Experienced teachers know that a good classroom is more about a back-and-forth, give-and-take process than just “teacher talks, students listen.” And students are most successful when teachers are constantly assessing their progress and adjusting instruction. Exit tickets are one terrific way to get immediate feedback on the lesson at hand. They work in every classroom at every level and in virtual classrooms too. Here, we cover the basics of Exit Tickets 101, followed by our favorite ways to put them into practice.
Jump to:
- What are exit tickets and why are they important?
- Tips for Making Exit Tickets Work
- Quick and Easy Exit Tickets
- Ratings Exit Tickets
- Reflection Exit Tickets
- Drawing Exit Tickets
- Mini Assessment Exit Tickets
- More Exit Ticket Ideas
What are exit tickets and why are they important?
Exit tickets are responses students provide to questions posed by teachers at the end of a class or lesson. These brief, informal assessments help teachers gauge students’ understanding of the material and identify areas that may need additional support. They also provide valuable feedback about students’ learning experiences in the classroom.
Exit tickets inform instruction
Exit tickets reveal which students understand, who’s almost there, and who’s completely lost. In some cases, they can even uncover widespread misconceptions that need to be addressed. This information allows teachers to differentiate instruction and revisit lessons with the whole class, small groups, or individual students.
“Sometimes I get more participation with exit tickets from students who don’t want to work on a particular assignment,” says art teacher Sheena LeMay-Nelssen. “I use that information to help direct lessons, adding clarifications or reteaching. If students are struggling with one lesson, we may hold off on the next to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Exit tickets facilitate better communication between teacher and students
Quiet or shy students can express themselves in a more discreet manner. Sheena explains, “Some students are just more comfortable writing questions or putting answers on paper than speaking privately with me or in front of the class.” She also notes that exit tickets can help her connect with students who may not engage with other assignments: “I can better assess students who are struggling. If they aren’t doing the assignment but are willing to do exit tickets, then I can give them some points instead of none.” Ultimately, exit tickets increase students’ participation and send the message that their thoughts are valued.
Exit tickets help students develop metacognition skills
In addition to gauging understanding of the topic at hand, exit tickets can reveal how students are feeling about their learning, how they perceive the learning environment in your classroom, and whether their needs are being met. By asking students to reflect on what they learned, what challenged them, or what questions they still have, exit tickets encourage them to think more deeply about their own learning process—a valuable life skill.
Tips for Making Exit Tickets Work
While exit tickets are not a hard-to-master art form, crafting effective ones does take practice. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
1. Make sure they align with lesson objectives.
This tool should connect directly to your lesson goals and give students a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate what they learned. They should clearly reflect the specific understanding or skill you want to assess before students leave the classroom.
2. Provide students with the “why.”
Students are more likely to engage when they understand why they are completing an exit ticket and how the information will be used. “Be clear about the purpose,” says Sheena. “Kids want to know if it is part of a daily grade, a separate grade, or extra credit. I once tried to use them as a punishment and found out quickly that it didn’t work.”
Also, help students see that exit tickets are a tool for learning, not busywork. Use the responses to inform instruction, identify misunderstandings, and provide support where needed. “If kids see exit tickets as busywork,” Sheena says, “they will not do it.”
3. Keep it quick and easy.
Exit tickets are meant to be a quick check for understanding, not another lengthy assignment. Students should be able to complete them in five minutes or less, allowing you to gather useful feedback without cutting into instructional time. Be sure to establish clear, consistent expectations for how students should complete and submit exit tickets.
4. Mix it up.
Use a variety of question formats to give students different ways to demonstrate their understanding. Multiple-choice questions, short-answer responses, rating scales, drawings, and reflection prompts can all provide valuable insights. Varying the format keeps students engaged and helps prevent them from slipping into autopilot. A mix of question types not only keeps the process fresh but also gives you a better picture of what students know and can do.
5. Be consistent.
Sheena incorporates exit tickets into a predictable weekly routine. “On Observation Mondays,” she says, “I purposely move things around the classroom before students arrive. Students use their exit tickets to identify what has changed.” This activity encourages students to pay closer attention to their surroundings while strengthening their observation skills.
In Sheena’s classroom, students usually learn about two artists each week. “On Wednesdays,” she says, “after I have introduced the second artist, I’ll ask students to write one thing they are surprised to learn about either artist we’ve discussed.” This activity encourages critical thinking and helps students make connections.
On Fridays, students complete a self-reflection, writing down one thing they liked and one thing they didn’t like about that week’s lessons.
6. Tap into different levels of thinking.
Some exit tickets show that students have mastered a skill, like a math problem in which students show their work and arrive at the correct answer. Exit tickets that ask students to explain their thinking in their own words help deepen their understanding.
7. Take time to analyze them.
Make sure your exit tickets are worth the effort. Spend a little time at the end of each class or day looking over student responses, and make notes about any needs they indicate. A few ways you can use the information you get from exit tickets include: revisiting the lesson to address sticking points with the whole class, forming a small group for those who still need help while allowing others to move on, and meeting individually with students who need extra help.
For more great ideas from Sheena, be sure to follow her on Instagram at @virgoimmen.
Here’s a list of exit ticket options and ideas for using them.
Quick and Easy Exit Tickets
List three key things
This ticket is short and simple but very effective. Ensure students truly understood the main ideas of your lesson by asking them to write three key points before they go.
Three Key Things Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our Key Points exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit tickets.
Make a 3, 2, 1 list
The 3, 2, 1 method allows kids to self-assess, but it also lets them indicate a deeper level of interest in the topic at hand. Plus, it helps you, as the teacher, get an accurate overview of how your students are doing. To make their list, ask students to write down three things they learned or worked on today, two things they’re still working on, and one question they have.
Do a brain dump
Sometimes after a lesson, there are so many concepts and words swimming around in students’ minds, it’s good to give them an opportunity to write it all down. These are also a good way to see how many concepts students picked up on.
Tell two facts and a fib
We love this interactive ticket idea! Kids write down two facts about today’s subject and one fib. They trade with another student to see if they can guess the incorrect fact before turning them in.
Focus in on the most important thing
This creative idea allows you to measure how accurate your lesson objective was by asking students to zero in on the main takeaway. On the front, they draw a picture, and on the back, they write a conclusion based on their drawing.
Ratings Exit Tickets
Post a traffic light
This exit ticket is awesome to use with students who haven’t quite mastered reading and writing. Have students color in the traffic light color that matches how they feel. (Red = Help, I’m lost!, Yellow = Almost there, Green = Got it!). Their responses help you focus on those who need more help first.
Traffic Light Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our Traffic Light exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Gauge understanding with emojis
Here’s another way to help today’s kids connect and share their progress. Have them circle an emoji on this free printable to show how they’re feeling and explain why that emoji reflects their understanding. You can also use this one for morning meetings or social-emotional check-ins.
Emoji Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our How I’m Feeling Today exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Take a poll
Exit tickets don’t have to take a lot of prep. Sometimes taking a verbal poll works just as effectively. This, however, requires a safe learning environment, and if you have students who may feel embarrassed to admit they’re not catching on, use one of the many online poll-taking apps.
Give it a thumbs-up/thumbs-down
Sometimes you look out at your students and you see a lot of blank stares. When this happens, take a quick moment to use this exit slip. It will help you assess who’s on board and who needs further instruction.
Thumbs-Up, Thumbs-Down Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our Thumbs-Up, Thumbs-Down exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Reflection Exit Tickets
Ask “What stuck with you today?”
Find out what made the most impact with one simple question. Sticky notes are fantastic for exit tickets; just have each student post theirs to the board on their way out the door.
Plus, did you know you can easily print on sticky notes? This game changer means you can easily customize for any topic.
Sticky Note Exit Ticket (Free Template)
Grab our What Stuck With Me exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Synthesize the learning
Help your students distill what the day’s lesson was all about with a one-sentence summary. This requires students to prioritize the most important elements of the activity, and it reveals whether they are getting the “big picture.”
Let students teach
Kids often surprise us by looking at things in entirely different ways but still getting the correct answers. Their thoughts on a subject may provide ideas for helping other students who need a bit more instruction. At the end of the lesson, have students write down one tip that might help another student who is struggling with the objective.
Build metacognition
Valuable as they are to teachers, exit tickets are also important for helping students self-assess. Have students reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement with an exit ticket that shows a range of understanding from very well to not at all.
Star Rating Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our star rating exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Keep an exit ticket journal
Return exit tickets to students once you’ve checked them to keep in a journal. This gives them a nice record of learning and can help when it comes time to review for tests or write a paper.
Drawing Exit Tickets
Draw your response
Mix things up by having students draw instead of write. Ask them to illustrate the main idea, key ideas, how they’re feeling, and more important points. This one really allows you to be creative and can be used with any age group. Sheena shares this trick: “Every October we have ‘Inktober,’ where students draw a quick five-minute sketch of a prompt each class. Students liked it so much last year that we did the same thing in November, December, and January.”
Draw It! Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our Draw It! exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
Write and draw
Give students space to use all the tools available to them with this combo write-draw idea.
Mini Assessment Exit Tickets
Presentation notes
Sometimes when you have a guest speaker or watch a video, kids can mentally check out. Make sure students pay attention and participate with this clever idea. First, they rate their participation. Then, they list three important facts followed by a question.
No-stress quizlet
You’ll have to prep these in advance, but an assessment exit ticket is sort of like a no-stress quiz. Kids simply do their best, without worrying about grades, and you get a better feel for their progress.
Use the “Post-It, Prove It” method
Here’s an example of a more specific exit question. After a math or science lesson, give students one last question or equation. Students will solve and then show their work so you can assess their understanding accurately.
Post-It, Prove-It Exit Ticket (Free Printable)
Grab our Solve It! exit ticket template, part of our bundle of eight printable exit ticket templates.
More Exit Ticket Ideas and Examples
Post exit tickets on Padlet
Think of Padlet as an online bulletin board. Teachers post a question or topic, and kids add their answers. See our review of Padlet here, then give it a try.
Collect answers on Google Forms
Teaching online or looking to save paper? Collect your tickets using Google Forms instead. This is especially useful if you’re already using Google Classroom.
Record a video
Have kids record video answers to a question posted by their teacher. This is such a cool idea for virtual classrooms, though it works in face-to-face classrooms too.
Check in while it’s fresh on their minds
There’s no need to wait until the end of the day to check in, especially in elementary classrooms. Try using exit tickets before lunch or recess. Kids too young to write? Have them tell you their answer verbally on their way out the door.
Get your free printable exit ticket bundle!
We created a free bundle of exit tickets for the classroom. With eight different options to choose from, you’ll find the perfect one for any occasion. Just click the button below and fill out the form to grab them.
