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132

Understanding
Assessments and Tests

Like it or not, assessments are part of life. In school, they determine your grade. At work, they can determine whether you get hired, certified, and promoted. Consider four different levels of assessment in school.

  1. Self-assessments allow you to determine how well you are doing with a subject or an idea. You can assess your understanding by reviewing your notes, answering the questions at the end of a textbook chapter, or having friends quiz you on the topic. You also self-assess projects. (See “Evaluating” on pages 416–417.)
  2. Formative assessments give your instructor feedback. Teachers use observations, discussions, journals, questioning, conferences, and other such techniques for formative assessment. Usually, formative assessments don’t count toward your grade. They are, instead, a kind of checkup that tells the teacher how well you are learning the material.
  3. Summative assessments include quizzes, tests, and final exams—the assessments that do count toward your grade. They determine your understanding of the material.
  4. High-stakes assessments include state assessments (which affect funding for your school), exit exams (which indicate whether you graduate), and college entrance exams (like the SAT, ACT, and AP). Many high-stakes assessments use bubble sheets with a multiple-choice format for easy grading, though some include a written component.
 

Your Turn What types of assessments have you taken so far this week? What types are coming up? For the tests you will be taking, do a quick self-assessment to decide whether you are ready or need to study and prepare further.

 

Success Criteria

Whenever you are being assessed, it’s important to know how your performance will be scored.

  • Rubrics for a subjective assessment tell what success looks like by listing specific traits of a project and telling what outcome is expected. (See the rubrics on pages 22–23.)
  • Scoring for an objective test tells how many correct responses are needed for different grades—such as 92 percent and above for an A, 82 to 91 percent for a B, and so on.
  • Weighting indicates the worth of different parts of a test—such as 50 percent for the objective questions and 50 percent for the essay question.

Your Turn Choose an upcoming test. How will it be scored? Is a rubric involved? Discover the success criteria for the test.

 
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Improving Test-Taking Skills

Make a plan to be a successful test taker. One key is to begin at the top of the list on the facing page. Keep up with self-assessments and refocus your efforts when necessary. Self-assessments help you practice for formative, summative, and high-stakes assessments. Pay attention to the “little” assessments so you can succeed on the “big” ones. Follow these tips. (See also pages 203–216 for help on exams.)

Before the test . . .

  • Keep up with your daily work. Then you’ll be ready for surprise inspections, pop quizzes, and other unexpected assessments.
  • Know about the test. Find out what will be covered and whether the test will be multiple choice, true/false, short answer, essay, or a combination.
  • Study for the assessment. Review notes, chapters, and project presentations. Quiz yourself or quiz classmates. Write down questions and key concepts. Paraphrase information aloud.
  • Come to the test prepared. Be rested, bring the right materials, and listen carefully to directions. Preparation reduces test anxiety.

During the test . . .

  • Skim the test first. Get the overall sense of it, and note how much time you have to complete it. Note sections that might require more time.
  • Read directions and questions carefully. Watch for key words such as always, only, never, all, which strongly affect the meaning of sentences.
  • Answer the questions you are sure of. Then move on to the more challenging questions.
  • Ask the instructor for help. If anything confuses you about the test, get clarification.

After the test . . .

  • Check your answers. Also check to see that you have answered every question.
  • Make sure your name is on the test. Supply any other required information and turn the test in.
 

Your Turn Which part of the test-taking process do you do best—before, during, or after? Which part do you most need to improve? Which specific strategies above will you use to improve your test-taking performance? Explore these questions in a learning-log entry.

 
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