Make-up tests are the small administrative tax that adds up fast. Three students were absent on test day. Two more were at a field trip. One had a dentist appointment. Suddenly you're coordinating six different testing windows across a week, and you're worried about who saw what version.
Here's a workflow that contains the damage.
The core problems
When make-ups go wrong, it's usually one of these:
- Version integrity. Students who took the test on day one might have talked to students taking it on day three. A second version prevents this but adds complexity.
- Grading silos. Make-ups get graded separately, entered into the gradebook manually, and occasionally forgotten.
- Scheduling chaos. Tracking who owes a make-up, when they're taking it, and whether they completed it is its own administrative job.
- Accommodations sprawl. If extended-time students are also make-up students, you need the right version and the right conditions.
A workflow that works
1. Build two versions from the start.
When you create the assessment, generate two versions with the same standards coverage but different question order and wording variations. Version A for the main test day; Version B for make-ups. Both grade to the same answer key structure — you just swap which key is used.
This eliminates the "did they talk to someone who already took it" worry. Make-up takers get different items.
2. Use the same scanning workflow.
When make-up students finish, scan their sheets into the same assessment in PaperScorer. The system recognizes the version from the sheet itself — no manual tagging needed. Results flow into the same report as the original test-takers.
3. Track make-ups as a filter, not a separate list.
In PaperScorer, filter the assessment results by scan date. Students scanned after the main test day are your make-ups. You can see at a glance who's outstanding.
4. Set a firm deadline.
A rolling make-up window never closes. Set a deadline — typically 5–7 school days after the original test — and communicate it clearly. Enter zeros for anyone who hasn't taken it by then, then replace with the actual score if they complete it late.
Don't let make-ups follow students into the next unit
If a student hasn't made up Unit 3's test by the time Unit 4 starts, the cognitive load of remembering the Unit 3 material is unfair. Push hard on the deadline, or at the cutoff, give them a shorter alternative assessment focused on the core standards.
Common edge cases
A student wants a retake, not a make-up. These are different. Make-up: hasn't taken it yet. Retake: took it, wants a second try. Have a written policy on retakes (when allowed, what the maximum new score is, whether it applies to standard letter grades or SBG mastery levels). Apply it consistently.
Multiple students need the same make-up time. Cluster them. Use a single proctored session during lunch, before school, or during a study hall. Hand out Version B to everyone. Scan at the end.
A student insists they never got the test. Absences happen. Be gracious about genuine misses. But be skeptical about "I never got the make-up email" when your records show multiple communications. Have a paper trail.
The gradebook part
If your gradebook is integrated with PaperScorer (Canvas, Google Classroom, Blackboard, Brightspace), make-up scores sync automatically when you scan the sheet. You're not re-entering anything manually — the gradebook updates in the background.
Without integration, you're exporting a CSV of results and updating your gradebook weekly. Still faster than manual entry, but integration is worth the 15-minute setup.
Key takeaway
Make-ups are a process problem, not a teaching problem. Fix the process — two versions, unified scanning, firm deadlines, automatic gradebook sync — and they stop eating your time.
