Final Exams
Well, final exams are finished. How did we do? First grade did wonderfully on their essay tests for the writing class. I was very proud of all of them.
This term, I increased the number of questions on the reading tests from 60 questions to 75. I added 15 questions. There were two reasons for this. First, I felt the test was too short. Students were finishing much too quickly, and that told me that all of my students were ready for a bit more challenge. Second, I wanted students to pay just a little more attention to their weekly reading assignments because it was becoming apparent that not everybody was actually reading the assignments, and considering how much work I put into those assignments, I really wanted them to at least try to read the packet. So I added fifteen questions to the test to cover the content of the readings. On average, about ten of the questions included the same information as what the students were required to know for their weekly reading comprehension quizzes. There are four reading comprehension quizzes, five questions a piece, so they only would have had to study twenty questions on their quizzes to successfully get the answers to about ten of the fifteen reading comprehension questions on the final exam. I thought this was kind of a throw-away section honestly: a reward to those who had kept up with the readings, and punishment for those who hadn't.
"Sorely disappointed" doesn't begin to describe how I feel about this section on the test. I don't feel the questions were that difficult, especially given that we had discussed the quizzes in class and the students had those quizzes to study. So what happened? It was a freebie, a give-away, and yet: it was apparently the section that tripped up the most students.
On the plus side, more students have been keeping up with their vocabulary. Vocabulary scores were generally up with only a few surprises.
The oral communication tests, likewise were not without a few bumps. I've decided that I really do need to get a partner for future tests, because my MorphVox voice changing software from Screaming Bee Software, amusing as it is, just isn't as good as a human partner. It's more than a little weird, creepy and distorted. Good for a few laughs, and I don't doubt it'll be used for quizzes, but I'm going to have go with a human partner for future tests, I think.
Another problem came up on the tests: my third grade oral communication test was extremely difficult. On the whole, the third grade students got massacred by it. Test scores took a major nosedive. As a result, the next set of oral communication final exams are going to see a few format changes.
One: the test will be fifteen questions longer. Two: there will be no repeats. Now, I know you're saying "Wait, Mark! Don't do it! You just said the last test was too difficult! Are you insane?" Well, yes and no. See, the problem is that my test, especially this term's third grade test, require the students to think. It's no longer just a simple matter of recognizing sentences that are grammatically flawed. We're way past that. We're getting into appropriate situational usage. We're getting into comprehension. Students need a little extra time to think.
So, parts 4 and 5, short conversations and short talks, will no longer be repeated. This will cut the length of the listening by about 60 percent. I will add 15 questions, a 25% increase in the number of questions, and then, most importantly, I'll be able to give students more time per question to think. The truth is, if the students have time to jot down a note, and take an extra second or two to think, they won't need repeats on parts 4 and 5, which are mostly basic narrative comprehension anyway.
In addition, I might have to give up short conversations simply because it's difficult to find a partner for all of my tests.
In great news, my high school NELP class did BEAUTIFULLY on their test. It was a very difficult test. Two of the listenings were 4 1/2 minutes long, the other two were 3 1/2 minutes long. There were no repetitions. Eighty questions on the test. Students really did wonderfully. I was amazed.
So this time the tests didn't go so well for the junior high. Well ... better luck next time.
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Date: 2008⁄12⁄23 22:22｜Permalink｜Author：nelp
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