Skip to main content

Giving Kids Opportunities to Re-do and Retest

By
I found this session to be one of the more thought provoking ones that I attended that day.  Often I look at assessments from two very different angles--one as a teacher, and the other as a parent.   The teacher in me has traditionally thought that tests/assessments, and projects should be the culmination of learning--showing off what a student has gleaned from the instruction.  On the other hand, as a parent, I have often wished that my child were given more time to prepare, reflect upon, and learn the material.  The "snapshot" of how my child performed on one assessment doesn't always indicate learning or mastery, and this is unfortunate. 

I'm trying hard to reconcile how to offer this option within the confines of a middle school where many of our high school courses are subject to definitive prerequisites.  I believe that the ability to show mastery is what is in the best interest of the kids.  However, part of me feels that it is unfair to those students who studied and prepared for the exam to give others a "redo".  The teachers at this presentation commented that they often "post the test online so that the kids would know exactly what was on it," but that, in my opinion, doesn't measure mastery of content.  That test assesses a student's ability to memorize. 

In theory, giving the kids the opportunity to redo and retest is great.  Making it happen by developing not only additional assessments but a series of requirements that students must complete in order to take advantage of the opportunity is daunting.  This would be a great Professional Development idea for someone...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Positive Classroom

By
I was struck by the importance of creating a positive environment for my students.  One presenter showed a picture of a woman who had a fearful expression on her face.  Most of the teachers in the room said she looked afraid; however, the presenter said 8/10 middle school students thought the teacher was angry.  We need to be careful how we express ourselves in front of our students, knowing that they misread some of our thoughts.
1 comment
Read more

A middle school principal's dream come true...

By
I am so grateful that we were able to take nearly our entire faculty to AMLE, and so proud of our staff for making the day a dream come true for me! We started the day with a near perfect bus ride into Philadelphia, our driver, (Daraan DeShields), gracefully maneuvered our bus to the main entrance of the Philadelphia Convention Center. He was awesome! He started our day by greeting us with a smile, letting us know his expectations for the bus, and also letting us know he would do everything in his power to ensure our trip was comfortable and safe. From that moment, I knew it was going to be a great day. Daraan obviously buys into our vision of creating a school that teaches kids to love school. He even played the radio for us. Thank you Daraan! I think all would agree that individually we each got more out of some sessions than we did other sessions. For me Dr. Monte Selby's session on teacher morale and motivation was the most impactful for me. Monte is one of most entertain...
1 comment
Read more

Bridges to Wellness - Countywide Conference

By
While at the Bridges to Wellness conference, I attended a session highlighting the program "Rachel's Challenge"  Although this program has been around for many years, and may be familiar to us, I am still inspired by its message. Rachel Scott was killed in the Columbine High School shooting, and she was a student who reached out to students with disabilities, new students, and students who were picked on.  She wrote about her moral principles in her diary, which was found after her death.  Her father has since created an educational program, spreading Rachel's ideas internationally.  The CCIU is promoting Rachel's Challenge in Chester County again. "Rachel's Challenge builds compassion in relationships and strengthens community within schools.  Guided by a set of five challenges, students and faculty are encouraged to model and enforce behaviors, and start a chain reaction of their own." The five Challenges are: 1. Look for the Best in Others ...
Post a Comment
Read more