Using the Scantron and ParScore Software

About

Questrom’s Scantron machine is located on the sixth floor across from room 627. The Scantron quickly grades multiple choice tests taken on standardized bubble sheets (which you can get from the Undergraduate Development Center) and imports the data into ParScore software. ParScore is installed on the computer in the Scantron room, and can be installed on your office computer, as well. Once in ParScore, test scores can be edited, graphed, and exported.

We’ll cover the basics of how to use the Scantron machine and ParScore software below. You can also download a PDF of these instructions here. For more, please contact Questrom ITS.

Ahead of time:

Make the keys for the exams.
Make sure all Scantron forms are facing the same way.
Bring a pencil and eraser with you to the ParScore room.

Using the Scantron:

Log on to the computer with your Kerberos login and password.
Open ParScore (located under the Start menu). You should be logged in to ParScore automatically. If not, please contact Questrom ITS.
You’ll see the Course List screen every time you open ParScore.
Open the appropriate course.
Create a Score Column.
Scan your keys.
Scan your exams. From here, you can review or edit student responses from the computer in the Scantron room, or any networked computer with ParScore installed. You can also export data or view your students’ grade distribution.
When you’re done, exit ParScore before logging off the computer.

The ParScore Interface

The Roster tab contains student and test data for your course. This will be empty the first time you open a new course.
- To populate your roster with student and test information, you’ll need to create a score column.
The Criteria tab contains grading criteria for each course. You can edit your criteria at any time, and can save and re-use criteria from class to class.
The Keys tab contains answer keys for all tests in the course. It is populated when you scan or import answer keys.
Use the Scoring tab to customize scoring for your tests, and to check or change students’ responses.
The Student tab contains student information for the course.

Setting up a New Course

To set up a new course, click “New.”
Fill out the Course Setup window and click “OK”. The course default saves to the H: drive.
1. This means you’ll be able to access your course content and scores from your office computer or any computer connected to the server with ParScore software installed.

Creating a Score Column

From the Roster tab, click on the “Create Score Columns” button (the button with three columns on it).
In the pop-up that appears:
1. Select the appropriate category.
2. Enter “1” as the Number of Columns.
3. The “Possible Score” should be the raw score (the number of questions) for your exam.
4. Click “Add” to add this column to your roster.
From the “Options” menu at the top of your screen, select “Enrollment Setup”.
1. Enter the length of the student ID (which should be 8, if you are using the BU ID number without the U).
2. Check “Allow Blank Name” and hit “Ok”.

Scanning Your Keys (and editing them)

From the “Keys” tab, click on the “Scan Keys” button on the right.
1. A window will pop up that says “processing keys”, then “Add the sheets to the input hopper.”
2. Place your keys in the scanner in the direction indicated, with the black “timing marks” on the bottom. Press “Continue.”
3. Click the “End” button on the computer screen when you’re done scanning your keys.
You’ll be able to see all scanned keys, in the main window on the left.
Add or remove answer key versions, if necessary, using the “Add” and “Remove” buttons on the right.
Use the buttons on the top right to:
1. Print Answer Key Report.
2. Save Answer Keys to file.
  1. Saves as a ParScore file, can only be opened with ParScore software.
3. Import Answer Key file.
  1. Can import the following file types: .pxk, .psk, .csv, .tol, .mdb.
4. Edit Points and Penalty.
5. Edit Answer Keys.

Scanning Your Exams

Click on the “Scoring” tab.
Select “Inspect Multiple Marks,” “Auto Enrollment,” and “Inspect Omitted Marks” and then click the “Score” button at the bottom of your screen.
You’ll be prompted to load the sheets to the input hopper, as you were with the keys. Press Continue to scan your keys.
1. If you get a “Multiple Mark Error” or an “Invalid ID Length Error,” click “Edit” to edit the recorded answer or ID length. Click “Ok” and “Continue” to continue scanning.
2. When you’re done scanning, click the “End” button on the screen.
Go to the “Roster” tab to see your students’ test scores.

Checking or Changing a Student’s Response

From the “Roster” tab, click to highlight the test score that you’d like to check.
Click on the “Browse or rescore test data for a specific student” button at the top of your screen (it looks like a notebook page with red dots on it).
You’ll see a pop-up appear that has the student ID, version, and exam number, as well as that student’s responses.
Change a response by clicking on the student’s response and then typing in the new response. Click “Rescore” when you’re done.

Exporting Data from ParScore

Using the Export Wizard

From the “Options” menu, click on “Export Wizard.”
Use the Export Wizard to export student enrollment information and score column information.
1. Select the information you’d like to export from the “Student Enrollment Info” section and the “Score Column Info” section.
  1. Use the Control key to select more than one option at a time.
2. Selected categories will appear in the “Export Order” section on the right.
  1. Use the up and down arrows to change the order in which information is displayed.
3. The export can be saved as the following file types: Microsoft Access (ACCDB), Comma delimited text file (CSV), Space delimited text file (TXT), or Tab delimited text file (TXT).
  1. You can open all of these file type in Excel. Click here for instructions on how to open a CSV file in Excel.

Exporting Student Response Data

From the “Options” menu, click on “Export Student Response Data.”
Use this option to export all of your students’ responses for an assignment.
Select the desired assignment from the list on the left.
Click the “Export Student Response Data With” checkbox, and then click on the information you’d like to export along with the scores.
1. Use the Control key to select more than one category.

Select your Export File Format. ITS recommends selecting “New,” which saves your file as a CSV file.
1. You can open a CSV file in Excel.

Viewing the Grade Distribution in Excel

Go to your class “Roster” tab.
Select a Score column by clicking on one of the data points, and click on the “View the grade distribution in Microsoft Excel” button (it looks like a bar chart).
In the pop-up that appears, click on the bar chart icon again.
Excel will open with your score distribution chart.
1. You can save and/or edit the chart in Excel as you normally would.

Adding a TA to Your Course

Email Questrom ITS to set up a ParScore account for your TA. Please include your TA’s name and email in the message.
1. All TAs will have an individual login, and they should not share their login information with anyone.
From the ParScore Course List screen, select the appropriate course.
Select your TA’s user name from the dropdown list next to “Secondary User.” You should see a message that says, “Secondary user name has been updated.” Note: If your TA is not listed, email Questrom ITS to set up a ParScore account for your TA.
1. Assigning your TA as a Secondary User for your course allows your TA to scan keys and exams, change or edit students’ responses, export data, etc.
2. Your TA will only have access to the course you added them to as a secondary user. To give them access to more than one course, you’ll have to add them as a secondary user to each course.
3. The TA will NOT be able to remove you as a user, or add other people to the course.
4. You can only add ONE Secondary User per class.
To remove a TA from the secondary user role, click on the “Secondary User” dropdown, and select the blank space at the top of the dropdown. You’ll see a message that says “Secondary user name has been removed.”

Your TA can access ParScore from the computer in the ParScore room. From there, they can log into ParScore using the username and temporary password provided by Questrom ITS.

Opening a CSV File in Excel

Open Excel, and click on the “Data” tab.
From the “Get External Data” section, click on “From Text.”
1. This opens a browser window showing only txt, csv, and pm files on your machine.
Browse your computer to find the right file. Click “Import.”
In the Text Import Wizard, you’ll see a preview of your file at the bottom of the window. Your students’ responses are separated by commas.
1. Click “Delimited,” then “Next.”
2. Select “Comma” as the Delimiter. In the preview area, notice that your students’ data has now been separated by column lines and click “Next.”
3. On the next screen, click “Finish.”
Select where in your Excel file you’d like the data to appear, and click “Ok.”

Helpful Hints

Look for very low sores and find the actual exam to confirm the answers and that the correct version is being scored (if you have more than one version). Erase any mistakes and try again – it will go over the original scores.
If a student left the ID number, name, or test version blank, find out the data from the professor and manually enter it into ParScore BEFORE the professor prints out the student test reports.
You can give a TA access to your course so he/she can do the scanning for you.
Download these instructions here.