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spark pollFormative assessment tool
Formative assessment that fits inside the lesson
Run a check for understanding in under a minute — a quick poll, a word cloud, or an exit ticket — and see every student's answer live. Free for teachers, forever.
Free tool from Close the Gap Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Start free as a teacher
Start free as a teacher
Create your free account with one email. Run your first check for understanding in under a minute.
No credit card. One email, no password — we send a one-time magic link. Free for teachers, forever.
- Always free for educators
- No student accounts required
- Live results in under a second
- Built by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
What it is
What a formative assessment tool actually does
Formative assessment is the checking you do while the learning is still happening — a quick question mid-lesson that tells you whether to move on or reteach. Summative assessment (the unit test, the final exam) measures learning after the fact, when it is too late to adjust. Formative checks happen inside the lesson, while there is still time to act on what you learn.
In practice, the hard part is not knowing what to ask — it is getting an answer from every student, fast, without burning ten minutes of class. Hands up only tell you about the confident kids. A digital formative assessment tool fixes that: every student answers at once, anonymously, and you see the spread of the whole room instead of the three students who always raise their hands.
Spark Poll is built for exactly that moment. You pose one question, students answer from any device with a browser, and the results land live on the projector. There are no points, no grades, and no leaderboards — the goal is honest information about understanding, not a scoreboard. Keeping the stakes low is what gets students to answer truthfully, and truthful answers are the whole point of a formative check.
60 seconds to live
How a check for understanding works
There is nothing to install and nothing for students to download. You go from question to live results in about a minute.
- 1
Write one question
Pick the format that fits the check: multiple choice, word cloud, open response, ranking, scales, or pin-on-map.
- 2
Students join in seconds
They scan a QR code or type a 6-digit code on any device with a browser. No accounts, no app to install.
- 3
Act on what you see
Answers land live in under a second. If the room splits, reteach on the spot; if it lands, move on with confidence.
Exit ticket app
Exit tickets in sixty seconds
An exit ticket is the simplest formative assessment there is: one question at the end of class that tells you what actually stuck. Spark Poll makes it fast enough to run every single day.
Post one question as the period winds down — “What is one thing you learned today?”, a word cloud of the key term, or a quick multiple choice on the core concept. Students join with the 6-digit code, answer from the device in front of them, and the responses appear live as they pack up and file out. By the time the room is empty, you already know how tomorrow’s lesson needs to start.
Because students do not need accounts and there is nothing to install, a digital exit ticket costs you about sixty seconds of class time — short enough that the routine survives real classroom conditions, not just the ones in a PD workshop.
Six ways to check
Every question type a formative check needs
Different checks call for different formats. A multiple-choice question spots a misconception; a word cloud surfaces the room's thinking; a scale shows you confidence, not just correctness. All six types are free.
Single select
Multiple-choice with a live results bar chart.
Word cloud
Open words cluster and grow as the room answers.
Open ended
Long-form responses land in a live feed.
Ranking
Students rank options; you see the consensus order.
Scales
Sentiment and agreement on a sliding scale.
Pin on map
Drop pins on a map for geography and origins.
In the classroom
Where teachers use it
Bell-ringers & do-nows
Open class with one question that gets every student thinking — and shows you what they kept from yesterday.
Mid-lesson check for understanding
Drop a quick check before you move on. If half the room missed it, you find out now, not on the test.
Exit tickets
End class with one question that tells you what stuck and where tomorrow needs to start.
Discussion warm-ups
Seed a discussion with a word cloud or an anonymous open response, so every voice is in the room before anyone speaks.
Review before a test
Run a fast, low-stakes review that shows the whole class which topics still need another pass.
Frequently asked
Questions teachers ask first
Is Spark Poll really free?
Yes. Spark Poll is built by Close the Gap Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The core classroom features are free for every teacher — no trial clock, no per-seat fees, no credit card.
Do students need to create accounts?
No. Students join from any device with a 6-digit code or QR link. No login, no app to install, and no personal information required to answer.
Can I use it as an exit ticket app?
Yes — that is one of the most common ways teachers use it. Post one question at the end of class, students answer with the join code, and you watch the responses land live as they pack up. The whole routine takes about a minute.
What question types can I use?
Six: multiple choice (single select), word cloud, open ended, ranking, scales, and pin-on-map. You can mix formats in a single session — a quick poll to open, a word cloud mid-lesson, an exit ticket to close.
Does Spark Poll grade or score answers?
No, and that is deliberate. Spark Poll shows you live class responses so you can see understanding in the moment, but it does not score answers, assign grades, or keep leaderboards. Formative checks work best when the stakes stay low enough for students to answer honestly.
How many students can join?
There is no participant cap on free sessions — your whole class, or a full lecture hall, can join and answer at once.
Do I or my students need to install anything?
No. Everything runs in a web browser — phones, Chromebooks, laptops, and tablets all work. The presenter view is built for the projector or front-of-room screen.
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?
Summative assessment measures learning after instruction ends — unit tests, finals, state exams. Formative assessment happens during instruction, while there is still time to adjust. Spark Poll is built for the formative side: quick, low-stakes checks inside the lesson.
About the nonprofit
Spark Poll is built by Close the Gap Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to expand access to free, high-quality tools for educators and the students they serve. Spark Poll is part of that mission — a formative assessment tool that any teacher can use at no cost.
Run your first check for understanding today
Create your free teacher account and post an exit ticket before the bell rings.