired policy under Settings Templates or scroll down to create a new Custom Template. For more information, see the help article [View or change Assessment grading settings (policies)](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Sapling-Learning-View-or-change-mobile-assignment-grading-policies).
## Edit individual Recommended Use settings
In the table on the Recommended Use tab, you can edit the Recommended Use for an individual item by selecting an option from the drop-down in the row for that item.
## Edit all Recommended Uses at once
On the Recommend Use tab, click the **Edit All Recommended Use** button above the table.
You will be presented with a drop-down to choose the recommended use that you want to apply to all items. Select the desired option and click **Save**.
## View assignments in your course
Once an item is assigned, it will appear in the Assignments view under the section that corresponds with its due date (This week, Next week, or Future). The due date will be shown under the calendar icon and the points possible will be under the assignment title. The due date and points will also be shown when you use the Course Content and Resource Type views.
Ungraded assignments will not show any points and Extra Credit assignments will have a label that says Extra Credit.
NEW: You can now also view your assignments using the [Calendar view](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Navigating-the-My-Course-page#calendar) (Beta). (For Writing assignments, only the Final Paper will be shown on the calendar. It will not show any drafts.)
## Edit assignment settings after assigning
If you ever need to edit assignment settings for any of your assigned items, you can do so by following the same instructions you used to assign the item in the first place. You can also edit assignments using the Calendar view by clicking on the item in the calendar, then clicking Edit Assignment Details.
Please note that if any students have viewed or started working on the assignment, editing may not be available, or it may have unexpected impacts on student grades. See the help articles below for more information.
[Editing an Assessment after students have started working on it](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Sapling-Learning-Editing-an-Assessment-after-students-have-started-working-on-it)
[Can't edit a Writing assignment](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Can-t-edit-a-Writing-assignment)
[Diagnostics: Grading settings](https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/article/Achieve-Diagnostics-Grading-settings)