Exams by Andy Jobson

Everyone knows that exams are stressful for students.  For students who have not performed well during the semester, the exam can ‘make or break’ the credit, determining if a course must be repeated.  Even for the good students, the ones who care deeply about their grades, the exam can make the difference between an A or a B.

American students, though, might like to know that British students face a much more stressful exam time.  For one thing, the exams tend to come only at the end of the year, meaning that you have to remember a whole year’s worth of material.  For another, the exam can represent half of the final grade; at my school, the exam is only worth 20% of the semester.  When I spent my junior year abroad, stories were rampant of the various ways students coped (or failed to cope) with the anxiety.  One of my favorites involved a student who brought a teddy bear (presumably as a comfort) to the exam; midway through, he received permission to visit the loo.  Upon his return, he glanced at his paper and grew enraged.  “Why haven’t you done more than this?”  he yelled at his bear.  “Don’t you realize the time?”  He then proceeded to tear the bear apart.  (Of course, since I didn’t observe this directly, I cannot swear to its veracity!)

Students need to understand that exams can be stressful for teachers, too.  I always fret about whether I’m being too tough or too easy.  Did I cover the material sufficiently?  Did I ask the questions in a fair way?  Multiple choice tests can be challenging to write; I want my answers to have one clear ‘best’ answer without having too many ridiculous options.  Essay and short answer tests are easier to write, but tougher to grade.  How do I determine the point value of various questions?  What must a student say in order to receive full credit?

Mostly, though, the exam tells me if I’ve been successful in reaching my students.  What do they recall?  Did I manage to make them care about the material enough to prepare?  It’s always disheartening to see the occasional blank page, where a student clearly remembers nothing.  It can be ironic when a student displays absolutely no understanding or knowledge of anything I tried to teach, then writes on the final page something like “Thanks for being a great teacher!” 

I do sometimes laugh at the responses; we’ve all seen our share of crazy answers.  One of my favorites this year was in response to the question, “What book in 1798 launched the Romantic Movement in Britain?”  More than one thought the safest answer was Romanticism for Dummies.  A few others, possibly already thinking of college, wrote Romanticism 101.

Any teachers out there want to share the best ‘wrong’ answers to your exams this year?  Please share below.  Have a great, test-free summer! 

An educator of 22 years, Andy Jobson has taught government, economics, and U.S. History. Currently teaching English literature at Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, GA, he’s also been an administrator, a STAR teacher twice, and taught elementary school with Teach for America.

Too Much Testing by Mike Siekkinen

Testing today is a hot topic, with recent legislation passed on the federal level to reduce the number of standardized tests given to students. Most states are even jumping on this, also reducing state and local testing. So with reduced testing, how can a teacher measure concretely that students are "getting" what they are supposed to "get?”

Remember that determining what a student has or hasn't learned does not need to be only assessed with a multiple choice test. There are many other options available to check on learning, such as:

• have students write about what they have learned. They can even make it a story. Many students love to write, so let them!
• have students "draw" about what they have learned. I often have students do this in the form of a comic strip. They make the picture and write captions for what is occurring in their comic.
• write a speech as that person explaining how they feel about modern times or put them in a situation and have them write as this person would write.
• do a poll or survey to see if whole class understanding is occurring or if you need to spend more time on an area. 
• use personal white or chalk boards, or even sheets of paper. Have students respond during the lesson by holding up their board/paper.
• quick quiz - no more than 5-10 quick questions as students leave your class to see if they "got it.”
• think of something of your own. These are just some things I do rather than the formal pen and paper assessment. Students often don't even see these as "test.” So come up with your own methods to stay away from those "standardized tests.”

How else do you assess for understanding? Share your ideas with us.

Dr. Mike Siekkinen, a retired U.S. Navy submariner, became a teacher as a second career. He teaches history at St Marys Middle School as well as Adult and Career Education at Valdosta State in Georgia.