March 7

My CT allows my students as much time as they need to finish a test, so often times students take their tests home with them and finish them at home and bring them back the next day. My CT has an honor code policy; students are bound by the honor code so they cannot give or receive help on tests when they take them home. They are not allowed to look at the questions and then study, and they are certainly not allowed to work with other students to get the correct answer. We want to see what they know at the end of a chapter so we want them to work by themselves with no extra materials, but at some point I think you need to draw the line. For instance, this was my first test that I administered where I was in charge, and I did not like what I saw. A lot of students sat around, talked, and did other work, instead of working on the test. To me that says that they didn’t study and plan on doing so when they get home before they start the test again. I think ninety minutes is plenty of time to finish any test, especially one where we go over the essay the day before. Students had plenty of time to study the essay plan out what they were going to say so that not only will their essays be amazing, but they will also finish them (and the rest of the test) during the ninety minute block. If the students legitimately did not finish the test in the time given, I would have no problem allowing them to take it home to finish it, but since they are doing everything but the test while in class, I do not think that they should be allowed to take the test home. I discussed my feelings with my CT during our planning block and he said that I feel like many other teachers, and that for the next test I could be in charge. That means if I say the students have ninety minutes to take a test they have ninety minutes with no exceptions. Students know when each test is, so there is no excuse for them to not be prepared.