Teacher Tech Table: Using Technology to Assess Student Mastery

*UPDATED with new apps- May 2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Written By: Amy Fuchs

Communication is the key… everyone communicates differently.  If a student can show what they have learned (demonstrate mastery of the lesson), does it matter how they communicate that knowledge?  As educators, we need to think outside the box when assessing mastery of content.

Tips for Creative Assessment of Mastery

Students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties may need to use text to speech apps such as:

Speechify Text to Speech Audio

NaturalReader-Text to Speech

How about having them listen to audiobooks so that they can participate more fully in class or small group book chats?  Try these audiobook apps:

Hoopla

Libby, by Overdrive

Snapping pictures of work, creating electronic journals, using pictures of written attempts, typed narratives when necessary, videos, etc. is easy with apps such as:

Padlet

inku- tool for dyslexia

There is even an app that uses your device’s camera to take a picture of a worksheet so the student can complete it on the device with less frustration than using pencil to paper.  Check it out:

SnapType

PDF Expert- Editor & Reader

Click on the image below for a printable summary of this information:

Using all or a combination of these apps gives you more flexibility in assessing student mastery which leads to better use of your instructional time. If you are interested in searching for more apps, creating your own list of apps and sharing them, please go to BridgingApps.org. BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, is a community of parents, therapists, doctors and teachers who share information about using mobile devices with people who have special needs.