Grade It Now App

Teachers are always looking for different ways to assess students. Here is another assessment App available on the iOS, Android, and Chrome Stores called Grade It Now.

What is Grade It Now?
Essentially Grade It Now is the equivalent of an electronic Scantron sheet. Teachers create an assessment and develop an answer key filled with multiple choice questions. 

What Do I Like? 

1. Once teachers have purchased the App, they can make an unlimited number of assessments. 
2. Multiple choice questions can be anywhere between 2 to 6 choices with one or more answers.
3. You can set a time limit for students to complete
4. Assessment instantly and provide scores to both student and teacher. 

What I Don't Like

I have to admit, when I first saw this App, I was excited at the possibility of another App like Socrative, Kahoot, or Quizziz; however, I was very disappointed that it is the equivalent of a scantron sheet.

• Obviously, this is not a UDL-friendly App because it provides students with only one type of question (multiple choice / true false). Unfortunately filling in bubbles does not demonstrate whether students have mastered content. 

• The App states that students and teachers get instantanoues feedback. Essentially they find out which bubble they missed, which would be no different than handing someone a marked up Scantron sheet. I'm not sure a bubble can help students understand "why" they got a particular question wrong - if they cannot even see the question.

• You have to pay for the App and get very little in return. $1.99 in the iOS store and $9.99 in the Chrome Store. 

• Apps like Socrative, Quizziz, NearPod actually put the question on the student's screen, provide feedback, and help students go beyond "what" the answer is to "why" the answer is what it is. They even provide students with visuals to understand the question better. 

• If you read the user agreement, the company is NOT responsible for any of your data. In other words, if you don't back up your answer keys, you are out of luck. It seems very difficult - if impossible - to easily backup data. 

• It is hard to believe that teachers still use Scantrons, but in many districts where technology is not as prevelent, this is the case. It would be nice to see if this App were able to integrate with scantron technology. Could this App scan and grade actual scantron sheets, much like other Apps do?