Since I’ve added Unit Tests to my Guided Notes Curriculum I’ve gotten a few questions about how I administer tests in my chemistry classroom, so here is the post about my test procedures for chemistry teachers.
Test Training for Students
I start out by training my students on testing procedures during the first week of school. I spend the first day of school going over the class expectations and the syllabus. A few days later, we take the syllabus quiz. (You can get my syllabus template and the quiz for free here)
The idea is MOSTLY to teach test procedures. It is secondly about getting my students to actually read my syllabus. Thirdly it is to start off my students with a nice 10/10 in the gradebook.
Students are told about tests at the start of a unit. This is because I’ve gotten really good at timing the pacing of my curriculum and teaching. Part of that is because of my curriculum writing process. You can learn about that here.
Test Day Procedures
My students come into the classroom and usually pick up their guided notes, but on test day, they pick up a bubble sheet instead. Of course, a bunch of them act shocked that I’m giving a test.
The kids will sit down in their assigned seats. Usually I give them 5-10 minutes to “last minute study” and ask any last minute questions while I take attendance and get myself in order.
Because we had the syllabus quiz training, most students are comfortable with the test procedures by the first chemistry test.
Multiple Choice Questions
Then I pass out the test. Typically I give out 2 versions of the same test. The multiple choice answers are scrambled, but the questions are in the same order. This makes it really easy when it’s time to go over the test after all students have taken it. Instead of saying, “the answer to #1 is B” I say “the answer to number 1 was chlorine.”
Free Response Questions
The free response questions are usually rewritten between the tests. Let’s say question 24 is a free response on solving for the amount of heat upon the melting of ice into water. Test A will have a mass of 250 grams, while Test B will have mass of 300 grams. I like to make the numbers different enough that the students absolutely must come up with different answers.
Sometimes the questions are written so the answers are inverted. Like “Why is Reaction X exothermic” and “Why is Reaction Y (the reverse reaction X) endothermic?” Then my students come up with literally opposite answers.
Cheating
My students know that I do this. I tell them. I let them know that if they are caught cheating they will get a zero that can’t be fixed. (It means they don’t qualify for my unlimited retake policy.) I will call home and let a guardian know that the student was unprepared for the test and probably needs some structured study time. I ALSO, choose to email all of the students’ teachers, CC the guidance counselor, the parent and the students and let them know about the cheating. Most students are honestly most afraid of me blowing up their spot in their other classes. This is seriously my favorite strategy for cheating.
Grading
For the last few years of brick and mortar teaching I was using an app called Zipgrade to do my grading. Truthfully, I’ve never like scantrons and have always found them to be a pain. With Zipgrade, I custom make my bubble sheets online and print them on standard paper. Then kids can bubble in with any writing utensil. All I do is snap a picture of the bubble sheet and the app will auto grade it based on the key I’ve made.
The data analysis of Zipgrade is better than anything you can do with a Scantron machine for sure. PLUS my favorite part is that kids can’t change their answer after the fact, since the app snaps a picture.
I like to Snap all of the Zipgrade pictures while the kids are still testing if I can. If not, I do it during my lunch break or my prep. The free response is usually only 5ish questions per test so I get them graded over the next day or two.
Handing Back Tests
I typically hand back tests after all students have taken the test, or a week after the test was administered. All tests are handed back face down, regardless of the score. I usually don’t go over every question. I’ll take a look at the few most missed questions and go over those. Then I ask students if they need me to go over anything. After that we’ll jump into the day’s lesson. Students who missed the test have 1 week to make it up. After that they get a zero. Unless they have some unique circumstances that need to be considered. In that case, they will take a third version of the test which is VERY different from the original two to reduce chances of cheating.
Next Steps
When a student is ready to turn in their test, they will staple their bubble sheet to the top of their test. Since I take a picture of their bubble sheet, there’s no worry about the staple. (Another reason I love Zipgrade!) Then they drop their test in the Turn in Bin. I keep just one bin for all of my classes. I don’t care about sorting. In fact, I think sorting all of the papers into classes just makes things tougher – but maybe that’s just me.
The student will then pick up their Homework Outline for the next unit. This is something I’ve been doing since my first year as a teacher. On the top is the vocabulary terms they are required to write and define and will be tested on. Lower on the page is the outline of what lesson will be taught on a given date. They also get a heads up on lab days where they must come to school properly dressed. There’s also the learning targets (to use as the next test’s study guide). And lastly there’s space for them to fill in homework assignments (since usually I don’t assign HW).
The students will flip open their notebooks to the last pages where we have glued in their glossary and they work on writing their vocabulary terms quietly while their peers are still working on their tests. Its’ the *perfect* way to keep my classroom quiet and make sure students are working productively during class time. If students happen to finish the vocabulary during class, they are permitted to bring it to me right away to have their 100 score added to the grade book.
