Digital Tools for Formative Assessments

Updated 6/2020

Measuring for Learning, Goal 4, of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Ed Tech Plan (NETP), states that “At all levels, our education system will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data to improve learning”.  The shift from traditional paper and pencil to next-generation digital assessments enables more flexibility, responsiveness, and contextualization.

Below is a list of easy to use and engaging assessment tools to support your instruction and to personalize learning for students.

You will also want to check out the CDE Classroom Formative Assessment Modules from The Colorado Department of Education. These FREE  online Professional Learning Modules are designed for educators to participate individually or as a team. The Modules will assist teachers to reflect on their current practice, make decisions about which aspects of formative assessment they would like to strengthen and engage with colleagues in professional growth

Assessment Tools:

• AnswerGarden a minimalistic feedback tool. Use it for real-time audience participation, online brainstorming, and classroom feedback.
• Classflow: Classflow allows you to build lessons, quizzes, polls for students and even includes a parent communication feature.
• Classkick: Provides the ability to provide real-time feedback using your own content. Add drawings, text, images, audio, links, and videos to provide instruction or create assessments. Students are able to give anonymous feedback to each other. Watch for a quick preview.
• EdPuzzle: Turns videos into a quick assessment. Choose a video on YouTube, Khan Academy, Crash Course, or upload your own.  How to use
• FlipGrid: Free video creation site to encourage student voice by asking students to make connections to personal experiences.  Educators who use it every day are likely to use it as a part of regular assignments.
• Formative: Create new assignments or simply upload & transform a pre-existing pdf or doc, then tag with any standards & assign it to anyone.   Get results and respond in real-time.
• Google Forms have evolved to create interactive quizzes and surveys with images, photos, videos, and hyperlinks.
• Kahoot: You can make a series of multiple-choice questions or try their new game
• Nearpod: Create or download your own interactive media presentations, share with your students for their response, monitor, and measure student results on an individual and aggregate basis.
• Padlet: This free online tool can be used for so many learning activities. Create collaborative Padlets for all students to post their responses or have each student create a padlet to demonstrate their learning. Make sure you check out the different ways you can engage using Wall, Canvas, Stream, Grid, or Shelf
• Plickers: Plickers is a powerful, yet simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. You can print the Plicker cards yourself or you can order laminated cards online.
• Poll Everywhere: Poll Everywhere is a student-response tool — available on just about any platform from the web to iOS and Android to all the major presentation providers — that offers assessment and whole-class participation through teacher-designed surveys, polls, and discussion boards.
• Quizizz: makes it super-easy to create great quizzes in no time. Use the detailed class and student-level reports to understand where your students are.
• Quizlet: Either you or your students can develop their own digital flashcards, games, and quizzes.
• Quizalize: Pick a quiz or create your own. Students receive instant feedback and so does the teacher!
• Synth:  Students create 265 second sound bytes with transcriptions and links that can be shared as an audiogram  (Using it in the classroom)
• Seesaw: Students show their work with photos, videos, drawings, text, PDFs, and links. A great resource for portfolios!
• Socrative.com: Quickly assess students with prepared activities or on-the-fly questions to get immediate insight into student understanding. Then use auto-populated results to determine the best instructional approach to most effectively drive learning.
• Triventy: Write your own questions, or customize any quiz from their extensive library. You’ll be able to mark your quiz as a collaborative quiz and invite students to add questions to it.

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