Math testing (AoPS)

[skimomma]

I am interested in info, options, and opinions on math testing, specifically for home-taught AoPS.

 

Dd will be in 9th grade next year and I am staring the daunting task of figuring out some shorter and longer term high school plans.  Dd has always been homeschooled and aside from four online classes over the last two years, we have not utilized testing nor have I "graded" her work.  Dd has been expected to work to mastery rather than given a grade and moving on.  She has earned an A in all of her online classes.

 

Now that dd is moving into high school, I know I need to figure out how to assess the work she is doing for her transcript.  She will be taking some online classes that will be graded.  For her remaining coursework, I need to work out a grading plan.  I am starting with math.

 

My preliminary plan is to have dd work through AoPS as she has for the last two years then using the end-of chapter review problems as the "graded assessment."  What I don't know is how to actually grade that work.  I will still require dd to rework incorrect problems until they are correct.  Do I grade strictly on the first try?  Do I give back points for corrected attempts?  Partial credit for problems that had the correct approach but a simple arithmetic error?  What about a compressive midterm or final exam?  What are people doing and what do you see as the pros and cons?

 

The AoPS Challenge Problems have always been too challenging for dd.  This was also true of the Singapore Math, which is what we used prior to AoPS.  Dd sometimes works through those problems but has needed my help working through many and sometimes most of the problems.  I only mention this to give an idea of dd's math aptitude.  She typically can do the review problems with little or no help but does often need more than one attempt for some problems.

 

What are good sources for tests and/or test questions outside of AoPS?  Is there a source for tests that align with this curriculum?  Or a good source for generic tests?  I see a million options online but have trouble gaging which would be suitable for use with AoPS.  For my own information, I would really like to give dd a "final exam" for Intro to Algebra just to see how closely my idea of "mastery" aligns with the "A" I think she is working at.  If I am way off base, the earlier I know that, the better.  I'm not even sure this needs to be AoPS-specific.  What I would really like to know is how she would be assessed should she take a high school placement exam.  

 

Are there grading options I am missing altogether?  More like a pass/fail or "Achieved Mastery" or something else that differs from the traditional letter grades.  And how does one handle those when computing GPA?  Dd is not elite-university bound so her transcript is important but we are not up against super selective schools nor are we expecting that merit-based scholarships are a realistic possibility.

 

[regentrude]

I have written my own final exams for AoPS. I have shared my Algebra finals on this board; please search the archives to locate the thread.

 

I give partial credit on complex problems, depending on the severity of the mistake.

I do not grade daily work; it has to be done to completion and correctness.

 

I expect mastery to what I consider A level. If mastery is not achieved, my student will not be allowed to progress to the next level, but we will work on the previous level to mastery. 

Edited May 5, 2017 by regentrude

[skimomma]

I have written my own final exams for AoPS. I have shared my Algebra finals on this board; please search the archives to locate the thread.

 

I give partial credit on complex problems, depending on the severity of the mistake.

I do not grade daily work; it has to be done to completion and correctness.

 

I expect mastery to what I consider A level. If mastery is not achieved, my student will not be allowed to progress to the next level, but we will work on the previous level to mastery. 

 

I started with a search before making this post.  My search skills on this board are poor.  I just did the search again using your user name and found it in the Logic Stage board (I was only looking in the High School forum).  Thanks!

[Julie of KY]

I don't give tests for AoPS. I teach to mastery and I know that my kids have mastered the material as they demonstrate it in other ways. They don't forget it so I don't need to worry about that.

 

 

[skimomma]

I don't give tests for AoPS. I teach to mastery and I know that my kids have mastered the material as they demonstrate it in other ways. They don't forget it so I don't need to worry about that.

 

How do you assign letter grades for transcripts?  Is mastery an A?  Do you feel compelled to have some way to "prove" this should you need to?

[regentrude]

I started with a search before making this post.  My search skills on this board are poor.  I just did the search again using your user name and found it in the Logic Stage board (I was only looking in the High School forum).  Thanks!

 

sorry - it was so long ago, I did not remember that I posted it there.

[Mike in SA]

We pull problems from different textbooks. The only issue we've had is that the problems tend to be too easy, so we often have to "go up" - eg, for Intermediate Algebra, we pull "challenge" problems from a regular precalculus text. They're frequently still too easy.

[daijobu]

I don't give math tests.  I figure if their AMC scores are improving each year, they're doing well.  I do give them the tests I took in high school.  (I still have the mimeographed copies!)  

[snowbeltmom]

I don't give tests for AoPS. I teach to mastery and I know that my kids have mastered the material as they demonstrate it in other ways. They don't forget it so I don't need to worry about that.

 

This is my approach with my kids as well.