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Article summary
An evaluation closes automatically on its scheduled end date, or an admin can end it early. Either way, this is permanent — a closed evaluation cannot reopen, and no further responses are accepted.
Ending an evaluation is different from shortening its collection window:
- Moving the end date earlier or later while an evaluation is Live is reversible
- Clicking End evaluation is immediate and final
Students get a reminder email 48 hours before the scheduled close. Ending an evaluation inside that 48-hour window means the reminder never goes out.
Once an evaluation closes:
- No further Enrolments can be added
- Educators can still be added or removed at any time
- Responses can still be exported to CSV at any point
- Leaders can see results as soon as it closes only if you've enabled early access in report settings — otherwise they see response rates only, until you release results
StudentSense also automatically scans text responses for content that may need review as soon as the evaluation closes, before anyone sees them.
Once an evaluation has run its course, it closes — either on its own, on the schedule you set, or because you ended it yourself. This article covers what closing means, how the two paths differ, and what changes the moment it happens.
How an evaluation closes
An evaluation closes in one of two ways: it reaches its scheduled end date automatically, or an admin ends it early from the evaluation's ⋯ menu by selecting End evaluation.
Either way, this is final. Once an evaluation closes, it cannot return to Live, no further responses are accepted, and there's no way to reopen it — whether it closed on schedule or you ended it manually.
Ending an evaluation early vs. shortening the collection window
These are two different actions, and it's worth keeping them apart:
- Moving the end date — while an evaluation is Live, you can bring its end date forward or push it back from Edit evaluation. This is reversible in either direction, right up until the evaluation actually closes.
- Ending the evaluation — selecting End evaluation closes it immediately. This cannot be undone.
If you want to shorten collection but might change your mind, move the end date instead of ending the evaluation.
The closing reminder email
Students receive an automatic reminder email 48 hours before the evaluation's scheduled close. If you end an evaluation early and that happens within 48 hours of its scheduled close, the reminder is skipped — it never reaches its trigger point. Extending the end date issues a new reminder ahead of the new close.
What else changes once an evaluation closes
- Enrolments can be added while an evaluation is in Draft or Live, but not once it has closed.
- Educators can be added or removed at any point in the evaluation's lifecycle, including after it closes.
- Responses can be exported to CSV at any time, whether the evaluation is still running or has already closed.
- If you've enabled early results access for leaders in the report settings, leaders can see results as soon as the evaluation closes. Otherwise, leaders see response rates only until you release the results.
What happens right after closing
As soon as an evaluation closes, StudentSense automatically scans every text response and flags anything that may need a closer look before results reach anyone else. From there, the evaluation moves toward having its results ready to release. Reviewing flagged responses and releasing results to educators and leaders is covered in the next article in this guide.