WMS: Math Update. Using today's quiz differently

Dear Families,

I just wanted to give you an update about our quiz today. The kids were amazing and stuck with it for all the time they had. It was inspiring to see their tenacity! But in the end, it was just too long for them to all complete in the time given. There were also some questions on it that I felt confused many people because it was asking them to do a couple things all at once with the same problem. Knowing that now, I would have designed it differently, but I don't think it's very fair of me to ding the kids' grades based on this particular assessment -- even if they can retake it.

Instead of counting this one as an "summative grade" in the gradebook, I will use today's quiz formatively. That means that I want to use it as an opportunity for the kids to reflect on the questions and to sort them into three categories: 

1. The things I know how to do.
2. The things I know how to do but I was slowed down by hand calculations.
3. The things I don't know how to do yet.

In the mean time, I will create a different quiz to assess these learning targets for circles:

• I can calculate the area and perimeter/circumference of any circle.
• I can calculate the area and perimeter of composite shapes having circular parts to them (semi circles of quarter circles).

Please help me congratulate our students on their hard work today.

Sincerely,

Brian MacNevin