On the first test, for Lesson 1, we worked through as a group, and I walked students through test-taking strategies (e.g., read all multiple choice answer options before choosing an answer; check off the parts of the instructions as you complete them in the short answer section - see #15 as an example).
Today, students completed the test on their own, with the following accommodations:
- Students had access to their ISN (Interactive Student Notebook) - what you might call a workbook. My rationale here is that the work in that ISN is their own work and so I allow them to use it. (Not the textbook, which is not their own work, so this is not an "open-book" test.) It is my hope that students will see the value of doing their best on their ISN classwork, and that they will develop the skill of looking back at and using a reference to find information. This will continue on all social studies tests this year.
- Students can ask me to read anything on the test for them, in fact, I encourage it. My rationale here is that this test is not intended as a reading assessment. I just want to assess their understanding of the social studies content/material.
- For this Lesson 2 test, students had a large and easy-to-read map of California because the map at the top of the third page is tiny and illegible. They used the larger, full color map to answer questions 11-15.
Tomorrow students will take the math Topic 2 test. As with social studies, the first test we took (returned last week) we worked through together. I probably gave a bit more guidance - though no answers - on that math test than on the social studies test as I discussed different math strategies students might want to use.
Tomorrow, students will be doing their own work, with the following accommodations:
- Students will have access to their math notebook (we have created some reference pages there) and their math vocabulary cards (from the enVision math book that contain the definition and an example of pertinent math terms. This will continue on all math tests this year.
- Students can ask me to read anything on the test for them, in fact, I encourage it. Again, my rationale here is that this test is not intended as a reading assessment. I just want to assess their understanding of the math content/material.