ZipGrade

This year, several teachers have begun using a tool called ZipGrade for closed item assessments. Essentially, the app (available for iOS and Android) replaces a traditional bubble scanner with a few important perks.

How it works:

1. The teacher makes copies of 20, 50, or 100 question answer sheets.
2. After the assessment, the teacher makes a key and begins scanning with a tablet or smartphone:

3. The app takes a photo of each assessment and enters the data into the ZipGrade software. Teachers can create classes to separate multiple sections on the ZipGrade site.

4. Item analysis allows teachers to quickly see which questions were missed most frequently and track trends. Teachers can even correct a student response if it was clear he or she did not erase sufficiently.

Grading efficiency:

While I don't want to over-emphasize closed item analysis, the speed of this app makes it very easy for even short quizzes or surveys. I found that scanning with my iPhone was even quicker as I scanned an entire class in less than two minutes. Once scanned, I was immediately able to view results on my phone, iPad, or through the web browser.

In the end:

I wouldn't call this a transformative tool, but it certainly helps make one of our many daily tasks a bit more efficient. For $6.99 a year, it seems worth it to save a little bit of time and provide immediate feedback to students.