Assessment is at the crux of educational evaluation. It’s a major factor in designating student success, and it’s a vital skill that every educator needs to have firm hold of. Succinctly, grades represent the extent to which the learner has met the defined objectives. Teachers generally define these objectives at the beginning of the year, aided by benchmarks, such as statewide academic achievement standards. Assessment is an emotionally laden procedure that implies more than the degree of compliance with the goals.

Before beginning a learning activity, teachers should think of and choose the assessment criteria; students appreciate a grading system that is fair, consistent, and easy to understand. Assessment serve the following purposes:

1. Provide feedback to students on their rate of achievement.
2. Help students evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses.
3. Properly used (not inflated), grades serve as a positive motivating factor by rewarding students 
for their progress.
4. Communicate student achievement to others, including potential employers and graduate schools.
5. Select students for special programs (such as remedial or advanced).

You’ll be required to adhere to your school district’s grading policy, which will be provided to you. These policies may also differ from one district to another. You will find out that assessment comes with its own set of challenges.

In order to make assessment easier, there are several edtech companies that sell apps and tools. These tools will make sure that when you assess your students, you have all of the resources that you need to be successful. We decided to create a list of 27 of the best assessment apps, tools and resources for teachers, so you won’t have to do a ton of research to find the ones that work for you.

1. ActiveGrade– This app uses standards to measure student success.
2. Formative – Formative hopes to encourage students to learn from feedback and corrections. Educators watch in real time as students answer questions and can jump in and provide help.
3. LearnBoost – A free electronic grading system for teachers.
4. Crowdmark– This shared grading tool is great for assessing group work.
5. Goalbook Toolkit– Allows all of the stakeholders in education to collaborate.
6. JumpRope– Mastery based grading app for the K-12 classrooms.
7. MasteryConnect– Save and share grading data with this easy to use app.
8. FreshGrade– An easy way to record, save, and share student learning.
9. Kaizena– Save lots of time by assessing digital work on Google Drive.
10. Metria Master Teacher Edition– Comprehensive standards planning, assessment tool that supports quality instruction.
11. Comment Bubble– Video-response tool that allows you to give students simple feedback.
12. Thrively– Cool assessment targets kids’ strengths; sprawling content overwhelms.
13. Mindprint Learning– Skilled feedback and tools intended for personalized student profiles.
14. Gradealyzer– This product is future of the grade book. Gradealyzer offers educators a single space to keep grades across subjects and even school wide.
15. The Answer Pad– Easy to use, assessment product for your classroom.
16. Socrative– Powerful assessments to measure student learning.
17. Kahoot!– Gamified student-response tool that can make assessment fun and competitive.
18. Quizalize– Turn formative assessment into a game show.
19. GoSoapBox– Simple, easy to use web-based clicker tool gives instant feedback.
20. Edulastic– Formative assessment tool that tracks achievement of benchmarks.
21. PollFlipgrid– Ask questions, spark introspective multimedia responses with outstanding tool.
22. GoClass– Give powerful interactive lessons to kids via their mobile devices.
23. Everywhere– Simple student-response tool.
24. TodaysMeet– Simple online conversations allow teachers and their students to communicate outside of the classroom.
25. LearnBoost – A free electronic grading system for teachers.
26. The Coursebook– Share, track, and grade learning
27. Piazza– Cutting edge Q&A tool facilitates discussion and develops critical thinking skills.

Did we miss any?