It’s Sunday night and you can’t put off the looming pile of assignments you’ve got to grade before morning any longer. We’ve all been there. Grading papers and scoring tests isn’t the most exciting part of teaching, but the data and insight it provides is critical to the learning process. Here are four tips that will help cut down on grading time so you can focus on what matters most – teaching students content and skills, providing constructive feedback, and ensuring comprehension.
- Schedule Time for Grading
Too often, grading takes a back seat to all the other things you’ve got on your plate, from communicating with parents, working one-on-one with students, preparing lessons, and professional learning. Schedule a day every week to stay after school for an hour, come in early, or dedicate a prep period to grading papers. Earmarking this time each week will help ensure that you stay on top of your grading and get feedback to students in a timely manner.
- Plan Tests and Assignments Strategically
When you assign a big project or exam, try to time it around the workload of your other class periods. Don’t set due dates so all the work comes in for grading at the same time. When possible, stagger items that require time-consuming grading so you are not hit with several different class projects/tests all at once. Of course, the end of semester will be unavoidably busy, but you can save some sanity during the rest of the term by strategic timing.
- Create a Rubric
One way to reduce time grading essays is to create a detailed rubric. Spend the time to carefully outline how students can achieve proficiency so you can avoid having to write edits and comments on each student’s paper. Although creating the rubric will require some initial prep work, once it is created you can just highlight the appropriate areas that apply to the assignment and attach a copy to the student’s paper.
- Use a Scanner
A great way to reduce time spent grading is with a scanner unit, such as Apperson’s Datalink 600. This handy device will grade your students’ test results in a snap, can run over 30 formats of low-cost answer sheets, and will deliver the data you need quickly and efficiently. This type of device is perfect for quizzes and exams and also for daily quick-checks for understanding, which are most powerful when results are shared with students right away. A scanner can enable you to assess comprehension, provide student feedback, and modify instruction accordingly – all on the spot during the lesson. Contact an Apperson Assessment Specialist to learn more about how a scanner unit can cut down on your grading time and provide essential data to you and your students faster.
Written by Emily Sumner.