Online Grader Apps

With increasing class sizes, teacher workloads, and reporting mandates, it’s no wonder that help with online grading is pretty high on the list of requested formative assessment tools for teachers. And responsive learning environments, while highly beneficial to both students and teachers, require more frequent check-ins on student progress.

That, in turn, means more assessments, more paper grading, and inevitably more time. It’s the time portion that is most problematic, because in formative classrooms, fast feedback is the key to adjusting approaches and reteaching material. Many educators try to close the gap using online grading programs to speed up the process, but many test grader apps for teachers have limited functionality and flexibility.

Different needs for different classes

Standard fill-in-the-bubble forms are typically pretty straightforward for subjects that lend themselves to multiple choice tests that can be scored using an online grader. But for subjects where work must be shown or ideas demonstrated – like an algebra formula or a five-paragraph essay – rubrics are a better paper grading tool.

In other circumstances, students may need to write out short number, letter, or word answers, for spelling tests, fill-in-the-blank recall, etc. In these instances, many online scan-and-score teacher apps aren’t flexible enough to accommodate such diverse needs. Unfortunately, teachers often have little choice but to settle for whatever help they can get.