Final Assessment Results

So last evening, I conducted a Jeopardy-like review with my 6th graders and then followed it up with a final assessment. Here’s a summary:

1. As part of our opening prayer, we included prayers for all those affected by the bombings in Boston. It is lamentable that, in the course of several months, we catechists have had to talk to our young people about the Newtown tragedy and now this. Let’s pray for an end to such senseless violence. 
2. The Jeopardy-like review game went very well. I projected it on the screen and my aide, Alex, kept score and was the official timer. I told the kids that all of the answers to the final assessment were in the game and provided a note-taking sheet for them, telling them that would be able to use their notes for the test! Most took copious notes. 3 young men, unfortunately, decided to use the time to catch up with each other and carried on chit chat throughout the game despite my attempts to quiet them. Take a guess as to which 3 students didn’t do so well on the assessment.
3. The review game lasted about 30 mins. I then had the young people write their names on their note-taking sheet and I collected them and distributed the final assessment. I spread the kids out around the room and had them get to work. 3 young men continued to be chatty, further digging a hole for themselves.
4. After about 20 mins, I distributed the students’ note-taking sheets and traded their pens for colored markers telling them that they would get half-credit for answers that they relied on their notes to fill in.
5. When all was said and done, the results were satisfactory (for 9 out of the 13) except for…you guessed it…3 young men. Of the 13 students…

• 4 earned an A (90% or better), including 1 perfect score and 1 99%!
• 1 earned a B (80% or better)
• 4 earned a C (70% or better)
• 1 (one of the 3 young men) earned a D-/F, coming in at 49%
• 2 earned an F (each under 40%)
• 1 young lady earned an incomplete. She took copious notes during the review game, is always well behaved and was so last evening, but could only finish half of her test for some reason and did well on the first half. My guess is that she has a learning disability. She appeared to be working the whole time but she apparently has a hard time concentrating or comprehending so I want to give her a chance to complete the assessment this coming Monday.

I’m thinking that for the coming Monday, I want the kids with the highest scores to tutor the 3 fellas who did so poorly and then give the guys another chance to show what they know because they are bright but just decided not to take things seriously  and I will warn them that their parents will not appreciate them earning an unsatisfactory report from me at the end of the year.

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