How to evaluate a test? Check out unmissable tips!

Siren for entry and exit, students sitting in rows, conventional disciplines and the dreaded exams. The elements described constitute some of the main items of the schools we are used to, mainly those of the municipal or state public network.

Although traditional education models have been heavily questioned – and modified – in recent years, they are the ones that predominate in the Brazilian education system.

Symbol of an entire generation of students, formal assessments such as tests have always been treated as an indication of students who stand out the most, since, at least theoretically, the highest number of hits is obtained by those who were able to best absorb the content.

But, if so, how to consider the individualities of each of the students? Although in traditional education models, tests are the most common form of assessment, it is possible to extract the best from them, including to help students with a greater degree of difficulty.

Today, due to the evolution of the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education (LDB) qualitative assessment, compared to quantitative, is considered much more effective.

Because of this, most schools adopt the continuous and cumulative assessment model. In it, knowledge exams are added to other activities of various natures carried out throughout the school year.

With teachers in mind who want to get the most out of this type of assessment, we have created a basic guide on how to evaluate a test, as well as on the learning possibilities they provide. offer.

elaboration

Teachers, even the less experienced ones, are well aware that taking care of tests begins much earlier than students imagine. To ensure quality education, everything goes through rigorous planning, including formal assessments.

Care starts from preparing the content taught in the classroom to preparing the questions. After all, everything needs to be in perfect sync.

A fundamental point for the evaluation of the test to be satisfactory is its elaboration. Therefore, we selected some tips that can help in this step. Check out:

• Prepare the tests well in advance, so if you need to make any changes, you will have time;
• Define the total test score and the individual value of the questions;
• It seems obvious to say, but always keep in mind the content worked in the classroom so as not to charge more than what was applied;
• Be very careful with the wording of the questions. Avoid those that may give rise to double interpretation;
• In this sense, check if the guidelines meet what you want to get as an answer;
• Make sure the style of questions is in line with what students are used to;
• Even though “pranks” are a habit of many educators, be careful when using this resource. Use it sparingly.

Assessment

Having known the main aspects of preparing the tests, let's move on to the evaluation process.

There are considerable differences in correcting objective and essay tests. While there is no variation in responses to the first, the second emphasizes the student's level of learning on that topic.

But even so, some tips can be applied to both, ensuring maximum exploitation of resources to diagnose the level of learning. See what they are:

• Always have a corrected test with the standard answers on hand. Even if the question is discursive, it is possible to establish some fundamental items for the answer to be considered correct;
• Some teachers prefer to correct the entire test at once, others like to do question by question. Do some tests to find the methodology that best suits you;
• During the correction try, as much as possible, to point out which were the wrong points. This will make the student aware of what he should review and study more carefully;
• To seek maximum impartiality, try to evaluate the tests without knowing which student it is;
• Make an overview of what the students had the most difficulty with and go over the main points relevant to the content;
• Even if it is not a requirement of the school, make reports of all tests applied. They allow the group to be monitored and serve as a parameter when diagnosing learning;
• Finally, when giving feedback to students, if possible, book a class to comment on the questions and answer those that registered the highest number of errors.