I like doing end of unit tests – there, let me put my point of view out there right from the start!
But let’s try and get some perspective on just what they are and how and why they might be a useful addition to your record keeping.
What are Unit tests? – quite simply, they are a test of the children’s knowledge and skills on a particular unit of work. They normally occur at the end of a unit but if the unit is long and quite involved it would be possible to break things down and test on individual sections.
Record keeping: An integral part of your teaching practice is record keeping – a reflection and judgement of the children’s achievement in any particular piece of work. At the hub of this is marking and there have been many recent concerns expressed with regard to the depth and extent of this and the potential workload problems. Whilst I have no intention of going any further into this here, let me draw your attention to this article that I commented on some time ago.
In planning a unit of work it is usual practice to divide the unit into lessons which progressively build one on another. Each lesson will have a Learning Intention and it is the cumulative build of these learning intentions that delivers the unit.
In my article on marking I advocate a grading system to be given to any marking done – a simple mark out of 10 is sufficient. This, recorded in a mark book can give you, as a teacher, an in depth view of EVERY component of a taught unit and enables you to identify at which point any failure takes place. This allows you to not only rectify any common misconceptions but also builds for the units success.
Unit tests: In carrying out a simple unit test at the end of a unit you “complete the circle” so to speak. In teaching the unit you have taught and recorded the children’s achievement and progress steps – the end of unit tests bring all those Learning Intentions together and tests the total learning of each child.
Writing a unit test: This doesn’t have to be an onerous and long winded task. You will be well acquainted with the unit of work and it is a simple matter of writing a short test to last perhaps 30 minutes that tests the main points of the unit. The test should be progressive in order that sufficient challenge is included for all pupils.
Records: By having the Unit test scores for your class you now have a complete set of records for what has been taught. End of unit test scores can be expressed as a % or scaled according to the DFE tables to give a pass equivalent against the DFE levels (100 pass mark)
So there you have it – my personal reasoning for including end of unit tests in my record keeping. Perhaps it is something you may consider for the next academic year or to introduce in your next unit of work…whichever way you look at it “it certainly puts you in the know!”
Charles