GradeCam Releases Free Scanning Software for Rapid Classroom Test Grading

PLEASANTON, Calif., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Studies show that timely feedback is one of the most positive influences on student achievement. GradeCam announces a free formative application that automates multiple-choice test scoring and provides teachers with immediate feedback on the learning in progress in their classrooms.

GradeCam is a web program that works with a standard web or document camera to quickly grade multiple-choice tests at no cost. The teacher simply swipes a completed test under the camera, and within seconds, GradeCam delivers the student's name, score, and questions missed. After scanning all tests, GradeCam provides an item analysis for each question showing how many students chose answer A, how many chose B, etc. Forms can be printed from the application.

"Before I started using GradeCam I spent hours outside of the classroom grading papers," said Jake Anderson, a history teacher at Del Valle High School in Livermore, Calif. "But I still didn't feel like I was giving my students the feedback that they needed. GradeCam changed that by giving me a quick way to see what students are getting and where they need help."

Researchers have found that cumulative effects of better daily instruction make an enormous difference in student outcomes. Educators who take advantage of this free tool by addressing topics that need further instruction can dramatically improve the quality of their day-to-day instruction. Available studies suggest that the rate of learning in classrooms where teachers use short-cycle formative assessment is approximately double that found in other classrooms.[1]

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has stressed the need for better classroom productivity tools and encouraged schools to "do more with less." GradeCam addresses those directives by offering a free application that gives teachers direct help with the everyday classroom task of achieving better learning.

"Hundreds of studies tell us that no teaching practice yields better results than using relevant, timely feedback to adjust instruction while learning is in progress," explained Tami Porter, cofounder of GradeCam. "What makes our free application so powerful is that it gives teachers and students that feedback in the classroom, while the lesson is being taught, which is when the information has the most potential to affect understanding."

GradeCam offers its proprietary technology for licensing to all education providers. Companies that have already licensed the application include Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Illuminate Education, LinkIt!, and Mastery Connect. For more information about the free web-based application, visit www.gradecam.com or phone (866) 472-3339.

About GradeCam
GradeCam Corporation is dedicated to making it easy and affordable for educators to collect timely student information in the regular classroom. GradeCam's Web-based scanning software turns any educator's camera-equipped computer into a data-collection and reporting station, linking daily instructional practices directly to student outcomes. The company is based in Pleasanton, Calif. For more information, visit www.gradecam.com or phone (866) 472-3339.

[1] Research Brief: "What Does Research Say the Benefits of Formative Assessment Are?" published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

SOURCE GradeCam Corporation