What is the Bubble Sheet feature?
Formative has integrated GradeCam, a paper grading product, into our assessment tool. This Add-on enhances teachers and students testing and grading experience by creating bubble sheet assessments that are easily graded using a webcam or document camera.
Bubble Sheets allow students to take formatives on paper and teachers to scan the bubble sheet responses into Formative for auto-grading - including tagging to standards - utilizing the in-app grading camera. This powerful tool can add to test security, and offer a way for teachers to better accommodate for individual student needs.
Who Can Access the Bubble Sheet feature?
The Bubble Sheet feature is an Add-on to a school / district Gold plan. We will update here once the Add-on is available for purchase.
Supported Question Types
The only question types that are supported by bubble sheet scanning are:
Multiple Choice
Multiple Selection
True / False
Free Response (Rubric grading**)
** Rubric grading will require manual marking of the bubble sheet by the teacher prior to scanning into Formative
*** Unsupported question types can be captured in a bubble sheet if it is generated from within a specific formative, but to a limited extent. i.e. the question will be treated as a True/False item on the bubble sheet, and will require the teacher to manually mark the bubble sheet prior to scanning (more on this below)
Generating Bubble Sheets
There are two ways to generate bubble sheets:
Bubble Sheet for an Existing Formative
This option will generate a bubble sheet defaulting to match the specific existing formative. This option is recommended when you're in need of having the questions recorded in Formative along with the responses and/or when only some students will be taking the formative on paper while others will use the online version.
The generated bubble sheet will default to show the amount of questions and answer choices already existing within the specific formative - though you will have an option to adjust those to your preference if needed. The title of the Bubble Sheet will default to match the title of the formative (you will be able to edit this as well)
Access an existing formative in your account.
Click on the triple dots menu at the top right corner.
Select "Print Bubble Sheet" from the dropdown menu.
Note: this option will be available only if your school/district purchased the Bubble Sheet Add-on in addition to the Gold plan.Adjust your bubble sheet's heading title as needed.
If you're a member of a school/district that is bulk-rostering with Formative - toggle on "Student ID" and enter the number of columns of student ID bubbles to match the length of your students' IDs. These bubbles will be added to the printed bubble sheet for students to fill out.
Note: A student's ID will be the internal ID provided by your district and used for automatically rostering your students.If you'd like your bubble sheet to represent a different number of questions and/or answer choices than what your existing formative has, click "show override options", toggle on the setting(s) you wish to adjust and proceed to enter your preferred number(s).
If you want the bubble sheet to represent the existing formative as is - leave these settings toggled off.If there are unsupported question types on your existing formative, a message will let you know these will require manual scoring. These questions will be represented on the bubble sheet as T/F question types that will require the teacher to mark prior to scanning into Formative (once these are scanned, teachers will be able to adjust the score online).
Click "Preview" to check your bubble sheet is being generated as expected.
You can continue to adjust your preferences and preview the changes until satisfied.
You can also adjust the print preview - rotate, zoom in/out, change to 2 page presentation, etc.
When satisfied with the generated bubble sheet preview, click on the Printer icon within the Preview window to send your bubble sheet directly to a printer. Alternatively, you can click the "download" icon to save a copy of the bubble sheet to your device.to print at a later time, or to send to colleagues.
Custom Bubble Sheet Assessment
This option will allow you to generate a general customized bubble sheet assignment with an answer key, without dependency on an existing formative. This option is recommended when the testing / assignment materials are available to students on paper (for example: test booklet) or on a 3rd party application, yet you're in need of their responses and grades to be recorded in Formative for data tracking purposes.
When creating a custom bubble sheet assessment, you will build your bubble sheet to match your needs (based on the external materials the students will be working from). You will have the option to select the type, amount, and order of questions to be represented on your bubble sheet, as well as the amount of answer choices for each question. You will also have the option to tag each question to standards.
Navigate to your Home page or your Activities page from the left side menu.
Click "Create +" at the top right corner.
Select "Bubble Sheet" from the dropdown menu.
Note: this option will be available only if your school / district purchased the Bubble Sheet Add-on in addition to the Gold plan.
A new formative will open, already populated with a Bubble Sheet question type.
Select a question type, the amount of questions you'd like to add from this type, and amount of answer choices (if applicable) then click "Add". Your selections will be added in order of creation.
As the selections are added to the bubble sheet, you can edit them to your preference:
Use the minus/plus buttons to remove or add answer choices to a question
Switch a question's type to another one
Click the triple dots menu to the far right of a question to either duplicate (copy), delete, or move it to a different location on the bubble sheet
Edit the point value of individual questions
Click the Tag icon to tag a specific question to standards.
If selecting a Free Response question type, you will be prompted to select an existing rubric for grading or to create a new one and then add it.
The rubric will be represented on the bubble sheet with the amount of bubbles corresponding to the point value of the question (i.e. the amount of rubric levels defined). These questions will require the teacher to mark the score manually on the bubble sheet prior to scanning the results into Formative .
Add an answer key for auto-grading to your bubble sheet by clicking on the bubble(s) corresponding to the correct answer(s) for each question (Note: pay attention to the order of the questions on your sheet!).
When you're done adding and defining the settings and answer key for all your questions, as well as re-ordering the questions to match the assignment, proceed to click on the triple dots menu at the top right corner of the screen.
Select "Print Bubble Sheet" from the dropdown menu.
Proceed to type a heading title for the bubble sheet (if you titled your formative prior to this step, the heading will default to this title, but you can edit it if needed).
If you're a member of a school/district that is bulk-rostering with Formative - toggle on "Student ID" and enter the number of columns of student ID bubbles to match the length of your students' IDs. These bubbles will be added to the printed bubble sheet for students to fill out.
Note: A student's ID will be the internal ID provided by your district and used for automatically rostering your students.Adjust any settings needed (to generate a bubble sheet identical to your custom entries, we recommend leaving override options un-toggled and untouched).
Click "Preview" when ready.
You can continue to adjust the settings and preview until satisfied with the result.
Use the different view options within the Preview window to adjust the preview itself.
When satisfied with the final result click the printer icon to send your bubble sheet directly to print, or the download icon to save a copy of it to your device for future printing or to send to your colleagues.
Assigning a Bubble Sheet Formative
To record responses and scores within Formative - whether students take the assessment online or offline via the Bubble Sheet - the formative must be assigned to class(es) online first.
This option is best utilized in cases where students are working at their own pace, whether they are working completely offline using bubble sheets or when some are working offline and some are working online within the platform.
Instructions:
Click on "Assign" at the top of the formative
Select the class(es) to be assigned
Adjust assignment settings to your preference
Complete the assign flow by clicking "Assign" at the bottom of the window
Once assigned, the class(es) will appear on the Responses tab of the formative
This option is best utilized when the teacher is controlling / pacing the students' progress on the assignment - whether students are working completely offline using bubble sheets or when some are working offline and some are working online within the platform.
Using this option, teachers can also broadcast the assignment as a presentation while pacing the students' progress. This is recommended when the assignments' content and questions are entered into an existing formative.
Instructions:
Click on "Present" at the top of the formative
Select the class(es) to be assigned
Launch the presentation lobby by clicking "Present" at the bottom of the window
Adjust after submission settings to your preference
Once assigned, the class(es) will appear on the Responses tab of the formative
Capturing Bubble Sheet Responses into Formative
Use your webcam or document camera to scan the completed bubble sheets into Formative. This is done at the Student Level, however teachers at schools/districts that are using automatic rostering with Formative have the option to do this at the formative level as well.
Capturing responses at the Student level
Review the bubble sheet to ensure all items are marked properly, and manually add marks for rubric-based free responses as well as other non-supported questions (if applicable).
Access the formative
Click on "Responses" at the top of the page
Locate the class on the left side of the grid (expand if needed)
Click on the student's name, or the relevant grid cell under TOTALS - to open the right side responses panel
In the right-side panel click "Open Grading Camera"
Hold up the marked bubble sheet to the device's camera
The Grading Camera will scan the responses and immediately enter them into formative + auto-grade where applicable
If there is a need, you can proceed to manually enter or adjust the recorded scores within the platform and send feedback to students, just as you would with any other formative
Capturing responses at the Formative level (Auto-rostered clients only**)
Prerequisite Conditions
Capturing bubble sheet responses at the formative level is only available for teachers at schools/districts that are using automatic rostering with Formative.
Student IDs MUST be recorded on the bubble sheets (at this time, students will need to enter their IDs manually into the designated bubbles on the sheet).
A student's ID will be the internal ID provided by your district and used for automatically rostering your students.
Instructions:
Review the bubble sheets to ensure student IDs are captured, all items are marked properly, and manually add marks for rubric-based free responses as well as other non-supported questions (if applicable).
Access the formative
From the Responses tab, click the triple dots menu at the top right corner
Select "Grading Camera" from the dropdown menu
The grading camera will open along with a list of all students in the class
Students will be divided into groups of those whose responses have already been scanned, and those whose responses have not been scanned yet
Proceed to hold up marked bubble sheets for the camera to capture
The Grading Camera will scan the responses and immediately enter them into formative + auto-grade where applicable
If there is a need, you can proceed to manually enter or adjust the recorded scores within the platform and send feedback to students, just as you would with any other formative
Auto-Grade and Manual Grading
All supported questions with an answer key in the Formative platform, except for rubric style questions (Free Response), will be auto-graded when the bubble sheet is scanned by the grading camera.
Supported questions without an answer key in the Formative platform will require online manual grading by the teacher after they are scanned by the grading camera.
For rubric style questions (Free Response), manually fill in the scores on the bubble sheet based on the correctness of the student responses. The scores will be captured along with the auto-graded questions when scanning with the grading camera.
Unsupported questions will be treated on the bubble sheet as T/F. Manually mark the bubble sheet: T to award a point, or F for zero. Once the response is scanned you will be able to manually adjust the score online within the Formative platform.
Adjusting Settings, Answer Keys, Point Values and Scores
With Formative's capacity for real-time updates assignment settings, defined answer keys, and question point values can be adjusted at any time, including during and after bubble sheet scanning. Adjusting answer keys or point value will immediately adjust the students' scores accordingly. Adjusting assignment settings will take affect immediately as well.
Student scores can be manually adjusted online if needed after bubble sheet responses have been scanned into the Formative platform.
All scores and assessments will be treated the same way as other assessments in Formative. Ensure to review and finalize grades as needed.
Troubleshooting & Best Practices
Check Before Printing
Prior to printing bubble sheets, scanning, or using grade transfer there are three prerequisites to check that might save you troubleshooting time:
Prior to testing period, ensure you have access to the assignments you need. Assignment access might be based on collaboration permissions, or common assessment settings. If you're already the author, you're good to go!
Check with your administration for any deadlines for when you need to finish grading. Classes must be "current" to allow you to print bubble sheets, scan, and grade. If a term ends in the middle of your assignment scanning or grading process, it can sometimes cause your classes to be archived and the data to be archived along with them and you will need to restore the archived classes to restore the data as well.
Determine what type of bubble sheet you will use for your assignment - anonymous bubble sheet, bubble sheets with bubble IDs added, or bubble sheets with pre-filled IDs. Each type has its PROs and CONs.
Form Identifiers are Required
Make sure the form identifier or bar code (at top and bottom of bubble sheets) are visible on the bubble sheet. If you've cut off the form code or bar codes to save space on your page, the forms will not scan.
Printing Matters
Print single-sided bubble sheets only.
If generic bubble sheets are being printed and then copied for multiple students or classes, start with an original printed bubble sheet from your printer to ensure the best copies.
Current Rosters are Needed
If you are not seeing the correct classes on your formative's Responses tab, confirm the classes are active in your formative account and assign the formative to them within the platform. If the classes are archived, first restore them and then assign.
Scanning Tips
Camera scanning troubleshooting can be device-specific. Review our Camera Access & Settings Troubleshooting tips for more detailed tips about what you can try if you can't get camera scanning to work on your device.
Prior to any summative or high-stakes test, practice with students and your technology to make sure everything works the way you expect. Create a just-for-fun formative. Model WHAT NOT TO DO as well as review any of your own guidelines and expectations for responses.
If generic bubble sheets are used, Student ID bubbles must be completely filled in and additional drawing or doodling outside and around the bubbles will likely impact scanning.
Try different camera heights (maybe it's too high or maybe too close). If students are using a pencil, make sure the lighting is not creating a glare on the filled-in bubbles.
Bubble sheets should be right-side up in the camera window - the form identifier should be on the bottom.
The green rectangle must be around the bubble sheet, within the camera view window, when scanning.
If you've tried everything and the device you've used before to scan just isn't cooperating, try removing camera access permissions and then re-approving them, or using a different device such as a phone.
No app download is required for phone scanning. Just open a web browser (Chrome is preferred) visit app.formative.com and login just like you regularly do from your computer or laptop.
Troubleshooting Camera Access & Settings
The first time you click to access the grading camera, your browser and/or device will prompt you to permit camera access. The grading camera input window will open only once this access has been permitted.
If you're not being prompted, or if you've permitted access before and still can't access the camera input window please follow the instructions below:
Review your browser, network, and computer settings to ensure your camera is not being blocked in any way.
1. Browser Settings Please take a minute to check the camera settings on your browser. Do you have a video icon in the upper right of the browser bar that has an X on it that could be blocking the camera from connecting? There may be a pop-up that asks you to allow your camera to run or the plugin to run always. | Chrome:
Firefox:
Safari:
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2. Computer Settings Please take a minute to check the camera settings on your computer.
| Windows Computers:
Mac Computers:
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3. Network Sometimes there are network updates or device security settings that get run for the organization that may cause certain websites to be blocked. | Please contact your IT department and make sure that anything with '*@formative.com' is whitelisted on the network. |
4. Other Areas to Consider |
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Adjust Grading Camera Settings
Click the gear icon at the top right corner of the grading camera window
Select the camera to use from the available options presented in the Camera dropdown
Adjust Camera Rotation by selecting your preferred option from the dropdown
Define how many questions to scan (can be different than the amount of total questions on the bubble sheet)
Contact Support
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our support team