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joshua2004 · Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:16 am Post subject: Scantron?

Does your school use scantron tests? I know they don't measure very qualitatively but, I'm curious.

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

Because of time contraints during exam time, almost everybody at my Tec uses multiple choice in some form or another (which I don't totally agree with, but la la la) so I asked my boss why we didn't have a scantron. He said it costs too much money, end of conversation.

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

For the multiple choice sections that I do add to a test, I create them on an internet based platform and have the students do that part of the test on the computer. It's kind of cool for things like identifying art images, it corrects automatically, and gives each student a different question in a different order.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

WTF is 'scantron'? Question

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Yeah I was wondering what they were too.

BTW the answer is B, B, C, A, B, repeat as necessary.

gordogringo · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 159 Location: Tijuana

I always like to see tests involving writing. So I can't see scantron as a good tool. Or multiple choice tests either for that matter. Did mostly multiple choice type tests in Taiwan but that was due to the dramatic difference in languages. Since Spanish uses a western alphabet they might as well practice spelling and writing at the same time.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

Where I teach, we use something similar for part of the placement test (grammar and usage) for new students. However, it's not machine-scored. There's a fill-in-the-circle answer sheet with an answer key grid with holes punched out that is placed on top of the answer sheet for fast checking. The placement test also includes a writing component and an oral interview. Each semester we have 150+ new students who opt to take the placement test -- their other option is to be placed in Elementary 1 -- and we have relatively little time to give placement tests. Many of us end up working double shifts during placement-test time as it is. The Scantron-style test we use is published by Oxford, and in combination with the written and oral parts of the placement test it seems to work well for our program.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Oh, an optical scan test. I've never heard them called by their brand name before.

We use such exams only for our TOEFL classes, and mark with a grid similar to BRdB.