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High-stakes test questions meet the seven-ten split
Like many of us, I give in-class tests. Early in my career, I adopted a structure where a test was worth one hundred points. The test consisted of five-point and ten-point questions to keep the math simple. The twelve or fourteen five-point questions were generally more straightforward, while the three or four ten-pointers helped “sort the As from the Bs.” At least that’s what I told myself.
Over time, my A students did indeed correctly complete the ten-point questions. My stronger B students would get partial credit, maybe seven or eight points, but the rest of the class did abysmally – maybe a charitable two or three out of ten points.
Did my other students not grasp eighty percent of these more advanced questions? No, the more advanced questions required an extra layer of understanding – I’d begrudgingly use the vernacular of “trick” – – in order to proceed with the question. Stymied by this additional layer, my average students could not show their general understanding of the concept, and some even left the question blank.
These ten-point questions determined the As for the test, but they also discouraged and even intimidated the average student, leading to very few Bs in the test distribution and more grades of Cs or below. I had average students, with an average understanding of the material, earning a D or lower due to these high-stakes questions.
Upon reflection, I recalled a technique used (last century) by my math instructor, Maureen Doleman. Instead of having one high-stakes question, she presented different levels of questions. Now for each ten-point question, I have an accompanying seven-point question. Both questions test the same concept, but at different levels. A student who completes the ten-point question is graded out of ten points. However, if a student cannot make headway on the ten-pointer, they can complete the seven-pointer instead. The maximum score a student can receive in this case is seven out of ten. Students call these types of questions the seven-ten split.
Before you ask, a student must make a choice and complete only one of these questions. And no, if you do both, I will not grade each and choose the better score. In this case, I will grade the first solution presented.
At first glance, a score of seven out of ten seems a bit rigid. But considering the alternative, an average student is more likely to earn six or seven points out of ten, instead of the charitable two or three as before. Now my grade distributions on tests better reflect my students' understanding. Moreover, student anxiety about these more challenging questions is greatly reduced with the “safety net” of the seven-ten split. I found students are more willing to struggle with the ten-point question for a while, then if stuck, cross that out and move to the seven-pointer.
Upside:
- The distribution of test scores better reflects student understanding.
- Student anxiety decreased.
- Students are more willing to persist in challenging questions.
Downside:
- I now have an extra question to grade.
- I did have one “conservative by nature” student who would get a nearly perfect score on the five-point questions but only do the seven-pointers. The student was apprehensive about taking a risk on the ten-pointers. After several encouraging conversations, the student did attempt a few 10-pointers by the end of the semester, and always earned more than seven points on those questions.
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