This article describes the synthesis of the research on mastery grading, growth mindsets, and testing for learning to produce a new grading system -- Second Chance Grading. The system and the research it is based on are described in detail. Reflections of the system's effectiveness, impact, and reception are also discussed. Finally, the appendix…

This paper gives a blueprint for reacting to the various issues that an instructor will face in their day-to-day life as the manager of a Mastery-Based Testing (MBT) classroom. For example, I created a rubric to compare traditional testing with MBT, adapted my office hours to accommodate more retake opportunities, and required effort between…

The primary purpose of assessment in an instructional setting is twofold: to determine whether learners have achieved the stated objectives and learner outcomes described in the curriculum and to determine whether educators meet those learning objectives in the classroom. Assessment, quite often, is administered in the form of a written or…

Testing subject has many subsets and connections. One important issue is how to assess or measure students or learners. What would be our tools, what would be our style, what would be our goal and so on. So in this paper the author attended to the style of testing in school and other educational settings. Since the purposes of educational system…

Standardized testing time often creates a nervous atmosphere in classrooms. In past years one of the authors joined a chorus of teachers singing her own woes about the infamous test. She increased her daily caffeine intake, lost sleep, and became a nervous, crazed teacher who had turned her classroom into a test prep center. Her aha moment came…

Students are under pressure from teachers, parents, and college admissions counselors to maintain high grade point averages, score well on high-stakes tests, participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, and gain admission to top colleges. In fact, surveys have found that most students identify academic pressure as the main reason for…

Why do creative teachers who want to help all their students learn in meaningful ways have to use high-pressure testing methods that work against that goal? The authors propose a system of testing that serves the need for evaluation while contributing to students' intellectual and social growth. (Contains 7 endnotes.)

Discusses the extra credit exercise (ECE), a pop quiz variation that combines the benefits of frequent, unannounced testing with the features that make quizzes less aversive (the ECE are extra-credit and do not hurt the students' grades). Addresses the benefits of the ECE assignment and the students' reactions to it. (CMK)

It is well known among scholars and practitioners that stress and anxiety responses are genuine scientifically measurable reactions to a perceived stressor. It is also common knowledge that high levels of stress and anxiety have a multitude of negative psycho-physiological effects. These effects can contribute to the development of depression and…

A special workshop at Coppin State for students who succeed in the freshman remedial mathematics course but fail on the final test is described. The two-week review provides a relaxed atmosphere, a tutoring format encouraging more active participation, and a test-anxiety workshop. (MSE)

Discusses the Mabar experiment underway at WIZO High School in Rehovot, Israel. The experiment aims to make Bagrut exams accessible to students thought incapable or uninterested in taking the exam. (CK)

This report of a conference dedicated to the growth of professionalism within the field of learning assistance begins with a brief introduction reviewing the origins and objectives of the sponsoring association, followed by 10 representative papers. The papers have the following titles and authors: "The Classroom Research Project: Results at…

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that persons who experience a high degree of test anxiety also experience decrements in performance in evaluative situations. A study was conducted to develop a test anxiety questionnaire for student nurses in order to identify test anxiety. A 40-item, self-report questionaire was developed by two panels of…

A middle school teacher asked her students how they felt they learned best and how they felt a teacher could assess what they learned. Students perceived a large gap between their learning and what tests reflected they had learned. They provided suggestions for a more effective tool for measuring learning. (SM)

With the growth of standardized assessment benchmarks in both the public and private paradigms, testing performance matters to institutions more than ever. In an attempt to take as many hindering variables out of this process, such as test anxiety, socioeconomic influences, and latency in cognition, Improvisation: A Complement to Curriculum seeks…