By: The Engaged Spanish Classroom

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 22:30:36 +0000

I love the reflection form before your retakes! That's such a wonderful way to help the students take accountability for their learning and their growth. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂

By: The Engaged Spanish Classroom

The Engaged Spanish Classroom — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 22:29:37 +0000

That sounds awesome!!! Thank you for reading, and for sharing back with me!! 🙂

By: Mimi Palmer

Mimi Palmer — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 02:39:16 +0000

20+ years in and I've had as many policies as years! I finally decided a few years back that, for me, there is no one size fits all. Sometimes I offer test corrections, sometimes I offer re-takes of specific sections, and sometimes they just have to take what they get. I also implemented a policy that states that any student with 2 or fewer tardies in the semester AND only Ss or Os in citizenship both quarters may drop their lowest quiz grade (I weigh all quizzes the same).
Test Corrections (unit test): I allow a one-time only opportunity at lunch for all students. We will have already gone over the test so they will know the correct answers. They must write the question with the correct answer and usually translate. If it is a conjugation, I have them write out the conjugation. They receive ONE point TOTAL for these corrections. My tests are between 50-60 points, so 1 point is nearly 2 percent. All kids can come, there is no limit.
If I give a quiz and the results are terrible, I assess the situation. If the quiz was bad (or a question was bad), it gets thrown out. I re-teach and re-assess.
Quiz re-takes: if the overall scores are good, I rarely offer re-takes on quizzes except for on a case by case basis. If the scores are all over, I offer a re-take. Because my quizzes only assess one concept, it is easy to quickly make some substitutions and have a new form. I open this to all kids and do not limit the score on the new quiz, but I do explain that the new score sticks. This helps tremendously with kids who just want to come in "to see if they do better". Honestly, I just don't have the time for that. I only want those who have made the effort to re-learn the information to be re-taking something. I don't worry about re-takes scoring higher than the original because I open to everyone.
Test Section Re-takes: I do these rarely as they take the most amount of work. I allow the kids to take up to 3 sections of the test over. This cuts down on the grading and sometimes it is only 2 sections. I have a form that must be filled out and serves as their entrance into the re-take. The form requires they write an explanation/reflection for the poor performance, a list of 3 ways they have worked to improve (they must attach evidence, I am cruel), and a signature that explains they understand the process. They will receive a full point-for-point substitution for that section of the test. It is a lot of work, but it puts the responsibility on the kids. If they have not planned ahead and done the work, they have not earned the re-take.
I have found that having a policy such as this where there is not a one-size-fits-all policy has eliminated the kids taking advantage as they do not know what, if any, opportunity they will have to improve their grade. All of my opportunities are one time only. I assign a day at lunch and that is it. No excuses. No sympathy. (OK, maybe if they are sick and write a really nice email and show up for Monday intervention! :)) Come or don't. I will not make the decision for them. They always ask me if it's worth it and I explain that I can't guarantee it's worth it to pay my insurance premiums every year, but it's not a risk I'd be willing to take.
Sorry to write so much, as the first quiz is around the corner, I found it helpful to think through the whole process!

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 00:36:43 +0000

Thank you for sharing your story on retakes and corrections, and I enjoy seeing your new posts. One element that has led to my strategy for this hot topic is that a grade should be a true reflection of what the learner can do independently. If students do not show an understanding of a specific concept, they are permitted to retake the section for up to full credit. They must also learn the material on their own time. I do not provide the same quiz, so that students receive immediate feedback on the original. For retakes, I quiz them in a different format. One thing that has permitted time to do this is simply flexing a schedule twice per week to allow students a 45 minute period to receive extra support and demonstrate new learning,

Comments on: My journey to a clear and fair quiz correction policy in Spanish class

By: The Engaged Spanish Classroom

By: The Engaged Spanish Classroom

By: Mimi Palmer

By: Erin