Exit Tickets for English Learners: Simple Supports That Help

Exit tickets are a great way to check what English learners understand. But if the question is hard to read, you end up testing their English instead of their learning. A few simple supports fix that.

Use sentence frames

A sentence frame gives students the start of an answer. They fill in the thinking.

• “Today I learned that ___.”
• “One cause of ___ was ___.”
• “I am still confused about ___.”
• “First, I ___. Then, I ___.”

Frames help all students, not just English learners. Many teachers put them on the board every day.

Add a word bank

List four to six key words from the lesson under the question. Students can use them in their answer. This shows you whether they understand the ideas, even if they are still learning the vocabulary.

Let them draw

A labeled drawing can show understanding without much writing. Ask students to sketch the main idea and label two or three parts. You can add one short sentence frame under the drawing.

Use quick checks

Not every exit ticket needs writing. Fist to five, thumbs up or down, and traffic light colors let every student answer at the same time without language getting in the way. You still learn who feels lost.

Keep the question plain

• Use short sentences.
• Use words from today’s lesson, not new ones.
• Read the question out loud as well as showing it.
• Show an example answer the first few times.

Allow first-language thinking

Some teachers let newcomers jot ideas in their first language first, then try one sentence in English. The goal of an exit ticket is to see their understanding, and this helps you see it.

Celebrate progress

Keep a few exit tickets from the start of the year. Compare them to later ones. Many English learners are surprised by how much more they can write after a few months. Showing them that growth builds confidence and makes the next exit ticket feel less scary. It also gives you clear evidence to share with families and support teachers about how much a student has improved.

Make the question big and clear

Project the question in large text and leave it up while students write. Our free exit ticket tool shows the prompt in big type with a timer, and has fist-to-five and traffic-light checks built in.

For more ways to keep exit tickets simple, see our guide to what an exit ticket is and our ELA exit tickets.