This week will be a stressful week for the students. 5 Week Grades are due on Thursday, and there is a pressure to finish the unit on evolution before starting the next 5-week session. The pressure is only coming from a planning calendar loosely based on the effectively defunct California Science Standards.
This week: The Perfect Storm:
- Tuesday: Quiz on Chapter 17
- Wednesday: Essay Exam on Unit 5 - Evolution
- Thursday: Multiple Choice Exam on Unit 5 - Evolution
I am growing increasingly skeptical of the massive unit exam typical of science courses. The ability to assess the students' higher level learning in an intense examination in 90 minutes seems counter-productive. Unit exams seems to promote cramming and really hinder long-term understanding.
Unit exams may have their place, but they should be more application, synthesis, or evaluation-type assessments.
I would like to find or develop a system where there's a capstone assignment for the unit rather than a massive exam. The capstone project would be supported by better assessments during lesson delivery. All assessments would involve an activity or a section of reading from something that piques students' interests.
Better planning before a unit built on better assessment types can avoid cramming and the test anxiety common with antique testing methods. Sadly, these methods are perpetuated by the always dangerous mindset of "that's always the way we've done it."
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