Anonymous
Post 10/04/2025 12:06     Subject: vent about summative/formative
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The summatives are awful. Only 4-5 questions and it’s a huge percentage of your grade. There are only 2 summatives a quarter. These are not all easy questions, so the poor kids are always caught up in doing retakes. The tests are not designed appropriately.


Has anyone had success pointing out the bad format of summatives?


As a teacher my entire department has complained to our admin and the county team, but we are still mandated to give them.

Our “work around” is to give them but make them count for 10 points of summative and then give the test we wanted to give and make it count for 40 points of summative or whatever. But then that’s double testing time so there are issues there too.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2025 11:30     Subject: vent about summative/formative
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Don't send your kids to universities in the rest of the world. Their grade is usually just a midterm and a final. That's it. And no retakes.
But the midterm is not 4 multiple choice questions


It’s usually an essay or two. Since public schools here don’t teach students how to write, the students will be screwed.


My kids have had excellent writing instruction in middle school and high school. They have a strong grasp on essay structure, word choice, and stylistic choice.
Anonymous
Post 10/04/2025 11:26     Subject: Re:vent about summative/formative
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Was another thread on DCUM last week or week before about more teachers giving short tests/few questions. Some who said they were teachers said was because they are required to give extra time to certain 504/IEP students and so if give short test that takes only 30 minutes, then allows time for other kids to take the 60-90 that they are allowed by their plans. If give longer tests like 60 minutes and more questions, then would need to find 120-180 minutes for the 504/IEP plan students and said becomes impossible. It does set up scenario where if miss 1 problem get a C.


Do they not have block scheduling? With block there is plenty of time to give a good size test and allow extra time.


Students are SO slow these days. Even students without extended time will struggle finish tests that are 10-12 questions long. They clearly don't know the material, but then lack of preparation becomes the teacher's fault.