A Year of No Tests

Here is an interesting experiment you should take a note of.

Jodie Deinhammer says, “During the first week of school this year, I asked my kids to write on a poster and finish the prompt, “I hope we…” Right in the middle, someone wrote “have no tests.” I never liked tests. As a student, I felt they did not really show what I knew because I was so stressed about trick questions or that I would misinterpret what was being asked. So I decided, why not, let’s try it—a year with no tests.

I figured that after a year of quarantining and hybrid learning, it might be a good time to mix things up a little more than normal. When I told my classes that I wouldn’t give them tests this year, they legitimately did not believe me: “What’s the catch, Mrs. Deinhammer?” I told them that my expectations were that they try their best and focus on learning as opposed to memorizing, cramming, or cheating. I told them that I wanted them to learn how to learn, how to be curious, and how to ask good questions.”