Misbehaving during standardized tests

[kevinb1994]

In Massachusetts, Lexington and almost anywhere within 2 towns teaches students correctly.

I'm three towns away  .

Well you're one, two, three towns away from the whole ball game!

[kphoger]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

1.  Learn the material.
2.  Take a test over the material.
3.  Get graded on the test.
4.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
5.  Learn the next topic's material.
6.  Take a test over the new material.
7.  Get graded on the test.
8.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
9.  Repeat steps 5—8 for the rest of your school life.

[SectorZ]

In Massachusetts, Lexington and almost anywhere within 2 towns teaches students correctly.

I'm feeling a lack of confidence in your own school system?

I'm also 3 away, so guess I'm out...

[US 89]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

1.  Learn the material.
2.  Take a test over the material.
3.  Get graded on the test.
4.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
5.  Learn the next topic's material.
6.  Take a test over the new material.
7.  Get graded on the test.
8.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
9.  Repeat steps 5–8 for the rest of your school life.

You forgot to mention that in many classes, the tests are cumulative and require mastering the concepts from previous tests. 

[Roadgeekteen]

In Massachusetts, Lexington and almost anywhere within 2 towns teaches students correctly.

I'm three towns away  .

Well you're one, two, three towns away from the whole ball game!

My school district is top in the state I think.

[MNHighwayMan]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

[...]

You mean you didn't get your exams back after they were graded to see what you missed?

[hotdogPi]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

[...]

You mean you didn't get your exams back after they were graded to see what you missed?

For regular tests, yes. For state testing, no.

[MNHighwayMan]

The way kphoger worded his post made it sound like he was talking about all exams though.

[kphoger]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

[...]

You mean you didn't get your exams back after they were graded to see what you missed?

I've had a grand total of one teacher do that, and he only did it on the semester finals (high school).  He also only did it for two of the four years I had him as a teacher.

[MNHighwayMan]

This speaks volumes to the different school experiences that are possible. I don't remember having a single teacher in high school that didn't give graded exams back.

[abefroman329]

I don't remember having a single teacher in high school that didn't give graded exams back.

It would mean never being able to use the same exam twice.

[kphoger]

This speaks volumes to the different school experiences that are possible. I don't remember having a single teacher in high school that didn't give graded exams back.

So did you also learn what the correct answers were?

[MNHighwayMan]

This speaks volumes to the different school experiences that are possible. I don't remember having a single teacher in high school that didn't give graded exams back.

So did you also learn what the correct answers were?

If I had wanted to, yes. Most of my teachers were pretty open about going over exam problems during free periods in class/after school ended.

[kevinb1994]

In Massachusetts, Lexington and almost anywhere within 2 towns teaches students correctly.

I'm feeling a lack of confidence in your own school system?

I'm also 3 away, so guess I'm out...

Well then, you're also one, two, three towns away from the whole ball game!

[hbelkins]

The discussion about flatulence in class reminds me of an incident that happened when I was in college.

A friend of mine was seated behind me in class, taught by a black professor (the mention of his pigmentation becomes relevant later in this tale), and he popped one out. I think he and I were the only ones who heard it. He grunted or sighed a little after passing gas. I couldn't help but laugh a little, and Professor Mays took exception to that. "What's funny," he asked. "I just thought of something," was my response. "I can think of a few things too," was his reply. I don't remember what was being discussed in class that day. Later, my friend said his gut had been killing him and he couldn't help but let one slip.  At least it wasn't deadly, in addition to not being silent.

As I said, this professor was black. He was, I learned later, a native of Harlan County in southeastern Kentucky, near the Virginia border. He was teaching and living in Morehead, Ky., which didn't have a large population of blacks. Many of the black faculty members lived elsewhere -- many in Lexington or Maysville -- and commuted to Morehead. He was notorious for dating students. Someone in authority called him in to discuss this. He said, "would you prefer that I date white non-students?" The decision was made that by all means, he should continue to date students of his own race vs. older women of another race. This was in the early 1980s. At the time, the county clerk in Rowan County was the mother of someone who would later go on to notoriety as her mother's successor. Kim Davis. You may have heard of her. 

[Scott5114]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

1.  Learn the material.
2.  Take a test over the material.
3.  Get graded on the test.
4.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
5.  Learn the next topic's material.
6.  Take a test over the new material.
7.  Get graded on the test.
8.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
9.  Repeat steps 5—8 for the rest of your school life.

This was not my experience at any point in school in Oklahoma (roughly 1996—2007)–non-standardized tests (i.e. those drawn up and proctored by the teachers themselves, which makes up the vast majority of them) were marked up in red pen and returned same as any other homework. How is learning even possible without the ability to know what you got wrong? (If I put that the 16th president was Abraham Omaha and never get feedback that I was wrong, I'm apt to keep thinking well of good old President Omaha.) This has cumulative effects in some subjects–if you fail to comprehend certain math topics, you have no hope of understanding more advanced topics that rely on those.

Additionally, not returning tests makes it impossible to hold teachers accountable when they make mistakes in grading–which is not as rare as you'd like it to be. It also would essentially mean that the grade is whatever the teacher says it is. Teachers are human too, and that's far too much power for someone to hold: a teacher could give a student a failing grade for entirely personal reasons. On a marked-up test, the teacher has to make at least a perfunctory attempt to justify the poor grade.

[MNHighwayMan]

At the time, the county clerk in Rowan County was the mother of someone who would later go on to notoriety as her mother's successor. Kim Davis. You may have heard of her.

Yes, the horrible woman who got jailed for refusing to do her job. A real role model.

[formulanone]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

1.  Learn the material.
2.  Take a test over the material.
3.  Get graded on the test.
4.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
5.  Learn the next topic's material.
6.  Take a test over the new material.
7.  Get graded on the test.
8.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
9.  Repeat steps 5–8 for the rest of your school life.

I'd say at least 90% of my tests involved knowing what you got right or wrong, from elementary school right through college. There were obvious exceptions for standardized tests (graded off-site) and final exams, where you rarely found out anything other than a score, although some professors let you meet up a few days later to see what you got right or wrong.

Got a good scare on one final, where the professor gave two different multiple-choice tests on Scantron, but inserted the wrong "key" which failed my test in one fell swoop. I was teetering between an A and a B, so he seemed shocked enough to try again, and then immediately figured out his error. It's a good thing I visited...

[abefroman329]

The discussion about flatulence in class reminds me of an incident that happened when I was in college.

A friend of mine was seated behind me in class, taught by a black professor (the mention of his pigmentation becomes relevant later in this tale), and he popped one out. I think he and I were the only ones who heard it. He grunted or sighed a little after passing gas. I couldn't help but laugh a little, and Professor Mays took exception to that. "What's funny," he asked. "I just thought of something," was my response. "I can think of a few things too," was his reply. I don't remember what was being discussed in class that day. Later, my friend said his gut had been killing him and he couldn't help but let one slip.  At least it wasn't deadly, in addition to not being silent.

As I said, this professor was black. He was, I learned later, a native of Harlan County in southeastern Kentucky, near the Virginia border. He was teaching and living in Morehead, Ky., which didn't have a large population of blacks. Many of the black faculty members lived elsewhere -- many in Lexington or Maysville -- and commuted to Morehead. He was notorious for dating students. Someone in authority called him in to discuss this. He said, "would you prefer that I date white non-students?" This was in the early 1980s. At the time, the county clerk in Rowan County was the mother of someone who would later go on to notoriety as her mother's successor. Kim Davis. You may have heard of her. 

Do you ever tell stories that are interesting?

[In_Correct]

It doesn't help that the results come back so far after the test (I think sometimes the next school year, even) that by the time you get the results you don't even remember any of the questions or what you could have done better.

For the vast majority of institutional education, a student never finds out what questions he got wrong on a test, let alone what the right answers were.  The general formula goes like this:

1.  Learn the material.
2.  Take a test over the material.
3.  Get graded on the test.
4.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
5.  Learn the next topic's material.
6.  Take a test over the new material.
7.  Get graded on the test.
8.  Remain in the dark about what you hadn't learned.
9.  Repeat steps 5—8 for the rest of your school life.

This was not my experience at any point in school in Oklahoma (roughly 1996—2007)–non-standardized tests (i.e. those drawn up and proctored by the teachers themselves, which makes up the vast majority of them) were marked up in red pen and returned same as any other homework. How is learning even possible without the ability to know what you got wrong? (If I put that the 16th president was Abraham Omaha and never get feedback that I was wrong, I'm apt to keep thinking well of good old President Omaha.) This has cumulative effects in some subjects–if you fail to comprehend certain math topics, you have no hope of understanding more advanced topics that rely on those.

Additionally, not returning tests makes it impossible to hold teachers accountable when they make mistakes in grading–which is not as rare as you'd like it to be. It also would essentially mean that the grade is whatever the teacher says it is. Teachers are human too, and that's far too much power for someone to hold: a teacher could give a student a failing grade for entirely personal reasons. On a marked-up test, the teacher has to make at least a perfunctory attempt to justify the poor grade.

Some teachers did explain in red ink what I did wrong on a paper, but those were mostly Student - Teachers.

I remember about half of my regular Teachers giving Students the papers to grade.  Some times we graded our own papers. Other times we graded other papers. There were even times when a complete different class graded the papers.

This short cut provides inaccuracy, (usually intentional inaccuracy) and guarantees that you don't know what you did wrong.

Perhaps some of the reason why Teachers "cheat" while grading papers is be cause teachers some times have to share class rooms. They must leave the class room during their conference periods, Coaches especially. Many Coaches teach class during only the mornings. Other teachers might have part time administrative duties such as counselor or the district's Registered Nurse (different from the campus based LPNs) any of these situations provides class room space for other part time and multi campus teachers.

[abefroman329]

I remember about half of my regular Teachers giving Students the papers to grade.  Some times we graded our own papers. Other times we graded other papers. There were even times when a complete different class graded the papers.

This short cut provides inaccuracy, (usually intentional inaccuracy) and guarantees that you don't know what you did wrong.

On the plus side, you've learned what the correct answer is.

[bandit957]

When people farted during the standardized tests, I usually just sat there and snickered. Now I wish I had loudly declared in a Downtown Julie Brown voice, "A bunkeroo now wafts!"

[Roadgeekteen]

When people farted during the standardized tests, I usually just sat there and snickered. Now I wish I had loudly declared in a Downtown Julie Brown voice, "A bunkeroo now wafts!"

Sounds like a good way to go to the principals office

[SectorZ]

When people farted during the standardized tests, I usually just sat there and snickered. Now I wish I had loudly declared in a Downtown Julie Brown voice, "A bunkeroo now wafts!"

Was that the allegedly funny Julie Brown or the VJ with the British accent Julie Brown? MTV employing both at the same time was an odd thing.

[bandit957]

When people farted during the standardized tests, I usually just sat there and snickered. Now I wish I had loudly declared in a Downtown Julie Brown voice, "A bunkeroo now wafts!"

Was that the allegedly funny Julie Brown or the VJ with the British accent Julie Brown? MTV employing both at the same time was an odd thing.

The VJ with the British accent.