---
title: "Text Entry"
slug: "text-entry"
updated: 2025-09-23T13:29:18Z
published: 2025-09-23T13:29:18Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.eduphoria.net/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Text Entry

To create an interactive response question, begin by [creating a new test](/v1/docs/options-for-creating-assessments) in **Aware** or open an existing test to add new questions.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:**Assessments with interactive response questions can be [printed as test booklets only](/v1/docs/print-and-preview-settings-for-district-and-campus-assessments). Answer documents are not available for these question types. This test is not scannable, nor will it have student IDs, class numbers, or any other information. Teachers must use the [**Enter Answers**](/v1/docs/using-the-enter-answers-feature) feature to manually input student responses for students taking a paper version of the assessment.

## **Creating a Text Entry Question**

The text entry question type allows assessment authors to build questions that require students to type in their answers, such as with fill-in-the-blank questions. [TEA suggests](/v1/docs/technology-enhanced-items-tei-hb-3906) using this question type in mathematics, reading, language arts, and science assessments, but text entry is available for any assessment. Text entry follows the TEA's examples and may be used in conjunction with text, images, and tables.

### **Quick Guide**

1. When working on an assessment, go to the **Questions** tab and do the following:
  - If this is the first time adding a question, select the **Interactive Item Types**button.
  - If adding more questions, select the **Plus** sign and choose **Interactive Item Types** from the drop-down menu.
2. Select **Text Entry**.
3. Use the text box and controls to enter the question prompt. Select **Add Placeholder Response** to indicate where the text entry box should be located.
4. Select **Continue**.
5. Select a placeholder and enter the correct answer. If needed, you can add multiple correct answers, enter answers using the **Elementary Math Edito**r or **Secondary Math Editor**, or adjust the width of the text box.
6. When complete, select **Create / Update**.

### **Illustrated Guide**

**Step 1:**When creating or editing an assessment in Aware, navigate to the **Questions** tab and do the following:

- If this is the first time adding a question to the assessment, select the **Interactive Item Types** button.
- If you want to add more questions to an existing assessment, select the **Plus** sign above or below an existing question and choose **Interactive Item Types** from the drop-down menu.

![Interactive Item Types from new.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072030897687.png)

![Interactive Item Types from add.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072041608599.png)

**Step 2:** On the **Choose your interaction type** step, select**Text Entry**from the available question types.

![text entry.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072030898455.png)

**Step 3:**On the**Construct your question** step, use the text box and controls to enter the prompt. Select **Add Placeholder Response** to indicate where the text entry box should be located.

> [!WARNING]
> **Caution:**Automatic grading works well with three or fewer words; any longer entries likely function better as a constructed response question. Automatic grading does not check for capitalization or spacing but does check spelling. If the student support for spelling is enabled at the student or test level, the support will function as intended.

Assessment authors can create [text entry questions that harness equation editors](/v1/docs/equation-editor) to input math-centric answers. The same scoring rules for general text entry questions also apply for those that use an equation editor.

![text_entry.gif](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/4403545227927.png)

**Step 4:**Select the **Continue** button to move on to the next step.

**Step 5:**On the**Add interactions to the question** step, select a placeholder. Use the **Settings for Selected Field** options to designate the text box size and enter the correct answer. If needed, add multiple correct answers.

![enter correct answer.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072041609879.png)

**Step 6:**Review the preview and then select **Create** or **Update** to save the assessment question.

## **Student Experience**

Students see the text entry question during online testing.

![text_entry_student_experience.gif](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/4403552251927.png)

If the spelling support is enabled, the spellchecker works as expected.

![text_entry_with_spelling_support_example.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/4403860871831.png)

## **Mark As Correct**

In a test, teachers can overwrite student-generated text to change an incorrect answer to correct. However, leaving the student text and using the **Mark as Correct** button maintains the integrity of the data. The**Unmark Correct** button then appears, allowing teachers to revert changes if needed. Each text entry in a question can be individually marked as correct.

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/image(526).png)

If a teacher has marked a question correct for a student, then the data view for **Student Individual Responses** updates, and the field is highlighted blue.

![text_entry_override.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/8590406545431.png)

## **Data Analysis**

### **Viewing Responses in Quick Views**

**Question Type** is available in **Quick Views**. Access **Quick Views** through the navigation bar or through the **Quick Views** card.

![Quick Views.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072041610775.png)

Once in **Quick Views**, use the search field to find and select the assessment(s) you want to analyze. Choose the **Student Individual Responses** template from the drop-down menu. Select **Apply** to continue.

![Student Individual Responses.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072084369559.png)

In data analysis, interactive items will be indicated next to the scores for each question. Teachers can view the exact question asked on the [**Enter Answers**](/v1/docs/using-the-enter-answers-feature) screen and modify student answers if needed.

![TEI data analysis.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072073519383.png)

### **Show or Hide the Question Type Column**

If the table does not display the type of question, you can customize which columns appear or do not appear from the **Edit** menu. Select the **Columns** tab, and then expand the **Responses** folder. Drag the **Question Type** option to the empty space on the right side of the screen. Then, select **Update**to apply your changes. For more information, see [Editing Data Views as a Teacher](/v1/docs/editing-data-views-as-a-teacher).

![Question Type.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072073521431.png)

The **Question Type** column shows the type of question asked and the corresponding question number.

![new_data_analysis_question_type_detail_view.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/5406401891863.png)

### **Allowing Teachers to Answer and Score Assessment Questions**

For district- and school-level tests, the **Questions teachers can answer and score** option must be set to **All Questions** to enable editing privileges. Locate this setting in **Administration > Collection > General Settings** when authoring or editing an assessment in Aware.

![General Settings.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/d6ce927e-20b2-40ab-af8d-ea0afbbc28f7/Images/Documentation/27072084375191.png)

## **Additional Information**

Visit the [Interactive Item Types FAQ](/v1/docs/interactive-item-types-faq) for more information.