14 TOOLS

Authentic Assessment Tools for Teachers and Students

Authentic assessment -- that aims to measure student abilities in situations that mimic how those abilities are actually used -- is a goal of all teachers, but it's tough to get it right when each classroom has 30 to 40 individuals with unique needs. Some of the ways teachers can make assessment more student-centered are to include performance tasks, introduce real-life contexts, encourage construction and application activities, and gather portfolios of student work. One type of assessment you won't see: multiple-choice questions. This list of ELA, social studies, math, and science websites provides ways for teachers to assess students and promote exploration, collaboration, self-regulation, and even social justice at the same time.

ELA and Social Studies

PenPal Schools

Give students global perspective with pen pal projects in any subject

Bottom Line: This is a thoughtful, ready-to-go platform that facilitates authentic and safe cross-cultural collaboration.

Grades: 3–12
Price:
Free

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program

Wildly engaging contest turns students into novelists in 30 days

Bottom Line: A thoughtful adaptation of the famous and fun grown-up novel writing contest, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is brimming with advice and encouragement as well as classroom support.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

LitPick

YA review site gives students a real-world, although ad-driven, outlet

Bottom Line: LitPick is a decent place for YA lovers to discover and discuss books, but the site is in need of a refresh and features a lot of promotion/ads.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free

Kaizena

Nifty add-on enables audio and text feedback in Google Docs

Bottom Line: If your classroom relies a lot on Google Docs, this might just be the feedback tool you're looking for.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Youth Voices

Aging online community hosts authentic student writing

Bottom Line: With some patience and understanding, this could be a good space for supporting healthy student expression.

Grades: 7–12
Price:
Free

Write the World

Global community helps young writers write, revise, think, and grow

Bottom Line: With interest-based writing prompts and thoughtful feedback from peers and pros, this is a great tool for writing for authentic audiences.

Grades: 8–12
Price:
Free

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Defined Learning

Stellar collection of STEM resources supports project-based learning

Bottom Line: Excellent, well-thought-out resources for developing problem-solving skills in the classroom.

Grades: K–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

CueThink

Social approach to problem-solving promotes deep math learning

Bottom Line: An innovative, community-based platform that helps students plan, strategize, and collaborate.

Grades: 5–12
Price:
Free to try, Paid

Tuva Labs

Dynamic data-exploration tool offers large collection of data sets

Bottom Line: Partner with another teacher (preferably a data whiz) and work together to develop cross-curricular activities.

Grades: 4–12
Price:
Free, Paid

Mosa Mack Science

Engaging design challenges turn kids into actual science detectives

Bottom Line: A thorough, engaging way to weave some engineering into your middle school science lessons.

Grades: 4–8
Price:
Free to try

Inq-ITS

Virtual labs epitomize the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices

Bottom Line: Earth, life, and physical science simulations coach kids through the NGSS Practices.

Grades: 5–10
Price:
Free to try, Paid

CanFigureIt Geometry

Flex your deductive reasoning muscles with geometric proofs

Bottom Line: A really good way for math students to learn about proofs and explore them from a number of angles.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

Desmos

Powerful graphing calculator deepens understanding with visualization

Bottom Line: Desmos combines interactivity, visualization, personalization, and collaboration to deepen students' understanding of geometry and graphing concepts.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

NOVA Labs

Online science, mastered: exceptional content within meaningful tasks

Bottom Line: Serious, sophisticated science engagement -- but be prepared to take some prep time to connect these labs with your classroom.

Grades: 6–12
Price:
Free

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