https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp Dear Colleagues, We will *not* meet on February 11th due to a JEDI Coffee & Conversations Meeting. Please take some time between now and the end of the day on February 15th to contribute your thoughts on the following questions to this Padlet. I'm using a Padlet (at Jessica's suggestion) so that we can respond to one another and it's easy to see our responses. The purpose of this conversation is for me to bring our preferences regarding exams to the Steering Committee and Administration on 2/16. 1. How do you currently utilize exams in the courses you teach? 2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam(s) or replace it/them with something else, what might you do? (This can be general or course-specific and is an opportunity to discuss this in terms of learning and student wellness.) 3. Please share any other thoughts you have (this is a place you can drop links to/summaries of research). en-us 2022-01-26 06:30:32 UTC 2026-03-04 02:12:31 UTC hello@padlet.com owenlipsett1_1 https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2012887688 1. How do you currently utilize exams?
In AP Language, we use the Semester 1 Exam as an opportunity to introduce visual argument and also to practice rhetorical analysis. 
2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam or replace it with something else, what might you do.
As the class contains both 11th graders (who take the exam) and 12th graders (who don't), given the option I would prefer to have them both complete the same assessment.  This is not a comment about exams per se, but rather about consistency.  Given the option, I'd propose creating a robust rhetorical analysis project to the rest of the AP Lang team to get the conversation going.
3.  Please share any other thoughts you have.
I had a really nice conversation with Meagan about these questions earlier today and would like to share some thoughtful points she made that I agree with: 
(1) We might consider raising the length of exams by grade level: e.g. 60 minutes in 9th grade, 75 minutes in 10th grade, and 90 minutes in 11th grade.
(2) As mentioned above, having class where some students have exams and some don't, complicates instruction.  (This applies to all our 11/12 classes except IB classes and AP Literature.)
(3) Fall and spring exams serve different data-collection purposes. (For example, making the spring exam reflective, as many of us did last year, is potentially very helpful.)
(4) Giving students some degree of choice about whether to take certain exams could be helpful.]]> 2022-01-26 07:02:37 UTC https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2012887688 https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2017405988 1. How do you currently utilize exams?
9H: final unit assessment
10H: final unit assessment (at least for the first semester)
IBSL: final unit assessment and practice exam for paper 1 or paper 2. To track students' progress for the overall course.

2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam or replace it with something else, what might you do.
If I had the option to replace the 9H and 10H exams, it would probably be something with a creative component. A project of some sort.

3.  Please share any other thoughts you have.
I would actually vote to make the IB exams longer so they're closer to how long students will have for the actual exam (but this does not have to be for fall and spring). 

Also, perhaps it might be worth considering that maybe 9th graders don't need to have a fall exam? ]]> 2022-01-28 07:10:14 UTC https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2017405988 https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2032222181 1. How do you currently utilize exams?
In Honors Am Lit, for first semester, it's mostly just a chance to write another essay (on the final unit), sometimes also with some shorter answers to display understanding of recent texts/themes. In the spring semester, I tend to have them write something more thematic/comprehensive. Sometimes I've done that sort of thing in the fall as well. For AP Lang, see Owen's comments.

2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam or replace it with something else, what might you do.
For Honors Am Lit, I would definitely consider replacing the exam with a longer term assignment--an essay that included a multi-step revision process and/or something more creative and potentially thematic/comprehensive. This would be true for both semesters, but especially second semester.
For AP Lang, I could go either way--we definitely would want them to write an essay in December before break, but that could be done in class in 45 minutes and doesn't require an exam period. In fact, that would be preferable so the seniors would be able to write the essay as well. And then we likely would fill that time in with something like what Owen described ("a robust rhetorical analysis project").

3.  Please share any other thoughts you have.
I would echo the point already made that in junior/senior classes, it would be much better if either they all had to take the exam or none of them did. I think having exams only in AP/IB courses would also work--or just allowing AP/IB courses to have exams during the final week of the semester and all other classes having the option (or be encouraged) to go a different direction might work. ]]> 2022-02-07 03:58:50 UTC https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2032222181 abbychen2_1 https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2037248644 1. How do you currently utilize exams?
9H: final unit assessment
IBHL Y1: I used to as a final unit assessment / preparation for Paper 1 + Paper 2
I also used spring exam period to get work done on their processed essay (first draft)

2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam or replace it with something else, what might you do.
Long multi-step essay / major project / cumulative project (maybe involving all units from the smester)

3.  Please share any other thoughts you have.
I don't much like the idea of "opting in" or "opting out" of exams. I think this is unrealistic considering how students do not have a choice in college / uni. 

I also don't much like the idea that in one class, some students take exams and some don't (specific to the 11/12 split).

However, I think that teachers should have the flexibility to choosing to set exams or choosing to set a major written paper as a final exam grade. 

I like the idea of differentiated timing for grade levels. 90 mins was fairly arbitrary for IB since it did not align with any of the official exam times. 

]]> 2022-02-09 06:57:14 UTC https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2037248644 https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2041785001 1. How do you currently utilize exams?
10H: final unit assessment.
IB Lit: Paper 1/2 practice. In the past, I have also used the exam period as the time for oral assessments.

2. If you had the option to change the length of your exam or replace it with something else, what might you do?
Mostly likely a creative/culminating project.

3.  Please share any other thoughts you have.
I like the idea of trying a different approach for Grade 10 students (e.g. activity/project) while retaining exams for IB students (ideally exams which are as close as possible in duration to the IB exams). ]]> 2022-02-11 05:48:34 UTC https://padlet.com/owenlipsett1_1/xgelrvh9t4n6bokp/wish/2041785001