ColleenInWis Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 What are your thoughts on open-book tests, specifically for algebra 1? I've tutored 5 of my 6 kids through Harold Jacobs' text; we did not do open-book testing. Now, our youngest is using Callahan's syllabus for Jacobs; Callahan recommends open-book tests. I'm thinking of allowing dd to do the upcoming test open-book as a trial--she thinks the idea sounds great, and I would like to avoid some of the angst that has come with past tests. Please share your experiences and philosophy of testing, if you have any! Atdhvaannkcse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I write different tests for open-book than for closed book. For closed-book, there will be some questions where direct recall will be necessary or following an example from the book would work. For open-book, the proportion of word problems will be higher and there will be absolutely no problems which can be solved by looking up something in the book and copying it down. I don't like giving a test which was designed as closed-book as open-book or vice versa. Another way to possibly reduce stress is allowing a student to use a 3x5 index card with whatever they are most afraid of forgetting on it. I like this a lot better because it's not a whole book's worth of information and examples. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Another way to possibly reduce stress is allowing a student to use a 3x5 index card with whatever they are most afraid of forgetting on it. I like this a lot better because it's not a whole book's worth of information and examples. I know of someone who did this for her homeschooled dc. She did it for one difficult subject, not for every test, and she sometimes had her dc study that notecard, and then Mama took it away before the test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 How would an open book test differ from routine practice work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 What kiana said. I am not sure how an open book test in algebra would actually test algebra skills, since there is nothing that has to be memorized in algebra 1 (which is also why I do not see how a formula card could be helpful other than as comforting placebo), and I would not wish to encourage a student to solve math problems by pattern matching to worked out examples. If I were to design a test that allowed the algebra textbook, I would make sure that mimicking problem solving procedures from examples will not be sufficient for success. Actually, I would write a test where the book is essentially useless. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Doing Jacobs this year. DS hasn't found open book to be helpful. It drives him crazy to find the problem in the book on the test. He really wants his notebook of work ;-) LOL I personally think it could be helpful, but DS hasn't really matured enough to realize rereading the lesson notes during a test could trigger him toward doing it correctly. Maybe for others it is good. But for us, it hasn't helped him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 What kiana said. I am not sure how an open book test in algebra would actually test algebra skills, since there is nothing that has to be memorized in algebra 1 (which is also why I do not see how a formula card could be helpful other than as comforting placebo), and I would not wish to encourage a student to solve math problems by pattern matching to worked out examples. If I were to design a test that allowed the algebra textbook, I would make sure that mimicking problem solving procedures from examples will not be sufficient for success. Actually, I would write a test where the book is essentially useless. I'm a bit confused by this? I think there is quite a bit that students may need to memorize in Algebra 1 - basically, the kinds of things you would put on a formula card! A student might know, for example, how to calculate the coordinates of the vertex of a parabola given the formula (x=-b/2a), and how to use the vertex in word problems, but may need to memorize the formula (or put it on a formula card) in order to be able to use it in their calculations. That is, they understand how the formula works and how to use it, but they don't remember the actual formula without study (memorization) or a reference card. (The student may actually know how to derive this formula if they need to use it, but on a test there may not be time to do so.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColleenInWis Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share Posted April 13, 2015 I think I will try an open-book test this week. Part of my reasoning is that, doing regular practice assignments, she isn't persevering to find the answers to the problems she doesn't immediately get. In other words, she doesn't turn back to previous chapters to review something she has forgotten or to look up a property that she doesn't have memorized--she just leaves the question blank. Might an open-book test provide the motivation to take that extra step to find the answer herself, rather than relying on the teacher to tell her what she needed to know to get it correct? We'll see. I want her to further develop the ability to search out the problem, to not give up until it is solved (which is one of the reasons I'm using Jacobs in the first place--he makes her think). With previous tests, she toils and toils for hours before turning it in, only to get problems incorrect that she typically got correct on daily homework. If I weren't to test at all, I would say that she is comprehending the material and will be fine for algebra 2, but I do want some objective data to use for a grade on a transcript. So different than my other kids... Thanks for reading. Helps me think it through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 I'm a bit confused by this? I think there is quite a bit that students may need to memorize in Algebra 1 - basically, the kinds of things you would put on a formula card! A student might know, for example, how to calculate the coordinates of the vertex of a parabola given the formula (x=-b/2a), and how to use the vertex in word problems, but may need to memorize the formula (or put it on a formula card) in order to be able to use it in their calculations. That is, they understand how the formula works and how to use it, but they don't remember the actual formula without study (memorization) or a reference card. (The student may actually know how to derive this formula if they need to use it, but on a test there may not be time to do so.) I do not consider it particularly helpful to have memorized the formula without being able to derive it and would not give a test that tests memory recall of x= - b/2a. I don't believe that this is what a student retains in the long term. I would design any test so that the student is supposed to recover this relationship by factoring - because that is where the mathematical understanding lies. Ditto for all the "formulas" like point-slope, midpoint of a line, etc. I would want to test whether the student comprehends where the formulas are coming from. "how the formula works"... not sure what's there to "understand". ETA: I am dealing with college students who, with some luck, may have memorized the quadratic formula from their algebra class. It is utterly unhelpful to them because many have forgotten which symbol stands for which coefficient. They can rattle off the formula, but they don't know anything about quadratics. I'd rather have a student who did not memorize but can quickly re-derive it by factoring the quadratic, because he understands quadratic equations. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 (The student may actually know how to derive this formula if they need to use it, but on a test there may not be time to do so.) I think it is better to design the test so that the student has enough time to derive the formulae they need, rather than make the test a frantic dash of computation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in SA Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Open book = much, much harder by rule. For an average algebra text, I might choose some test problems from AoPS. The point is, the book should not be a crutch to allow the student to "cop out" of understanding the material. If the book gives patterns which can be copied, then no test question should reflect those patterns. Instead, the question should require synthesis of multiple principles into a somewhat novel solution. Imho, a good "open book" test is much harder to prepare than a good "closed book" exam. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 In the end a student should learn how to do a closed book math test. For example, the SAT will not be open book. Many college math courses will be closed book. When my professors said the test would be open book that meant at least half of the test problems would be much harder than anything you saw in the HW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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