There is strong evidence indicating that swapping out traditional testing for smaller, more consistent work of ‘weekly evaluations/assessments’ can help to accomplish three major goals:
1. Support student mental health by reducing (if not eliminating) test anxiety,
2. Improve overall quality of student work and engagement, and
3. Help students to retain more information by the end of the course.
I have swapped out tests* in all of my math classes and replaced them with light-weight weekly assessments with these three goals in mind. I’ve already seen some promising results and received positive feedback. While this is still a work in progress I thought my initial findings were worth sharing.
*There is still a final exam to observe the student’s retention of course materials.
Here’s a more detailed presentation on my approach.
