How will a blended classroom model change the way that I assess my students?
I currently assess my students once every unit. Each summative exam typically consists of 45-55 multiple choices questions and a free-response question with five vocabulary terms. The students are required to define and apply the vocabulary terms to a prompt. My class periods are 45 minutes so I have tried to mimic the length and format of the AP exam to allow for students to become familiar with the test layout before the AP exam in May.
I need to decide how and when to assess my students in my blended course next year. Typically, my students take the exam in class on Friday and complete test corrections in class the following Monday. However, I'm not sure this is the best use of my class time if I am only guaranteed three class days with my students each week. Considering I assess approximately twelve times per year, I would be "burning" a lot of days administering assessments. Therefore, I need to look at how and when I will administer my formative assessments, summative assessments and test corrections.
Formative Assessments
I anticipate that these will be the easiest form of assessment to blend. I currently use a variety of technologies to assess the students' current knowledge and provide timely feedback including;
1. Google Forms - We are a google school and 1:1. Each student has his or her own Chromebook. I have found google forms to be easy to imbed in presentations and to grade using an extension called Flubaroo or the Google Quiz option. For example, after teaching about Freud's id, ego and superego, the students were asked to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts by applying them to a clip from The Emperor's New Groove."
2. Pear Deck and Poll Everywhere - Both of these programs allow me to embed questions within a presentation to assess understanding on the spot. Poll Everywhere offers a variety of question and answer styles ranging from multiple choice, to word clouds and open-ended questions. One advantage to Pear Deck is that you have access to a teacher dashboard and can see what the students are typing on their screens before projecting it. Pear Deck does charge extra for this feature.
3. EdPuzzle - I currently use EdPuzzle regularly and anticipate that I will use it even more next year. What I love about EdPuzzle is that you can embed questions within any video from a variety of sites like youtube, TED talks or Kahn Academy. Plus, there is a search feature and you can easily locate videos that already have been created by other teachers. After the students watch the video and answer the questions, their scores are easy to export. One of my favorite features is that you can prevent the students from fast-forwarding the video and it will stop playing if they open another window on their computer. I will be making all of my video assignments next year digital assignments; I will be using EdPuzzle as my primary assessment tool for these assignments.
4. Flipgrid & Let's Recap - Both programs allow for the students to respond to a discussion question. I prefer the video responses. The students can record themselves answering a question or summarizing and applying content. It is easy to use and the students like the variety. I know our world language teachers love this program because it encourages speaking and listening skills.
5. Albert IO - Our school has paid access to Albert, a test preparation site. I can assign my students specific questions to review or they can take the unit quizzes on their own. A benefit of Albert is that it provides an explanation for why each question is correct or incorrect. There is a free version (with limited access) of this program available to students.
Summative Exams
There are a variety of programs and learning management systems that would allow me to assess the students remotely. In preparation for this course, I looked a Schoology, Moodle and Canvas. In the end, though, I decided that I will need to test during my regular class period for a number of reasons.
1. There is no way to ensure that the students are not cheating or using other resources. Every test would be in effect a take home test and I could not control the testing conditions. This would effect the validity of my results; especially as I compare the results of the traditional and blended class format.
2. I use questions from released AP exams on my unit assessments. Many of these questions are from secure tests and due to the guidelines provided by the college board they cannot be disseminated digitally or leave the classroom. If I want to continue using these questions, I need to administer them in a classroom setting. In my opinion, the rigor of the questions is more difficult than the test bank provided from the publisher so it is a necessary trade-off.
3. I want to be there to answer any questions they have or to clarify questions. I am always happy to provide them with retrieval cues to assist their memory if they get stuck.
4. Lastly, I'm a little old school. Change is hard and I might need to start slow and build up to a change like this!
Changing Practices
My students are required to complete test corrections for a summative exam if they score less than a 70%. In my traditional class, we complete test corrections in class the Monday after each exam. If the students need additional time, they are responsible for scheduling time to complete their corrections in our school testing center.
The advantage of this format is that every student has time to complete their corrections. As I mentioned previously, many of my students do not have free periods to complete their corrections. Another advantage of completing corrections in class is that I can be there to help them with questions that they struggled with and provide additional support.
A major disadvantage of completing the corrections in class is that I have a number of students who do not need to complete any corrections. They typically use this time as a study hall or to assist their peers in class. Although there is a benefit to this, I don't think it is the best use of our limited class time together. Therefore, I will encourage all of the students to complete the test corrections but only require it if they scored a 70% or below.
They will have two weeks to complete their test corrections which will ensure that they have flex days to use for the corrections, if needed. Another consideration that will need to be addressed in the future is the impact this has on the testing center. My pilot will have a maximum of 30 students. If we decide to expand this program we will have to look at the impact this procedure has on the testing center's availability.
I would love to hear about your experiences in different testing formats. Please share your thoughts, comments, concerns and experiences in the comment section.
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