Kandoolu

Kandoolu, a website based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), enables teachers to assign questions, quizzes, and resources to individual students, groups, or whole classes. Students access their teacher's page via join codes or an email login -- with the option to print student login cards and parent letters to simplify the process. Teachers curate content by selecting from questions, pre-created quizzes, and resources that meet desired criteria in reading, grammar, or math, narrowing it down by subject area, grade level, and standard. Students complete questions as assigned and can view scores and missed questions upon submission. The ability to assign content to specific students makes it easier for teachers to differentiate, but they'll have to create classes and groups in advance. Students can also choose interests and preferred learning styles to help teachers assign content. Reports available by standard for groups or whole classes make it easy for teachers to see how students are progressing on a particular standard. 

There are some problems with navigation. For instance, students may not be able to access quizzes that teachers have assigned because they don't show up right away, or students will be offered two choices, but clicking either one leads nowhere.

Teachers will be able to provide standards-based quizzes using Kandoolu, but there are limitations and potential pitfalls. Because so many skills cannot be assessed by objective questions alone, teachers will want to use tools like Kandoolu as a supplement to -- rather than a driver of -- instruction. As with any tool that relies on multiple-choice questions, it's hard to know whether a true understanding of concepts is taking place or if students are just guessing. Teachers will need to really dig into the data in order to get a true picture of student progress, and this is time-consuming no matter which tool teachers use. The surface knowledge that tools like Kandoolu assess is realistic in light of the current results-driven educational climate, but it's debatable whether such tools impact long-term learning. As such, teachers will want to take advantage of the option to assign additional relevant resources that will help students delve more deeply into concepts. 

The ability to assign questions by standard to individuals, groups, or whole classes can be a very useful way to promote and predict student mastery of concepts on quarterly or yearly summative assessments. Since teachers can easily assign quizzes without reading the questions, they should take care to not assign them indiscriminately and risk overloading students with developmentally inappropriate or time-consuming assignments.