Math Department's Past Tests Policy

{{Haverford High School]]'s Math department has decided to collect essental class worksheets and assessments and kept the so students are unable to study for final exams. Under the guise of "protecting test security" the math department collects key worksheets, as well as corrected tests and quizzes, so that they can not be copied. However, these same worksheets provide the keys to study for the final exams. Tests and quizzes provide the best insight into key material for the unit, and is likly to appear in some form on the final. Unit tests distill what is impoortant into a few sheets from which to study from. In addition, most students expel extra effort on graded work then on homework and notes. The teacher also expels extra effort to correct this work. By keeping track of what one got wrong on tests, and by making corrections, they can better focus their studying on certain key areas. These areas which they missed on the assessments can be learned from to do better on the final exam, and to actually learn the material.

However, by keeping this material secret and classified, the Math department is jeopardizing the education of its students. It is especially damaging to those students who wish to better understand the material. By classifying and collecting assignments, as well as key worksheets, the Math department is taking away our best source of notes and key example problems.

The Math department is taking these steps so that they may reuse assessments from semester to semester. However, similar tests can easily be generated by changing the numbers in the problems, and possibly reordering the problems. These steps will stop students from simply acquiring past copies of the test to save the answers. In addition, Math assessments usually require one to show work; a correct answer by itself only earns one partial credit at best. By changing numbers and requiring work, the Math department incentives students to learn the steps to solve a problem.

Perhaps, by offering similar past assessments with example problems, students will be incentivized to study and actually learning the steps because they know that similar problems will appear on their own assessments.

However it appears that the Math department refuses to undergo these steps because they are unwilling to expend a little effort to change their assessments from semester to semester. They appear unwilling to hold the best interest of their students in mind in order to avoid a little extra work for themselves. The appearance of such neglect towards the education of their students should not be tolerated.

The Math department will still be able to standardize, even after undertaking the steps I've recommended. By maintaining a bank of test questions, and slightly editing them each time the Math department can still avoid the problems of cheating, but still incentives all students to study for upcoming assessments. A standardized test could be given to all students in a certain course during the same semester. One test could be made up for all classes, and it would be given back and graded after everyone had taken it. This minimizes the additional work required, while still allowing students to study for their final exams. In addition the distribution of prior assessments will be viewed as a positive, because students know that the same exam will not be repeated. Students will know that similar questions will appear (as well as the fact that they will have to show their work) and direct their focus towards studying the processes in general, not just the answer to a certain problem.

Thus I urge the Math department to revisit their policy on not distributing and releasing graded material.

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