First Section Test

Dear moms and dads,

The section tests are done now and science was ok.  Some of the students had a little trouble with the test but please do not panic or worry about this.  Most people did well, I was not expecting really high scores as these are their first round of tests.

The only major problem I had was with some students forgetting to answer a few questions.  I reminded them several times that they must try to answer all question, and to never leave answers blank.  In any case where they did not answer a question, I indicated that they lost double points.  For example if a question is worth 2 points, they got -2 if they got it wrong and -4 if they didn’t answer at all.  But I didn’t actually take the extra points off of the total, I had told them before the test I would do this.  But they are new to tests and I don’t want to be too mean.

When you get the tests, if the math seems ‘odd’ it’s because I indicated I was taking points off for things like not writing your name or not answering questions etc, but I didn’t actually.  The total points removed are at the bottom of each page, in the left hand corner.  Sometimes there are errors of course, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a question :).

We went over the test today we discussed each question to make sure they understand.  Then, they will bring them home to correct and sign.

I ask that they rewrite the question and the answer, rather than just writing the correct answer.  The answer has no meaning without the context of the question, I will explain this to them in class, but please help remind them.  They only need to do each correction one time.  And if you find they still have questions, or problems at home, please tell them to come talk to me.  You can, of course, email or call me in the English office if you need as well.

Also there is a lot of writing with the corrections so if your child got less than 70-80% on the test, I don’t really want them to write a huge amount so I suggest that you review the test orally with them and then sign it and write a sentence letting me know that you reviewed with them orally!

I hope everyone has a great winter break!

Cheers, Ms.Vince
msmvince@gmail.com

Section Test 3 Fall 2017

We have our first test coming on Friday please don’t stress too much about the tests. Keep in mind the purpose of any assessment is to evaluate what the kids have learned and are comprehending. If they get a less than ‘desirable’ score it is not a big deal. It just lets us know that work needs to be done, and that they need help. Please do not get upset if you feel they do poorly, western standards and tests are meant to be harder and they are mostly English Language Learners.

I have told the students they will lose double points for any question left blank, so if it’s worth 2 points and it’s left blank they will get -2 for being wrong and an additional -2 for not answering. I will write it on the test but I won’t actually deduct the additional points until grade two. The purpose of this is to teach the kids the importance of completing a task and being responsible.

 

What I do expect:

• They write their name number and class on every page of the test.
• They try their best.
• They answer every question on the test (even if they have no idea they should guess as a last resort rather than leave anything blank).
• Check their answers after they feel they are finished, looking for questions they may have skipped or missed and checking to see if they got anything wrong but they know the answer.
• Spell words provided correctly (example: One question says write living or non-living if they spell those words incorrectly points will be deducted because the word is right there in the instructions).
• Neat and tidy writing, if I look at something and am not able to immediately identify what letter or word it is, points will be deducted.

What I DON’T expect:

• 100% it’s not realistic to expect that English language learners will score 100% on an English science test some may but most will not.
• Students to feel bad about any score, even if they get 10 or 30% I don’t want them to feel bad about it. If they can’t read well the test will be extremely challenging for them. They need to be encouraged to keep trying and be told that no matter their score they are smart and that they can just keep trying.