I recently embarked on a unit based entirely around Front Row results and using Front Row printables. More on that coming soon. (If you are unfamiliar with Front Row, click here.) I decided that the summative assessment (aka test) for this unit would be on Front Row. In case you are unfamiliar, the Assigned Practice of Front Row allows students to jump straight to a lesson and practice 10 problems. The results show up in the Assigned Feed showing me how many questions were answered, and the percentage of those questions correct (combined percentage).
Since it was directly aligned with the unit we had just completed, I decided to give it a whirl. I had detailed written instructions on the projector for how to navigate to Assigned Practice and which standard needed to be completed. I told my students that they could repeat the assigned practice as many times as they wished but also made sure they knew that all attempts would be averaged (because that's how it's displayed in my results) and not just the highest one kept.
Once they complete the assigned section, Front Row automatically takes them back to their adaptive level in the same domain so that they can continue working productively during the time allowed.
The Good
The Bad
Conclusion
I do think I would use this method of summative assessment again if I find myself teaching another complete Front Row unit. I expect that it would go more smoothly since I have worked out some of the bugs.
What about you? How do you use Front Row for assessment?
Since it was directly aligned with the unit we had just completed, I decided to give it a whirl. I had detailed written instructions on the projector for how to navigate to Assigned Practice and which standard needed to be completed. I told my students that they could repeat the assigned practice as many times as they wished but also made sure they knew that all attempts would be averaged (because that's how it's displayed in my results) and not just the highest one kept.
Once they complete the assigned section, Front Row automatically takes them back to their adaptive level in the same domain so that they can continue working productively during the time allowed.
The Good
- They had instant feedback and support. Actually they had more support with example videos than I would have normally provided for a test, but this unit proved especially challenging, so I was fine with that.
- Instant grading for me.
- Questions were presented in different order and with different values among neighbors so there were automatically "multiple versions" distributed.
- Students are allowed to correct wrong answers, allowing them opportunity to clear up misconceptions before proceeding further in the test, but the correction is not reflected in the grade. The initial wrong answer stands.
The Bad
- It dd not instantly show them a grade, which frustrated them. So, as the day wore on, I learned to state up front that they would have 10 questions, which meant the questions were 10 points each. They had to be responsible to keep track of how many they missed.
- Some of not-so-highly-motivated students did not take advantage of the retake opportunity, which frustrated me that they were just going to keep a grade of 40. So, as the day worn on I finally told them that they HAD to keep attempting it until they made at least an 80. That worked much better. It wasn't perfect, but it was a significant improvement.
Conclusion
I do think I would use this method of summative assessment again if I find myself teaching another complete Front Row unit. I expect that it would go more smoothly since I have worked out some of the bugs.
What about you? How do you use Front Row for assessment?