Assessing Ch Six

Book Title: Fair Isn’t Always Equal Chapter #: Six

Abstract:
Traditional questions include matching, true/false, missing word, multiple choice, definition, essay, and short answer. Not-so-traditional questions include analogies, drawings, real-life applications, brainstorming. Constructed response questions make students apply knowledge where forced choice questions make student choose from answers, which does not prove understanding. When giving a True/False test be sure to write the T/F so students can circle. Otherwise the handwriting will be hard to decipher. It also helps if students use the double recording method. They fold the paper and record the answer twice. That way the teacher has a copy to correct and can go over the test, giving students immediate feedback. It is helpful to use patters and sequences when grading tests. The example was given: TFFTTFFFTT. The pattern should not be conspicuous.
It is helpful to put point values on tests; this way students know what information is truly important and can spend most of their time addressing higher point valued questions. Keep tests short. Try not to use timed tests because they cause anxiety and can have negative impacts. Include subtle errors in order to determine whether a student really grasps the content. Add fun to tests by making questions using students in class. Use puns and riddle; however do not stray from the substance of the test. Use straightforward questions. If you teach certain concepts a certain way, make sure to test the same exact way. Using new techniques on tests is unfair to students. Small tests should be given throughout the course vice one huge test at the end of the course. The more information there is on a test, the less reliable the grade becomes. Varying questions on tests will help with student’s different levels of knowledge; basically use the tiered method when testing. Be sure that complex questions are asked early in the test so that the student does not answer the hardest questions when they are tired. Feedback is important for students and it is also a motivational tool.

Reflection:
This chapter was very helpful in that writing tests has and is a foreign subject thus far. Our group agreed that we like the strategies given.
A short test that contains important information that offers student feedback to strengths and weakness will be very beneficial for the teacher and the student. The student can then be assessed as to where the student stands and where the lesson plan needs revisions. This chapter reiterates formative assessing which we all believed as crucial to the learning process.
The idea of adding fun into the tests was a fantastic idea; adding student’s names into tests. What a creative idea to get students excited about assessments.
Katie Rose was curious as to why there are bad teachers and bad tests when we know what things work in classrooms and what do not.