Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!
Learning Curve

1972: Scantron.

Marketplace Contributor May 14, 2014

A test-grading Get Out of Jail Free card for teachers. Students fill in the little ovals on multiple-choices tests. A scanning machine measures the amount of light passing through a sheet, and voila the test is marked. Once cheap Scantrons  made their way into classrooms, automated testing became a school room standard. The tests also gave the No.2  pencil a place in history.  

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.