What Is a Sophia Learning Touchstone? Grading, Timelines, and Rubrics Explained
Quick Answer: A Sophia Learning Touchstone is a project-based assignment, usually a written deliverable, that is checked for originality and then graded by hand against a rubric. You need at least half of the available points to pass a Touchstone and an average of 70% across all Challenges, Milestones, and Touchstones to pass the course. Grading can take up to seven business days.
How a Touchstone Fits Into a Sophia Learning Course
Sophia Learning courses are built from three kinds of assessment. Challenges are problem-based practice with tutorials and multiple attempts. Milestones are timed, open-book tests that average 20 to 30 questions. Touchstones are the project-based part: Sophia Learning describes them as assessments that help you apply mastery of the concepts to solve an authentic problem.
You can work on a Touchstone at any time, but you must pass the Unit Milestone before you can submit it for grading. Because a person scores it, the Touchstone is usually the slowest step in a unit, which is why it shapes how quickly you can finish a Sophia Learning course.
The diagram below shows the typical order of assessments in a unit. The exact mix varies by course, as covered further down.
How Touchstones Are Graded
Originality Check
Every Touchstone is checked for originality on submission, and graders interpret the results based on the instructions and type of Touchstone. Submissions must be unique to the course, so work you wrote for a previous course is not accepted for grading.
Manual Grading
After the originality check, a human grader scores the Touchstone against the rubric for that assignment. Reading the rubric before you write is the single most useful thing you can do, because it states exactly what the grader is looking for.
Grading Window
The Sophia Learning student guide says it could take up to seven business days to get a Touchstone grade back. Sophia Learning’s own blog says most assignments are graded within 72 hours. Plan around the longer figure, and start the next unit while you wait.
Passing Scores
According to the student guide, you must earn at least half of the available points to pass a Touchstone. To pass the course, you need an average of 70% across all Challenges, Milestones, and Touchstones. If you do not pass a Touchstone, you get one opportunity to resubmit it. Policies can change, so confirm the current numbers in your Course Dashboard.
Which Sophia Learning Courses Have Touchstones
Sophia Learning does not list them in one place in the student guide. Some courses have Touchstones in place of Milestones, some have both, and some courses with Touchstones have no Final Milestone. Your Course Dashboard shows which assessment types each course uses, so check it before you plan your pace.
For course-by-course comparisons, see our guides to the easiest and hardest Sophia Learning courses, or our Sophia Learning Chemistry guide if a science course is next on your list.
Tips for Passing a Touchstone on the First Try
Read the Rubric First
Review the Touchstone description at the start of the unit and match your outline to each rubric criterion before you draft anything.
Cite Every Outside Source
Sophia Learning’s academic integrity tutorial notes that incorrect or missing citations can lead to accusations of plagiarism, even when the mistake is unintentional. If an idea or a number is not yours, cite it.
Work Over Several Days
The student guide recommends spreading a Touchstone over several days instead of writing it in one sitting, then proofreading before you submit. A rested second read catches most of the errors graders deduct for.
Plan Around the Grading Wait
Submit when the work is ready, then move on to the next unit while it is being graded. If a section of the assignment is unclear, Sophia Learning’s Learning Coaches can answer questions about it.
What Happens If a Touchstone Is Flagged
A flagged Touchstone is placed in a Plagiarism Detected state with an explanation from the grader describing the type of plagiarism found. You then get a single opportunity to submit a new, original version. Further violations are escalated to the Student Affairs Team, and under the Student Honor Code, non-compliance could result in removal from the course, removal of courses from your transcript, or disqualification from enrolling in future courses.
The Sophia Learning materials we reviewed do not name AI tools specifically, but they do require that answers be your own work. Our guide to whether Sophia Learning can detect AI covers how that applies in practice, and the Touchstone integrity guidelines give Sophia Learning’s exact wording.
Stuck on a Touchstone Deadline?
Touchstones are the part of a Sophia Learning course that cannot be rushed, because they are written, checked, and graded by hand. If one is the only thing standing between you and a finished course, Finish My Math Class has been helping students complete Sophia Learning courses since 2016, backed by our A/B Grade Guarantee. You can see pricing upfront or get a free quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Sophia Learning take to grade a Touchstone?
Sophia Learning’s student guide says it could take up to seven business days to get a Touchstone grade back. Sophia Learning’s own blog says most assignments are graded within 72 hours. Plan around the longer figure, since Touchstones are graded by hand.
What score do I need to pass a Touchstone?
The student guide says you must earn at least half of the available points to pass a Touchstone. To pass the course itself, you need an average of 70% across all Challenges, Milestones, and Touchstones. Confirm the current rules in your Course Dashboard, since Sophia Learning can update its policies.
Can I resubmit a Touchstone?
Yes, once. If you do not pass a Touchstone, the student guide says you get one opportunity to resubmit it. This is separate from the retake policy for Challenges and Milestones, which allows one retake of each.
Do all Sophia Learning courses have Touchstones?
No. According to the student guide, some courses have Touchstones in place of Milestones, some have both, and some courses with Touchstones have no Final Milestone. Your Course Dashboard shows which assessment types a course uses.
What is the difference between a Challenge, a Milestone, and a Touchstone?
Challenges are problem-based practice with tutorials and multiple attempts. Milestones are timed, open-book tests that average 20 to 30 questions. Touchstones are project-based deliverables that are checked for originality and then graded manually against a rubric.
What happens if a Touchstone is flagged for plagiarism?
Sophia Learning places it in a Plagiarism Detected state, and the grader explains the type of plagiarism found. You then get a single opportunity to submit a new, original version. Further violations go to the Student Affairs Team, and the Honor Code allows sanctions up to removal from the course. See the Touchstone integrity guidelines for the exact wording.
Does Sophia Learning check Touchstones for AI-generated writing?
The Sophia Learning materials we reviewed describe an originality scan for matching text and do not name AI tools specifically. The Honor Code does require that submitted answers be your own work, and plagiarism is defined to include using unauthorized online tools. For a fuller breakdown, read Can Sophia Learning Detect AI?
What counts as plagiarism on a Sophia Learning Touchstone?
Sophia Learning’s Touchstone integrity guidelines say the scan catches identical matches, matches with minor changes, and paraphrased matches. Work you wrote for a previous course also counts, because every submission must be unique to the course. Missing or incorrect citations can lead to an accusation even when the mistake is unintentional.
Sources and Related Reading
Sophia Learning sources: the student guide, the Touchstone integrity guidelines, and the academic integrity tutorial. Policies can change, so check your Course Dashboard for the current rules.