This high school test retake policy is wild

[Anonymous]

When students retake an exam is it the exact same questions, or similar-but-different questions on the same general topic area, or does this vary by teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When students retake an exam is it the exact same questions, or similar-but-different questions on the same general topic area, or does this vary by teacher?

This varies by teacher and even by assessment.

I do not give the same assessment, with the same questions on anything that is multiple choice or short answer. I do use the same essay prompts, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When students retake an exam is it the exact same questions, or similar-but-different questions on the same general topic area, or does this vary by teacher?

Mine are totally different. Same standards, different questions.

In AP, that means a mix of new MC and FRQs. In my on level classes, it means I'm writing new questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When students retake an exam is it the exact same questions, or similar-but-different questions on the same general topic area, or does this vary by teacher?

It should be different questions. It's not a "re-do".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The existing FCPS policy is too much work for Teachers and encourages kids to not study or ask for help the first time around. I have friends who complain that their kid is lousy with prepping for exams the first time because they know they can take it again. Why put in the effort? Then the kids fall behind a bit while trying to complete the make up work for the retest and don’t do well on the next test.

It is ridiculous.

HS teacher. This.
The vast majority of students just don't study as hard they would otherwise because they know they can retake up to 100%. And then they focus on retakes and get further and further behind.
I don't have anything against a couple of retakes a year because anyone can have a bad day. But the time to learn the material is during the unit. Homework and quizzes are a way to get feedback and decide how much you need to study to well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The existing FCPS policy is too much work for Teachers and encourages kids to not study or ask for help the first time around. I have friends who complain that their kid is lousy with prepping for exams the first time because they know they can take it again. Why put in the effort? Then the kids fall behind a bit while trying to complete the make up work for the retest and don’t do well on the next test.

It is ridiculous.

HS teacher. This.
The vast majority of students just don't study as hard they would otherwise because they know they can retake up to 100%. And then they focus on retakes and get further and further behind.
I don't have anything against a couple of retakes a year because anyone can have a bad day. But the time to learn the material is during the unit. Homework and quizzes are a way to get feedback and decide how much you need to study to well.

I like the idea of offering retakes, but limiting it to a certain number of retakes per student (per class per year), seems a reasonable middle ground between the principles behind the policy and limiting abuse/excessive additional work for teachers.

[Anonymous]

Can you retake a summative group project? How would that work?

[Anonymous]

So my kids have told me that some kids will retake even if they get a decent grade like A-. Is there a point where you would make your kid retake a test? A B? A D?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you retake a summative group project? How would that work?

As a teacher myself, this annoys me to no end. While I have given group assignments, I have a clear rubric that isolates each individual student's contribution. Honestly, the only reason I have done group projects is due to department pressure, but I make sure that I only assess the students as individuals. Group learning activities are great, but I really do not like graded group assignments. Other students' performance should in no way impact a student's grade, especially in the summative category. This happened to my own DC this year. Luckily they still have an A overall in the class, but the only B was a group project in the summative category.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you retake a summative group project? How would that work?

The teacher needs to figure it out. It's the policy. Good news for the kids who always end up doing all of the work and still get dinged because other kids do nothing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you retake a summative group project? How would that work?

The teacher needs to figure it out. It's the policy. Good news for the kids who always end up doing all of the work and still get dinged because other kids do nothing

I'm the teacher from above, and I agree whole-heartedly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So my kids have told me that some kids will retake even if they get a decent grade like A-. Is there a point where you would make your kid retake a test? A B? A D?

As a teacher, I typically hunt down students for retakes if they have a C- or lower. I don't begrudge any student requesting a retake though, because that is the environment the kids are operating in now. While I personally think it should just be up to 80%, since the policy is up to 100%, students who don't take advantage of retakes are at a disadvantage. I do require some modest remediation, but I try to not make it onerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So my kids have told me that some kids will retake even if they get a decent grade like A-. Is there a point where you would make your kid retake a test? A B? A D?

As a teacher, I typically hunt down students for retakes if they have a C- or lower. I don't begrudge any student requesting a retake though, because that is the environment the kids are operating in now. While I personally think it should just be up to 80%, since the policy is up to 100%, students who don't take advantage of retakes are at a disadvantage. I do require some modest remediation, but I try to not make it onerous.

How many retakes are you doing per test?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So my kids have told me that some kids will retake even if they get a decent grade like A-. Is there a point where you would make your kid retake a test? A B? A D?

As a teacher, I typically hunt down students for retakes if they have a C- or lower. I don't begrudge any student requesting a retake though, because that is the environment the kids are operating in now. While I personally think it should just be up to 80%, since the policy is up to 100%, students who don't take advantage of retakes are at a disadvantage. I do require some modest remediation, but I try to not make it onerous.

How many retakes are you doing per test?

One, which is what is required. Unlimited retakes would not be sustainable from a workload point of view, and as other teachers have stated, students who do this too often can dig themselves into a hole in terms of learning. They end up perpetually playing catch up. However, the policy is what it is, and I'm not going to make it unduly difficult on kids. I usually only have a handful of A/B students requesting retakes or redos anyway. Most of mine are ones I initiate.

I also pre-assess and review before quizzes and tests to make sure the students are on track and give pretty detailed study guides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So my kids have told me that some kids will retake even if they get a decent grade like A-. Is there a point where you would make your kid retake a test? A B? A D?

As a teacher, I typically hunt down students for retakes if they have a C- or lower. I don't begrudge any student requesting a retake though, because that is the environment the kids are operating in now. While I personally think it should just be up to 80%, since the policy is up to 100%, students who don't take advantage of retakes are at a disadvantage. I do require some modest remediation, but I try to not make it onerous.

How many retakes are you doing per test?

One, which is what is required. Unlimited retakes would not be sustainable from a workload point of view, and as other teachers have stated, students who do this too often can dig themselves into a hole in terms of learning. They end up perpetually playing catch up. However, the policy is what it is, and I'm not going to make it unduly difficult on kids. I usually only have a handful of A/B students requesting retakes or redos anyway. Most of mine are ones I initiate.

I also pre-assess and review before quizzes and tests to make sure the students are on track and give pretty detailed study guides.

You are a wonderful teacher. Thank you for approach you are taking.