Page Text: By Elizabeth Dentlinger
I’ve had some people ask me what I do when it comes to reassessing the leveled model I use for SBG WL Input Assessments I shared a little while ago . This post is dedicated to sharing what I do if a students fails their listening or reading assessment and needs to retake one of them.
My first tip is to make two versions of the test from the get go. I do this because I don’t have desks and eyes wander so I need two versions to give out on the day of the test, and also because it makes retake time so much less work for me. On my tests the information covered in the level 2 + 3 questions are the exact same on the two tests, but asked differently. For example, the first level 2 question (which is a T/F sentence) on Test A will be the first open ended question in level 3 on Test B, and vice versa. For listening, I type up another script and have questions ready to go when I type up the original. because my kids will share their answers and ask about the story they listened to.
Next, decide if you feel kids should have to put in some work to reassess. My first semester I did not have time to deal with creating extra resources (as I was preparing for maternity leave) so I just let students reassess. This only applied to three kids before I went on maternity leave. Since my return, I’ve had five students who continuously need to reassess and some who are just lazy or need to reread directions before working.
To reassess reading standards at first I asked all students to translate the chapters covered on the test into English (which can be a LOT!). I like that it made kids work for the retake, I like that it helped them understand the story better, and I liked that it didn’t take extra effort on my part. However, it wasn’t sitting well with me that students could just retake (basically) the same test. So now when a student fails a reading assessment they are provided a different version that has ten Level 2 statements and eight Level 3 (open ended) questions. Students can choose if they want a Level 2 or Level 3, but they cannot go for a Level 4. I ask students to take the test without notes in front of me and without a book (much like the first test they took) and they turn it in when done. I then highlight all their incorrect answers and one correct one (which I make a mental note of) and they have to find one line from the book that supports their answer. I tell them it’s ok if some of their answers change. I like that there’s more effort required and that it gets students back into the novel to support/defend their answer. However, I don’t like that it means I’m creating a third test.
To reassess listening standards my students now have to listen to two different stories on Edpuzzle that use vocabulary we’ve worked on. They answer the questions and have to answer 80% correct before they can reassess. I then have a new story typed up with questions ready to go.
Still have questions? Visit my original post to see if I answered it already!