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In real life the guy who gets it right the first time gets to keep his job.
In theory I'm not opposed to standards based grading but I am finding the practice demotivating for the students. They treat the first test as a pre test. I wonder how this will work in college?
I actually have a real-life experience dealing with successive approximations, which is the term that I was taught in teacher college back in the 80s about repeated attempts to achieve mastery.
Before I decided to become a teacher, I was an intern at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Although I was a lowly computer science intern, I had the good fortune to have been given a roommate who got a position with the astronauts by virtue of her 4 years of Air Force service. For some reason, I was invited to go to several WIF tests with my roommate where the astronauts would suit up and go into the Water Immersion Facility to test the tools being developed by the engineers. I'm sure they didn't really notice me in the room, as I was just the intern, but I got a glimpse into the development of tools for the shuttle in real time. After each WIF session, the astronauts and engineers would do a brainstorming session to improve the tools. Then someone would dash off to the machine shop down the street to have a new tool made. They would be back within an hour or so to try out the new tool. There was never any expectation that they would get it right the first time. That experience was the highlight of my time as an intern, and it really stuck with me.
I use a mastery approach with my students. For written tests, I allow everyone to come back to work on their test for a week. For performance tests, I allow unlimited retakes within the same term. I started doing this when I began having inclusion students in my class, and I reasoned that many kids had unidentified disabilities. There are good and bad points about this policy, but it always puts the onus back on the student, which is where it belongs. That's also why most of my documents and notes are on my class website, which very few teachers have at my school. When a student is failing, the parents and administrators have to admit that it is because the student didn't take advantage of a very generous system.
There are good and bad points about this policy, but it always puts the onus back on the student, which is where it belongs. That's also why most of my documents and notes are on my class website, which very few teachers have at my school. When a student is failing, the parents and administrators have to admit that it is because the student didn't take advantage of a very generous system.
That is so true. I used to tell my students at the beginning of the year, and their parents at open house, that a student has to consciously decide they wanted to fail my class for it to happen. I allowed re-dos on anything, although I did not give full credit. I also had a policy that any kid who honestly tried, who was willing to try to learn, who was willing to attend tutoring, and who was willing to re-test that I would not fail. I didn't have near the issue with unmotivated students as teachers who weren't willing to work with the kids to succeed. In all the years I taught I think I only had two parents of kids who failed my class complain or try to get me to change the grade. Most agreed I was more than fair to their kid.
I actually have a real-life experience dealing with successive approximations, which is the term that I was taught in teacher college back in the 80s about repeated attempts to achieve mastery.
Before I decided to become a teacher, I was an intern at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Although I was a lowly computer science intern, I had the good fortune to have been given a roommate who got a position with the astronauts by virtue of her 4 years of Air Force service. For some reason, I was invited to go to several WIF tests with my roommate where the astronauts would suit up and go into the Water Immersion Facility to test the tools being developed by the engineers. I'm sure they didn't really notice me in the room, as I was just the intern, but I got a glimpse into the development of tools for the shuttle in real time. After each WIF session, the astronauts and engineers would do a brainstorming session to improve the tools. Then someone would dash off to the machine shop down the street to have a new tool made. They would be back within an hour or so to try out the new tool. There was never any expectation that they would get it right the first time. That experience was the highlight of my time as an intern, and it really stuck with me.
I use a mastery approach with my students. For written tests, I allow everyone to come back to work on their test for a week. For performance tests, I allow unlimited retakes within the same term. I started doing this when I began having inclusion students in my class, and I reasoned that many kids had unidentified disabilities. There are good and bad points about this policy, but it always puts the onus back on the student, which is where it belongs. That's also why most of my documents and notes are on my class website, which very few teachers have at my school. When a student is failing, the parents and administrators have to admit that it is because the student didn't take advantage of a very generous system.
How do you insure they don't just get the answer from a friend if they can come back for a week and work on a test? If I did that, all the grades would be A's as they'd get the answers they need from a friend, then work on the next few and get the answers from a friend.
How do you insure they don't just get the answer from a friend if they can come back for a week and work on a test? If I did that, all the grades would be A's as they'd get the answers they need from a friend, then work on the next few and get the answers from a friend.
Don't they have to show their work? Can they get credit for just answers?
I dealt with this in math by having them rework the problem showing exactly where their errors were rather than just doing the problem over. I don't know how that would work in other subjects, but it worked for math especially for algebra, but also for geometry.
Don't they have to show their work? Can they get credit for just answers?
I dealt with this in math by having them rework the problem showing exactly where their errors were rather than just doing the problem over. I don't know how that would work in other subjects, but it worked for math especially for algebra, but also for geometry.
Depends on the problem. Some are written and even if they do have to show their work, they can still get a friend to show them each problem type one at a time and remember it long enough to write it down for the test if they get to keep coming back. If it's the same test each time, they would have the correct answer from that friend to double check they did it right.
I have my math kids do corrections to tests and then retake a similar problem. I do not ever allow my kids to see a test, leave and come back later to answer questions because I know they would cheat.
I had to laugh last year. I had a student in my 4th hour first semester who could never finish tests and his parents insisted I let him come back after school to finish and the admins supported this. Second semester he was in my last hour class so he could not leave, get an answer and come back. Guess who started finishing his tests before the bell rang? There was no longer an advantage to getting more time so he didn't need it anymore. Of course his grades plummeted.
How do you insure they don't just get the answer from a friend if they can come back for a week and work on a test? If I did that, all the grades would be A's as they'd get the answers they need from a friend, then work on the next few and get the answers from a friend.
My students don't take that much initiative, nor do they generally have a good enough memory to remember the questions to tell their friends. My tests are very long with a variety of objectives and a lot of questions, most of which are very simple if you know them. My main concern is that a student might take a picture of a test and post it for everyone to see. My new policy is that they must turn their phones off before a test and leave it off for the duration. It's not foolproof. Every year during the real state tests, at least one or two students will get a phone call during the test, invalidating their score and risking the invalidation of all the tests in the entire classroom. They just don't get it.
My students don't take that much initiative, nor do they generally have a good enough memory to remember the questions to tell their friends. My tests are very long with a variety of objectives and a lot of questions, most of which are very simple if you know them. My main concern is that a student might take a picture of a test and post it for everyone to see. My new policy is that they must turn their phones off before a test and leave it off for the duration. It's not foolproof. Every year during the real state tests, at least one or two students will get a phone call during the test, invalidating their score and risking the invalidation of all the tests in the entire classroom. They just don't get it.
My students would have that much initiative. Class averages on tests go up significantly after lunch. They tell their friends the more difficult questions on the test and as the day progresses, more and more kids get those right. It is not unusual to see a 10% spread between the 1st and last hours taking a test. I'd make my tests longer to stop this but EVERYONE has to be able to finish a test within the 50 minute period so the test length allows an average student to finish the test in 30 minutes. I used to allow kids to come after school and finish but the percentage of kids choosing to do that just went up and up and up. The name of the game is see the test, figure out what you don't know then finish the test.
My students would have that much initiative. Class averages on tests go up significantly after lunch. They tell their friends the more difficult questions on the test and as the day progresses, more and more kids get those right. It is not unusual to see a 10% spread between the 1st and last hours taking a test. I'd make my tests longer to stop this but EVERYONE has to be able to finish a test within the 50 minute period so the test length allows an average student to finish the test in 30 minutes. I used to allow kids to come after school and finish but the percentage of kids choosing to do that just went up and up and up. The name of the game is see the test, figure out what you don't know then finish the test.
Have you ever considered either 1) having a different version of tests for different classes or 2) having different versions of each test that are given randomly to the students. I did the second one. I had no choice, my kids sat at tables and they could way too easily see each other's answers. Last place I was it was almost impossible for them not to. Since they sat 5-6 at a table, I had six different versions of each test, with different but equitable questions. I coded them so it was difficult for the kids to figure out which ones were the same. That pretty much took care of sharing test questions and answers. It also gave me other exams for them to take on re-tests. Spare them the temptation.
Have you ever considered either 1) having a different version of tests for different classes or 2) having different versions of each test that are given randomly to the students. I did the second one. I had no choice, my kids sat at tables and they could way too easily see each other's answers. Last place I was it was almost impossible for them not to. Since they sat 5-6 at a table, I had six different versions of each test, with different but equitable questions. I coded them so it was difficult for the kids to figure out which ones were the same. That pretty much took care of sharing test questions and answers. It also gave me other exams for them to take on re-tests. Spare them the temptation.
I make 6 versions of each test. I use two per hour. I will use the same version in back to back hours as long as I didn't use one of them two hours earlier. I still see grades go up throughout the day because they help their friends. The only test I don't see this on is the final. That is too big to get last minute help on and do better.
I do use the other versions for retests and late test takers. That's another issue at my school. If I'm having a test or a large lab is due, I'll have 4-8 excused absences in my three chemistry classes. It's always the same kids too. I've even had kids called out of my hour in the middle of the day who attended all their other classes. Strange... Then they talk to a friend and find out what was on the test. Some will even delay taking the test until I have no choice but to pass back their peers papers. I had to pass back a quiz yesterday and I have 4 kids taking it tomorrow. Needless to say the late test is a little harder.
When you teach in the land of grade inflation and MK purses, your students are adept at cheating the system. From what I saw in business, that's a skill that will serve them well.
I make 6 versions of each test. I use two per hour. I will use the same version in back to back hours as long as I didn't use one of them two hours earlier. I still see grades go up throughout the day because they help their friends. The only test I don't see this on is the final. That is too big to get last minute help on and do better.
I do use the other versions for retests and late test takers. That's another issue at my school. If I'm having a test or a large lab is due, I'll have 4-8 excused absences in my three chemistry classes. It's always the same kids too. I've even had kids called out of my hour in the middle of the day who attended all their other classes. Strange... Then they talk to a friend and find out what was on the test. Some will even delay taking the test until I have no choice but to pass back their peers papers. I had to pass back a quiz yesterday and I have 4 kids taking it tomorrow. Needless to say the late test is a little harder.
When you teach in the land of grade inflation and MK purses, your students are adept at cheating the system. From what I saw in business, that's a skill that will serve them well.
Night and day compared to low SES schools.
We had a student in ISS take home a test instead of turning it in at the end of the day.
The next day he turned it in only 1/2 done. Didn't even attempt to finish it at home.
Hardly any students turn in make up work and few show up for make up exams.
They don't care because the parents don't care.
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There was no longer an advantage to getting more time so he didn't need it anymore. Of course his grades plummeted.
Then they talk to a friend and find out what was on the test. Some will even delay taking the test until I have no choice but to pass back their peers papers. I had to pass back a quiz yesterday and I have 4 kids taking it tomorrow. Needless to say the late test is a little harder.
