How to Organize Student Papers

Papers, papers, papers. And guess what… more papers. Papers in, papers out, administrative papers, records, confidential papers, student papers, you name it, and chances are there’s a paper for it.

Teacher organization is key in being an effective teacher. Today I want talk about Student Papers. And I want to share a new discovery that can help with keeping track of EVERY student paper and having what you need at our fingertips when collecting, grading, recording, and returning student papers.

1) Collecting Papers: Yes, you need a system for collecting student papers. The Wong’s have an excellent procedure in their book: The Classroom Management Book. (Side note: if you’ve never heard of the Wong’s, their book The First Days of School is an absolute MUST for any and every teacher!)
There are so many options- collecting by passing papers, by groups, a designated student job. One thing is for sure, you need a system to collect papers.

2) Turn in Tray: A designated spot for the collector to place the papers. Where students can turn in late work and make up work.

Then comes you, the teacher, to take the papers from the tray to grade. Then what? Where do you put them? For years I had color coded file folders I would put the papers into. Coded by subject when I taught self contained, and then by class period for teaching middle school.

But here’s the problem: keeping track of all the folders, the answer keys, stickers, homework passes, grading pens, score sheets…
What if I need to grade at home? Gathering all these things up is manageable, but it takes TIME. I don’t know about you, but my time is precious. I always felt like I was wasting time making sure I had what I needed. Not to mention making sure I packed everything up to bring BACK to school.
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And then one day, when I was walking through Target, I saw it. And I immediately jumped at the idea – The Grading Pro Portfolio! Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen expanding files before, but there was something different about this one, and in an instant, I could see it!
​ Master the 6th-grade transition with the exact systems
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3) The GPP (aka Grading Pro Portfolio): Wow, what a game changer! Here’s what I did:
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  • In the first slot, I put my grading supplies: E-Z grader, stickers and homework passes I use as rewards for 100%s on tests​
  • Second, my score sheets for the week. These I use to record scores from the papers to enter in the grade-book.
  • Third, all of my answer keys for the current unit.
  • Next I made “Student IN” slots for each period. When I remove papers from the Turn In Tray, this is where I put them.
  • Finally, I made “Student OUT” slots for each period. This is where I place the papers after they’ve been graded and are ready to be returned to students.
Now, here’s what I love about this particular file:

One, is has a flat base and can sit ANYWHERE open and provides easy access.

Two, it has handles, with a closing clasp! I can easily transport the GPP anywhere! It’s super easy to close, grab & go. No more wasted time hunting everything down.

Grading is so much easier now because I don’t have to stop and think about what I need to grade. It’s all right there. As a bonus, it helps eliminate that worry of misplacing a student paper!

I hope the GPP can work for you! Happy Grading!


I know your teacher heart is full but your plate is overflowing! If you found this post helpful, I think you’ll love these other 'teacher-approved' resources. They’re designed to help you keep that momentum going without the burnout.
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Teaching with Textbooks | Teach Like Midgley

I’m Hillary Midgley, and I help teachers move from classroom chaos to streamlined success with no-frills systems that make managing student work easy. New here? Start with the Manage Student Work ebook.