It is rare to find a student that honestly enjoys taking tests, whether it be standardized or regular tests and quizzes in class. Poor performances on tests can really drag down good grades, and test corrections are not always presented as an option for students.

With the school-wide grade weighing policy (Formative assignments are 25% of the grade, and mastery assignments are 75% of the grade), mastery tests are difficult to make up if the grade is sub-par. Test corrections are a great way to not only redeem low scores, but also for student’s to review the material and learn from their mistakes so that they can score better on the next test.

The option for test corrections should be available for every student, and required for students who score under a 70%, since it is below passing. Every accurate correction should be worth half a point to boost scores without being unfair to the students who scored well originally.

Grant Dougall
Corrections on a test that can lead to improvement

When test corrections are given as an option for any student, regardless of original grade, most of the students that tend to take advantage of the opportunity are the students who scored high in the first place. If test corrections are allowed on every mastery test, students who do not score well may realize their opportunity towards the end of the quarter and attempt to pull their grades up.

“I do test corrections in groups before the students know the actual answers so that the students have the opportunity to have three other teachers and to learn things they might not know, and to earn points,” said teacher Gerard Sukhram.

Some teachers may argue that students would score better on tests if they studied and were prepared, and should not be given a second chance. While this is a valid reason, a lot of students are just simply bad test takers, as they get nervous and doubt every decision, and many tests are much harder than the homework previously assigned for that exam.

In the long run, test corrections help students learn how to benefit from making mistakes and they increase confidence in students. Corrections help students see themselves improve greatly in challenging subjects.

Every teacher may do test corrections differently, but every teacher should offer them, whether students choose to take advantage of them or not.