The system as it stands allows you to make up missed learning targets on the final exam at the end of the semester. I think it would be a great improvement to the system if we could make up missed targets at any time after the initial assessment. But how will that work? What do you need to do in order to satisfy a missed learning target?
The whole point is that you learn the concepts. We’ve discussed the targets in class, you have studied them, we have worked in teams on problems, you have looked at the blog and maybe even did a little internet research – but you still scored an M on a few targets. What is the best way for you to prove to me (to the class?) that you now know what you didn’t before?
This actually gets to a bigger issue in my opinion: is there an alternative to “high pressure” tests that can be used to prove that you know the concepts? I look forward to your thoughts.
I think that what we should do is have to come in after school and just retake the desired learning target, obviously a different problem but one that portrays the target effectively. Another way would just be to give us homework on the learning target that would resemble the CHOW’s of last year or this years summer homework in which an explanation is needed.
I agree with Zach that we should come in after school and retake the learning target in the form of two test question. This way we could prove that we understood the topic, but maybe just were pressed for time on the orignial test day. Another option would be to do a presentation on the test problem or an alternate problem. This would give us an oppurtunity to verbally explain the target to the class.
I agree that we should be able to come in after school or during a study hall in the ASC and retake a learning target we missed. If we only took one learning target it would be less stressful. I think we could do a good job of preparing ourselves by focusing on the specific areas we didn’t understand and retaking them in a more laid back environment.
I agree with the above opinions in that we should be able to come in after school and take a make-up “test” of one or two challenging problems concerning the learning target, and do these targets just one at a time. Also, under Mr. Bieniek’s grading scale, the grade you receive should be an Advanced, or else you haven’t proven that you clearly understand the learning target. This would give us an opportunity to fix the unsatisfactory target(s) in a more relaxed, less stressful environment as Sam mentioned.
I think that we should have to do a small assignment on the learning target to show that we actually have spent sometime looking over and fixing what we didn’t understand. Then we would take some kind of make up test to get a better grade. Also the assignment could be in the form of a presentation, but I don’t think we would have class time for everyone who wanted to fix their grade to present.
I agree there should be a make-up test with a new question for missed learning targets. I agree with Curtis as well, in that there should be an assignment dealing with a specific learning target where you would answer and explain “Why?” the answer is what it is and depending on the detail, they could get an “A” instead of a “P”.
I like the idea of an assignment being given. Maybe for the assignment, you would have to correct and explain the test question, and then take an unclamied problem from the book and solve that to turn in. This problem would be solved and explained in great detail, proving that you know the learning target very well.
Also, as to an “alternative” to high pressure tests, an option could be given to, instead of taking the test in class, complete an assignment similar to how CHOWs were set up last year. Although they were a pain for the most part, some people might prefer them to the pressure of completimg tests in a time limit. The set-up would be the same, but slightly more difficult in the sense that the problems would need to be explained, not just answered, due to the estended time limit. Perhaps this option would be given out a day or two before the test, so that the time limit isn’t so extended that it would be unfair to the test-takers.
I kind of agree with C wigs and Melinda. Personally, I believe that we should be able to raise our learning target to a Proficient if we first redo the original problem and explain why we got it wrong. Then have a specific date where everyone can come in after school and retake another test for the learning targets. Plus, adding on to what C wigs says about doing an extra assignment, I think that the extra assignment should be for raising the Proficient to an Advanced. I don’t think it should be a presentation though, because that would just be wasting time. Lastly, I think there should be a limited amount of time in which you can retake the learning targets if you don’t want to retake them on midterms/finals.
There were some comments that I agree with and some that I don’t. First of all, I think that people need to distinguish between turning a P into and A and making up an M from a test. As much as I would like to, I don’t think that we should be able to make up Ps. In most of our other classes, we’re only able to make corrections to raise our grade to a C. With this grading system, we’re given the chance to get a B, so we’re already getting a good deal. Asking to make up a P would really be pushing it, in my opinion. On the other hand, there are a lot of things we could do to make up Ms. I think that the best way to make up Ms would be to correct the test problem that you got an M on for that learning target and then to write up a presentation on another problem that would satisfy the requirements for that same learning target. It would be kind of like writing a CHOW from last year – you’d show that you understand what you must do to solve the problem and why you have to do it, but you would write it up and hand it in instead of wasting class time presenting verbally. For the problems, Mr. Bieniek could just give us problems from older tests or something. Whatever we choose to do, we should have a reasonable time limit – one that’s not too long but gives us enough time to complete it with all of the work from our other classes. The system that we work out can’t be too time consuming for Mr. Bieniek either, because he has two honorsprecalc classes that would be doing corrections, as well as his other classes.
Sorry for the mini novel!
One more thing: I don’t mean to be mean, but timed tests are something that we should be used to by now. If you continually have problems completing tests, then there’s probably something you need to be doing to fix that. You can’t blame your grades on pressure and time restraints – we’re juniors now, and we have senior year and college ahead of us. Timed tests are definitely a big part of our future.
Yeah, I definitely agree with Lindsay on a lot of things. Perhaps there should be a set number of targets you can bump from M to P, and even fewer (if any) that can be taken from P to A. And perhaps you could do several different ways of presenting, paper or verbal or 1 on 1 after school or whatever, and have a sign-up sheet or something for them.
I also agree that we shouldn’t be able to receive an A from an M because that would create the problem of retaking P’s received on the original test. I also think Curtis’s idea of taking an extra assignment to show we understand the learning target is a good idea.
Okay so i was reading all of them over and i think i agree with a little of what everyone is saying. I for sure think we should be able to make some up… especially in the begginging of the year like this frist test because we are all still getting the feel for the test format and class. But i think there should be a number of requirements that need to be filled in order to pump it up from an M to a P. Possibly coming in after school and taking a re-take on that certain area or doing a few problems like the other to show what you are doing. But i also think that it should probably just be for moving M’s up to P’s. I think moving P’s up to A’s is just asking for a little to much.
That is just what i am thinking!
I think that the whole coming in after school and making up the learning targets we missed is a good idea. Whether Mr. B. gave us a new problem related to the learning target, or we corrected the first problem and wrote up a small paragraph explaining what we did wrong, and how we fix it. Also, asking to turn P’s into A’s soulds a little excessive to me, so maybe we should just leave those alone?
I think that we should be able to take another test to bump an m to a p and that bumping a p to a A is just asking a little too much. The thinking behind this is that if you get a bunch of M’s on the test and don’t get a chance to correct your mistakes you could possibly fail or get a bad grade, but if you got all P’s on the test you will still get a good grade int he class. So to sum it up the people who got M’s on the test should have a chance to make it up, because it could ruin their quarter grade. And the people who got P’s shouldn’t get a chance to get a A because they would already get a good grade.
I agree with Dominic in regards to if you recieved an M on a certain learning target, then after corrections you can get no higher than a P. Because if we were able to correct a P to an A, then the entire class would be coming in to Get A’s. P’s are already good grades. If someone did get an M, they should be able to move it up to a P. To do this they could possibly come in after school, complete two or three problems related to the learning target and could only receive a P when the problems are done correctly.
I agree with what Haley said earlier that in order to move a M to a P we might do a presentation on the leaning target. I believe that this is a good idea to make up a learning target because it will show that you understand the concept and it will be good review for those who are watching. I also agree with many of the other comments that bumping up a M to an A is a little unfair, because then anyone could get an A. I think A’s should only be avaliable the first time around completeing that learning target. Same goes for bumping up a P to an A. It will just start to be confusing after a while.
That is my view on this topic.
I agree with what Curtis said: have some small assignment that covers the learning targets in question. The assignment would be something different than what the student attempted and failed earlier. I also agree with what many people have said, and that is the highest grade the student could get is a P and not an A. Receiving an A means that the student understands the concept without any problems. If a student gets an M, retakes that learning target, and gets an A, that goes against the student not having any problems with the learning target. It just doesn’t seem fair to students who received an A the first time around.
One thing you could have us do is an extended problem similar to the ones we had to do for summer homework. When completed you would present it to the class, and if you get it correct, you get credit for the learning target.
Geez, everyone has flocked to one post. Well, my two cents: CHOW-esque problems, i.e. independent work done on one’s own time, would be ideal for make-up work because they don’t use up class time. But I don’t think making up for Minimal grades should allow for an Advanced, only a Proficient. It only seems fair to me that if you didn’t get it the first time, you shouldn’t be given perfect credit for correcting whatever it is you got wrong.
I agree with many of the above posts that we should come in after school and retake the learning target(s) in the form of test questions. I don’t think we should have to present the learning targets to the class because that would talk up way to much time. Also, the retest should only bring you up to a “P” not an “A”…
After reading all of the reply’s, I am finding that i agree with mostly everyone. It would be great to be able to make up any minimal and turn them into proficients. I think coming in after school to do a retake test before final exams would, like Mr. B said, eliminate a lot of the pressure associated with exam week. I also think it should be done relatively soon and that everyone would benefit from doing this while the information we are being tested on is still fresh in our brains. Maybe setting up a few days where students have the opportunity to make up what they missed the week following the test would be a good idea. Oh, and i agree with Taylor and the others that mentioned that making up minimal and receiving an advanced is unfair.
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After reading pretty much everybody’s post, i agree with a lot of the things that people are saying. I like Curtis’s idea about a small assignment if you want to move your grade from M to P. Then some sort of after school make up test only to raise M’s to P’s. If this was all that was to happen i would be satisfied but maybe we could do something along the lines of raising half of Ps to As during the exam if it were to benefit the student. Basically i like the idea of a retake to change M’s to P’s though.
As mo everyone else i believe that the M’s should not be turned into A’s but P’s. I believe to do this we should have to come in after school and take a test question to prove that you completely understand the material. Maybe just to completely show that you understand the material you don’t just do the problem but you also have to write an explanation telling how you came to your answer and why that is the correct answer.
I agree with everyone who said that M’s should not be made up to A’s. That wouldnt be fair. I think taking a test after school to make up the learnning targets is a good idea because doing something outside of school allows you to use other people as resources, so that really doesnt eliminate the point that you may not entirely understand how to do a certain problem. And that is my opinion on this topic!
I believe to make up learning targets, we should have to come in on our own time and receive a sheet made by the teacher with a problem similar to the one we missed. If we get this right our M’s should be turned into P’s but never A’s. This way we will still have to prove we know how to solve the problems and get rid of those M’s!
Many of the people have posted good ideas and i think that the best suggestion is to do a presentation in the classroom on the learning targets that we missed because this would also review it for everyone else in the class! By the way Taylor is having issues blogging because the screen shows up but there is nothing to click on! She is very sorry!
Thanks mucho!
Everyone has had some pretty good ideas. I agree that you shouldn’t be able to change a M to an A. To change an M to a P, you should come after school and take a mini-test on the learning targets you missed, only you should have to explain how to do the problem as you’re doing it. That way you can show that you actually know how to solve the problem and why you solve it that way. Presenting problems is a good idea as well, but I’m not sure if it would be possible because it would take up class time.