Choosing Online Assessment Tools for Your Classroom

There are dozens of online assessment tools, and most of them are built for testing after teaching. The most useful ones in a lesson give you results while you can still act on them. If you're choosing an assessment tool for day-to-day classroom use, here's what matters and what you can skip.

Formative first, summative second

For most lessons you want formative assessment: quick checks that tell you who understood, in time to reteach today. A tool that only produces a score sheet for later misses the moment that matters. Look for instant marking and a live view of the class, not just an export at the end.

What to look for

1. Instant auto-marking. Objective questions (multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, matching) should be marked the moment a student answers.
2. Live or self-paced. Can you run a check live with the class and also set the same questions for independent practice?
3. Signals you can act on. Can you see, while the lesson is running, which students keep getting a question wrong, so you know who needs you and what to reteach?
4. You set the answer key. Auto-marking is only as good as the key, so review every question, especially if any were AI-drafted.
5. Fast question creation. Writing, importing or drafting questions shouldn't take longer than teaching them. A reusable question bank pays off quickly.
6. Export when you need it. A CSV of results for your records or your department covers a single session; for a whole term, look for a gradebook that fills itself in from the practice, as ClassKite's Gradebook does.

What you probably don't need

Be wary of paying for features that don't fit everyday teaching. Webcam proctoring, for instance, is built for invigilated exams, not for a Tuesday check for understanding. ClassKite has no proctoring: it is built for everyday lessons, which keeps it simple for students to join and use.

How ClassKite approaches assessment

ClassKite turns your questions into auto-marked practice you can run live or set as independent work. Students answer on their own devices, every response is checked instantly, and the live grid flags any student who keeps getting the same question wrong, so you can spend the next five minutes of the lesson on that question. Detailed class reports and the live grid are part of Teacher Plus and the School plan; running practice with instant feedback is free on Teacher Basic.

Create a free teacher account and run an exit-ticket quiz with your next class.

Frequently asked questions

Is this formative or summative assessment?

Both work, but it is strongest for formative assessment: results are instant, so you can adjust the lesson while it is happening.

Which question types are auto-marked?

All six: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank (word or number), matching and jumbled sentence. You set the answer key when you create or review each question.

Is there exam proctoring?

No, there is no webcam proctoring. For a quiz under quiz conditions, SBQ mode withholds results until you release them, turns copying off and flags answers given after a student leaves the page, and iPads can be locked to the quiz with Safe Exam Browser.

How much does ClassKite cost to evaluate?

Teacher Basic is free and students always join free with a join code, so you can run a real assessment with a real class before deciding. Reports and AI drafting come with Teacher Plus and the School plan. Compare the plans, or read about school rollouts if you are evaluating for a department.

Related reading: tracking student progress during live practice and how to reduce marking time. Or see the reports and quiz & question bank features.