[LM_NET] HIT - AR preferences (deleting tests)

[Melissa Balcom <melissa.balcom@GMAIL.COM>]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

We are trying to set preferences at my school (elementary) for
Accelerated Reader.   I need to know if you allow your teachers to
have the rights to delete tests that students have failed so that we
can re-take them.  If you do, do you give them the rights to do it on
their own, or does it have to go through the administrator?


RESPONSES:


NOOOOOOOOO!  We had a teacher almost destroy our system, and our
district tech guy said only the librarian and the tech coordinator
could delete tests.  Teachers send me the student's name and the test
they want deleted, and I do it.

I have reserved that privilege for myself. One of our teachers tried
to get into the administration part of Renaissance Place to do just
what you're talking about and locked out the administrator password!!

 Teachers do not have to be administrator to delete tests.  They are only
allowed access to their classroom.  The administrator has access to all
classes.

At my school, the kids come tell us ( my assistant or me) and it has
to be a good reason why we are deleting the quiz...sometimes kids
click on the wrong title, etc (esp the younger ones).  We don't just
delete if they read the book and failed the quiz.

We have allowed students to write a note to the administrator of AR
(me) to delete a quiz from her/his list.  S/he has to explain why the
quiz should be deleted and why s/he should be allowed to retake the
quiz (I read it too quickly, I watched the movie, didn't read the
book, etc. but will read more carefully, so on) and this has worked
well.  It is a talking point when explaining the AR policies and also
a chance for a student to write for a "real world" audience, and give
a chance for self-evaluation.

We go through an administrator.  Teachers fill out a form that asks the
following:
Student Name
Test Name
Reason for Removal
AR Teacher Name
After the principal approves it, I remove the test.

At this time I am the only one who can delete a test.  I don't do it very
often.  We are a very small school (6 teachers in K-5) and we pretty much
agree that once a student takes a test, it stays.  If there is a good reason
we do take tests off from time to time. Usually the student has clicked the
wrong test.

I delete the tests if a teacher asks me to.  Some teachers do not want
that and others do.  If the teacher has the password she can do it
herself to save me the hassle.

Some campuses do; some don't.  The administrator can set those rights
(or take away) as desired.  The reason some don't is that we have had
teachers delete and delete quizzes until the student made the grade
the teacher desired.  It was felt that this gave a wrong signal to the
student and discouraged them from reading carefully the first time (as
we would want them to do, for example, on state testing).

I don't recommend deleting very often. Teachers misuse the option to
protect the kids scores and make themselves look good. Failed quizzes
are clues to bigger reading issues--reading outside the range, not
reading the book completely or at all, not interested in the topic,
taking too much time reading the book to be able to remember what
happened to pass the quiz, etc.
We do not allow students to retake tests.  We do allow the students to
use the  books to take the tests just as they are allowed to use the
reading passages as the state tests allows.

I supervise a Pk-2 library and a 3-5 library.  We finally had to take rights
away for the Elem. teacher students had the pass word and we had a student
delete another students test.  So need less to say we changed the
administrator password and only the principal, tech people and the librarian
have the new password.  Teachers may only see their classes now.  My
teachers can delete test for their students only.


We don't allow that. I will delete if there is a good reason and teacher
requests but that rarely happens. It happens too frequently if the teachers
are allowed to delete.

I have that authority...and I decide on a case by case basis

In the three buildings that I have, myself and the admin. have the
right to delete.

I delete tests based on teacher recommendations. I feel of our
teachers would abuse this function if given the authority.

I did not give teachers the right to delete tests – I do it.

If you allow teachers the  rights, you will have some who delete a
lot, allowing kids to get many chances at a test. And then you will
have some who never delete. It creates inequity w/kids across the
school. It is much easier to pass/get points the second time around.
So- I would push for a school
 standard if you are going to allow teachers to delete. Otherwise
parents and kids will spot the differences and complain...speaking
from experience. I eventually kept that right as the program admin,
and we set up a list of when and why deleting was acceptable.  Not
everyone liked that but it was fair. Good luck-

We have the teachers do it. I tell the kids if they fail a quiz that
that is something they need to discuss with their teacher. ( I usually
try to help them figure out why). But I would not want that
responsibility as administrator...I think the teacher would know best.
I do however let the teacher know if I saw them just goofing around,etc.

Our elementary principal insists on being the only one who has the rights to
delete tests. Middle school and high school teachers can do it themselves
but prefer that I do it for them just because they don't want to hassle with
it. Works fine...lots of things come into play for deleting a test - valid
things - but the elementary principal just doesn't trust her teachers'
judgment (whole other story....)...


At my school the teachers are allowed to delete quizzes themselves,
but only if the student is going to read the book again, and then
retake the test.  They aren't supposed to delete them for the sole
purpose of increasing the student's average test scores, but I think
even a little bit of that goes on around here.

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