PEERS 2008

1. PEERS 2008 Lincolnview High School Nancy Hennel Dave Evans Hollie Ford Adam Owens Deb Stetler

2. Differentiated Instruction Improving Test Scores

3. What is differentiated instruction? • A teaching philosophy based on meeting the needs of the diverse learner • Changing the pace, level, or form of instruction in order to meet the needs of the individual learners

4. Problems Students May Have in a Testing Situation • Environment • Wording on test • Verbal directions • Format

5. Environment • Classroom noises • Student is distractible. • Time constraints • Student reads and processes slowly. • Student writes slowly.

6. Ways to improve: Environment • Provide as quiet of a testing environment as possible. • Provide ample amount of time for all students to take test.

7. Wording on test • Directions • Questions

8. Wording on test • Directions • Written wording may be too complicated or too wordy. • More than one-step directions can cause confusion.

9. Ways to improve: Directions • Keep short directions. • Keep simple directions. • Type directions. • Avoid confusing words such as never, not, always, except. • Read directions before the test. • Underline the word directions to focus student’s attention.

10. Ways to improve: Directions • List only one direction in each sentence. • Place directions at beginning of each test selection.

11. Ways to improve: Directions During the Test • Provide oral as well written directions. • Walk around and verify directions are being followed.

12. Wording on test • Ways to improve: • Provide specific titles of literature for students to choose. • Provide a brief outline of what the teacher expects in each paragraph. • Make the second introduction a separate question.

13. Wording on test • Questions • Abstract concepts are difficult to understand. • Perceptual problems may exist.

14. Ways to improve:Multiple Choice Questions • Use grammatically consistent choices. • State Question and answer choices clearly. • Avoid using unnecessary words. • Let students circle correct answer. • Arrange choices vertically on the paper.

15. Ways to improve:Multiple Choice Questions • Avoid terms as either or, all of the above, none of the above, etc. • Have students mark out choices they know are incorrect.

16. Ways to improve:Matching Questions • Make sure all matching items and choices are on the same page. • Leave extra space between items in columns to be matched. • Use small groups of matching questions. Avoid long lists. • Have only one correct answer for each item.

17. Ways to improve:Matching Questions • Keep all matching items brief. • List the more lengthy items on the left side. (This makes for less reading) • Avoid having students draw lines to correct answer. (This is visually confusing)

18. Ways to improve:True/False Questions • Avoid stating questions negatively. • Avoid long wordy questions. • Avoid trivial statements. • Allow students to circle correct answer. • Avoid using too many true-false questions at one time.

19. Ways to improve:True/False Questions • Avoid using never, always, not, except. • Avoid having students change false statements to true statements unless you have taught the skill.

20. Ways to improve:Fill-in-the-Blank Questions • Write simple and clear test items. • Provide a word bank for the test. • Tell students ahead of time if they will or will not have a word bank to use. • If a word in the bank is used more than once include it in the word bank more than once.

21. Ways to improve:Fill-in-the-Blank Questions • Avoid use of statements taken directly from the text book. Taken out of context, these are frequently too general and too ambiguous to be used as questions.

22. Ways to improve:Essay/Short Answer Questions • Use items that can be answered briefly. • Be sure student knows that meaning of clue words. (discuss, describe, list, compare, etc.) • Underline clue words. • Provide lines for students to use for essay.

23. Ways to improve:Essay/Short Answer Questions • Allow students to outline answers. • Use graphic organizers or webs to help organize answers. • Define any unclear items. • Word questions so that student’s task is clearly stated. • Use a limited number of essay questions on a test.

24. Verbal directions • May be too complex • May be given too fast for student to process

25. Ways to improve:Verbal directions • Repeat directions slowly. • Emphasize important aspects.

26. Format • May be too difficult • Test pages may be overcrowded and distracting

27. Ways to improve:Format of tests • Type tests. Avoid handwritten tests. • Be sure pages are not overcrowded or distracted.

28. Remember • Students do not want to be embarrassed in front of their classmates.

29. How do students hide their embarrassment? • Absent on test days • Pretend not to care • Will not ask questions even when confused • Turn in test unfinished because other students are submitting theirs