Scantron

Scantron is a company from Eagan, Minnesota, USA, that makes and sells machine-readable papers on which students mark answers to test questions, the machines to check those answers, survey and test scoring systems, systems for school attendance (with a mark meaning a missing student) and image-based data collection software and scanners.

Background

A Scantron test scoring system is a multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble form. It can have different length and width, from one column, 15-answer tests, to several 8.5×11-inch pages used in standardized testing, such as the SAT and the ACT.

How it works

Students often use Scantrons on finals, midterms, standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, etc. Students fill in the appropriate bubble corresponding to their answer. Scantrons are then fed through a machine that grades them. The Scantron is a very progressive form of grading. It eliminates human error on the grader's behalf, and takes much less time.

History

The technology of this system dates back to the nineteenth century using optical mark recognition, telegraph lines, and punch tape. Students ranging from elementary school through college know how to use these forms. However, Learner Response Systems are becoming more popular in the college setting and may soon make scantrons a thing of the past.

Related pages

• Mark sense
• Tabulating machine
• Optical Mark Recognition
• Optical Character Recognition
• Course evaluation

Other websites

• Scantron