The First Summative Assessment
The Scenario:
In Large Animal Science we concluded our first unit "Animal Agriculture as a Science" within the early dismissals, 2 hour delays, and 3 hour delays. On Monday we conducted our inquiry based instruction egg dissection lab and finished the scientific method learning, Tuesday I didn't see the class due to an early dismissal, Wednesday I saw them for one hour and we worked on their lab worksheets and lab reports, Thursday I saw them for approximately an hour and a half and we played an extensive Kahoot which paralleled EACH question that would be on the test, and finally, Friday they took a 30 point, untimed, unit 1 exam which they were aware of several days in advance.
Because I love drawing correlations, I decided that the Bell Ringer (which I do every day in schoology, ungraded) was to complete a google form, assessing how confident they felt about the test and how well they prepared for the test.
The Google Form Results:
The Results of the Test:
Out of 20 test takers (Three were absent, and one was a late add and will take the test next week)
- The Average Grade Received on the test was 80.44%
- Three students received a 100%
- Eight students received an "A"
- Six Students received a "B"
- One Student received a "C"
- Five Students received below a "C"
Somethings I noticed:
Two of my students that earned 100% had expected a B. The students that did earned B or above paid attention in class or reviewed notes outside of class.
What I am Thinking:
I feel the test was an accurate assessment of their knowledge we covered in the class. I had matching, short answer, ordering, multiple choice, and one true/false question to assess different depths of knowledge comprehension. Additionally, I had them correlate the steps of the scientific method to the steps we completed in our lab, to display that we truly did experience every step.
If I could do this exam over again, I would have a short review game for Wednesday, in addition to the extensive review on Thursday. Granted, the bell ringers serve as a daly review of the content we had covered prior, and the closing with connections was a formative assessment tool I had used daily. I feel a short review a day earlier would give more time for repetition and another chance to handle the material for my less confident students.
My Question for You:
How do I motivate my students to perform on tests that don't care about their grade? I have students that don't necessarily care about the class, but apply themselves to meet academic requirements of sports. Although, I struggle to get students to see the value in performing well on tests.
ALSO
Two of my students (One earned a 29 and the other earned a 30) won't complete any other graded items and It is pulling teeth to get them to complete their lab report. How can I motivate them to participate in graded assignments OTHER than the test? They clearly know the material, why won't they practice it?
I plan to continue running this survey before each test, I'm also curious to see how their expectations change as they get more comfortable with the content and my testing style.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting... I think you asked a very good question on motivation. Students are motivated to do well in their sports, because they sense this as important at this point in their lives. Part of what we are called to do as educators is to show students that the content matters to their future just as much as their sports.
I would be intrigued to see what a student's perception on performance would be, if this was not a written test, but rather an assessment of performing a task (i.e. - injections, using a table saw safely, sampling soil for testing, etc.).
If students are not motivated by tests/grades, I think we need to refocus the students away from the grade, and more on the learning. What that really means is that we need to help the students see a connection to their futures. In a society where we are about the here and now, and I want/need it immediately, I am finding we (our students) are not thinking the "long game". So, now I leave you with a question... How can we help our students see the "long game" of training for their education/future career and help them to care as much as they do about their training for being the best wrestler, basketball player, baseball/softball player, etc.?
-Dr. Ewing
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dr. Ewing that these are excellent questions to ask and again we look at the concept of motivation. I really like your survey (can you share that with me? - thanks) As a student I was not grade motivated. I wanted to learn skills that I could use and knowledge that was practical/applicable. I would challenge you to constantly connect to your students interests, the WHY of what you are doing, and have a variety of summative assessments and question types on your tests.
Great Job Lisa. Love the use of data in thinking about your teaching1
ReplyDeleteLisa, my data nerd heart is so happy to see your post this week! I am a huge proponent of using data to inform how to teach and assess students, but it is important to make sure you focus on not only the numbers, but student experiences and perceptions as well. Emphasizing the "why" behind assignments helps students to understand the importance of completing them, as well as how they contribute to future success and learning.
ReplyDelete