Quiz Corrections
A mistake should be your teacher, not your attacker. A mistake is a lesson, not a loss. It is a temporary, necessary detour, not a dead end.
Unknown
In my class, we practice before we perform.
Students should learn great study techniques, but I understand that on this part of the journey, we may hit some bumps and need a little correction to head back onto the right path. We review, we investigate, we revise. Quizzes are one way to accomplish our practice!
That's where quiz corrections come into play. When students make less than an 85% on their formative assessments, they will have time in class to write down the topics that they missed on the quiz. Then, outside of class instruction, students will look up these topics in their notes, text, handouts, and with other sources. From this research, they will write three unique sentences about each topic. A sentence could be a definition of a term, an explanation of the topic, a mnemonic device to help a student remember, or an explanation that connects one topic to another in the curriculum. Students will hand in these quiz corrections the next day of class. When completed properly, students will earn back half of the missed points on their quiz, up to 85%! I write down both the original grade and the corrected grade into my records.
Hopefully, students will earn a proficient grade of 85% or higher when they take the quiz initially. However, by completing the corrections, students will 1)practice study skills that will benefit them on future assessments; 2)work with the coursework a second time, with some repetition, to increase retention; and 3) earn a grade that is less punitive in the long run.
You may wonder why there is an 85% cap limit with the quiz corrections. I understand the argument that all students should have the opportunity to improve their grade, even those who score above an 85%. I have put this cap in place as a carrot to entice students to learn the material early and not rely on the "back up plan." I encourage all students to look over what they have missed and write down the topics that they should review in order to improve for future assessments. If for some reason your accurately done corrections do not bring you to a passing grade, I will record 70% of the points.
Please note that the opportunity for quiz corrections only extend to students who are present the day the quiz is taken in class or if the quiz is made up immediately upon returning to school. If you are absent, there is the assumption that you have extra time to study and won't need the corrections.