3 Ways To Increase Student Test Scores
Games, study guides, and retakes oh my!
The air is beginning to chill, pumpkin spice is already sold out, and we’re starting to think about Halloween costumes, yep — you guessed it — the end of first quarter has arrived!
Is it just me or do you notice an increased sense of urgency among students at this time? All of a sudden, everyone is ultra concerned and hyper-focused on their grades.
Well, as teachers, let’s give them a helping hand before they work themselves into a panic.
So, how can we help students improve their assessment scores without just giving them extra credit?
Here are my go-to tips and tricks!
Review Games: Oh I love these! Get the kids having fun and studying at the same time. There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition among students. Some of the easiest ways to host a review game is to use the following:
Blooket: This one is my top recommendation, create your own quizzes or choose from their selection of ready-made quizzes. Quiz questions are put into a pre-loaded game for students to play. My favorite is Gold Rush! Students choose their character, enter their names, or use random names generated by the program (this is what I do), set a timer, and start the game.
Kahoot: This is a game-based learning platform that allows you to create your own multiple-choice online quizzes. Students can play at their own pace or you can lead a class game.
Quizziz: Another game-based learning platform very similar to Kahoot. I like their stats after students complete the game. You can see exactly where students did well or struggled.
Study Guides: I feel as though this is a crucial step in prepping students for an assessment.
Bellringers are a great way to prep. Start the class with questions focused on topics and key learning for the assessment. This works best on quiz days to get students in the right headspace and review!
Review Packets are old-school and effective. These work great when prepping students for unit exams, midterms, and finals. There are some missteps teachers make when giving study guides. Avoid the following:
Irrelevant or too challenging; avoid the “gotcha!” moment on study guides AND assessments. Stick to the standard! Focus only on what is required to demonstrate full understanding. Not all the caveats and extras.
Be brief but thorough; basically stick to the main parts and key learning for the content being tested. Avoid the extra fluff.
Do not grade study guides! The student’s assessment score will be determined by how well they did on the study guide. I like to make it a requirement if they want to be eligible for a retake opportunity!
Best Practices:
Go over the study guide; discuss the correct answers and clear up any misconceptions.
Allow students to work together; mini-study groups.
Allow students to conduct online research for topics they need additional assistance with.
Retakes and Test Corrections: Offer these! More often than not, the content you test students on in class is the same content your district or school final assessments test them on. Help them to grasp the material and get as close to mastery as they can. Sign up for my Free Resource Library to get your hands on my Assessment Retake Application and Corrections Form! This is truly a win-win, students get the chance to deepen their knowledge and understanding, while you get a better idea of what students need extra help with before moving on in the content.
And that’s it! No real secrets here.
Students scores improve when they have more opportunities and variety to work with and apply course content. Our job is to help them learn and reach their academic goals.
Mix things up and use multiple techniques together or just stick with one and get really good at it. Make it work for you and your students.
Let me know some ways you help students prepare for and ace assessments. Leave a comment below!
