This year, our mathematics class will be using a form of assessment which may not be familiar

to you. The best way to explain this is by example, using our current topic “Investigating
Pythagoras’ Theorem”. Earlier this week, each student completed a 15 minute quiz of four
questions. Each question was designed to test a single, explicit learning goal for the topic:

The four outcomes being tested were:

1 Can the student find the hypotenuse on a right triangle?

2 Does the student understand how to work out the length of the hypotenuse?
3 Can the student accurately calculate (using a calculator) the length of the hypotenuse?
4 Does the student understand how to find the length of a short side?

Each outcome was marked with a grade between A to C with the following meaning:

A Full mastery demonstrated

B+ Almost full mastery – only finer details and/or higher accuracy remain to be mastered
B Demonstrated partial mastery of the outcome
C Not demonstrated yet

Students were given a set of four scores looking like this: A, A, B, C.

In this example, the score means the student fully mastered outcome 1 and 2, has begun to
understand outcome 3, and has yet to demonstrate any understanding of outcome 4.
A week later, we will repeat the exercise with slightly different questions that test the same
outcomes. Hopefully the student will have grown in their understanding to get a score that
looks like this: A, A, A, A.

The mark that will be recorded for the student is the mark for the second quiz. If a student still
has not demonstrated mastery of a learning outcome after the second quiz, they may ask to
repeat the quiz at a later date (conditions apply – see last page).

To help students take control of their own learning, each student is given a full list of the
outcomes for the topic arranged in a grid so they can track their scores for each outcome. This
way they can identify where they need more help or effort, can ask specific questions and take
specific actions to develop their understanding and thus improve their grades. The teacher will
also be tracking individual student and overall class outcomes, modifying instruction or
providing additional support as needed. As we move through the topic, new quizzes will test
further outcomes for the topic. As before, the second result for each outcome is used for
grading, or, if the student chooses, they may retake the quiz for these outcomes.

At the end of the topic, we will do a topic test. Unlike the quiz marks, the topic test mark
cannot be improved by retesting. However a student will still be able to do the quiz after the
topic test in order to raise their grade for that topic.

The overall student grade will be calculated using three components:

Quiz outcomes (70%) + Topic Tests (20%) + Bookwork/Homework (10%)

A student may significantly improve their quiz scores through additional effort and retaking the
quizzes. If the student maintains good bookwork and does most of the homework, they will
gain near perfect scores for Bookwork and Homework. The final 20% will be determined by the
topic tests scores. The net effect is to provide students significantly more control over their
grades.

The next page provides more detail about this method of assessment. If you have any
questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.
Some more information about the assessment

How does it help students to track their own outcomes – isn’t that the teacher’s job? The
teacher will be tracking the quiz diagnostic information very closely! By having students also
track their own progress, students can take pride in their growth and their effort, encouraging
them to remain motivated and engaged. They will also be able see how their efforts, strategy
and attitude contribute to their results.

How does this help parents? Parents may continuously monitor their child’s progress on each
specific element of the topic and provide support as required. The student recorded outcome
grid also provides a useful focus for parents to discuss school work, effort and strategy with
their child.

What are the “conditions” for quiz retesting? If a student wishes to have further attempts at a
quiz, they need to show the teacher what they have done since the last quiz to improve their
understanding of the outcomes. For example, they may show extra exercises have been
completed or demonstrate the solution of a problem on the board. Retaking of quizzes will be
arranged on a weekly basis during a half-lunchtime period. It will not be possible to retake
quizzes immediately prior to preparation of reports – students will be notified of cut off dates
as they approach.

Won’t students be stressed by continuous quizzes? No – because the quizzes are short (around
15 minutes), and students can always have another attempt at the outcomes.

Will students forget how to do “real” tests? No – because there still will be topic tests.

How will students in this class be compared to other Year 8 students? Our Year 8
mathematics reports do not compare students across Year 8 classes. The topic tests and the
end of year test will be used to determine student placement in Year 9 classes for 2012.

If every student can repeat the quiz, doesn’t this disadvantage the brighter students? No –
because the quizzes give teachers early diagnostic information of student mastery, allowing for
extension work to be provided to those students. This reduces the chance of these students
becoming bored with work they have already mastered and encourages them to strive further.

What about students who take more time to learn – how does this help them? Allowing
students the chance to retest reduces stress and allows them to focus on the specific effort,
strategies and attitudes required to master a learning outcome – without worrying about a
single test mark. Early diagnostic information from the quizzes allows the teacher to quickly
discover which students may be struggling with a particular skill or understanding and target
specific support for those students.