Making Assessments Matter

Listen to the Episode Here

Mistake 1: Multi-Page Assessments

I remember as a student having to complete PAGES for a single assessment. Not only did I not care by the end, my energy and brain power were low.

My first year of teaching, the district had kindly provided me with a mod-podge of homeworks, worksheets, and tests that other teachers had created. When it came time to test my Algebra 1 students, I picked out the systems of equations test that was provided. It was three pages long with lots of questions. It took the majority of my students 2 hours to complete the assessment, spread over the course of class and after school.

I wish I could go back and change that scenario. I can’t imagine the burnout and anxiety those students were feeling.

Multi-page assessments are unnecessary. The goal of assessments is to see if students understand the material. You can do that in 3 to 5 questions. Imagine how relieved your students will be when they only have to answer a few questions to achieve the same result.

Mistake 2: Giving Short Notice

Do you get anxiety when you are unprepared for something? Or when you feel like you won’t have time to complete something before the deadline? That anxiety is what students feel when you give an assessment without proper notice.

I’m not a fan of pop quizzes. I remember when I was in school, I would immediately feel overwhelmed, even if I was mostly confident in the material.

Giving students at least a few days or a week warning is a good time line. Remind students often, and post it on the board or somewhere students will see it. Although, try and move things around when you can because our brain sometimes won’t register things if they are always in the same place.

Try adding it to your morning slides or posting it outside your room, like this: