Everyday Math Test: Chapter 1

The Chapter 1 Everyday Math tests are being sent home today. The grading looks like a mess and could be hard to figure out so I will explain it here. There are two parts to the test: Part A of the test is used for grading purposes. It is intended to recognize student achievement towards grade 5 goals. Problems #1-5 had to do with factoring numbers and #6-7 had to do with writing whole numbers and identifying the value of digits. The class has had multiple exposures to the content of the problems. Part B is a formative part of the test, meant to inform future instruction. The class had been introduced to these concepts; however the questions are not used for grading purposes. Questions had to do with writing the prime factorization of a number, using exponents to write prime factorization, renaming numbers in exponential and standard notations, and to identify divisibility.

There were seven questions in part A. Each question then was worth about 14 points and I gave partial credit for many answers that were incomplete or partially correct. However I did give credit for correctly getting a question correct on Part B of the test. No one lost points for incorrect answers on this part but if they got one question correct. I then averaged their test as having 8 questions (each question now worth about 12 points. If they got two problems correct, I averaged the test as having 9 questions (so each question being worth about 11 points), and so forth. If someone would have aced all of part B (no one did) then each question on the test would have been worth 8 points each. If someone had a 100% on part A (two students did!) then they still had a 100% on the test even if they did not get all of part B correct. I hope I am clear on how points were scored because I have placed a lot of marks on the tests as I graded them. I wanted you to know what all the marks meant. At the top of each test I placed a mark like “out of /12” and this signifies how many questions were included when figuring out the percent score for the test.

Here are some reminders about tests that you can emphasize at home:

The test reflects how well you prepare throughout the unit by participating in class, completing homework thoughtfully, asking questions when you don’t understand, and paying attention during lessons. It is also important to use test strategies when taking a test and not to race throuugh a test just to finish. Make sure you complete all parts of the test and answer all questions. I also reviewed similar questions to each question on each part of the test the day prior to giving the test. Test review time is not the time to “tune out” during class. About 1/3 of the class received a B+ or better on this test. Congratulations to these students.