Case
How do I address poor quiz/test results?

I just began my third year of teaching, and while in many ways I feel much more comfortable with all the systems I've developed, I still haven't come up with a good way to review poor class tests/quizzes. Last week, I gave my 7th grade self-contained math classes a quick quiz on LCM, GCF, and simplifying fractions. The average score was about 60%. I'll continue to review the concepts in class of course, but I'm not sure how to handle handing it back. Should I hand it back, have them look over my comments, stick it in their data binders, and move on? Or do I go over the most frequently missed questions? Or should I have them do their own quiz corrections?

Posted on: 08/09/14 | Views: 876
Solution #1
You definitely should not move on. We want the students to master math skills. You should go back over the the most frequent missed questions and even have the students redo the questions they got wrong. After we have reviewed the quiz, I would then have them put it in their data binder. I would also give them a similar quiz to the first one after you have retaught the skill. this allows you to see who understands the skill now and who still needs help. Also think about the way in which you are teaching the skill. You may have to change your teaching approach if the average score was about 60%.
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Solution #2
You should absolutely have the students review your comments for formative feedback to assist them with their progress. Then, yes, they should correct the ones they missed in order to clear up any misconceptions, especially since LCM, GCF, and simplifying fractions are skills in which 7th graders should be somewhat familiar.
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Solution #3
Definitely do not move on. Review comment and do quiz corrections for extra points. Once everyone is done, review the quiz.
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Solution #4
How is classwork going? Are quiz results reflective of the work they are doing on a daily basis? If classwork does not match quiz and test results, I would look at the difference between the two. Are questions worded differently or set up differently? I would hand quizzes back, and have students work in partners to figure out what they did wrong. If they can correctly answer and tell why they were marked wrong on the quiz/test, give them half credit for the new responses.
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Solution #5
Because of the large amount of students not passing the quiz, I think they should be given a review session of the concepts and then be able to complete corrections for half credit.
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