21. The Perfect Quiz
All students come into the classroom with different expectations. Some don’t care, some work hard enough to simply pass, and others will ace whatever is thrown at them. I personally want ALL of my students to work to their potential. I don’t want my students knowing 65%, 75%, or 85% of a topic; I want them to know 100% of the material. Most teachers do. The perfect quiz is a great way of demanding the best out of your students. It does involve more of a time commitment for grading, but it is worth it.
The perfect quiz works best with material that provides a foundation for the remainder of a unit. For example, before a student can study the Bill of Rights, they must know what the first ten amendments are. When studying the Middle East, one needs to know the lay of the land, countries, etc. I even use it to learn who our political representation is, from mayor to president. Spelling words, scientific elements, and mathematical equations; are all excellent areas to use the perfect quiz.
Here’s how it is best implemented. After the material is introduced, set a quiz date. When the day of the quiz arrives, each student takes the quiz. If they score 100%, they earn extra credit points. If they miss one or more responses, they receive a zero. A second quiz date is set up before/after school, lunch, study hall, etc, when the quiz is reintroduced. The results are again, either a 100% or a zero. I can promise you this, even students who are satisfied with simply passing, will perform well with the perfect quiz. Nobody wants a zero.
The amount of times the perfect quiz is given is up to the individual teacher. You can have a set amount of retakes, or provide a time limit with unlimited chances. I once upped the stakes and provided a time limit (the end of the marking period) and if the quiz was not perfected, the student received an incomplete for a grade.
The quiz places the responsibility to learn on the student. Zeros hurt; incompletes need to be made up. There is nothing wrong with providing students the opportunity to perfect classroom material. Students that don’t care are now given the chance to care. Students that simply work hard enough to pass cannot afford zeros. Students that ace the material anyways are given extra credit points and are not inconvenienced by multiple testing situations.
There is nothing wrong with an educational setup that results in a win-win situation for all students. Kids do not have to fail!
