Marking Tests

[Richard_BenoitEnglipedia Drone]

Listening test question:

How many classes do you have on Wednesday?


Student answer: "Monday"






Or much worse sooooo many blanks. Sometimes I wonder if test scores are on a constant decline. Even with teachers making the tests easier for the students to pass. For example spelling questions worth only 1 point. But a T or F question worth 2 points. The scores are still shocking.

[Otaku]

Tell me about it. Looking at my JTEs' scores of their students, the average scores of classes would be considered somewhere around the range of C- or D back home.

What's funnier than that? Most of them are quite happy about it...

[jeisensei]

That was one of the most shocking things about the job when I first got here. I remember asking a student who was perfectly happy about his test score what he got and he said a 50 something-or-other. I could only blink and ask if the test was out of 100 points. I heard later that his score was just around the average mark and I could only shake my head. That head shaking still continues to this day for most tests.

[moolooman]

The 二年生 class at one of my JHS tenures had a test activity the other day. "What do I want to be in the future?". They had the sheets given to them by the JTE. (this had nowt to do with me. All I had to do was read out my model four sentences at the beginning of the whole sorry affair.
About 1 student wrote all fours sentences. A couple of others wrote a couple of sentences. The rest wrote SFA in the 40 minutes they had. It was shameful that the JTE didn't bat an eyelid.
Self harm is what I was thinking.

[pakalikaPakalika]

There test scored are low i think because they have had a bad experience with English. But us as teachers, or if you call us that, need to try to change there opinion. That is how I look at it.

[Paul]

I like to tell the kids something that my teachers used to tell me when I was a kid before a test.

They used to say, "You all have 100% on your tests before you start! It's up to you to see whether or not you can keep that score!"

Here it is the reverse, everyone starts at 0 and works up. To me however the lower level kids get the attitude that no matter what I do I am stuck with a zero so why should I even make the effort.

Positive thinking is seriously lacking here.

[jp_headonJohn]

All I can say is (IMO) authentic assessment in my schools is nonexistent.

[Richard_BenoitEnglipedia Drone]

Wow a new level!

I was just thinking... after 3 years this is the best the average student can do on the test...there is a serious problem. But we already knew that.

[gsuiris]

I think it is funny that when the test average is too high the teachers get worried. But when it is too low they freak out as well.

I just can't imagine being happy about having the test average of my classes being in the 50s.

[Richard_BenoitEnglipedia Drone]

Speaking test. (3rd year) Average student.

Rich: "Have you seen any movies recently?"

Student: "Yes, I have."

Rich: "Oh really? What movie?"

Student: "No."

Rich: lol

[jessen100]

after conversations like that richard, i usually tend to switch into japanese and shower them with tasteless sarcasm. be like, all excited and say "Oh I saw No too, i thought it was realy good! did you like it?"

sometimes they are like wtf, and a student around them who actually knows English explains what just happened to them. it sometimes even makes them realize that they are stupid and should study more.
in some of my cases anyways.

[jessen100]

I also watched TV last night, and they mentioned that you shouldnt mark everything correct with a red circle, and rather the incorrecrt ones only. this brings attention to mistakes and helps to fix them. I remember learning this in Elementary school, but now that Japanese TV has said it people might believe it. im going to mention it to the teachers around me and see what they have to say about it.

[jeisensei]

I also watched TV last night, and they mentioned that you shouldnt mark everything correct with a red circle, and rather the incorrecrt ones only. this brings attention to mistakes and helps to fix them. I remember learning this in Elementary school, but now that Japanese TV has said it people might believe it. im going to mention it to the teachers around me and see what they have to say about it.

That's a good idea. I like it.

[Paul]

Oh no jessen, you are going to confuse the hell out of them. I recall marking tests for one teacher and putting a small tick in red pen next the to correct answers and circling the incorrect answers. I added up the scores and did an entire grade of 8 classes.

One of the two teachers damn near had a heart attack because she could have sworn that I did something wrong by marking all those kids wrong. I made extra work for her because she had to explain to the kids that the wrong answers were circled and not the correct one's. I broke the rule of marking tests. Mea culpa....

[jeisensei]

Paul that's just confusing because that is the opposite of what they know. The thing Jessen brings to the table is not the opposite, but just something to add to (actually take away from) how they are graded at the moment. When I first came here I used to mark bad answers with an "x" and good answers with an elongated c (sort of like the Nike swoosh) because that is how it was done when I was in school.
The c mark looked too much like a check mark so the students got way too confused. Needless to say I was beaten into conformity and I haven't looked back.

[jessen100]

i appreciate your story, but in all seriousness I will bet you money that changing the way they mark things will have a positive effect on their performance. that being change to only marking incorrect answers, and nothing for correct ones.

also, why did the teacher teacher you worked with think all of her students are complete imbeciles?

Edit: im unsure if i actually want an answer to that question.

[Paul]

also, why did the teacher teacher you worked with think all of her students are complete imbeciles?

Actually she is the type of teacher that spoon feeds everything to her classes whether they need it or not. She likes things in a set way and has an extremely difficult time accepting anything she is not accustomed to seeing or dealing with. Yeah there is another word for it but I feel in a good mood today and don't want to be anal too! Damn you made me go and say it.

[himitsu]

I agree, only mistakes should be marked. Thus students would try to avoid too much red on their papers.

[gsuiris]

When I was in school only the wrong things were marked. When I first came here I did that and teachers/students/parents said that wasn't right.
They said the papers looked lonely.
...... yes, lonely.

I hate how they mark everything, and then a lot of teachers (especially in the younger grades) draw a big flower on the paper. They sometimes do it in junior high too....
I find it distracting, and it is easier to calculate the grade if there aren't so many random marks all over the page.

Not to mention it is easier to study if the page isn't cluttered with marks (or giant flowers).

[Otaku]

Let's not forget the biggest point of it all:

IT'S NOT ECO SAFE TO MARK UP THE WHOLE PAGE! Shame on you not eco-friendly Japanese teachers!

[Paul]

I just got done helping to mark a standardized test taken by the 2nd yr kids.

All the questions had to be marked either with a O or X or triangle mark for any unanswered questions. The reason for this one because after the tests were marked all the information, correct, incorrect, or unanswered, had to be manually inputted into the system set up specifically for this prefecture wide exam.