ProudGrandma Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 now that my daughter is in High School, we are taking grades on tests for the first time this year. But, what I need to know is what do you all do when your child gets a 70% on a test and only have one form of the test? (so doing a retest will only work if I give them the exact test again....or I rewrite the test.) So what should I do? I don't want to write a 70% in the grade book....nor do I want her to move on without knowing the material better. (the subjects are biology and algebra). what do you do?? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 In algebra, with a score of C or lower, I would let my dd attempt to correct the ones she got wrong. She could get 1/2 credit for each correct answer - ultimately the grade isn't raised a ton, but it helped a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 For math, I wouldn't show her the results or where she went wrong. I'd reteach the chapter and then give the test again. I'd use the score from the second administration as the official one. This is why I much prefer to use a math program with more than one form of each test. For biology, I'd just leave the score as is. I'd then see about helping her develop her study skills for biology tests. If it affects her grade too much, give her an assignment or two that she can be successful with to boost her grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I would never use the same test again. If I find my student unprepared and need to send him back for more review on a math test, I write a new exam that is not identical to the old one; it will use similar problems and the same concepts, but most definitely not the same questions! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I would start by asking myself why the student made a 70--is the student struggling with the material, is the student not studying and practicing, did the student have a bad day the day the exam was given, was there one careless mistake the student made that counted multiple times on multiple problems, etc. Some approaches I might try: If the student has not seen the exam and correct answers at this point and the exam is reasonably long and in-depth, I might try covering the material again and retesting (or simply retesting if it was a bad day or a single careless error) If I thought the student was slacking, I would be tempted to leave the grade as is as a natural consequence If the student needed to review work, I might have him rework missed problems for half credit. I might have the student work extra problems on the material as "extra credit" to bring the grade up If I thought it was a bad day (the student was getting sick, the dog just died, etc.) I would be tempted to record the grade but say that I would drop one test grade at the end of the semester in the final grade calculation. The important thing--especially in math--is not so much the grade but is the student learning the material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 If you haven't graded tests before, I would consider using this as a time to teach test-taking and study skills--especially in the Freshman and Sophomore years. Depending on the reason for the mistakes, I have used any of the following: 1, required the student to re-do the questions that were wrong. 2, allowed the student to earn points back if the correct answer was in the student's notes (this was more for history--I have my kids take notes in history, and this was one way I encouraged being thorough.) 3, had the student re-do the set of lessons or the module that the test covered, and gave the same test again (with or without marking which ones were wrong) 4, gave partial credit if partial credit was due (maybe they showed all their work but made a calculation error, or maybe they explained part but not all of a science process). 5, asked the student to answer questions orally (and then wrote down their answers to show what a full answer should look like--especially in science). If the student earned a better grade through corrections or a re-do, I kept track of both the regular and the improved grade. In the majority of cases, I found that the occasional low test score really didn't change which category the final grade was in. In the few cases where it would change the grade, I took into consideration other factors (work ethic, discussion time, improvement over the course of the semester etc...) to help me decide whether to factor in the lower or higher grade. I have two goals: 1, the student needs to learn the material. Whether or not I let the student re-take the test, they need to fix all errors and understand why their answers were wrong. 2, the student needs to learn how to study for and take tests. I find that scaffolding and teaching various methods along the way, looking for gaps in their study habits and teaching how to improve these, is a helpful. I went to college without really knowing how to take notes or to study, and it took me a couple of years to figure it out. The "here's your grade, figure out what you did wrong but we're moving on" method really didn't help me, so I don't know why that would help my kids either. I want my kids to go better equipped than that. Sometimes I don't realize until after the fact that my student isn't doing as well as I thought tracking with certain info. I recognize that the nature of how I homeschool (sometimes learning material along with my kids versus teaching from a vantage point of knowing the material well, knowing where students tend to struggle, experience in teaching this class for years etc...) combined with expecting my students to learn a lot independently in the high school years, means that sometimes tests will be the place where the student and I both realize there's more of a struggle than we thought. I prefer to use tests diagnostically for that reason. I discuss this with my kids and let them know that college tests are not like this (and we wean off of this strategy as they are able). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GThomas Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 I too have a dd in her first year of high school. She got a 74% on her last algebra chapter test. Most of the problem was on one type of problem. I reviewed what she did wrong with her and then I found a worksheet online about that tyoe of problem. It's two pages long. I told her she had the choice to do extra credit work. If she completed the worksheet by the end of the week and it was all correct, I'd change the four problems on the test that she got wrong, to correct. Not sure if that's the right approach but my goal was to make sure she learned it without having to slow down on her math pacing in hopes that she finishes it on time. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3sapphires Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 In Algebra, I would let my student redo the ones that she got wrong, for half credit, IF all work is shown and the student can explain why they got it wrong - careless error, or which part of the concept they didn't understand. In my house, it's all careless errors, so there is no need to go back and re-teach. We are slowly getting better, but that is another post. In Biloogy, I think I would require 2-3 sentences explaining why the first answer is wrong and why the right answer is right. I would allow 1/2 credit back for successful completion of this as well. In both subjects, I would be on the lookout for projects or papers that I could add that would help the students understanding but also give an opportunity for another grade added in the gradebook. I try to design my courses with an eye towards this. I also give a pretty high percentage of the grade (15% each) to participation and "homework" - that is completing the work on time with a good attitude, checking the answers with me, and making any necessary corrections. There was a pretty big thread on this not to long ago, and my feeling is that schools do it, and I don't want their course grade to be based on just tests. That's a lot of pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 It depends on the class. If it is a math class, we re-visit topics that were a problem, then I create a new test. If it is a test in another subject, we re-visit the topics that were a problem, then the student writes essays explaining each problem topic in detail. For example, dd recently had some trouble on an anatomy test filling in blanks on the path of blood through the circulatory system. I thought she was having trouble with the wording used by the author not understanding. I had her write a detailed explanation of the blood through the circulatory system including each chamber and valve in the hear, each major artery or vein, etc. I then replace the score from that section with the equivalent number of points earned by the essay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 There was a pretty big thread on this not to long ago, and my feeling is that schools do it, and I don't want their course grade to be based on just tests. That's a lot of pressure. Yes, they even do it in college. My son's classes have: attendance/participation (often around 10% of the grade) homework assignments quizzes papers tests extra credit (this is usually going to some kind of presentation that the instructor recommends. Not a huge amount of points, but enough to bump the grade of one test or one paper up a full grade level. And one teacher who doesn't do extra credit requires a re-write of the lowest-grade paper--same style, new topic--and the rewrite grade replaces that lower grade--hopefully the new grade is higher!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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