Re: Returning of tests

[Rick Tarara <rbtarara@SPRYNET.COM>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hugh Haskell" <hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM>
> Grading is a real pain, and I'm never sure what testing tells us,
> other than the students are good at taking tests, or not. I have
> never been associated with ungraded schools, so I don't know how they
> keep the kids working, but I would like to find out. I understand
> that most Friends' (Quaker) Schools are ungraded, but I have never
> had a chance to talk to any teachers at those schools to see how they
> keep their students motivated. But it seems to be true that their
> students don't have any more trouble getting into colleges than
> regular school students, maybe even less.

It is not just keeping students motivated but keeping your accrediting
agency happy.  North Central is STILL on their ASSESSMENT kick so a school
would have to be VERY creative to come up with an acceptable assessment plan
sans testing!   ;-(

Rick

(BTW:  I return tests but not final exams.  I sometimes have used some of
the same test questions from year to year but with subtle changes.  I then
chuckle when I get the exact answer from the previous year's test.  This
tends to _only_ happen once--and who says our students can't learn!)

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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
219-284-4664
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

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