Test Anxiety of the Teacher Kind

Okay, now I've done it for the millionth time and I am writing to help you avoid the same pitfall: please count your tests.

This the scenario: the week has been busy, perhaps a holiday week with plenty of school activities to boggle your mind, and your students are taking their test. It's most likely the only test you can get out of them during December, because it's all "vacation mind set" from here on out. You note two absent students. No problem. You've noted this because you've marked their name on the two remaining tests you have. Making copies in the exact number (plus one - for teacher or key) that you need is absolutely essential to identifying quickly any missing students. Ahhh. You breathe easily. You tuck away the collected tests, determined to grade them over the weekend.

Sunday night: you are poring over their tests, making little notes, feeling quite the teacher when suddenly, you feel odd... a little prickly feeling. You mentally swat it away. Later in the evening, when inputting, you gasp: you're missing FOUR students. What happened to the two additional tests?

No matter what: count your tests when they come back in. Plan on this time by cutting off the test time by ten minutes before the end of the period. This allows for collecting and counting. Most of the time, I've noticed, this cut off of ten minutes does not dramatically affect the outcome of my A B C or D or other students. But it helps prevent **groan** retakes and re-grades and the occasional sobbing student who is convinced that some other student stole (!) her test.

In these instances, I've chosen to re-test (if an alternate test form is available) or to give the student the option of a pure essay or a pure mutiple choice test. My goal is to ensure they've been tested according to the standards and they don't feel penalized in the rare... but entirely possible.. situation where the teacher has lost their test between work and home. BLEH.

Just count your tests. Thanks.