If You Have It, Use It

Published: 2015-04-19 9:27 PM

Category: Teaching | Tags: testing, data, assessment, reports

I took the time the other day to show my students what exactly I look at when I’m grading tests. I use standards based grading, so I’m going way deeper than just the number right divided by the number wrong. I don’t even put tests into the gradebook, really. They’re each broken down into the standards contained within and they’re reported individually.

This is really hard for students to understand. So, I showed them the data I look at when scoring their tests.

Individual student report

Each student has a report generated (name obfuscated here). Questions on the test are broken down by standard, and I’m shown a quick, high-level gauge of where they stand on this assessment. This is not the only information I take into account when assessing their skills, but a look through this lens can be helpful. I can also see (further down the page) which questions they get wrong and compare those with the item analysis screen.

Individual class report

I can also take a high-level look at each class. Mean score and deviations are given for the entire assessment, and each standard is broken down again based on the aggregate. This view is especially helpful for remediation and follow-up to the test. Some classes get more attention to one standard, others get different priorities. It’s really helped me make more effective decisions when planning following an exam. This page also has individual student scores broken out by standard down below the gauges.

Item analysis

Finally, the item analysis. This helps bring it all together. Again, I see the high-level information for each question, and it helps me pinpoint which items need the most attention. I can then cross-reference those with each individual class and even down to the individual student to see which standard they struggle with the most.

So yeah, I showed this to my students.

And they were surprised that I put so much thought into it. I also think it helped them see the fact that everything we do in class is two things: related to the standards and for their benefit.

I don’t give tests because they’re fun (ok, well, the analysis can be fun…) or because they’re super effective. They can help me make informed decisions which, in turn, help them in the long run.

I don’t think they’d ever seen information used in this way in such an honest and straightforward manner. Many of them actually expressed that I was putting myself through too much with these tests, which means I must’ve gotten through something…

Either way, if you’re collecting information, make sure it’s used productively. Also consider taking it up a notch and plainly showing what you do with that information just so they know.