Quick Idea to Help Propel Your Students’ Achievement -NJCTL Team Finds ZipGrade Makes Fast Scoring Easy & Efficient

We all know that real-time feedback can help propel our students’ achievement.  Formative assessment is one of the most empowering aspects of NJCTL’s approach. It is important for  teachers to have an understanding of each student’s current progress, as well as for each student to have a realistic understanding of their own progress, so both teachers and students can apply their efforts accordingly.

As critical as it is to provide timely feedback on tests and quizzes,  it can be hard for teachers to find the time to make that happen quickly enough.  One solution that we’ve grown to appreciate at NJCTL is ZipGrade: https://www.zipgrade.com/.  In the company’s own words:

"ZipGrade turns your phone or tablet into an optical grading machine similar to a Scantron. It reads free-to-download answer sheets in multiple sizes. Provide instant feedback to students by grading exit tickets, quizzes, and formative assessments as soon as they finish."

With free limited scans a low-cost annual subscription of under $10 for unlimited use, teachers can grade multiple choice responses almost instantly using smart phones.  Students use a ZipGrade scan sheet to record answers and teachers use the iOS or Android app to scan answers. Thus, an entire class of multiple choice exams can be scored in minutes.  

Best of all, ZipGrade also offers reports that can help with item analysis -- which you’ll have more time for when you eliminate the need to hand score, without the need for specialized machinery or equipment.  A group of NJCTL staff used ZipGrade on a recent training trip in Southern Africa and were all amazed at how fast it was to grade with this tool.  We recommend you give it a try!