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[|Abstract- Lindsey]
Chapter 6 of //Fair Isn’t Always Equal// discussed the creation of effective tests. The chapter reminds teachers that tests should not be a guessing game for students, but instead a credible method of assessing student [|mastery]. Rather than using vague multiple choice questions which could be interpreted in multiple different ways, the teacher should encourage deeper understanding of the material, and ask for a mix of traditional and non-traditional methods such as short answers and analyzing real-life applications. Since the primary focus of testing is to reveal student [|knowledge], teachers should work to simplify the test through multiple approaches such as the option to circle either “true” or “false” to avoid decoding confusing hand writing. The second option is to have students write a second copy of their responses, then immediately provide answers to the class so students do not need to wait for test results. In an effort to receive the most accurate grade from the student without causing the students to become stressed, tests should be smaller and more frequent. The more often students are given the opportunity to reveal their knowledge, the more accurate the results will be. Rather than working to memorize for a large test, they will instead focus upon a specific topic and obtain better content mastery.

Synthesis- Lindsey
The general consensus of the class was that we must work to create effective tests which enable students to show their mastery of the subject rather than confusing them with poorly written questions. An interesting aspect of the reflections of this chapter is that many people agreed that it is time to move away from confusing multiple choice questions, and they have frequently experienced teachers who present questions in this manner. Instead, it is important to recognize that students need clear, focused questions which test their understanding rather than their ability to decode the teacher’s thinking.

Dani
In chapter 6 I learned how to create test questions that are fair and tiered towards my students’ levels of learning. This means asking questions in the same manner that the material was taught, trying to keep questions easy to understand, being to the point and making tests easy to respond to. It also means grading and getting students feedback on how they did on the test or quiz in a timely manner so that they can improve for the next one. This affects my classroom because if I do ever decide to use a test to assess my students’ learning than I need to know how to write one that will probably assess what has been taught. It also gave good ideas on how to tier the test which means that I’ll have a few to consider if I should need to adjust the test for different learners.
 * Chapter 6**

Cam
Chapter six of FIAE goes on to share the difference between a well developed test and a not so well created test. Teachers should understand that multiple choice tests will tend to fog the mind of a student. This is because a student does not always know what a teacher is pondering. An organized test should consist of traditional and nontraditional questions, therefore it is differentiated. Particular things like having students circle true or false, keeping everything on the same page, and keep vocabulary to the right and definitions to the left, makes it easier for the teacher and students. A certain method that is beneficial for teachers is a double-columned test, one copy for the students and one copy for the teachers. This method is easier to grade for teachers, but students cannot see the questions they got wrong. Also, the teacher needs to change the order of questions because cheating may occur. Another opinion that teachers should keep in mind is using confusing multiple choice options like ‘all of the above’. Avoid using this in grades fifth to tenth. Professionals, in addition, need to avoid one sentence essay questions, timed tests, and long exams. This chapter makes a dent on my teaching philosophy because I am one of those people that are not good at taking tests. I will do everything I can to hear my kids go, “a test in Mr. Fecteau’s class? Should be fun!” For example, I am going to take Billy’s name and put it into a question like, how long will it take Billy to travel to the moon with the provided equation and information? Also, in my class there will be journals that students will write in at the end of class and after each test I will tell my students to respond in there journals. Was it too hard? Where the questions fair? This will impact my students because it will better prepare them for future education. The idea of getting the material done and understand it is every students’ foundation of learning.
 * Chapter 6; Creating Good Test Questions **

Marcy
Chapter 6 FIAE This chapter explained how to create tests worth giving. First it is important to have questions and the test format to be clear and not confusing. Next a variety of questions and multiple assessments are needed to give a clear picture of the students’ understanding. Feedback should be specific and instantaneous or within a few days of taking the test otherwise it is useless. Keep tests short to avoid student test fatigue and save yourself time grading them. Add questions that include common mistakes that students make while learning the content. This clears up whether the student really knows or just memorized the material. Have fun making the test and be a little creative. Use students’ names and popular figures in their culture. This makes test drudgery a little less painful. The tests should have no surprises; ask questions in the same way you taught them. Changing it confuses students and will skew the results. Lastly, it is suggested to scatter the tough questions throughout the test instead of saving them for the end. This affects me as a teacher because the last thing I want to do is make a test that a student who knows the material will do poorly on. This is counterproductive. I learned that I need to be straightforward, clear, and avoid surprises on the test. This impacts my students by helping them succeed in every way I can. Students already have test anxiety and other obstacles in their lives, a test that is easy to understand, do, and is not surprising will help them show me what they really know. I mean I do not expect a hallelujah chorus or a round of applause but the students will appreciate it.

Jason
I liked this chapter because it spoke a lot about issues that I can understand. I learned the importance of forming good questions that actually cover the material that we taught. I also liked the notion of the types of questions such as traditional ones, true/false and multiple choice, and not-so-traditional methods like diagrams. This chapter connected to me because I have had teachers who use multiple choice exams with some terrible questions; they are either really out of order or the choices are not explained well. I would use all those forms of assessment in my classroom so that I can change things up, and make it interesting and fun for the students. The one thing that I dislike is the notion of double recording because I think that it would put the answers to my exams out there for other students to see – I saw that in high school, where early classes did worse on exams than did the later classes because students talk about what is on them. Good questions will produce better answers from students.
 * FIAE Chapter 6: Creating Good Test Questions **

Lindsey
The first component of creating a successful test is to not try and trick students. Even in college, I have experienced professors who provide multiple correct answers and expect students to weed through them and find the “correct” one. As a teacher, I do not intend to confuse my students by providing them such opinion based questions as the one seen in the beginning of this chapter. Instead, they should be permitted to explore each of these options in a essay or another method which allows them expression rather than a mere guessing game. In using constructed choice rather than forced choice questions, the instructor pushes the student to think for his or herself as opposed to providing answers and allowing the student to guess. This method pushes the student further and allows intellectual growth rather than an answer the student was barely involved with. I enjoyed how this chapter really broke down effective methods of formulating tests. For example, when creating a matching test, the teacher is instructed to put definitions on the left with vocabulary on the right. This allows the student to interpret the definition before then applying it to the information the students are studying. Another tip that I enjoyed was that the chapter suggested multiple ways to comfort the student. Rather than causing them to stress about their test, one method of showing students the results of their hard work is to have them create two copies of their answers so that they are aware of just how well they have done. While many aspects of this chapter were self explanatory, it was nice to receive basic guidelines regarding how best to guide students through the test process and how to create tests which best test student mastery.

Jenna
Chapter six of __Fair Isn't Always Equal__ explained to teachers how to ask the right questions in assessments. It defined the right question as the one that tests a student on the understanding of the topic. The question should dive into the depth of the content and not just skim the surface of it. A teacher needs to be very clear with their expectations when they are assessing because it helps diffuse dissonance. When dissonance is eliminated, students are more likely to succeed. Timely feedback is also essential in motivating students. I really like how the chapter taught me that when I am a teacher, I have to assess the abilities of my students. Testing should not be a guessing game... it should be an accountable example of a student's understanding. All too often, when I was a student, I found myself confused about unclear assessments. It was extremely frustrating and I found this chapter useful is providing me the means to, as a teacher, change this common way of testing. Although I agree that questions should not be unbelievably hard to answer, I also think that I should not be handing the students the answers and making them obvious. I want to challenge the students to do the work to uncover the answer. I also should give the students timely feedback. Feedback will provide my students the motivation to work on their weaknesses and expand their strengths.

**Andrew D**
This chapter talks about how to create effective tests so students will not be stressed and confused while taking them. One of the keys to making an effective test is to use a variety of different questions. Teachers can do this by mixing traditional test questions and non-traditional questions (real life applications). Using a variety of questions allows a teacher to get a better feeling of whether or not a student has really mastered the topic. Overall this chapter impacted me because it gave me a clear understanding of what teachers should be looking for when creating a test. Tests should be clear and efficient for students and they shouldn’t have to be answering questions where they are thinking about how the teacher would answer the question. This will impact my classroom because of the better understanding I now have of making tests and hopefully when I become a teacher I will be able to create a test that my students can enjoy and show that they have mastered the topic I just taught them.

T ed
Chapter Six of Fair Isn’t Always Equal was about designing tests and test questions that will most reflect students’ learning. It’s very refreshing to read that teachers are now keeping an active eye out for confusing negatives or “trick” questions. If I had read that as a student, I wouldn’t have believed it – it seemed like those things were the only prerequisites for a test. Everything in this chapter sounded great for my class – I’m glad there’s so much innovation in crafting test questions. I’ve often found myself stuck coming up with ideas for what I will write for tests (when I have a class). The section that I’ve seen the most in classes, and that I most anticipate, was putting fun into test questions. Especially painful puns are my specialty, and that’s going to make these tests easier for both me and the students (I hope!).

Ben
In math, there is no avoiding it, a test is in my students future. A test is the best way to ask questions in mathematics. However I still want to make the test equal and differentiated. I can do this by mixing traditional questions with none traditional questions. Traditional types include true/false, matching, fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc. Non-traditional types include analogies, drawings, diagrams, analyzing real-life applications, etc. Improving the previous style of test questions will make the questions more suffiencient. Like making true/false questions a circle response. Double response sheets allows students to remember than answers while go over the answers. These helpful tips in the book will help make my students more successful on the written tests.

Andrew F.
In terms of this chapter's early assault on multiple choice questions, I felt personally a strong connection to Raul in the example. I spent so much time thinking "what would the teacher want me to say if he/she were asking me in a class discussion." When I should have spent more time worrying about the rest of the test and leave my "game of chance" towards the end. As educators we must make tests that are challenging, very clearly written, and on par with what the students really need in order to be successful.

This chapter actually made me feel excited about the whole process of test making. The suggestion about keeping it fun by even including student's names within your classroom performing outlandish tasks brings some joy into the very dim subject of test taking. The whole chapter was full of great tips that I will be very happy to use when I reach that point in my career.

Lizzie
**
 * This chapter discusses the differences between testing and the quality of the testing. Teachers must understand how each student will learn and that includes how they respond to different types of testing as well as how they will perform on those testings. There are different types of testing, multiple choice tests which can be difficult playing mind games with the student, true and false which can be easier for students to grasp but then creates a guessing game, and organized tests that can consist of traditional and non traditional questions. Offering different types of testing throughout the course of the year can help adapt the material to each learning style. Along with what type of testing to produce, the length of the questions, the length of the test, and how much time a student has to complete the test are all factors in how well a student will perform. It is all about creating tests that will not stump your students but help them to understand the material and reinforce what has been learned. The tests should be creative, using fun names or relating the information or the question to a current situation, event, or person in the news or within their class. **
 * After testing has occurred it is important for the teacher to be able to give feedback to their students. It is not enough to simply let the students know what they have done wrong. Teachers must explain why it is wrong and how they can understand it so they will get it right the next time around. This chapter helped me to understand that you must be able to reach your students before, during and after any testing that occurs. In order for you to succeed, your students must succeed, and they need to be set up for success not failure on a test. Being able to create different tests and different ways of reviewing those tests will ensure that my students not only know the information but truly understand it.

Nicholas
**Chapter 6:** This chapter examines the various types of test taking. It suggests that you don’t use timed tests because then it is a race against a set time table. Students may not be able to fully demonstrate their knowledge of the specified content area. I definitely agree that timed tests are not the best way for a student to demonstrate their knowledge. It is a rushed form of testing that I don’t plan on using it in my classroom. I want students to have the greatest opportunity possible when demonstrating their knowledge to me as an educator.