5 Ways to Use AI for Formative Assessment (Without Extra Marking)
The Problem with Checking for Understanding
You ask "Any questions?" and get silence. You move on. Three weeks later, half the class fails the test on that very concept.
Formative assessment is the fix — but most approaches require you to mark something, which takes time you don't have. AI tools can close that gap. Here's how.
1. Generate Exit Ticket Questions in Seconds
Instead of reusing the same three questions, ask Claude or ChatGPT to generate fresh exit ticket options tailored to your lesson.
Prompt to use:
"I just taught Year 9 students about how volcanoes form. Write 3 exit ticket questions — one knowledge recall, one application, one misconception check. Keep them to one sentence each."
You get targeted questions in under 30 seconds. Run them as a show-of-hands, Google Form, or sticky note activity.
2. Create a "Common Mistakes" Explainer
Before a test or quiz, use AI to predict where students typically go wrong — then address it proactively.
Prompt to use:
"What are the most common misconceptions Year 10 students have about fractions and percentages? List 5, with a brief explanation of why the mistake happens."
Use the response to build a quick warm-up activity or class discussion. Students who recognise their own thinking in the list will self-correct without you having to mark a single thing.
3. Turn Student Work into Discussion Prompts
Pick one anonymous student response (typed out), paste it into Claude, and ask for discussion questions based on it.
Prompt to use:
"Here's a student's explanation of photosynthesis: [paste text]. Generate 3 questions I could ask the class to deepen their thinking or challenge this response."
This turns one piece of work into a whole-class learning moment — without singling anyone out.
4. Build a Quick Self-Assessment Checklist
Self-assessment only works if students know what "good" looks like. AI can build a student-facing checklist from your learning intentions.
Prompt to use:
"My learning intention is: 'I can write a persuasive introduction.' Create a student self-assessment checklist with 5 yes/no criteria. Write it in plain language for Year 8 students."
Print it, paste it into a Google Doc, or put it on your board. Students assess themselves before submitting — and you only see work that they believe meets the criteria.
5. Generate Quick Comprehension Checks for Any Text
Reading a class article, chapter, or handout? Drop the text into Claude and get comprehension questions instantly.
Prompt to use:
"Here is a text about [topic]: [paste text]. Write 4 comprehension questions — 2 literal, 2 inferential. Suitable for Year 7."
Great for cover lessons, reading rotations, or when you've found a great article and need something to go with it fast.
The Point Isn't to Replace Your Judgement
AI won't tell you which student is confused because they didn't sleep last night versus which one has a genuine gap. That's still your job.
But it can handle the generation side — the questions, the checklists, the prompts — so you can spend your time actually responding to what students show you.
Start with one of the five prompts above this week. Five minutes, one lesson, one real insight about where your class is at.
TeachSmarterAI helps New Zealand teachers use AI tools effectively. New posts every week.