Grade Faster, Anywhere: Canvas Teacher App Just Leveled Up

[JuditTarnoy]

SpeedGrader Enhancements Streamline Mobile Grading for Teachers

Grading on the go just got easier.
The Canvas Teacher App now offers a faster, more intuitive, and more consistent mobile grading experience—built natively for iOS and Android.

Since June 2025, we’ve been rolling out updates to make SpeedGrader smarter and more efficient. Some of these improvements—like free-text search and section filters on Android may already look familiar. This post brings all the recent changes together and highlights what’s new on iOS, along with what’s coming next.

These updates are part of our ongoing effort to simplify grading workflows, improve visibility, and ensure a reliable experience across mobile and desktop.

A Smarter, More Consistent Mobile Grading Experience

We know teachers rely on SpeedGrader to provide timely, meaningful feedback to students. That’s why we’ve focused on eliminating common pain points and improving parity across devices.

Clearer Context at a Glance

SpeedGrader now displays the assignment name, due date, and status directly in the header, so you always know what you’re grading without switching screens when you open a notification.

Teachers can also navigate to SpeedGrader directly from assignment details or the submission list, reducing steps between review and feedback.

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Before & After SpeedGrader Header View

Enhanced Filtering for Targeted Grading

The Submission list has evolved into a powerful tool that helps educators focus on what matters most.

• Granular Filters: Refine submissions by sorting or filter by section, score, status (including custom statuses), and grading period. (more about custom statuses)
• Differentiation Tags: Filter assignments by specific student groups, such as accommodations or make-up work—for more efficient, personalized grading. (more about differentiation tags)
• Quick Communication: Message students directly from the submission list on both iOS and Android.

iOS now includes expanded filtering controls, while Android continues to support status and section-based filters. The advanced filtering extensions available on iOS will be coming soon to Android to ensure both platforms remain aligned.

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New filter and sorting options in SpeedGrader

Richer Context and Simplified Workflows

SpeedGrader has been redesigned for focus and clarity:

• A SpeedGrader shortcut () has been added to the Assignment Details screen, reducing the steps required to access submissions for grading.
• Combine grading, comments, and submission details on a single screen to see the information that matters in one centralized place.
• Introduced a new tab for supporting information like word count, Gradebook Teacher notes
• Late penalties are directly manageable in the app.
• Provide grades and rubric feedback without switching views.
• Manage rubric comments and grade ranges efficiently from your device.

The built-in annotation tools remain available for marking up submissions directly on mobile—highlighting, drawing, or commenting with ease.

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New Annotation and tab distribution, Letter grade and word count display

Accessibility and Interface Improvements

We’ve introduced compact layouts and improved readability across grading tabs, ensuring a cleaner and more accessible interface. Teachers using assistive technologies will experience smoother navigation, consistent labeling, and more efficient input controls. (VPAT 2025)

Built Natively for Performance and Reliability

Unlike browser-based or responsive web apps, the Canvas Teacher App is a fully native mobile experience, built specifically for iOS and Android to support most frequent activities of the Instructors on mobile.

This means:

• Faster load times and smoother navigation
• Less clicks to see more info on pages like Assignment list 
• Reliable offline access for reviewing and annotating submissions. Immediate push notifications for grades, comments, and communication.
  
  

Native development also allows Canvas to deeply integrate with each platform’s features, like annotation tools, and notifications —providing a mobile experience that feels seamless and complete.

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Before & After Assignment list view

What’s Next?

These enhancements are part of our ongoing commitment to community-powered innovation. We’ll continue improving the mobile experience with high-impact updates— like extending further the advanced filtering options to Android as well.

💬 Join the conversation:
Share your ideas or upvote requests in the Canvas Mobile Apps Forum to help shape what we build next.