Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alabamaman]

I just wanted to hear your views on testing students, and what kinds of tests you give to your students.

[Pak Yu Man]

So no tests, once a month, or more that once a month. Those are the only options?

you need to add once or twice a term.

[the_beaver]

I test stuents as a formality (generally a mid-term and a final), but I'm generlly against testing so I don't make the tests too difficult.

[jacl]

I've tried bigger tests. I stopped doing spelling test and then started again. I find, in a hagwon, tests take up too much time where you could be teaching instead.

Everyday is a test anyway. When you make the students accountable for what they learn, I think that's enough. Especially if you're not teaching them full time. Tests are more difficult in that they are time consuming. Some students finish them faster than others.

[SuperHero]

I'd rather not test but it's necessary for face validity so I do. If I could, I would rather use portfolios a number of criterion referenced assessment and not norm-referenced assessment.

[crazylemongirl]

I have 6/30 questions on their finals and mid-terms. I also adminster the speaking tests.

With the speaking tests I give them 5 topics to prepare in advance and pick two of them. I then use achivement standards in order to assign grades.

[ChopChaeJoe]

I like to give tests to my more advanced students, and I return the tests (usually curved to a B+/A- average) letting all the students know what each other made. The compettition seems to reduce simple capitilization and punctuation mistakes.

Listening tests with pictures seems to work ok for the pre-literate ones. I migh have two pictures -- one with a male doctor, one with a female doctor and say -- "She is a doctor," to test he/she understanding. And a few very easy ones like,. "It is a monkey." The students can circle the correct picture.

One thing I've learned though is that the parents sometimes think that if a student does well on a test, then he or she is ready for a more challenging class. If the school buckles under the pressure and promotes the student, it can wreck the more advanced class. So I make the tests a mixture of very easy and very hard qustions.

[sadsac]

My younger Elementary school kids get a spelling test every week, my older kids a listening test every month. Nothing too stressful.

[OiGirl]

1. The book unit tests (whenever we're done with the unit, more or less monthly for elementary, ongoing for kindergarten.)
2. An annual level/progress test.

[OiGirl]