Skip to main content

Create & Manage Classes

Written by Neta Raz Studnitski

Creating Classes and Adding Students

To digitally assign lessons and assessments to students, classes must be rostered in the Threads & Themes platform.

Districts may select to share rostering data with Newsela in bulk. Teachers from these districts will find their classes already imported to their account by clicking into the Classes tab. If this is the case and you're not seeing all your classes on the list - please reach out to your administrator to have that fixed.
​


If your district is not bulk-rostering classes on your behalf, you can roster your classes as well either manually or by syncing with Google Classroom, Clever, or Microsoft Teams Classroom to import your classes directly from there. Creating new classes be done at any time from the Classes tab, and also when initiating an assignment workflow from within a lesson.

Not sure which rostering method to use? Reach out to your administrator to check if the district is using a specific rostering system.

To create classes and add students, begin by accessing your Classes tab, and then click the Add class button:

In the popup window, proceed to select your preferred class creation method:

Expand the section relevant to your preferred method for step-by-step instructions:

Manual Rostering (Create a class)

Begin by selecting Create a class. In the next popup window:

  • Enter the name of your class. The name entered here will be visible to your students and administrators.

  • Pick the grade(s) and subject(s) associated to this specific class. This will be especially helpful if you teach multiple grades/subjects, and is needed to enable the full scope of sorting, filtering and reporting capabilities. You can tag more than one!

  • Pick your Org! The selected Org should be the one your students' scores should be recorded under (Not sure what to put here? Ask your administrator for guidance)

  • Choose your display settings:

    • Select a background color for the class icon (this is just an easy way to help you distinguish your classes from one another).

    • Enter a two-character abbreviation for the class or alternatively pick an icon instead.
      ​

  • Finalize the process by clicking the blue Create class button at the bottom of the window

Any of these settings can be updated later if needed. If you are teaching multiple subjects to the same students, check out the troubleshooting tips section below for information on how to clone classes you created!

Next, you will be re-directed to the class' Student management page where you can begin adding or inviting your students to join.

The method you will choose to add a student to the class will depend on whether the student already has a Threads & Themes account, or if they have yet to set one up.

To start, click the Add students button which will open a popup window:

Follow the instructions below, based on your students' status:

If your students do not have an account yet

You'll be able to create your students' accounts on their behalf either with an email address or a username. Either method will work.

If your students have access to email, you can send them an invitation:

  1. Enter the student's first and last name

  2. Enter their email address
    ​(you can also copy/paste the information from a spreadsheet or CSV file to enter multiple students at once)

  3. Click the Add students button at the bottom of the window to send the invitation

  4. Your student(s) will receive an email invitation with log-in instructions.

Email invites are rate-limited per teacher. Teachers get 150 invites in an initial batch, then the quota refills to 750 per hour thereafter.

If pasting from a large spreadsheet/CSV, it is recommended to send invites in small batches with a minute between, to avoid tripping the limit.
​
If you run into the limit, some students were likely added successfully — check the class roster before retrying, so you don't double-invite.

If your students do not have access to email, you can set up their account with a Username & Password combination:

  1. Enter the student's first and last name

  2. Enter a username for them

  3. Set up a password for the student. As long as the password is not weak, you can use any combination you'd like. You can keep it simple to start with, and you can reset it the password for the student any time thereafter.
    ​(you can also copy/paste the information from a Spreadsheet or CSV file to enter multiple students at once)

  4. Provide your students with the username and password you've created for them so they could log in to their newly created account at threads-and-themes.newsela.com

Note: If the username you've chosen is already taken, you'll get an error message and have to pick a different one.

If your students already have accounts

You can add your students to your class manually using their existing account credentials.

  1. Enter the student's first and last name

  2. Enter the student's email address or username (depending on their individual accounts)
    ​(you can also copy/paste the information from a Spreadsheet or CSV file to enter multiple students at once)

  3. If the student already has an account the username can be reused for multiple classes. You will not be able to enter a password because the student already has one.

  4. Click the Add Students button at the bottom of the window to complete the process

Troubleshooting Tips

How can I tell if my student has accepted the invite?

Access the Student Management page (Classes > Click a class tile).

Students who accepted the invite will appear under the default "Enrolled Students" list. You can check the "Last Seen" column to find out if these students have logged in to their accounts yet or not.

You can switch to the "Invited Students" list to view the students you've sent an invitation to but have not yet accepted it, by clicking on "More Options" > "Show invited students" (to go back to your active students list, click on "More Options" > "Hide invited students")

I invited a student by mistake / I entered an incorrect email for a student - what do I do?

If you've invited a student by mistake, or accidentally entered an incorrect email address and the student has not accepted the invitation yet, you can cancel the invitation:

  1. Click on "More Options" > "Show invited students"

  2. Check mark the box next to the student's name

  3. Click on "Remove invite" from the menu at the bottom of the page

  4. Confirm that you want to remove the invitation for the student

If the student already accepted the invitation, you can archive them from the class:

  1. Check mark the box next to the student's name

  2. Click on "Archive" from the menu at the bottom of the page

  3. Confirm archiving the student to complete the action

My student can not be added / join my class, what to do?

If, for some reason, a student has accidentally created a Teacher account in Threads & Themes instead of a Student account - you will not be able to add them to your class until the Teacher account is switched to a Student account. In this case, a message will appear on your screen informing you of the issue. Please reach out to Newsela support with a request to switch the account's role from Teacher to Student.

Can I "clone" a class?

If you're teaching multiple subjects to the same students, you can create a copy of the class and rename it for the content area (i.e. ELD). This will help keep your data separate and organized in the Tracker too.

Cloning a class can be done both from the main Classes tab and from the Student Management page:

  1. From the classes page, click the 3 dots menu next to the class you'd like to clone, and choose "Duplicate" from the dropdown list
    ​

    or, from the Student Management page, click "More options" and choose "Duplicate" from the dropdown list
    ​

  2. You will be prompted to enter the details for this new class, finish by clicking "Create Class" at the bottom of this pop-up window

  3. You will then be able to easily add all students into the cloned class. You can even de-select students if you do not need to add all of them, and/or add students from other existing classes to this new cloned class!


    ​

Sync with Google Classroom

If you use Google Classroom, you can sync your classes and students instead of manually creating classes or student accounts!

After you do so, your imported students will be able to use their Google Classroom login info to log in to Threads & Themes as well.

Import a Google Classroom as a new Threads & Themes class

  1. Select Sync with Google Classroom

  2. In the next window, select your Google Classroom account, and login to it if prompted

  3. Your Google Class(es) will appear in the window, including all the students currently enrolled in them. Select which class(es) to import by check marking the box next to the class(es) title(s)

  4. Make sure that 'Import as a new class' is selected for each of the classes you want to sync

  5. Select the org you want to associate the class with (you will be able to edit this later)

  6. Confirm all the students you wish to import are check-marked (un-check the students you do not wish to import)

  7. Once ready click the 'Import' button at the bottom of the window to complete the process

The students you import with this sync will have Threads & Themes accounts created automatically. To log in, all they need to do is choose "Log in with Google" on the Threads & Themes login page

Any co-teachers in Google Classroom will appear on the import window as co-teachers for your Threads & Themes classes. You can deselect any co-teachers you don't want to import. The lead/primary teacher must be the one who syncs the Google Classroom with Threads & Themes. If the co-teacher syncs, it will create a duplicate classroom with them as the primary teacher.

If there are any changes to your class roster in Google Classroom (ex: a student joins the class) please continue reading this article to learn how to update the roster by re-syncing.

Link a Google Classroom to an existing Threads & Themes class

If you already have created classes within Threads & Themes and want to sync them with Google Classroom, you can do that by following these steps:

  1. Select Sync with Google Classroom

  2. In the next window, select your Google Classroom account, and login to it if prompted

  3. Your Google Class(es) will appear in the window, including all the students currently enrolled in them. Select which class(es) to import by check marking the box next to the class(es) title(s)

  4. Click the dropdown next to "import a new class"

  5. Select the existing Threads & Themes class you'd like to link to this Google Classroom, from the list of classes that appears, and click "Import"
    You can un-check any students or co-teachers if you do not want to include them in the sync

    You should now see the Google "G" attached to the class bubble.

Updating a class that has been previously synced with Google Classroom

If new students join your class after you have already synced it with Google Classroom, you can update the roster within Threads & Themes by re-syncing the class with Google Classroom again. As long as the new students are already added to Google Classroom, re-syncing will pull them over to your Threads & Themes class as well!

You can re-sync a class from your main Classes tab, or from your Student Management page.

  1. From the Classes tab: click the triple dot menu within the class tile and select "Google Classroom Re-sync" from the dropdown menu, or
    From the Student Management page: click on "More Options" and select "Google Classroom Re-sync" from the dropdown menu

  2. Proceed to log in to your Google Classroom if prompted and review the Google Classroom's student list

  3. Check-mark any students you want to pull over from Google Classroom and add to your Threads & Themes class (students already in your Threads & Themes class will be 'grayed out')

  4. Click "Import" to complete the re-sync action (you may need to refresh your window to view the changes made)

Troubleshoot: Students are not importing

If some students are not importing when syncing with Google Classroom check for the following common reasons:

  1. Has the student accepted your invitation to join your Google Classroom class and logged in to Google Classroom at least once? If they haven't, Threads & Themes won't recognize them as a member of your class yet.
    ​

  2. If your student created a Teacher account in Threads & Themes - they cannot join classes until the role on their account is changed to Student. You can reach out to Newsela support to request the role changed.
    ​

  3. Some students may have a setting in Google Classroom which allows them to create classes - students with this setting are recognized as teachers by Threads & Themes, and teachers cannot join classes. This setting will need to be turned off in Google Classroom. You can check a student's Google Classroom settings by contacting your school's Workspace administrator.

Sync with Microsoft Teams

If you use Microsoft Teams, sync your classes and students instead of manually creating classes or student accounts in Threads & Themes! After you do so, your imported students will be able to use their Microsoft login info to log in to Threads & Themes as well.

Import a MS Teams Class as a new Threads & Themes class

  1. Select Sync with Microsoft Teams

  2. In the next window, select your Microsoft account, and login to it if prompted

  3. Your MS Teams Class(es) will appear in the window, including all the students currently enrolled in them. Select which class(es) to import by check marking the box next to the class(es) title(s)

  4. Make sure that 'Import as a new class' is selected for each of the classes you want to sync

  5. Select the org you want to associate the class with (you will be able to edit this later)

  6. Confirm all the students you wish to import are check-marked (un-check the students you do not wish to import)

  7. Once ready click the 'Import' button at the bottom of the window to complete the process

The students you import with this sync will have Threads & Themes accounts created automatically. To log in, all they need to do is choose "Log in with Microsoft" on the Threads & Themes login page

Any co-teachers in MS Teams will appear on the import window as co-teachers for your Threads & Themes classes. You can deselect any co-teachers you don't want to import. The lead/primary teacher must be the one who syncs the MS Teams class with Threads & Themes. If the co-teacher syncs, it will create a duplicate classroom with them as the primary teacher.

If there are any changes to your class roster in MS Teams (ex: a student joins the class) please continue reading this article to learn how to update the roster by re-syncing.

Link a MS Teams Class to an existing Threads & Themes class

If you already have created classes within Threads & Themes and want to sync them with MS Teams, you can do that by following these steps:

  1. Select Sync with Microsoft Teams

  2. In the next window, select your Microsoft account, and login to it if prompted

  3. Your MS Teams Class(es) will appear in the window, including all the students currently enrolled in them. Select which class(es) to import by check marking the box next to the class(es) title(s)

  4. Click the dropdown next to "import a new class"

  5. Select the existing Threads & Themes class you'd like to link to this MS Teams class, from the list of classes that appears, and click "Import"
    You can un-check any students or co-teachers if you do not want to include them in the sync

    You should now see the Microsoft icon attached to the class bubble.

Updating a class that has been previously synced with MS Teams

If new students join your class after you have already synced it with MS Teams, you can update the roster within Threads & Themes by re-syncing the class with MS Teams again. As long as the new students are already added to MS Teams, re-syncing will pull them over to your Threads & Themes class as well!

You can re-sync a class from your main Classes tab, or from your Student Management page.

  1. From the Classes tab: click the triple dot menu within the class tile and select "Microsoft Teams Re-sync" from the dropdown menu, or
    From the Student Management page: click on "More Options" and select "Microsoft Teams Re-sync" from the dropdown menu

  2. Proceed to log in to your Microsoft account if prompted and review the Microsoft Team class' student list

  3. Check-mark any students you want to pull over from MS Teams and add to your Threads & Themes class (students already in your Threads & Themes class will be 'grayed out')

  4. Click "Import" to complete the re-sync action (you may need to refresh your window to view the changes made)

Troubleshoot: Students are not importing

If some students are not importing when syncing with MS Teams check for the following common reasons:

  1. Has the student accessed your MS Teams class at least once? If they haven't, Threads & Themes won't recognize them as a member of your class yet.
    ​

  2. If your student created a Teacher account in Threads & Themes - they cannot join classes until the role on their account is changed to Student. You can reach out to Newsela support to request the role changed.

Sync with Clever

If you use Clever, you don't need to create classes manually! You can simply sync your classes and students with Clever. After you do so, your imported students will be able to use their Clever login info to log in to Threads & Themes as well.

Import a Clever Class as a new Threads & Themes class

  1. Select Sync with Clever

  2. In the next window, log into your Clever account

  3. Your Clever Class(es) will appear in the window, including all the students currently enrolled in them. Select which class(es) to import by check marking the box next to the class(es) title(s)

  4. Make sure that 'Import as a new class' is selected for each of the classes you want to sync

  5. Select the org you want to associate the class with (you will be able to edit this later)

  6. Confirm all the students you wish to import are check-marked (un-check the students you do not wish to import)

  7. Once ready click the 'Import' button at the bottom of the window to complete the process

The students you import with this sync will have Threads & Themes accounts created automatically. To log in, all they need to do is choose "Log in with Clever" on the Threads & Themes login page

Note:
Due to Clever security measures, Student accounts created via a sync with Clever are not associated with the student's email address. Student accounts will be created and associated with their Clever ID as their identifying username in Threads & Themes as well.

Students attempting to login to Threads & Themes using their email addresses will not be able to access your assignments.

If there are any changes to your class roster in Clever (ex: a student joins the class) please continue reading this article to learn how to update the roster by re-syncing.

Updating a class that has been previously synced with Clever

If new students join your class after you have already synced it with Clever, you can update the roster within Threads & Themes by re-syncing the class with Clever again. As long as the new students are already added to your Clever class, re-syncing will pull them over to your Threads & Themes class as well!

You can re-sync a class from your main Classes tab, or from your Student Management page.

  1. From the Classes tab: click the triple dot menu within the class tile and select "Clever Re-sync" from the dropdown menu, or
    From the Student Management page: click on "More Options" and select "Clever Re-sync" from the dropdown menu

  2. Proceed to log in to your Microsoft account if prompted and review the Clever class' student list

  3. Check-mark any students you want to pull over from Clever and add to your Threads & Themes class (students already in your Threads & Themes class will be 'grayed out')

  4. Click "Import" to complete the re-sync action (you may need to refresh your window to view the changes made)

Note: Clever classes can not be linked to existing classes in Threads & Themes that were already created via bulk-rostering, manual creation, or sync with Google Classroom / Microsoft Teams.

Troubleshoot: Students are not importing

If some students are not importing when syncing with Clever check for the following common reasons:

  1. If your student created a Teacher account in Threads & Themes - they cannot join classes until the role on their account is changed to Student. You can reach out to Newsela support to request the role changed.
    ​

  2. Some students may have a setting in Clever which allows them to create classes - students with this setting are recognized as teachers by Threads & Themes, and teachers cannot join classes. This setting will need to be turned off in Clever. You can check a student's Clever settings by contacting your school's Clever administrator.

Managing Existing Classes

Once classes have been created and rostered, teachers can continue to edit and adjust them as needed:

Edit class details

From the Classes tab: click the triple dot menu within the class tile, and select Edit Class Details from the dropdown menu

or

From the Student Management page: click More Options and select Edit Class Details from the dropdown menu

Within the Class Details editing window you can change:

  1. The class name

  2. The class abbreviation / icon

  3. The grade(s) associated with the class

  4. The subject(s) associated with the class

  5. The school / department (Org) associated with the class

  6. The class icon's background color

Click on Update Class to save your newly entered details.

Changes will take effect immediately for all students. Co-teachers and admins will also see the changes right away. Changing the grade or Org will update how class data will display on the tracker.

Archive, Restore, or Delete a class

You can archive your classes to clean up your Classes page, Tracker, and your student's dashboards. The class will not be permanently deleted, so you can restore it later if you need it again.

In some cases, classes may be automatically archived after a certain period of time or when the school year changes. If your class has disappeared, it was probably archived! Keep reading below to learn how to restore it!

Archiving a class does not delete student submissions!
Teachers and admins can view data from archived classes by adjusting their reports' view settings

Archive a class

  1. From the Classes tab: click the triple dot menu within the class tile, and select Archive class from the dropdown menu
    or
    From the Student Management page: click More Options and select Archive class from the dropdown menu

  2. Confirm your selection

Students will no longer be able to see their class work once it's archived. The class will also get archived on co-teachers and admin accounts.

Restore an archived class

If you archived a class accidentally, noticed it disappeared but you still need to access it again, you can restore it easily from the main Classes tab:

  1. Click on the Settings gear icon at the top of the page

  2. Toggle on Show Archived

  3. Click the 3 dots menu next to the class you'd like to restore

  4. Select Restore and watch as the class disappears from the archived list!

  5. Toggle off the Show Archived button to go back to your active classes list where you will find the restored class. If the newly restored class is not there, you may need to refresh your window.

Permanently delete a class

We do not recommend permanently deleting a class unless it was never used and was created by mistake. Once deleted from the archive page, it cannot be restored.

Alternatives to permanently deleting a class are to edit the details (such as grade or subject) or to archive it (to remove it from everyone's main view but not lose any data).

If you want to permanently delete a class nonetheless:

  1. Go to your Classes tab

  2. Select the 3 dots menu within the class tile

  3. Select Archive class from the dropdown menu and confirm

  4. At the top of the page click on the Settings gear icon

  5. Toggle on Show Archived

  6. Select the 3 dots menu within the archived class tile

  7. Select Delete from the dropdown menu

  8. Confirm that you want to delete the class - this action cannot be undone!

**Note: Deleting a class will remove all the students from your class and unlink their data from your reports. The students will still have Threads & Themes accounts and you or your colleagues can still have them join other classes you create!

Edit student names

From your classes tab, click on the class the student is a member of to open the Student Management page, then:

  1. Double click into the student's first name field and/or last name field

  2. Edit the field as needed

  3. The student's name will now be saved based on your most recent edit

Note: you cannot edit your students' usernames or email addresses - only the way their names will appear in your class roster and reports.

Move students between existing classes

If students are already in one of your classes, you can add them to another class with a few clicks!

  1. Go to your Classes tab.

  2. Click on the class name of the class your student(s) are currently in to navigate into the Student Management page

  3. Check mark the student(s) you'd like to move

  4. Choose Add to classes from the menu at the bottom of the screen

  5. Select which class(es) to move them into

  6. Click Add for the student to be added to the new class(es) roster

  7. If the student should no longer be enrolled in the older class, you can now proceed to to archive them there following the instructions below.

Archive a student from a class, or restore them

Note: Archiving (removing) a student from your class will not delete the student's account. Archiving a student will just make it so they can no longer see or access your class' lessons and data. They still have a Threads & Themes account, and you can restore their enrollment in your class at any time.

Archive a student

From your Classes page, click on the class name to navigate to the Student Management page, and then:

  1. Check mark the student(s) you wish to remove from the class

  2. Select Archive from the menu at the bottom of the screen, and confirm

View archived students

Archived students will not be deleted from the class roster, to preserve their data. Once archived, they will be moved into your "Archived Students" list which you can easily access from the Student Management page:

  1. Click on More Options

  2. Choose Show Archived Students from the dropdown menu

Your archived students will be listed along with a timestamp indicating when they were archived.

To navigate back to your active students:

  1. Click on More Options

  2. Choose Hide Archived Students from the dropdown menu

Restore an archived student

If you need to restore an archived student into the class they were previously members of:

  1. Click on More Options and choose Show archived Students

  2. Locate the student(s) on the archived students list and check mark them

  3. From the menu at the bottom of the screen choose Restore

The student will then be re-added to your class, and all their data will repopulate in your Tracker.

You can then click on More Options and choose Hide archived students to return to your active students list.

Removing an invited student

If you've invited a student by mistake, or accidentally entered an incorrect email address and the student has not accepted the invitation yet, you can cancel the invitation:

  1. Click on More Options and choose Show Invited Students

  2. Check mark the box next to the invited student's name

  3. Click on Remove invite from the menu at the bottom of the page, and confirm

View & Manage Student Profiles

The Student Profile Page provides a detailed view into individual students status and progress within a given class. If the student attends multiple classes, the student profile page will only show the data relevant to the class you've used to navigate there.

Access Student Profile Page

  1. From your "Classes" tab, click on the title of the class the student is a member of

  2. Locate the student on the "Student Management" page, and click the arrow on the far right of their name

  3. The Student Profile page will appear

Navigate the Student Profile Page

Student Info

The class name will be indicated at the top of the page for ease of reference.

Student Info will be presented right below, including:

  • Profile image / avatar

  • Name

  • Email address (or username)

  • Accommodations status

  • "Last Seen" indicator

  • Demographics (if applicable)

Student Overall Performance

This section provides an overview of student trending average performance over the last 90 days and a distribution of assigned lessons. It also includes a direct link to the Tracker report where you can view student performance in depth.

Assigned Activities List

When first navigating into this page, the default view will present a list of all the lessons assigned to this student via this specific class. Each lesson tile will include an indication of date assigned, as well as additional information on assign settings such as time limit, due date, open/close times, submission editable. To the far right, each lesson tile will include indication if work is still in progress or if the lesson has been submitted late. If a lesson has already been submitted the student's score will be displayed and there will also be indication if the lesson has any blank questions or answers that were not scored yet and in need of review.

Enter keywords into the search bar to locate specific lessons quickly.

Click on the sorting button next to the search bar to switch from the default of descending order by "most recently assigned" to alphabetical sorting.

Timeline Tab

Click into the Timeline tab to access a record of your student's activity (within this specific class) over the last 90 days. Information you can view includes:

  • When a student opened a lesson (started)

  • When they started answering each question

  • when they submitted the lesson

You can even tell when a student answered a question that was later deleted by the teacher. The alert will look like this:

Groups Tab

Teachers can divide students in a class to groups either based on their performance on a lesson, or by any other desired criteria, and use these set groups to quickly assign lessons to the selected students within them.

If a student is added to a group, it will be listed under the Groups tab for reference.

The Student profile page also provides quick access to several actions that are normally performed on the main Student Management page, to save time and prevent going back and forth between screens:

Adjust Student-Specific Accommodations

Click on the blue-highlighted Accommodations status to add, edit or remove global accommodations such as Text to Speech, Time Limit Extension, Answer Choice Reduction, Masking, and Translations.

Reset Student Password

Note: only Student accounts that have been set up with a unique username and password within Threads & Themes can go through a password reset. If the student is logging in using Google, Clever or Microsoft SSO they should use their corresponding credentials to get into Threads & Themes.

  1. Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of the screen

  2. Select Reset student password

  3. Enter the new password (note the password strength indicator)

  4. When you're ready click to save the new password

  5. Provide your student with the new password

Add Student to Classes

  1. Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of the screen

  2. Choose Add to classes

  3. In the pop-up window check-mark the class(es) you wish to add the student to

  4. Click Add to complete the action

  5. The student will now be enrolled in the class(es) you selected

Archive Student

Note: Archiving (removing) a student from your class will not delete the student's account. Archiving a student will just make it so they can no longer see or access this class' lessons and assignments. They still have a Threads & Themes account, and you can restore their enrollment in your class at any time.

  1. Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of the screen

  2. Choose Archive student

  3. Confirm the archiving

  4. The page will now indicate the student has been archived from this class and when it happened

Archived the student by mistake?

Click here for step-by-step instructions to restore an archived student

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?